Dear Miss Jane Addams
I and many of my friends have followed your movements with pleasure and admiration these many years -- ever since you first began your great work of uplifting the needy and ignorant in your far seeing simple yet different way.
Your aims, so far as we could see or read them are so fully in accord with the aims of Socialism that we have felt that, in your heart, you stood for all that Socialism stands for.
Imagine our disappointment and sorrow when we discover that you do not seem to know that Socialism has, for years, [page 2] offered, not only woman suffrage and economic equality for women, but has offered the complete abolition of poverty -- hence ignorance by giving to labor all the products of labor, abolishing drunkenness by the abolition of profits from the sale of drink; giving the people the control of the tools of industry especially of the public utilities so that every worker will have a job and own it.
Roosevelt's platform has a charm, but it does not even seek to do away with profits, interest and rent which ever draw away from labor faster than labor can earn.
The cry "give the laborers a larger share" is not a panacea [page 3] for the rich are so accustomed to having palaces, -- by what means? by the tolls from labor, nothing else that, though labor should be better paid, there are many and ingenious ways of keeping labor in poverty, so long as the Capitalist holds the tools of production.
Socialists believe that there is no half way measure that will give Democracy to the people and make a happy well balanced nation.
Capital is growing ever greater ever greater by keeping the mass of the people under subjection [through] want and the fear of want for themselves and their families.
The enclosed copy of the Appeal is not all I could wish it for this [page 4] occasion but is a truthful paper, an honest paper and has its own peculiar manner of giving instruction for which no one can allow better than you, I am sure.
Pardon my liberty.
Yours most lovingly,
Aug. 22nd
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