ORGANIZING FOR SOCIALISM
STILLE, S. H.
ORGANIZING FOR SOCIALISM By S. H. STILLE ' Mt u tkt tecoad m a tent* written by Comrade StiUt on the problems of organisation tkut tact Ike Socialist Party Tkt following artielt atttmptt to...
...This is an introduction to the theme, a survey of what has happened, of the opportunities that now face us, and a forecast of what is possible...
...They have the cause at heart but I hey cannot go out and do the work they once did...
...There is nothing today that should discourage us...
...The pulse is normal again...
...If the State office would assign to each of our stumpers a county to organize, we would show amaxing results in a i month's time...
...Washington, be* laa, t 1. reload D air ait, ate...
...Socialism la inevitable...
...The latter organized in the hope of...
...Comrades turned traitors...
...Hardly had they begun their activities when armed bands of near-Kascisti, commonly labeled the "gilded youth," left the Nationalist Club anil tried to prevent the Socialist athletes from carrying on their propaganda...
...The Liberal vo,e decreased 434...
...Let ua use It...
...Although the immediate cause of the wrecking of the Cabinet of Premier Theunis was the row between the Liberals and the Catholics over the advisability of at once extending the right to vote in the provincial elections to women, the Socialists nre apparently not laying much stress upon this feature of the campaign, especially as they are divided among themselves on this problem, some twenty Deputies standing with the Catholics for immediate extension of the suffrage, while the others are with the majority of the Liberals and want to make haste slowly...
...The police, assisted by the young Socialists, broke into the Nationalist Club and arrested seventy-six persons, including Johann Lorberg, said to be the man who fired the fatal shot...
...Tha usual arraataaaaat* were audi far simultaneous release by tha Ceaadtaa aad United States papers These leadiaf newspapers—with the notable escaptloB ef th* *N«w York American'—practically all Ignored th* Reply...
...Just so it will take a long tint* to brlag into reality the ideals of our day...
...Lec tures are fine and have their part in our I work...
...Saetot haw little pabhrity wa* «¦«** i* tha pre** to tha aatwer to tha Wear . her to* wa toah tha trouble to iaeair* fraas tha Caaaehaa aathorttiee whether their aaawer bad avar b**i...
...Wa r.ceirad tha faltowiag replyi " . . . aa effort wa* mad* oa aar part ta supply • copy af eh* Chair—a'* reply to a nambar af the landtag daily papers ia tha pramiaaat eeatrc* sack a* Naw Verb City...
...Wherever intelligent organization work has been undertaken the results have been splendid...
...All the arrested Fascist), except four, were released, and Instead of proceeding against the Nationalist Club, as was suggested at a special meeting of the Cabinet, the Government issued nn ukase dissolving the Labor Sport Society...
...but we are fast recovering...
...That the Socialist Party is the one politi cal organization of the workers that has any prestige or that has any future is evident foe a number of reasons...
...Tho evening will end with dancing...
...Judging from the wild applause from foe huge crowd that greeted his most revolutionary utterances, there is no indication that the Relgian proletariat has any doubts as to what is the ultimate aim of its political and economic organi/.ations...
...LATVIA Item lorn Resorts to Murder Terror stricken by the rapid progress1 of the Social Democratic party of Latvia, which as recently admitted by Former Premier Ulmans at a congress of the Agrarian party Includes nearly all the educated persons in the country districts of the little Baltic Republic and a big percentage of the city population, Ilia bourgeois-agrarian reaction is re^ doublingjts violent attacks upon the Socialist organization and its affiliated groups...
...One of the biggest factor* in our disruption waa the spilt over ques-tions of the Right and Left wing...
...Our 800 votes to the Communists' one is sufficient proof of our strength now...
...How it that for controlling the news in behalf of prtvatt profit...
...The war hysteria that swept the country like a prairie fire...
...The eagerness of the Clericals for votes for women is explained by the influence of the clergy over these potential voters and the fact thut the provincial legislative bodies elect about, one-qunrter of the Senators, of whom 73 are now Clericals, against 28 Liberals and 52 Socialists...
...While laying great emphasis upon the need of immediate legists tion to improve the condition of the working people, such as increased old-age -tml accident pensions and insurance against unemployment, Comrade Vandervelde made a good, old-fashioned Socialist speech, insisting upon the abolition of capital-Ism ns the only real solution of the problem besetting the working class...
...Surely the Socialist Party could no longer live with such a cancer slowly eating away the ideals for which we have labored so long...
...We are now in the reconstruction period, the period of party building...
...At last the Fascist...
...But what happened during the next few days...
...It i* necessary that the quarreling factiom be divorced...
...Let us re dedicate our lives to the noble cause that cannot perish...
...The latest incident, involving the murder of a leader of the Labor Sport Society, occurred in Riga on Sunday, Feb...
...Help to hoist tha banner again above our fortress...
...Surely the war played a big part in disrupting our party...
...Let us do it...
...Both failed...
...Internal factions could not accomplish what outside enemies tried to do...
...Lternally the surging of the tide of fin man progress tosses us on and on, higher and highei...
...The Socialist Party is prepared for any eventuality...
...opportunity and translate the possible into actual accomplishment...
...It endured attacks by mobs of crazed partisans...
...station of th* fair play that at least give* each aide a hearing From many quarters there At been a studied siUnc* with retard lo the Reply to the Wyler-Waleott Repert...
...It can bt done Snd should be done...
...Wa ar* a little turprieed at this, becaeaa we thought there would be more mimi...
...The expulsion of th* Communists from our ranks was a necessary move...
...The work of Comrade Stille in thii State iR the answer...
...Not many of our speakers are now willing to go out and do the work that will revive our party...
...Men and women who now sign an application for membership are more reliable than those who signed before the World War...
...to Mr...
...W,.r . tdsaraw wara aWeae»lei>ee' by Sir AeWan Sera as wa bar* pointed oat la a previa** It tat...
...Kww ataaai tha taaat mtereatia* part of tha story...
...It was tested in what was once a promising alliance and it withdrew its forces intact when the promise disappeared...
...Now tele war is over...
...destroying us...
...but w* know we cannot fail...
...You halt nothing to lot* but gout claims and a icerld to gain...
...The Workers' Sport Federation has now been reconstituted as the Sport Sec-j tion of the party and, in addition to their sporting activities, the members will act as a proletarian and republican defense organization against all I...
...He tried the same experiment in one Ohio city where he was for a short time...
...ista attacks...
...The former organized in the hope of displacing us...
...Leaflets were snatched from their hands and insults freely fiassed, but, under orders from their eaders, the young Socialists managed to avoid serious trouble for some time...
...be taken against the Fascistl...
...Do you love our movement ? Do you love humanity...
...A house divided against Itself cannot stand...
...They sign with knowledge of all that has been said of the Socialist Party, both true and false...
...True, it emerged from all this weakened in organized numbers, But it* spirit has never been broken...
...I. L. G. W. U. Notes The re-union of students and instructors of the I. L. G. W. U. classes will be held in the dining-room of Washington Irving High School on Saturday, March 28, 7:30 p m. Past and present students of tho numerous classes of the International, v/ith their friends and instructors, officers of the Ujiion, executive and active members, will assemble to celebrate the success of the educational activities of the Educational Department of their Union In particular and of the Labor movement in general...
...It weakened our party, but w* shall be all the better for it...
...There never was a time since Mars laid down hit pen and closed his last volume that workers were needed at now So, with our gallant leader, Comrade llebt, who has poured out his very soul to humanity let us go out and meet th* dawn...
...We should let the average worktr know that the socialist Part) and th* Cum in unlet party are two different movements...
...The logic of the history of the past ten years shows this to be a fact...
...For tweoty-flve years it has held the banner of independent political action aloft...
...Desertions^ by former trusted 'eaders could not force it to lower Its banner...
...ct.lfaaaj tha Oataria lajnrlai.l am tha aahli...
...The Tory candidate was elected, but his vdte decreased .¦!7.r> votes...
