you to use that surplus you MUST OWN IT. You
know that for you to own the surplus you must
own the physical body of the slave who could pick
■ enough berries, fruit ami nuts for themselves, and
a surplus. When the slaves produced tools, you
owned the tools, hence you owned what the slaves
produced with the tools. When the slaves com-
bined these tools and developed machines, the
owner of the slaves owned the machines; and,
through the ownership of the machines, owned the
products of the machines. This brings us up to
the present system.
Now, Mr. Wilson, you know that the great hulk
of the world’s wealth is produced with machinery.
You know that this machinery belongs to the Capi-
talist Class. You know how the Capitalist Class
came in possession of this machinery.
You know that when the owner of the slave
saw production leave the hand of the slave and go
into the machine, that it was no longer necessary
for him to own the slave. He saw that by owning
the machine shop, and tools that produced the ma-
chines, that produced the necessities of life, he
would own the necessities of life. He saw that
when he freed the slave’s body, that the free
worker would have to come to his machine shop
or operate the machine, in order to produce his
food, clothing and shelter.
The Master (who now becomes the Capitalist)
saw that all he had to do would he to pay the
worker a wage sufficient to buy hack (from the
machine owner) a hare existence. This gives the
owner of the instruments of production all power
over the operators of these instruments (the wage
working class).
Now. Mr. Wilson, you know that for the Capi-
talist Class to own the instruments that produce the
food, clothing and shelter of the American people,
that the Capitalist Class will own the food, cloth-
ing and shelter of the American people.
Mr. Wilson, you and every Senator and Con-
gressman know that if the American people owned
the instruments that produced the food, clothing
and shelter of the American people that the Ameri-
can people would own their own food, clothing and
shelter. You and every Senator and Congressman
know that there is but one solution to this problem
THE AGE OF REASON
of unemployment, high cost of living and war. THE
CAUSE OF ONE IS THE CAUSE OF AU„ A
SOLUTION FOR ONE WILL HE A SOLUTION
FOR ALL. That solution is to change the owner-
ship of the instruments that produce the food,
clothing and shelter of the American people. This
ownership can’t he changed but once. It is now
privately owned. To change it, it will have to be
publicly owned.
Now, Mr. Wilson, you and vour Senate and
Congress have the power to change it. WILL YOU
DO IT?
Whether the sound hits the diaphram of your
ear sufficient to vibrate it and produce a mechan-
ical action of your brain or not, the suffering chil-
dren. womey and men that have been robbed by
the Capitalist Class; the eight million women in
the brothels; the widows and orphans who lost
their husbands and fathers by overwork, are beg-
ging you.
It appears to me that the spirits of the dead
that have given their lives on the battlefield to pro-
tect the property of the robber class; the spirits of
the men that have been slaughtered on railroads, in
mines, mills, factories and work shops; slain in
strikes and riots; those burning women and chil-
dren at Ludlow, all begging yoy to seize, AT ONCE,
every principal means of production that is neces-
sary to control the production of the food, clothing
and shelter of the people of this nation ; seize all
hanks, stores, railroads, factories, mills, oil fields,
refineries, telegraph, telephones, and all land held
for rent or speculation; open every factory, mill,
mine and refinery and run them to their full ca-
pacity; shorten the hours of labor until all appli-
cants are employed; give the working class, as
near as possible, the full product of their labor
(start with $5.00 per day); hold all goods in stor-
age at their present prices until an investigation
can he made and as near as possible a standard
price fixed for goods and wages.
The world is begging for peace. This will estab-
lish peace.
You and every member of the Senate and Con-
gress know that this, and this alone, will establish
peace in this nation. WILT, YOU DO TT?
Declare the nation under martial law to protect
the working class, for the first time in the history
of the race; declare that HI armed forces, from the
dawn of human history, has been used for no other
purpose but to guard the wealth that the master
and capitalist - class has stolen from the working
class; declare that you are determined to turn the
guns around and the remainder of your administra-
tion you will use every means of defense, from the
policeman’s club to the gattling guns, to protect
the men, women and children that produce the
means of life.
In order that the American people be given the
right and an opportunity to accept or reject your
decree, amend
Art. 1, Stfc. 1 of the Constitution of the
United States, which reads as follows: “All
legislative powers herein granted shall be
vested in a Congress of the United States,
which shall consist of a Senate and House
of Representatives,”
change to read as follows :
“All legislative power herein granted
shall be vested in the American people, and
all normal minded citizens over the ages of
18 years, without regard to sex, nationality
or pecuniary considerations, shall be grant-
ed the right of franchise and a majority
vote shall make all Statute Laws.”
