Saturday, July 26, 1919 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE care medium of such, effective, social legislation supposed great concern on their part they in Furthermore, do not these reform tactics is not the capitalistically legal representative vest their energy and hope in social reforms. give us a leadership strongly characterized sitting in the capitalist congress. There are How foolishly adventurous! The Left Wing by its ignorance of Socialism? perusal of today in the United States thousands of mine is infinitely more concerned with the welfare the list of socialist professors hired by the and other dangerous occupations laws not at of the proletariat at all times than the moder Rand School of what is supposed to be Social all enforced though socially legislated ates are. That is why the Left Wing is a rev Science affords more glaring proof of this.
The only relief laws carried out are those for olutionary organization. Because the Left And truly, if the Party spokesmen are not the enforcement of which the proletariat has Wing is ever anxious to promote the proleta to know what they are talking about, who is?
used industrial might or stands ready to use rian class interests it adopts revolutionary Since when can the blind lead the blind?
industrial might. Really, these laws might just demands and unequivocally rejects reform de Why confuse an issue the clarity of which as well never have been legislated into exist mands.
is ever imperative? Let us recall Hillquit ence.
Why becloud the issue? By having revolu. Socialist Party s) last splendid Mayoralty To say that there is Socialism in the horde tionary demands demands which strike at campaign for cheap milk and a general de of factory acts is as stupid as to say that there the root of the issue a working class move mocratic peace. The ghosts of the Malones is Socialism in the cleaning of streets and ment has a far better chance of securing im and Panchots haunt the party platforms.
lighting of street lamps. Both are indispens mediate improvement in the laborers condi Recollections of Benson anti preparedness able to Capitalism. Both are inevitable. To tions than by having reform demands. Sup campaign for mines, submarines, and refecondemn or commend either is futile. Cap pose the 12, 000 Bethlehem Steel workers rendums still linger in our memories! What italism can and will take of these want an eight hour day and a 20 per cent unfathomable revolutionary fervor this moditself. For a revolutionary movement to in increase in wages. How are the steel workers erate Socialist standard bearer did generate vest its energy in these is supreme asininity. to proceed in order to insure success in this amongst the American proletariat by his agAgain, there is a large class of so called struggle for the immediate improvement of gressive fight for the immediate solution social reforms which aim at saving and their conditions. Shall they beseech a nation of the problem of militarism!
cheapening the means of living for the work al organizer of the of to go into con We have reached a stage in America where ers. Should these become universal they are ference with Schwab? Shall they bargain radical bourgeois parties can well promote followed by a corresponding reduction of collectively and talk things over like good these immediate reforms. We are face to wages. In considering these, it must be re citizens of a free democracy? Shall they per face with an epoch when every ounce of promembered that every narrowing of the cost haps appeal to their congressmen to have a letarian energy should be invested in the main of production of labor power; e. every committee chosen to investigate the merits, issue. Capitalism is crumbling everywhere.
permanent reduction of price of the necessities fairness, justice, and practicability of their The circulatory (credit) system of bourgeoisof life for the worker brings about a reduc case? Or shall they rather completely tie up dom is clogged beyond repair. In plain lantion of the value of labor power at once, and Bethlehem Steel Works by a general strike? guage, victorious Great Britain, France, and is followed, consequently by a corresponding Shall they exert all their power to prevent Italy have no commodities to send out with fall in the wages of labor.
scabbing? Shall they make an effort to call which to pay for continued large imports Under Capitalism the value of a commodity out workers from other industries in a sym from the United States. And they have neiis determined by the amount of labor power pathetic strike? The first mentioned are re ther gold nor American securities to send socially necessary to produce and reproduce form tactics. The latter are revolutionary here in place of goods. Therefore, little exit. In capitalist society labor power (the tactics. The steel workers have a far better change is being bought in the New York workingman in the wage market) is a com chance of success in their battle when they market by importers. Add to this the fact modity. His value is determined by what it adopt revolutionary policies, than when they that American exporters are compelled to sell costs to produce and reproduce him. In com adopt compromise policies.
