The Washington herald., 1920-07-22
BY RAYMOND G. CARROLL.


New FORK, July 2l.-we tried
hard to be good Socialists for an
hour yesterday afternoon at the
Manhattan Park and Casino. where
the Socialist party had its annual
picnic. We gave full sweep to our
pale pink" tendencies. which ecca-
sionally pass the gist of regula-
tion dispositions. We did not buy
flowers from the three ladies in
side the fenced inclosure. having
been admonished by both the CASH
Ter to whom We gave our IS cents
for admission tickets and the gate
tender who TOOK II: Don't buy any
flowers from them: they amt So
cialists."
We have even eaten and enjoyed
the hot dog that Karl Gottfried
chairman of the committee of ar
rangements, himself kindly fixed
for us, with plenty of mustard in
between. We bought a picture of
Debs. We talked with Joe Cannon,
Socialist candidate for governor of
New York, and interviewed Charles
Solomon, Samuel Dewitt and Sam
uel Orr, three of the five Socialists
expelled from the New York State
Legislature. We listened to a per-
fectly good brass band jazzing cap
italistic tunes and almost bought
a red fiag-almost.
But we had to get out in the
fresh air. Simply could not stand
II any longer. If Haywood Broun
had only been there to act as in
terpreter. we might have stayed
Timothy Walsh. the Socialist of
Wall Street. with his usual fore
sight, did not show UP. True, the
park held some probably interest
ing men and women and children,
who are poorer than they think
they ought to be. and they had
plenty of leaders on hand to ex-
plain to them that the classes
above them are rich at tseir ex-
pense.. Why did we leave? Be
cause everybody around us was
talking in the German language.
1T was bad enough to have to
learn the French language so as to
help the allies defeat the Kaiser"
said Maj. Bob williams. late of the
intelligence section of the A. Z. F..
who was our companion, but l am
hanged IL am going to learn the
German language in order to find
out what this crowd thinks Is the
matter with America. Anyhow, be-
ing a Socialist does not protect a
man from getting caught between
two motor cars on Fifth avenue or
from being held UP and robbed in
the lower East Side. Socialists can
only call a policeman, which Is just
what anybody else can do-if they
speak United States"
Before leaving the decidedly Teu-
tonic 500 Socialists to cross Eighth
avenue and cast our lot with the
10000 normal Americans in the Polo
Grounds, in which the Yankees and
Chicago baseball teams play our ma
Manhattan Park and Casino long
enough to observe that there were a
good number of expensive Panama
hats covering the complaining
brains. Further, the wives, daugn-
ters and sweethearts OF Socialism
were noted to be wearing silk stock
ings and French high-heeled shoes,
even IL the most of them did speak
German, and IL so soon after the
great war.
l gave my picture of Debs, the
oold-headed and jailed Socialist can
didate for President. to my brother,
VINO has friend who has invented
a new hair restorer. He remarked:
IT would be a great advertisement,
Tor Louie to put hair on that head.
II might also help the inside"
Socialists own Corporation.
The Socialists have organized a
corporation called the Labor Film
service. with an authorized capital
OF $4,000. Shares are being soid in
the tenement districts at $40 each,
payable in weekly instaliments. That
the sordid practice of making money
is not confined to the capitalistic
class 10 frankly conceded by the fol-
lowing from the oompany's prospec-
tus. which I have before me: