Socialism for Today and Tomorrow
Oneal, James
By James Oneal Socialism for Today and Tomorrow There Is Work to Do Today, Even Though Our Main Aim Is to Inaugurate a New World—Better Housing, Protection for Workers Must Be Fought for. ui M...
...For example, proportional representation...
...Shall they introduce no measures except » resolution demanding the complete abolition of capitalism...
...Finnish Victory Grows As details of the recent general •lections in Finland are received, it appears that the Socialist victory in that country was even mater than at first reported...
...The Berlin authorities at first denied that it was Stelling, but positive identification was finally made...
...Freedom...
...we consider the lives, health, safety and general welfare of the toiling masses...
...Let us consider another example...
...A dosen Socialists in a dfe/ council, or a state legislature er it Congress cannot effect the reorganisation of capitalism...
...That is one reason why we cannot fuse with them or agree to any political tradee with them...
...R. Clynes...
...A Two-fold Program So our Socialist program is of a two-fold character...
...fn>fres«ive Party, 11 (21...
...Then Stelling and another Reichsbanner man disappeared, and neither waa ever heard of again—until Stelling's mutilated corpse was found...
...It 1 is all very well for one who docs ' ret live in such flretraps to say 1 that he is not interested in enforcing tenement inspection because this inspection does net bring the social revolution, // we do not take up the fight for the masses in inch eases we become the accompUeee of the politicians who wink st teen-enforcement of the sanitary code...
...Certainly not They would try to defeat it and fight for public ownership if the city haa the power to take over the business...
...The elections are held on a basis Jurist proportional representsNazis Murder Stelling, Germany's Matteotti - pHE cry of "Freiheit,Freiheitl" I —Freedom...
...Shall they be content, then, to merely make Socialist speeches, fight for no measures of their own, and await the time when they have complete power...
...On the night of June 21, the Storm Troopers made one of , their habitually cruel and vicious . raids on the settlement, culminat. ing in the shooting of several by , Anton Schmaus, son of s former trade union official, i The troopers took their usual i bloody revenge, both on the Schmaus » household and on the rest of those , who might be suspected of having ¦ Socialist sentiments...
...There ore things that Socialists can do er attempt to do and should do in inch bodies...
...Whatever limited power we win we will use it to make conditions better for the working masses...
...The precious Goebbels, Nasi Minister of Propaganda, had threat* ened In a speech at Hamburg Just before Stelling...
...Moreover, in this struggle in the legislative bodies the Socialist repreeentativee, in fighting for the welfare of the working masses, may often correlate their attacks on the opposition with their ultimate aims...
...If we get proportional representation or representation remains what it now is, our respective attitudes aa to the purpose for which the instrument is to be used will remain the same...
...We want a Socialist Commonwealth and the reformers think of a capitalism that should be polished and cleaned and (made more serviceable to property owners in general...
...A Fight to Wage Socialists in a city government I mold not ignore such horrors...
...We might extend these examples indefinitely but it isn't necessary...
...This is the way all Nasi enemies will go," he warned as he ^^¦k stood over the B^tt bier of Stelling, m u r d ered by «|Hr . Hitler...
...The aims of Socialists and reformers differ widely...
...Government is an instrument with which to do things...
...What shall they do...
...The victory is all the greater considering the frantic efforts of the Lapuan Movement-, the Finnish Fascists—to get a 'oothold, and the quasl-Fascism of the National Fusion Parties...
...Belgians Protest Hitlerite Parliamentarians The Belgian section of the Interparliamentary Union has adopted s resolution, moved by the Socialist Picrard, protesting In advance against the seating of Hitlerite Reichstag members at the congress of the union, which Is to be held in October at Madrid...
...That is, only the Socialists and Balbo himself...
...Would Socialists ignore the application...
...Eren if such a resolution were cirried in a city ecuncil or a state legislature these bodies could not •Act this change...
...A Franchise A group of capitalists seek a franchise...
...Next week: The Socialist aim, a Cooperative Commonwealth...
...one Fascist representative virtually booted out of Fngland in disgrace, the other given a hero's welcome In America...
...The reason for these differing attitudes of Socialists and reformers la precisely because we have a revolutionary aim...
...disappearance that Socialist leaders who had remained in Germany should be treated as hostages, and even hanged for the activities of the Socialist leaders outside Germany...
...It took Moacolial two rears, but Hitler Ave swath* alter his hoodlums had bludgeoned the way to power, produced a murder matching the sadistic cowardice of the black shirts who put Matteotti to death...
...National FuParties (Fascist), 81 (42...
...A few months sgo a party memsir's wife and several children lost their lives in a tenement firetrap...
...the ral- ' lying call of the Socialist Iron r Front—has been heard again in j Berlin, lor the first time since Hitler converted the country into an asylum for sadists...
...The city administration may encourage and protect the importation of professional strikebreakers...
...dBb^ A groan burst ¦ from the thouJohannes Stelling ? neral, and a shout was heard of "Hannes, Du but nieht totr ("Hanncs, you are not dead...
...It is evident that this struggle in legislative bodies by Socialists differs widely with the "reform", views of non-Socialist and fusion groups...
...Reformers in general have a single purpose while we have a two-fold purpose...
...Nine out of ten of the members of such groups have no interest in this struggle for better conditions for the working masses...
...In many strikes the capitalist politicians in office permit the police to be used against the strikers...
...Rosenberg end Bslbo...