at lower and lower prices. At what point will mon parlance the tendency under Capitalism The easiest and most direct route to the imthis process halt? Will our industrial barons is for the worker to get about enough to live mediate improvement of the proletariat conhalt or contract their operations? Consider on and reproduce. On the whole, the worker ditions lies in revolutionary activity. The capfor a moment the effect of this crisis in capitgets in wages what it costs him to live and italist exploiters will not yield unless hardalist exchange on American industrial conreproduce. Of course, strikes influence this pressed. And no proletarian pressure can be ditions. To contract or to halt operations status of the worker. But generally, strikes too terrific for this end. In short, whatever menas to increase the army of disemployed by are rather defensive measures. In the main, improvement can be had in the workers conhundreds of thousands. And perhaps by milstrikes are waged by the workers not because dition under Capitalism is to be gotten most lions! It is not insignificant that a 1919 army they want more than enough to get along on by a movement which is revolutionary, clear of disemployed differs from a 1914 army of but because they object to being paid less than in its aim, and class conscious. Truly, comthis kind in that it is very much more like an enough to get along on. The mass of workmon sense shouts for help when it is mainarmy. On the other hand, let our finance ers strike to insure pay and conditions guar tained that sycophantic, meek, reformist poli giants take pay in the promises of a continent anteeing this necessary quantity.
cies are efficient means of avoiding degradahaunted by Bolshevism, Spartacism, Commun To demand the suppression of poverty tion and starvation of the proletariat. Ameism, general industrial unrest, bankruptcy, powithout demanding the overthrow of all the rican industrial history gives eloquent proof litical jealousy, and economic rivalry. What rest is ridiculous. It is most asinine to de of the truth of our contention as to the comimmeasurable profit!
mand of Capitalism that it change the law parative efficacy of social reform and revolu History shows that of all the revolutionary which is its very self defense. Why should a tionary activity in the immediate struggle. classes the proletariat is the least favored to Socialist movement plunge into absurdities by One of the most important requisites for carry out a revolution. Yet, the historic misdemanding that the bourgeois State shall the success of a revolutionary party is a sound sion of the working class is to carry out a cease to be the buckler and defense of capital organization. Socialist Party insistence revolution that is pivoted upon the most comist society and of this law? Moderate, uto on the so called immediate demands or social plicated synthesis. The bourgeoisie had ecopian, Socialism is built on the assumption that reforms leads to perilous situations. This may nomic power. They thereby made inroads on capitalist society admits of certain errata lead, as it has led, to co operation with non the military power of the feudal rulers. The without revolution, that is to say, without a Socialist groups, to a blurring of the supreme bourgeoisie had many other advantages. The fundamental change in the elementary struc issue the class struggle. But how long ago proletariat, on the other hand, lacks the ecoture of society itself. This is nothing more was it that the American Socialist Party co nomic, military, or intellectual advantages.
than a piece of ingenuity! These benefits operated with the People Council and sun The working class is an expropriated class in bestowed on labor by the capitalist State are dry anti preparedness committees? Does not every sense of the word. And its enemy, the not steps to Socialism. On the contrary, the the Socialist Party still co operate with Te bourgeoisie, is cunning, ruthless, and powercapitalist class employs them as means of side nants Leagues and radical liberty loving ful. The Social Revolution will not fall into stepping Socialism. To maintain that a bit of people of all classes? Have not these reform our laps. We have before us an herculean social legislation here and there is a means tactics given the Socialist Party a leadership of gradually bringing in Socialism and push animated by a desire for personal aggrandizetask! The advantage we possess as a social ing out Capitalism is about as silly as the ment? Socialist Congressman was elected class is numbers. Ceaseless education and orfrog belief that because it can jump to a on such issues by all the people of his dist ganization must be our policy in order to height of six inches it can, therefore, in four rict, by his constituents, and not by the Social fully utilize this social advantage. Hence, jumps reach a height of two feet.
ists. And didn this Socialist legislator Moderate Socialists and other social refor play safe when he violated party rules and we should strive to have the proletariat rather mers are particularly emphatic in making principles. Could such a super man ever be turn his energy into channels leading to revtheir concern for the immediate improvement a national representative of a revolutionary olutionary, real, and permanent advantages of the workers conditions. Because of this party?
than to immediate, petty, fleeting gains,