IF YOU DO THIS, I ASSURE YOU THAT l
WILL BE FOREVER, YOURS TRULY.
H. L. A. HOLMAN.
At about this time the price of cotton in
the south dropped from 15 cents to 5 cents
in about five minutes.
Living in Texas at this time, I wrote
Governor Colquitt of Texas the following
emergency letter:
I intended to give him a plan of procedure
by which the cotton crop could he handled
by the political powers of the south.
This letter was placed in the hands of all
the governors of the cotton producing states
of the south.
An Open Letter to Governor Colquit of Texas
Dallas, Texas, Oct. lb, 1916.
To Governor Colquitt and the State Legislature of
Texas:
Gentlemen :    I have been watching your move-
ments for some time, dickering with the cotton
crop of Texas. T AM NOW THOROUGHLY CON-
VINCED THAT YOU WILL NOT DO ANYTHING
In the interest of the people who produce the food
and clothing of the people of this State. YOU
WILL DO AS ALT, OTHER DEMOCRATIC
(CAPITALIST) ADMINISTRATIONS HAVE
DONE.
You have, and arc now. and will lay every plan
in your enactment of the law to rob an already
plundered, ragged and starved farming class of this
State. WHAT DO YOU MEAN? Ts it impossible
for voti to think of anything but to graft the work-
ing Vrass? ARE YOU RT.TND WITH GRAFT OR
BLIND WTTH IGNORANCE?
T would advise you to go over this State dress-
ed in wornout overalls and talk with the farmers.
Disguise yourselves so that vou cannot he detected
by thcm--go into the cotton fields, talk to the
mothers of these farmers’s children. Look at the
rags she wears, then turn and look at her chil-
dren—little ragged things- picking cotton with all
their might; look at their hare, rough, crustv feet,
and their little pinched, starved and overworked
bodies. Then turn your eves and look at that
mother; listen to her hungry babe in the heat and
rotd erving for nourishm’ent.' (You nn see that
babe on its mother's cotton sack) Talk to the
mother about things generally. A^TC TTFR HOW
MUCH CJTTE WTT.T, HAVE TO <5PY\tD ON TIER
CHILDREN AFTER THE DERTS ARE ATT,
PATD. Listen at four-fifths of them tell vou that
they can't pay their debts, much less buv anything
to eat or any clothes or shoes for themselves and
children.
While voti are making this investigation re-
member that this old, ragged woman, her children
and their father produced all the food that nour-
ishes vour bodv. all you so much enjoy. When you
get through talking with this poor, old ragged,
starved woman, iust step over to the old man ;
(ho is hungry, too). ASK HTM WHAT HE
THTNTCS of a Governor and a Legislature that will
go ir> with the hankers. Merchants’ and Manufac-
turers' Association that has put that woman and
children in that condition, and are NOW LAYING
EVERY CONCETVARLF. PLAN TO FURTHER
ROR THEM. Ask him what he thinks ought to he
done with a Governor and Legislature that would
even think of allowing that woman and children
to he further robbed. Ask him if he doesn’t think
they ought to he ELECTED FOR LTEE? When
he answers your question you sec if your teeth
don’t quiver a little, and let your mind drop down
to your boots and see what is the matter with vour
feet. TF YOU DON’T KNOW WIT AT TO DO YOU
ARE THE GREENEST SET T EVER SAW—as^
time has passed for you to do anything-
proven your inability o* treachery.
I will tell you how the State could—evj
handle the cotton crop and greatly ty
poor ohkwoman and children that
those cufip sacks. WHEN THE, '
KET CLOSED ABOUT THREE MONTHS AGO,
WHY DIDN’T YOU MEN SHOW THAT YOU
HAD SOME. EMERGENCY ABILITY? WHY
DIDN’T YOU SPRING TO THE, EMERGENCY
HELM ? FLASH THE NEWS OVER THE. STATE
THAT YOU WOULD BUY EVERY BALE OF
COTTON THTS YEAR AT TWELVE AND ONE-
IIALE CENTS PER POUND (MIDDLING BASTS).
YES. YOU CAN DO THTS. WOULD YOU LIKE
TO KNOW HOW? WELL. TT WAS SO SIMPLE
AND SO EASY: A LITTLE THING LIKE THAT.