...Too few are willing to go...
...Following a meeting in the forenoon at which the members of the Labor Sport Society decided to take an active part in the t*atn|e»igii for the election of a new BoSW of Aldermen, four detachments of the young workers sallied forth to distribute literature urging the people to vote for the Socialist candidates...
...The jailing of Dabs and many other comrades...
...How popular the present Socialist Deputies are may be seen from the fact that practically every one of them has been re-nominated, Vandervelde heading the list in Brussels...
...We must sehe the...
...All over the nation Spartan groups have held our glorious banner aloft...
...It takes a long tiata' to produce a Illy...
...In a telegram to the London Bureau of the Socialist and Labor International, the Latvian Socialists have appealed to the Socialist and Labor organizations of other countries to help them in thel* fight against the reaction which controls the Latvian Parliament and has ap proved the high handed action of the Government, the thirty one Social ist Deputlei being unable to block the reactionary conglomeration dominated by the Agrarian party...
...There are many clouds of another war looming in the distance, but in the lull let's organize our forces stronger than ever before...
...It cannot die...
...Captain G. R. L. Small, secured 11,610 votes, *n increase for Labor of 136 votes...
...Many atumpari have seen the country at the expanse of comrades and locals...
...rdltated to tha pre...
...Do you love the Ideal...
...With devoted organizers in each State we can double, triple and quadruple the party membership this ye-iIt can be done...
...Into city after city he has gone and built up Locals of 50, 100 and 200 members out of a handful...
...As the total membership is only 1«6\ it is clear that even a small Socialist gain will make it almost impossible for a bourgeois Ministry to function, especially as the so-called Liberals and the Clericals are far from agreeing...
...It ran be done...
...Another reason for the lull i- that many of our gallant fighter* are getting old Many of them are while arid are now living in Ihe evening of life They were old warrior*.j Many and many mornings in the1 long ago they carried leaflets ami papers to the homes of then fellow workers...
...Wrar'e raatart, pak*>*k«e1 b» tha Sauta* •oataa l.itaatiia...
...Spies in the party...
...The arrangements committee has provided delicious refreshments, and a musical pingiam performed by well-known artists whose names will be announced next week...
...Its vote practically totals a million...
...Hut now they are old ami then strength is gone...
...the Labor party candidate...
...The funeral of the murdered Socialist was made the occasion of a mighty demonstration by the workers of Riga, more than 50,000 persons taking part in the parade and exercises...
...We should not ask them to We should ami must get young blood in our party, ll can he done and is being done Personalities a great many times entered locals and caused trouble Aigujiig ovei son-essentials cauae comrades to go away in disgust These things 1 have mentioned, with other minor things, gradually produced among our comrades a defeatist psychology Instead of living in the present they unconsciously live in the dark past This pay chology can lie changed It - bring changed It is part of the work of nn organizer to change it...
...The Party Builder Past Trials and Present Opportunities IN this department, we shall each week consider problems of party organization...
...How the Newspaper* Hide the Truth treat aaal «* IZlTit...
...Its policies have been tested by experience...
...It belongs to the ages...
...The candidates of the Belgian Socialists are named bv the vote of all good standing members of the Socialist Party, the regular trade unions and the cooperatives, so it is evident that they are the real choice of their working class constituents...
...BELGIUM Vendervelde Opens the Campaign The opening gun of the campaign of the Belgian Socialists to win a majority in the Chamber of Deputies in the election scheduled for April 5 was fired by Kmile Vandervelde at a big mass meeting held in the House of the People in Roux on Feb...
...Of course, if the desire is not there it is easy to say that they cannot do It...
...What he has done others can do...
...If you do, com* on and help reorganise our party...
...With about 1,000,000 francs (850, 000) in the Socialist Party treasury to wage the electoral struggle and thoi sands of volunteer propagandist* active all over the land, there is every reason to believe that when the Belgian Socialists .celebrate the fortieth anniversary or the founding of their party next August they will be able to tell the delegates to the Second Congress of the Socialist and Labor International, who are expected to attend the Belgian celebration, all about how the strength of the Socialist group was materially increased over the sixty-eight Deputies it had in the old Chamber...
