Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-03-08
RoLsHEylkl OVER HERE

6OlS6evINI OvEh 06nc
A few weeks ago The Courier re.
produced some of the contents of one
issue of the bulletin Of the socialist
party of Moline. calling attention to
the similarity between its preach.
ments and those of the bolsheviki in
Russia. The publisher of the Courier
is in receipt of the following letter
sent from Moline under date Of March
/:
You will find enclosed leaf1et
and think you will be glad to get
it. happend to be in OFT. which
is my home and read to little
piece about the Moline socialist
and you must be getting afraid OF
them. I will say that will not
hurt us but make the working
people think why you knox social
list and they are beginning to see
that the rich man is agenst the
poor man and they are going to
agenst the rich man. And some
thing else all the drafted men will
be with US after the war for that
sure will make them SEQ things
and what the rich men has made
them do and they sure will vote
right" H. s.
The enclosure is the ninth issue of
the Moline socialists bulletin. 1t
chronicles the nomination Of E. B.
Passmore as the socialists candidate
for congress from the fifth Illinois
district, describing him as "a militant
worker, class conscious and all that
that signifies" Then follows this
paragraph:
Resolutions were adopted in be-
half of peace and pledging sup
port to the Industrial Workers Of
the World in their defense against
the vicious campaign Of misrepre-
sentation being hurled against
them by capitalist interests. A
collection of $11 was sent to the
defense committee in Chicago.
Careful reading of the letter from
III. S." discloses just three state
ments which are not contrary to fact,
with a fourth which may or may not
be true and doesn't matter anyway.
Then there are several other state
ments which are contrary to fact.
They remain when the three true
true statements and the immaterial
one are listed. These are the true
ones:
"You will find enclosed leaAet'
"You will be glad to get it,
'"That 1.-THE war] sure will mako
them 1.-THE drafted menl see things"
The statement which doesn't mat
ter is this:
II happened to be in OFT. which is
my home and read to little piece
about the Moline socialist"
In the remainder of his declarations
III. S." is wofully mistaken.
The Courier is not afraid of social
ism, any more than 1t is afraid of an
epidemic Of thievery, or food. or an
earthquake. 1t would not invite any
Of these calamities, but it would do its
best to fight them. 1t does not invite
socialism; indeed, The Courier re-
CARDS socialism as menace to
American citizenship, government and
institutions. It regards socialism as
disloyal and it denies that the so
called socialist party should he recog.
nized as party. But it is not afraid
Of socialism for the very reason that
socialism is rushing in It's own way
and with remarkable speed toward
the oblivion which is its rr0ner fate.
Lenine and Trotzky have completed
the ruin of Russia, but in that act, all
unwittingly, they have done America
a great service. They maintained 4
semblance Of government long enough
for socialism in this country to put
itself on record with an endorsement
of the bolsheviki and with those
peace terms which LenJne and
Trotzky offered to Germany. 1t is
hsnh h.
Moline resolutions appearing else
where on this page. 1t is these terms
to which, ostensibly. Germany agreed
and which the German people are be-
ing lead to believe form the basis of
the German peace which Russia has
accepted.
That this is not an isolated case but
Is in line with socialistic opinion
throughout the country is indicated
by the resolutions adopted by social
istic leaders recently at Chicago. and
by such local resolutions as those
which socialists at Reading, Pa,
adopted Saturday, congratulating LIE.
nine and TrotZky on their achieve
ments" in Russia.
With the experience of Russia as a
guide, America is not going to fall in
TO the hands Of the socialists. The
only danger that exists in America is
that too small proportion of loyal
citizens will give sufficient attention
to socialism and its menace to realize
that the so-called conservative so
cialist is just as visionary and just as
unsafe as the most incendiary radical
He may not think so himself-the
socialist who calls himself "conserva
tive'-but the fact remains tina,
should socialism gain political control
through him and his sort, theis con
servatism would be set aside for the
bolshevik doctrines of the radicals
and chaos such as Russia is suffering
would follow.
In Moline, for instance. as in OF
tumwa, there are conservative" so
cialists. But the resolutions which
~ congressional convention adopted