SOCIALISM IN MILWAUKEE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 918, 10 September 1910, Page 10

SOCIALISM IN MILWAUKEE.

' Sir,—ln the issue-.of the Dominion, ot: to-day's.,date you hay.b an' article (dealing-: with .the..Socialists' success in ,Mihyntikee;' in which' you ; write; sarcastically '-about! 'the;. Socialist majority in that city;gov-' erning: or intending; to govern the; municipal affairs of that city, much'on the' samo lines' as thoir .predecessors, and.you finish up by.'suyiug that Milwaukee'twill; bo cured :of. Socialism, .very, quiokly. Critipisni of any.bpdy—to.bOjSOU^nd—mustj •have.some solid,-basis! Can ybujuon;;. ■es'tly. say -this,of yours?., Your'Jremarks. are :based solely.', on. rumour,' generally ta" .lying.' jade: ! The-' disp'a'tchY on ■ which"■: you' found; your' article ;;.begins: ''It'.'is said, etc., 'etc.-''.' Has .your; usually sound judgment; been :- carried away by your' desire to inflict injury on a movement with which ;you are evidently not.in..sympathy;?:'':' This does not'appear, to me as fair .play. iWouldit not be, wiser - to. wait. until you see what.-.'is really done,' and .then; criticise to .your, heart's, content;- but meanwhile! your" remarks are, ; tb-put'it mildly,'; premature. '-r-l 'ahi, 'etc.p':..'■'" ■' ! ''. ; ; ''",''''r:'''-.!''•■:•:• :.-"'■■.:. .-,.'•.' INTERESTED; September, 3,.f ■ •;■ 'Sir,—l was yery-'pleased'at the publicity given'- in-Saturday's Dpminiou : ,to'the- t do-' .ings :of the Socialist. administration, in. .Milwaukee/United States of: America.. .1 have been,'waiting to hear what bur local' Socialist contingent-had' to .say, '•-..-, but though they'.are- generally, pretty. noisy,! they know when to be discreetly Jsilent.' From the report of the Saii Francisco "Chronicle," which' you give in. 'your' columns, we learn-that the administration is proposing "to over-ride the, merit-sys?' tern,.- which has .always '.made' for. good government, 1 and' that it is acceding, to i tho .'insidious demand, of the brothorhood and .staunch supporters 'of , the cause of Socialism. .Of course; they must 'yield to, the.demand; that is what tho Sopial;ists put thorn In. for.: It is the samo'old g'unio of tho ; spoils to the victors, .licyer mind the fate of the city. I lcnow something of Milwaukee, and I venture to.any that lagor beer and rye whiskey., hudmore to do with the great Socialist.victory than .cominoh sense ..or intelligence;' Ther.e is a strong foreign clement ■ there; Most of the inhabitants are poori-and ignorant foreign immigrants, or: are 'of foreign extraction, and having, neither property nor education, 1 they soon.'.becoino, tho ready tools of the agitators,who abound there. . But we, see the> beginning of the end, and Milwaukee' will, us yuu say, soon be-cured of its Socialism-'when the people's intelligence asserts itself;:..SomoUittle time, ago, ouo of our .local Socialist writers -said the.' intelligent classes were all Socialists.. He put' his claim so neatly that I began .to 'think thero was some truth in 1 it,"but ,a,visit to one or two of \their meetings ..very quickly disillusioned me, for I.was treated to nothing but a'farrago.of nonsense and abuse. If I may be allowed, I would like to ask soiuo ot those gentlemen a few questions: If the intellectual classes. all Socialists, what are our commercial kings and princes, our masters of finance, our captains, of industry,'- our. Cnrncgies and other great capitalists, some, of whom', were poor nion at one time, but 'who now virtually' hold the world in their hands. Have they no intellect? If not, what'has put them in their present eminent position? But. they "are the parasites,-accord-ing to. the Socialist- theory. If' Socialists believe in the brotherhood of man, why are they alwuys attacking. religion, autl denouncing the capitalist, who, in this part of the world at any, rate,provides the; worker with work at good wages and short hours; who subscribes liberally to the hospitals and various charities, mid' without whom the clang ot machinery would bo silent, and the wheels of progress would cease to turn. The Socialists, with their equality for all, would, confiscate.- the wealth of ■ these men, and-reduce-them to the one: level. : ,Thoy. would abolish private property as boingi inimical to'the ■ interests of the.com-: muuity.; even .a person's individuality will be merged in the general body,; and personal'ambition will be choked at its sourco.. '••■'■

Under' capitalism,' we have our lands yielding their abundance; our cities aro well ' paved and illuminated; everyone' brisk and'contented. The poor wo have with us, but they are not allowed -to starvo, and the 1 worker • to-day enjoys many things that were considered luxuries attainable.' only by the rich at one time;

i Now picture society under Socialism with all incentive to industry.and thrift gonoi.no' work for the people, only that which Satan always finds for idle hands to do. But they say that under Socialism, with its everything for everybody, then, wili lw work.for nil. Perhaps so,but there; is; a gentleman in \tho ■ community, who, I think, is likely to upset their calculations somewhat. -,-,•■

: What about the man that will not work, and tho criminals in our gaols, and,what shall we do with tho lunatics? Tliero aro several otheri questions, but I must not encroach further on your space, sir, but I would like a pertinent answer to those pertinent questions, and, thanking you in anticipation,—l am, etc., "'' • T3EN MACHREB. '