0
According to the Times’
reported interview with Mr.
Wickersham, the political
acrobat of Alaska, since co
ming back to Fairbanks, that
gentleman has turned a back
somersault and landed in the
camp of the G. 0. P. Of late
fPlars Jimmie has been on
both sides of the political
fence, under the fence and
on top of the fence. Query:
How long will he remain
where he is at present. Or
will the old reliables of the
G. 0. F*. kill the fatted calf
to celebrate the return Of the
prodigal son? He is now rea
dy to swallow Taft, Bever
idge and Shackleford and
turn aside from the man
with the big teeth. “Constan
cy thou art a jewel.” Jimmie
never changes, “but admin
istrations may change.” Jim
imie is always working for
Mr. Wickersham alone. Jim
mie is a G. 0. P. when it is
I
to his own selfish interest to
be aG. 0. P- He is a Rocle
Written for ThS Socialist Press by Carl D. Thompson
Article 24.
In his recent book on American
syndicalism, John Graham
Brooks has the following to say
about socialism in the United
' Spates:
“Socialism slowly wins its way
nnJorno.'hh all uifforenees. lan
guage, religion, forms of govern
ment set no barrier to its grow th
because the causes of SociaiLm
underlie all these,.
“The causes have their roots
in the discovered excesses of a
competitive system that 1; ils to
meet the minimum of equality
which powerful sections in these j
ccrtmuniiies now demand. In.
^ r.o part of the world have these |
e Asses been more riotous tharJ
in the United States. Nowhere
have they been brought more
widely or more directly home to
the masses than in this country.
The magn';.U'le of our area and
of our economic resources have
concealed alJtf delayed the expo
sure. With the opening of the
twentyieth century the exposure
has come.
“After three decades of obs
cure and fitful struggle socialism
becomes part and parcel of our
po itical and social structure. It
no longer stammers exclusively
in a tongue half learned. It is
at home in every American dia
lect.
“It no longer apologises, :t de
fies. Almost suddenly it wit's a
congressman, fifty mayors, and
nearly a thousand elected offices
“One of our most command
ing figures in the railroad world
says that the only practical issue
r.ow is to “slave S6(f ahsm off as
long as possible.’’
“He is convinced that the
chill of the shadow has fallen up
on us.
“There is much reason to be
lieve that Socialism in its more
revolutionary character is from
now on to have its most fruit
ful field in the United States.
Patronize Our
Advertisers,
velt Republican when it pre
mises better returns, or a
Wilson Democrat if necessa
ry. But a la Jay Gould, for
Wickbrsham always. He is
now glibly telling the people
of Alaska of the Wonderful
things that the party he has
lately deserted is going to do
for Alaska in the Way of rail
The people will have left the
territory, and when the workers
have gone the boosters ahd bull
conners will soon follow.
Labor Haters
At Juneau.
The workingmen’s compensa
tion act drafted by the Treadwell
Mining Company’s lawyers has
been submitted to the Alaska le
gislature for its enactment.
Query: Whether will it benefit
the working men or the Tread
well Mining Company?
The Treadwell Mining Company
has a large grave-yard, but has
paid small compensation. The
lives of American working men
have been sacrificed to pay divi
dends to foreign stockho'ders.
m p
By John V. Work.
Wililit be necessary to inss a
series of constitutional amend
merits, requiring a two-thirds
vote of both houses of congress
and a majority vote of the legis
f latures or special conventions of
three fourths of the states, be
fore v.e can introduce Socialism?
No, It will not.
But, I do mean to say that the
r
United States has the power to
► own ar.d operate the mills, the
mines, the factories, and the mer
cantile institutions, under the
comtitution as it stands ai pre
sent?
I surely do mean j js< that
But it is also true that these
things could not be done if we
continued to interpret the cons
titution as it is being interpreted
at present.
From the hour of its adoption
in 1787, the constitution has been
persistently misinterpreted.
A number ot" years ago, a read
der of an alleged Socialist paper,
1 ;;
I which afterward ceased (o sup
port the Socialist party, wrote to
the editor and asked him how the
Socialists were going to carry out
the constitution.
The editor replied that we
were going to carry t o;>+ on ».
dung fork.
That reply was more witty
than accurate.
In order to abolish the .ITni'ed
States Senate, and perhaps for a
few other specific purposes, it
will be necessary to amend the
constitution. But for the general
purposes of the introduction of
Socialism, It will not be necessa
ry. In spite of the fact the fram
ers of the constitution ropresent
1 ted the ruling class of their time,
the constitution is really ah ad
vanced document for its day. It
j has come in for lots of aspersion.
! Rut the chief trouble is not with
the document itself, but with the
i nterpret' ti:n of it.
The first sub-section of Section
S, Article 1 reads like this:
! “The Congress thall have pow
! er to lay and collect taxes, duties
imposts and excises (comma) to
pay the debts and provide for
the common defence and general
welfare of the United States (Se
mi-calon) but all duties .imposts
and excises shall be uniform
throughout the United States.”
Now if Congress has power to
provide for the general welfare
| of the United States, it follows
(C<>htinned on last page.)
road construction, and ex
pending public money
throughout the territory,but
he has changed his mind
somewhat since his cam
paign for reelection last fall.
His election would hasten
the buil'dihg of the railroad,
No other man in Alaska had
the ear and confidence of
President Wilson like Mr;
Wickersham. His re-election
would hasten the building of the
railroad to Fairbanks. Now he
comes back to tell the people
that It will require considerable
time, perhaps years. Ho is letting
his deluded supporters down ea
sy.
But there is one thing: of more
immediate importance to the peo
yle of interior Alaska at' file pre
sent time than the railroad, and
that is the freight rate to be
charged for river transportation
the coming season. That, Mr.
Wiekersham is very silent about.
In order for us to enjoy the be
nr fits of a government construct
cd and operated railroad after it
is built, we must be gi\ on an op
portunity to live until that time.
Mr. Wiekersham dwelled at
great length in his address be
fore Congress on the railroad
bill, on the exorbitant freight
charges, charged by the trap :por
tatiorr companies in Alaska. But
what has he done to remedy that
evil? Wo are still left at the mer
cy of those companies. The
freight rates will be the same
the coming season as though we
had no representative in Con
gress.
This valley has beep bled of a
great part of the gold produced,
in paying exorbitant freight
rates, and from present indica
tions will continue to be bled by
the same gang.
If the people are compelled to
continue to pay the freight rates,
heretofore charged, there will
; be no need of an agricultural col
ege a school of mines, or a
seini-eentsnial at Fairbanks.