When the hanks failed it was the duty of the
State to go into business. You should have called
into emergency use ev'eag, dollar in cash that was
available—that the StateHHntrolled—use it to move
this cotton crop; then issue enough $1, $2, $5, $10
and $20 State notes hearing 6 per cent interest from
date, payable two years after date. Make these
notes subject to he called in and paid off on ninety
days’ notice; then place a State agency at all cot-
ton markets in the State, equipped to handle all
cotton sold at that market. PAY FOR THAT
COTTON TN THESE NOTES. Tf the merchants
;.nd hankers wanted these notes on their accounts
they could take them, turn them into the State to
be paid off and destroyed as fast as the State accu-
mulated the cash. (It would he easy to pay a per-
centage per month on all notes.) Tf the merchants
and hankers refused these notes on their accounts,
PASS AN EMERGENCY PROTECTION LAW
THAT NO FARMER COULD BE. FORECLOSED
TN LESS THAN TWO YEARS. Tf the merchants,
bankers or any other creditors in the State at-
tempted to discount these notes, pass another
emergency law (to protect the State credit) and
penitentiary every one that attempted to discount
these State notes. Make the penalty not less than
two vears. When the manufacturer wants the cot-
ton iuct sav “fifteen rents, please.”
NOW. MR. COLQUITT. WHAT WOULD YOU
DO IE THE, LEGISLATURE SHOULD ENACT
SUCH LAWS? Would you veto them or would you
sign them and do. all vou could to protect the farm-
SEE FOOD RIOTS UNLESS
PRICES GO DOWN SOON
NEW YORK.—Socialist leaders advised repre-
sentatives of Mayor Mitchel to put the entire city
machinery in motion before popular discontent re-
sults in food riots.
They predicted a famine among the workers
unless something is done to cut the cost of living.
A detailed list of remedies, including establish-
ment of markets, coal depots and municipal control
of storage warehouses and regulation of prices,
was presented.
Henry Moskowitz. chairman of the civil service
the delegation on behalf of
■h the promise that the city
tf to reduce the cost of corn-
state chairman of the So-
^first speaker and was fol-
tnon. of the Western Fed-
kmblvman-elect Joseph A.
Vsa S. Malkie!.
ers of this State? Or would you do all you could
to protect the merchants, bankers and manufac-
turers? Remember you are to he a candidate for
the United .States Senate soon .and I would like to
know just where you stand in this crisis.. If you
stand by the farmer in this struggle, we would have
at least a litttlc.hope—if you were elected to the
Senate you would stand by the working class.
MR. FERGUSON. YOU ARE THE. NOMINEE
OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. WHAT WOULD
YOU DO IN THIS CASE?
MR. MIETZF.N, YOU ARE THE NOMINEE
OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY. WHAT WOULD
YOU DO? I WANT AN ANSWER. *
Europe is now in the world’s greatest war. The
working class is being lined up in Europe to kill
each other. They will soon be hunched up in this
nation demanding bread. THE CAPITALIST
CLASS ARE BEING ASSISTED BY THE POLITI-
CAL ADMINISTRATION OF THTS NATION in
shipping the food stuff out of this nation, which
has increased the price of food to a point where
the farmer can hardly buy it. even if cotton was at
a normal price. (The price of cotton is cut in
half.) WHAT SHALL BE DONE? WHAT DO
YOU MEN WHO ARE ASPTRTNG TO POLITI-
CAL POWER SAY DO? BREAD MOBS ARE.
COMING. Give your answer in about one hundred
words, and T will give it space in this letter and
put it in the hands of every farmer and wage-*
worker in this State. Tf you (anv of you) refuse
to give this an answer, T will publish your names
as not answering.
YOUR REFUSAL WILT. BE POSITIVE PROOF
THAT YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO OR
(YOU ARE) AND WILL CONTINUE. TO MANIP-
ULATE THE, POLITICAL POWERS IN THE IN-
TEREST OF THE GRAFTERS. Now, gentlemen,
in conclusion let me say T have for weeks looked
for a solution of this cotton and bread problem.
T have lost hope in the INTELLECTUALS that are
now in office or the aspirants. Gentlemen. I have
offered a suggestion—if it is faulty, prove it: if
not. what will YOU WHO ARE IN OFFICE do
with it? WHAT WOULD YOU ASPIRANTS TO
OFFICE DO (TE YOU WERE ABLE TO ACT OE-
FTCT\LLY)?
Tn the interest of that class who do all the
work and get nothing but rags to wear, coarse food
and hut little of that, and nothing hut shacks to
live in, I demand an answer.
H. L. A. HOLMAN.
Tn February, 1916, the storm cloud grew
darker and darker, and President Wilson took
the stump advocating- (what pleased him) to
call preparedness.
I saw (or thought I saw) clearly that
Mr. Wilsons preparedness scheme meant a
preparation by the United States government
to protect the capitalist class against the rising
hungry mob of the working class.
At this point I wrote President Wilson the
following letter:
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