...Our struggle it for them, with them, and of them...
...ultimate purpose of abolishing cap* italism...
...tl (11...
...It Is reslistlc la facing the coracles problems of the present and it also keeps before It as • beacon light it...
...But the Fascism that both promote is equally odious to sll self-respecting men snd women...
...They redoubI led their torture, violence and in¦ suit The statement of the Leagus > against German Fascism quotes thi r London Times, the London Daily Herald and Het Volk on the cruelty of the German reprisals...
...One a direct apologist for Fascism, the other seeking to win friendliness for Fascists by a gallant deed...
...The Matteotti case of Germany 1 The name of Stelling will resound throughout the Dritte Reich to become the symbol of revolt sgainst the tyranny and ssdism of the Hitler Heroes The Flying Propagandists In their fine and generous admiration for a glorious achievement, the American people gave Halo Balbo a welcome such aa is reserved only for the greatest heroes...
...If it does not have the power the Socialists would fight for terms favorable to the workers in the enterprise...
...ui M this third instaUment of a tabI M interpretation of Socialism 0$ consider how the Socialist mmement functions within modem H$t$tg to serve the working mastm through a program having a gg|ftU eharaeter—immediate time and the final objective...
...But | this is a matter of changing the character of the Instrument with which we do things...
...Only the Socialists 'marred' the occasion—to quote one of the newspapers—with a denuncistion of Balbo aa a -reading Fascist gangster, one of the original quaduumvirato that destroyed liberty and justice in Italy and the organiser of the murder of the martyred Matteotti...
...It is not the industrious and thrifty who grow rich under capitalism, but those who exploit the labor of others.—J...
...Only the Socialist* spoke of Balbo's great flight as an endeavor to break down feeling against Fascism and Mussolini...
...One group will use it for one purpose and another will use it for another purpose...
...Instead of electing 70 members of the Diet out of 200, aa originally reported, the Socialists elected 88, as compared to 66 in the previous •lection...
...with complete power we will use it to reorganize capitalism itself and build a Cooperative Commonwealth...
...The body of Stelling, regional leader of the Republican semi-military Reichsbanner in Brandenburg and parliamentary chief of tho Berlin Social Democrats, was found bruised and tied in a sack at the bottom of a river near Kopenick...
...The line-up of parties, as corfeted by the latest figures, follows, with the seats in the last Diet in parentheses: • Social Democrats, 88 (661...
...Arariana, 54 (69...
...Independent of political campaigns we may now and then agree with them on some changes they may favor...
...Many years ago the ' lives of many working girls were , snuffed out in the Triangle fire...
...flttin>'"** work for a complete reorganization of all industry on a toeialist basis by transferring ownership of the saeaas of products cad distribution to society...
...Certainly —'-not Socialist representatives would make this an iesae in that body and fight for the workers who are trying to defeat the company union and establish a union of their own...
...If thia protest is not heeded, the* Belgian delegate will refuse to participate...
...As funenl services were being conducted for Johannes Stelling, former So- j cialist premier or Mecklenburg- | Schwerin and secretary of the I German Social Democracy, foully murdered by Nazi storm troops, the Nazi-converted preacher who conducted the services took occasion to parrot his lesson, placed in his mouth by the creatures who rule the once-great country...
...The facts came out, but not with the aid of the police...
...The Nsxl censorship, which Is more rigid than most Americans realise, has succeeded in hiding the facts about Stealing's foul murder, but the world is nevertheless beginning to realise that the Nasi savages have achieved their Matteotti ease...
...Bat it) the meantime what are Socialists to do with what measure it power they win in legislative bodies...
...It was learned, according to Edward Levinson, secretary of the League against German Fascism, and ac1 cording to letters received by The i New Leader from ^German com, rades, that after the rise to power of the' Nazis, Stelling, nearly 60 p years old, had retired to live in the suburban tf vn of Kopenick, ; near Berlin, where a number of . former Socialist and trade union . officials were attempting to make . their homes with such safety aa ; life under the Nazis might afford > them...
...Three yesrs ago Comrade Stelling was the guest of Premier Ramsay MacDonald, then still head of the Labor party, at a luncheon given to members of the Executive of the Lsbor and Socialist International at his Hampstead home...
...This occured in the strike of the Ioterborough subway workers in 1128 when the strikers were mercilessly clubbed and their union ¦eatings were raided by order of the New York Police Department Would any Socialists in the Board of Aldermen ignore such a straggle because, if the strikers *an, it would not mean the overthrow of capitalism...
...Socialists answer, No...
...We are not concerned with property interests...
...Many of them in the name of "law and order" would support reactionary measures of a city administration in crushing a strike...
...Within the legislative bodies the Socialists, long before they have obtained complete power, will have plenty of opportunities to fight for the working masses and to expose the character of the capitalistic opposition...
...The Socialist Party is realistic and revolutionary...
...In his report to Mussolini, Balbo explains that the delirious welcome he received (from people who were cheering a splendid aviation feat) gave the lie to the allegation that Americans are opposed to Fascism I The millions who gave him a Lindbergh welcome, he reported, were cheering Fascism...
...Then the crowd responded with "Freiheit," as they raised their fists high in the Socialist salute— and the funeral of the German Matteotti was over...
...Further, Balbo said, he deliberately gsve his speech at the Astoria bowl "a political propaganda character, accentuating It* Fascist tone...
Vol. 16 • July 1933 • No. 5
