Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-01
BERGEREXP[A|NS
SOC|AL|ST|C VIEWS
Former Representative Be-
Iieyes in Observing Law Un-
til He Can Change 1t.
NOT FOR HUN OR KAISER

from milwaukee,, the last of the five
defendants to be called as a witness,
was on the stand throughout yester-
day. When court adjourned until to-
| morrow morning his direct examina-
| tion had not been concluded.
| Berger, after giving his life's his
| tory, described himself as consera-
| tive and constructive socialist.
There are two schools OF social
| lists he said. historical and hysteri-
| cal"
| II belong to the historical school. !
| believe in complying with the l@w.
| was never arrested in my life until
| this case. Ny plan is to obtain con
troll gradually and pay as we go. l
| would not confiscate any property. My
way of abolishing the great trusts
| would be to have the government buy
| them"
| Berger said he never approved the
sabotage or any other forms of vio-
lence practiced by the I. w w. He
said that when the l. w. w. was or
ganized in 1905 he was invited to join.
but refused. Later he was responsible
for the expulsion of William D. Hay
wood. general secretary and treasurer
of the l. w. W., now serving prison
term.
History of Socialism.
Berger told the story of socialism in
america and of his own anti-War &C
tivities as leader of the socialist
party. Nervous at first, the witness
soon regained his composure. He
spoke with a strong German accent.
which was explained in his opening
testimony to the effect that he was
born in Austria, and was twenty years
of age when he came with his parents
70 the United States.
He settled at Bridgeport, Conn, and
followed various occupations, in
GLIDING that of metal polisher. He
went to Milwaukee forty years ago
and for nine years was public school
teacher. Later he became a writer
for Vorwaerts, German-language
socialist paper.
He said his conversion to socialism
took place in 1881. He traced the
development of the socialist move
ment from 1880 to 1897. In the latter
year he and others, he said, organized
the present socialist party.
In 1910 the socialists carried Mil
waukee and Berger was elected to
Congress, being thus the first socialist
to attain this success The witness
said he was received cordially in
Washington by both democratic and
republican leaders. While a repre-
sentative in Congress he filed i'm
parchment proceedings against Fed
tIdl JuUSS f1aDicIu, WHO Id Ter re-
signed. This statement was brought
out by a question from Judge Lands,
who requested that IF you have done
anything about any crooked judge let
US hear about it,
Workers Back Paper.
The Milwaukee Leader. of which he
is publisher, the witness said, was
founded in 1911. Great difficulty was ex-
perienced in financing the publica-
ton, he said, and most of the securities
are owned by workingmen.
For the beneft of the jury he
sketched the international socialist
movement, and insisted that on several
occasions thereat of the socialists
to call general strike had averted
war. He related the unsuccessful
efforts of international socialists to
avert the war just closed. He said
he was not pro- German.
mo socialist could be pro-German
or pro-kaiser," said the witness.
Bergers opinion of the war news
of 19l4-15, he said. was expressed in
his instructions to his subeditors
lin lies and follow with the French
and English lies" His orders, how
ever were to print all the war news all
the time.
Berger considered himself a con-
servative socialist and said he work
ed to have the movement develop
along peaceful, rational, legal lines.
Socialism. he said. is the same the
world over. the only factional differ
ences being as to methods of proceed
ura.
II have never" he said. "been one
of those radicals who believed that
the world could be turned upside down
overnight. l believe in evolution
rather than revolution. It may be
slower, but the results are more per-
manent. Human society is an or
ganism which must be gradually al
tered as it grows"
Anti-War Activities
Discussing the socialist war pro-
gram adopted at st. Louis in 1917. in
which the party expressed opposition
to entrance Of the United States into
the war, Berger said that he did not
approve the language Of the docu-
ment There were three shades of
opinion at the meeting, he satd--the
conservative. which he shared; the
radical and the ultra radical.
Berger said he did not address tho
convention. At this meeting John
Spargo accused the party Of pro-Ger-
manism and resigned from the legis-
lative committee. Spargo was an Eng
lishman who came to this country in
1901, but did not become a citizen
until three years ago.
Berger declared that the prohibition
party platform was essentially as
strong against war as the socialist
platform Sections of the prohibition
platform were read in court.
Witness said he had observed that
the fewer socialists there were in a
nj ha radical thew
were. In Milwaukee, he said. with
80, 900 socialists. there was a much
more conservative view because there
was opportunity for frequent open
meetings and discussions. Berger said
he did not approve OF the Young Peo-
pies Socialist League and that there
were but three branches Of it in Wis
consin.
He said he never knew Of any code
letters nor of an underground route
to Mexico for slackers. He said that
the council of defense Of Milwaukee
came a model throughout the country.
or Prof. Carl Haessler, who is serv-
Ing twelve-year prison term because
he refused to don soldiers uniform,
Berger said:
He is a noble fellow. but too zeal
Gus. 1 tried to persuade him to COM
ply with the law but did not succeed"
The Milwaukee Leader was exclud-
ed from the mails in 1917. Berger told
of efforts to have the ban raised
The Rivers of France.
The rivers Of France are ten score and twain,
But FIVE are the names that we know.
The Marine, the vesfe, the OurcQ and the Aisne
And the Scmme Of the swampy dow.
Tho rivers Of France, from seufee to seA
Are nourished by many q rill.