Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1920-03-25
NO.2

I policS are to be decided all of the
people should have a vote IN making
up the verdict
When you con ider this new attl'
| rude of labor in conjuNctiun with the
growing popularity Of direct action"
IL indicates that the labor movement
is losing faith IN law and political &C.
| tion. am not saving that their ex.
perience with politics their betrayal
+ by men they have supported, the de-
faui; Of political parties to carry out
pre- election pledges, may not be re-
sponsible Cor a distrust in political
government. I am not denying that
capital has had the ear of government
more than 1t should; that property has
been given more thought than human
beings am concerned with the dan
ger that these innovations promise,
| danger to the working men Themselves
menace. to law ana order, without
which no one is secure, without which
there can be no freedom.
Political Action Called Failure.
heard a speech in London that
deeply impressed me. 1t was applaud
ed by several thousand men and wom-
en-average good British working peo-
pie. Most of the men wore service
badges. The speaker, clean young
Englishman Of about thirty-tive' saiu'
''Political action is a failure. we
vote and we are betrayed. PoiitlcaI
parties are the agents OF Dands OF
capital. Their purpose is TO keep the
workers apart, knewing that diy,'ep
we are poweress. The only time they
are willing we should unite Is When
war calls for men What did we win
in the war? Nothing. We thought we
had stake in the game that the hand
we were playing was our own. NO" J
that it is over We have discovered that
we won nothing,
"Ayhat did the working man ever
get by voting except the worst of itf
The word vote comes. from Al Latln
word, meaning 10 wish. Who eyer got
anything by wishing7
ssyye. are like the story Ia Beiiamy's
Iooking Backward You remember
Elfe spoke Of d coach, On tpp ofNnls
coach the capitalists 81 IN NE slillg
shine enjoying the rigleY 0n me sue
!. Of tie ruac4lg nslI IiRlps 1'EFlF iliAgef
III ana aaslasI fl ID 1slR nK
/ M. 'ie n3ldaiv
Z issi. 1 & ssds.
I ing-4fhey ssire the ling men. fRunr
! ming along the side Of the coach are
millions more, figl1ting to get chance
to get hold OF the rope and pun the
coach. They are the idle. There Is
only one thing to do. That is TO stop
; pulling Tie coach, let 90 of The rope.
! Don't wish about it; do it, The fellows
, on the top of the coach don't do any
wishlng-they boss and drive.
/ The crowd cheered There is some
5 truth in the speech. 1t is true that
The working man has not had a square
I anal. but the fact that he has not hao
! fair treatment does not make The plan
of direct action a sane, wise plan.
!, Revolution would only lead TO blood
> and disorder and leave the very men
= who revolted in a worse plight than
q they are now The millions who are
7. the majority have an infinitely better
: weapon than force. They have the
{ ballot. They are in the majority Men
t must think their way tout Of the will
, dernees. They cannots fight their way
out When they try to they go deeper
- in.
Bolshevism Finding Favor.
found the word bolShevism in the
minds and on the lips of the working
people of Europe. | expected to find
them antibolshevik If for no other rea-
: son than that bolsheyism came from
Russia and the bolsheviks made peace
with Germany while the allies were In
\ death struggle with her with the re-
n sult in doubt. found them confess
b ING their faith in bolshevism, speaking
s Of it as a new religion, resenting the
obstacles their own governments had
placed in its way.
In Ireland, the last place | expected
n 70 find leaning toward bolSlevism, l
\ found an open devotion TO it, The irish
q people are in manX respects The most
: conservative IN the world. The only
. radicaIism they have ever shown Is the
e revolutionary spirit expressed In up
rIsincS for freedom. The irish are
9 peoplc of Renaissance and tradition
d The Celtic mind is devoted to form
10 and custom. was present ut the li1sn
( Federation OF Labor convention helu
. in August, 1919, at Droshela. Inc
l. delegates to this convention, repre-
III senting 100000 union men AMI women
n went on record almost Unanimously
% for bolshcyism. | later learned tha'
II few of them. If amy, knew exaetiy
% what holShcNlsm was. | asked lead
X ing spirit of the convention II he DO
j. licyed i'm communism, the abolition oi
L the private ownership of property
and he said. "Of course not; THAR
IL rank nonsense; socialism iiapossipis
and impractical" The pro and con VI
> bolshcyism has from the heglnhini
been partisan and. preludiced. work
le ing men are bolSlpviks because EN-
NJ ...#. .,,.g, ,roInlt n and spmplOyerh