‘Civil War Veteran Now Marches for Socialism’ from the Chicago Daily Socialist. Vol. 3 No. 90. February 10, 1909.

Grizzled Veteran Marches 14 Miles Over Snow to Attend Socialist Meeting

Grand Junction, Mich., Feb. 10. Abraham Lincoln’s boys in 1861-65 marched through the swamps and glades of Georgia and Florida, fighting for freedom. Just to show what Abraham’s boys are doing today, F.E. Miller of Grand Junction, who served “Father Abraham” for five long years, is marching 14 miles through the snow and slush to attend a meeting of his Socialist local.

The grizzled veteran declares that the marches are both of the same kind, that he considers that he is today still fighting for the Lincoln ideals marching across the snows of Michigan to fight the horrors of capitalism, just as much as he was when he marched through Georgia fighting slavery.

Warrior Still, Though Seventy

Miller is one of those sturdy men “who fought mit Sigel,” and the other political outcasts of Europe, and despite his seventy years still has the spirit of fight left in him. His life has been one long struggle for freedom; as a boy for the freedom of the black man, the slave, whose life had never touched his own; as a man, for his own freedom and those of the men who meet him day by day; and now as a graybeard, he totters across the icy paths and through the woods of Michigan with the old battle cry still in his heart, doing his part still in the great war which never ceases night or day.

Since his wife died the aged veteran has been living all alone in a little house back of Lester’s island on Saddle lake, near Grand Junction, Mich. He is well to do, but the death of his wife two years ago broke his heart and made him a hermit.

Now Battles for Socialism

The only time he comes forth from his little home is to battle for Socialism in the meetings of his county local, 14 miles away. He is known as one of the most uncompromising Socialists in his community and declares that Socialism alone is Lincoln’s doctrine today.

This lonely, old, broken hearted man Is only one of thousands of Father Abraham’s boys who are today enlisted under the banner of Socialism and fighting hard for the new freedom as they fought for the freedom of the blacks half a century ago.

The rolls of the Socialist locals throughout the country are black with the names of veterans, and there is never a Grand Army parade without its quota of Socialists. The boys of ’61 are the last to forget liberty in any form.

The Chicago Socialist, sometimes daily sometimes weekly, was published from 1902 until 1912 as the paper of the Chicago Socialist Party. The roots of the paper lie with Workers Call, published from 1899 as a Socialist Labor Party publication, becoming a voice of the Springfield Social Democratic Party after splitting with De Leon in July, 1901. It became the Chicago Socialist Party paper with the SDP’s adherence and changed its name to the Chicago Socialist in March, 1902. In 1906 it became a daily and published until 1912 by Local Cook County of the Socialist Party and was edited by A.M. Simons if the International Socialist Review. A cornucopia of historical information on the Chicago workers movements lies within its pages.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/chicago-daily-socialist/1909/090210-chicagodailysocialist-v03n090.pdf