The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-08-02
STEDMAN URGES
PEACEFUL CHANGE
Nominee Advocates Socializa-
ton of Roads, Mines and
Stock Yards.

CHICAGO. III, Aug. 2.-ln his letter
accepting the Socialist vice-p presidential
nomination, made public here by So
cialist national headquarters, Seymour
Stedman, of Chicago, summarized the
aim of the party rs the "transforma-
ton of the present capitalist system
into a collective ana cooperative SO
Ciety."
we have always in the past, he
added, advocated "A peaceful change
and this high hope is stIl cherished by
US"
Eugene V Debs. five times head Of
the Socialist ticket. was notified in pris-
on at Atlanta, Ga. by special COM
mittee, several months ago and In the
warden's office made an informal ad-
dress in reply Notification ceremonies
vice presidential candidate.
4 change in society. Stcdman de-
clared, Is impending and he said the
Socialist party offered the only prac-
teal program TO avert threatened
chaos He urged immediate socializn-
ton Of railroads and mines, flour mills
and stockyards.
OF the work of the peace conference,
Mr., Stedman said
"Self-determination meant 10 our
party and comrades what II said. 1t
was a declaration which first came TO
life from a convention of our party and
at this hour we are the only political
party In the United States which stands
for keeping the faith and recognizing
the Russian socialist republic, the only
party at this hour in the United States
which demands the recognition Of the
Irish republic,
1--WE denounee the proposed league OF
nations as an organization OF interna-
tional capitalists banded together for
the purpose Of subjugating and exploit
ing the peoples of the world.
I'VE favor Il league of free peoples
administered by delegates elected d.
rectly by and responsible to the people,
Dealing with domestic affairs, Mr.
Stedman continued:
freedom of speech has become bye
word. the liberty OF the press is lost
liberty; representative government Is at
tackled and successfully throttled in the
state legislature OF New York the cii-
Gems OF congressional district have
twice been denied representation ny de-
nying its elected representative his seat
and participation in congress; newspa'
pors. the most enlightened in the coun-
try, are denied the use OF the mails,
mob violence and murder has been and
Is being tolerated and Approved houses
have been searched and papers seized
and people arrested without warrant or
legal procedure.
Large Industries go unchecked In
grabbing profits; the railroads are
handed back to private privilege with
a loan and guaranteed dividends; the
miners and railroad workers are
crushed by injunctions and indictments,
and tried under war statutes for Of
lenses charged to have been committed
within the last few months And now.
by no means, do VIC behold a relaNa-
ton The most firmly entrenched cap.
italists Of the world are in this coun-
try The world war has solidified and
united them, They control the press
and the avenues OF information and the
economic power ana wealth Of the
country.
"1'he closing OF war in Europe opens
more clearly the class conflict. We
are drifting into a firmly established
capitalist despotism with thousands Of
spies; reckless power and subdued
workers. Capitalism may topple over
and bring in it's wake chaos. starva-
ton and destruction; TO meet this i'm
pending change intelligently, TO avert
this chaos and destruction, our party
offers the only sane and practical pro-
gram.
we are pre-eminently the Ameri-
can party, because we stand four
square with the ideals and traditions
now betrayed by self-styled patriots.
We offer the only possible solution for
the preservation OF civilization
The Increasing cost OF living
shortage OF coal cars, scarcity in coal
production, high interest rates, increas-
Ing unemployment. call for immediate
remedy.
we declare the remedy now--So-
clalise the railroads, the coal and metal.
iIferous mines. now; the flour mills
and stockyards, now; open unused land
10 cultivation, now; prepare to subsu-
tute for this capitalistic oligarchy, the
social ownership and democratic man
agement Of means Of production and
the control OF government for the pro-
ducers by the producers.
Mere political issues will not meet
the requirements OF todsy's social prob
lens. Economic readjustment OF a
fundamental character must be made,
ana can be made peacefully II we pre-
vail. We enter the conflict with the
call from the dungeon of liberty from
the white walls Of Atlanta bastile to
The white House at Washington"