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Show Why Socialists Vote the American Ticket in Utah Editor Tribune In ordor that thoro may bo no disputo as to whether the socialists voto tho American ticket in Salt Lake I herewith submit tho official offi-cial count for 1904, 1906, 1907: SOCIALIST VOTJ3. 1904 Salt Lake City, 1737; Salt Lake county (outside ot city), D54; total, 2601. 1906 Salt Lake City, 391; Salt Lako countj- (outaldo of city), 511; total, 905. Amoricans Stay Put. In 1001 the American party ontorod the fiold and was looked upon by most socialists as a more flare-up, which would scarcely outlive the campaign. That tho ovils complained of were real and that tho principles it championed wero noble ones and well worth fighting for was readily admitted by the Socialists, Social-ists, but we thought that the habit of party regularit' and tho magic of party name and association would provo too strong for the now crusaders, and that a few months would seo them back on their old party reservations, doing homage to tho hiorarch and promising to be good Indians. But thoy did not go back- They persisted per-sisted in going forward, nay, more, thoy pushed their propaganda so ably that they carried forward with them most of r,ho peoplo who honestly tried to make them seo tho error of their waj-s: Amorlcanizo First, Then Socialise. Now, what tho American party battles bat-tles for in Utah is not only a cardinal doctrine of tho real socialists; it is the siuo qua non, tho condition without which there can bo no hope and no chance for tho Treat social change wo call "socialism. " Soparation of church and state; the church absolutely free as a teachor of religion and dispenser of charity, but with no political or commercial com-mercial concorns of any kind; tho state the be the concrete official expression of tho intelligence and power of a froe people, a sovereign to whom wo owe a fealty and duty higher than that ever paid to any ruler m tho past, kinc, priest or church, becauso tho American state is ourselves, and for tho first time in history tho common people havo tho right and tho opportunity to bo sovereigns. sover-eigns. Wo claim that tho Amorican system of government and tho industrial progress prog-ress it produces and safeguards, together to-gether with the widespread public education edu-cation it fosters, prepares the way for tho peaceful coming of socialism. But we must first have real Americanism to givo full and free play to tho groat forces inherent in our society. As Socialists So-cialists wo have nothing to fear from tho verdict of a free and intelligent people; peo-ple; wo havo everything to dread from a gang of clerical intriguers who can prostituto tho state to their own ends and impedo progress b' tho power they exercise over their dupes. "Wo must America nizo Utah before wo can socialize so-cialize it. Socialism vs. Anarchy. Some 3'ears ago it was quite a. common com-mon thing to hear fairly educated peoplo peo-plo coiiplo the terms "anarchy" and socialism " together and assuino thoy were-identical. Nowadays, even the opponent of socialism who writes magazine mag-azine calamity howls about tho appalling appal-ling growtli of tho socialist movement, feels constrained to admit that tho two are not only different, but absolutely opposed to each other; it is only tho extremoly ignorant or tho very superficial super-ficial who toda3r attempt to show any similarity between thorn. Anarchy is tho bastard child of despotism and ignorance. ig-norance. It refuses obedience to the law passed by tho people and denounces inajority rulo as violently as it does 'tho rule of the bloody czar. Socialism is the natural offspring of a republican form of government, and the free public pub-lic school. And not only on American soil is tho socialist indebted to Americanism Ameri-canism for the steady und rapid growth of socialist ideas. It is not jingoism to say that tho American revolution started tho earthquake that shook the kings from their thrones in Europe, destroyed di vino right, cleared tho way for liberal institutions, and gave the peoples over there the power to copy or adopt tho American idea of freo pnb lie schools. So wo seo great socialist movements in those Europeau countries where education is widespread, and wo hear of the anarchist in places whero ignoranco holds sway. Up Against tbe Dope. Wherever yon tlnd a socialist you find a propagandist; he will talk; ho will try to convert you, and he sometimes some-times succeeds, as witness some fifty millions of us in tho world. But wc found ourselves up against a curious proposition in Utah. We knew that socialism was an impossibility under church rulo, but wo discovered that we could not evon organize, mako converts and progress here while the Mormon hierarchy controlled the state, and many of the industries, and thus controlled con-trolled tho minds of the wage-workers. Timo and again I have had young Mormon Mor-mon workmen come to mo after my lecture lec-ture in Federation hall and ask for information in-formation and light on some point in socialist teaching not quito clear to them. Having explained as best I could I would invito them to call on mo and get their addresses to Bend a book or paper pa-per to them. I have had theso same men return later and tell mo thoy wero convinced that my teaching was correct, cor-rect, but that they had talked to a bishop, elder or block teacher and had boon told that socialism was good and that Brigham Young had experimented with it, but the timo was not ripe and that the Mormon church would establish estab-lish socialism when it (the church) conquered con-quered tho world. Now, theso pcoplo woro honest, fairly intelligent wage-workers, wage-workers, bur. thoy allowed their priests to do their thinking for them, and you can't mako a good socialist out of folks who do their thinking by proxy. Socialism vs. Polygamy. Socialists hato polygamy becauso we know it is tho foul and filthy expression expres-sion of clasB rule and of woman 's subjection. sub-jection. In every land the socialist demands de-mands equal rights for woman. Wo know that civilization is in accord with Mother Nature when it suppresses this outcome of priestly powor and beastly lust. And one does not nood to be a socialist so-cialist to know that no poor man would daro to live today in Utah with five-wives five-wives and that it is only wealth and' the power it confers that permits any of thoeo priests, old or young, to thus laugh at tho law. To End tho Figlit. So in order to have an American state wliere wo could reasonably discuss economic eco-nomic issues and preparo tho way for socialism; to put tho church out of politics and retire it from commercial affairs, wo joined tho citizens who agreo with us on this subject and disagroo on others in tho American party. And thero is no man or woman in our ranks who desires peaco in Utah moro than I and thoso hundreds who came with me. But wo feel sure that peaco and progress prog-ress can only como with tho complete triumph of real Americanism. A113' other outcome means stagnation and decay. de-cay. Wo want peaco but not at the price of freedom. Of what avail Tho plow or pall, Or land, or life, If freedom fall? And when tho American party has accomplished its mission thero will bo none with more causo to bo thankful than tho socialists, who havo helped in tho good work. For wo know that tho mon and women who havo been comrades com-rades with us in tho battle to abolish polygamy and priestcraft will bo suro to givo us a fair hearing when we pro-poso pro-poso a plan to abolish plutocracy and poverty. WM. S. DALTON. |