...Cutting out the cancer weakened our party at the time...
...Let ua organize our party...
...Raids by officials of the law...
...Our comrades are released from prison...
...Some time in Use distant rater* we will pr ouuee I a grander order of society This cannot, be accomplished in a day or a year...
...A Local of 36 members was the result...
...made a regular charge upon a group of propagandists, firing several shots, one of which struck a Socialist named A. Massak in tha forehead, killing him instantly...
...In the past we have donei more itreet comer preach-1 ing than orfanizing which am sure is one of the reasons why our organiza tion fell apart...
...Present-day Communism would make chaos out of peace...
...Many of the Belgian SocialisHearlcrs contend that the masses of the Belgian women need religious emancipation more than they do full suffrage...
...Many have been and are willing to undertake lecture trips...
...The Socialist Party cannot be betrayed, purchased, led astray or destroyed...
...I it next article will detcribe hvu he got* about hi* work of getting member* and budding on active local organ-t ativn >-pHE Socialist Party has 1 been blessed with a good supply of stump speaker...
...Arrests...
...All available facts show that we can build greater than ever and on a more enduring basis...
...It has passed through trials that would have destroyed an organizat on without ideals, without determined purposes and without firm roots in economic necessity...
...ENGLAND More Cains for Labor In the Walsall by-elsction...
...It had to be done...
...Forward in the vork of building our Party, the hope of thinking toilers, the promise of human emancipation...
...In a statement on the affairs s«nt to the London Bureau of the S. L. I , the Latvian Socialist Party says "Unfortunately, there is cause to fear that, should the present Coalition continue in office, reactionary elements may bring about fresh disturbances between now and the elections...
...We can hold our meetings in peace...
...Wherever registration of voters is required the number of Socialist voters has increased...
...ORGANIZING FOR SOCIALISM By S. H. STILLE ' Mt u tkt tecoad m a tent* written by Comrade StiUt on the problems of organisation tkut tact Ike Socialist Party Tkt following artielt atttmptt to analyse ihe ¦ taiant Jv> the continuant» of i yuthy down to the recent notional ttnvtntion of the party...
...Lectures alone will never I build a party...
...It went through the fire of persecution...
...Then the Labor Sport Society rushed up reinforcements numbering 300 men, drove the Fatcisti back to their headquarters, mad* a number of them prisoners and called for the police...
...C»»*atr«e| *pf at • ****•> tJeaCtr r« *¦»•*•** at* W »at •atlas *at*>C »> I* T kit Is tha tvtad af talk tha hag lattrittt like Mr...
...They ran do it if the desire is strong enough...
...Some of the problems in this party building will have to be considered and we shall present some phases of the problem in this department...
...Iluring the debate in Par liament over the murder, the Socialist Deputies openly accused the Government leaders of being responsible for the outrage and not a membei of the bourgeois groups had the courage to reply The Socialists Rointed nut that merely closing the lationallat Club, as the police had done after the trouble wax over, was not enough and that drastic action lour...
...A search of'the premises revealed a number of revolvers and other implements of murder...
...Some of its most loved members faced the most savage prison sentences...
...We real ize that it will take ages before we can produce a perfect flower...
...Ostracism and terror did not break Its spirit...
...The Latvian Socialists are scheduled to hold their national convention on April 4-b, at which plans for capturing a majority of the new Parliament of 100 members due to be elected next October will be made...
...The comrades who aie pioneers in our work today are but human gardeners, working with millions of human flowers...
...Will you help...
...out and organ- j ize...
...Of course we know, but . i. mauds do not It la a hoe organization point...
...Patriotism—all helped to destroy our party organization...
...In a year it will be back to health again...
...Men are more sane...
...It has lived to see those who deserted to the Right and those who deserted to the Left follow illusions...
...Will they sign...
...On The International Front 'Workers tf th* World, Unit...
...It ii being done...
Vol. 2 • March 1925 • No. 12
