The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-05-08
PRESIDENT
SCORED BY
SOCIALISTS
Party Attacks Wilson at
Convention-Big Vote
Is Predicted.

New York, May S.-The Socialist
party of America opened it's 1920
national convention here today with
the singing of the "Internationale,"
the "Marsellaise" and the hymn of
Free Russia"
Otto Branstetter of Chicago, ma
tional executive secretary, then
called the convention to order. Two
hundred delegates, with a number
OF fraternal delegates from sympa-
thetic international labor bodies,
were assembled in the Finnish
Workers Educational association
hall.
An attack on the administration
of President Wilson and a predic-
ton that the Socialist party would
poll more than 100000 votes in
the presidential campaign, were
made today by Morris Hillquit, tenn
porary chairman of the convention.
He said that the party would sur
vive the concerted attack, "un-
paralleled in ferociousness and
lawlessness,' made on it in the last
year by "all the powers OF darkness
and oppression in the country
"'Good Man Theory FaiIs.-
He declared that the last three
years had furnished the most strik-
ing and abhorrent proof of the fall
lacy of the good man theory in
politics.
III there remained any large sec
tion of workers who put their
trust in old party Messiah" he said,
Woodrow Wilson must have effec-
lively destroyed their naive faith.
For be it remembered that in 1916.
Woodrow Wilson ran as a radical
He promised Socialism through
the short cut of the Democratic
party and thousands OF radicals
throughout the country voted for
him rather than to throw away
their votes on the hopeless candi-
dates of the Socialist party.
'One-half OF the normal sup
porters of the Socialist party ticket
cast their votes for him. Woodrow
Wilson was elected over Charles z.
Hughes by the vote of Socialists. In
California alone the detection in
the normal Socialist vote deter
mined his victory in the president
ial contest.
Actions As "Paciist.-
Wilson. the pacifst. drew us into
the worlds most frightful war.
Wilson, the anti-miltarist, imposed
conscription upon the country in
war, and urged universal military
training. a large standing army and
a huge navy in peace
Wilson, the Democrat. arrogated
to himself autocrauc power grossly
inconsistent with republican
form of government. Wilson, the
liberal, revived the medieval insu-
tutions of the inquisition of speech,
thought and conscience. His ad-
ministration suppressed radical
publications, raided homes and
meeting places OF it's political op-
ponents, destroyed their property
and assault their persons. Wilson,
the apostle OF the new freedom
infested the country with stool
pigeons and spies and filled the
jails with political prisoners. Will
son, the champion Of labor. re-
stored involuntary servitude in the
mines and on the railroads, and
answered the wage demands of the
workers by jailing their leaders.
Blamed for Moral Terror.
Wilson, the idealist and human
itarian. has inaugurated reign
of moral terrorism and political
reaction the like of which this
country had never known. The
morbid national psychology which
he has helped to create has pro-
duced such atiavistic political types
as Palmer. Burleson, Sweet and
Lusk. 1t has advanced to places Of
honor political mountebanks like
Ole Hanson, but has put into prison
stripes the noblest and truest types
of American manhood, persons like