CapitalismCommunismDemocracySocialismSocialist PartyWorking ClassWorld War

140 THE WORKERS COUNCIL NOVEMBER 15, 1921 NOVEMBER 15, 1921 THE WORKERS COUNCIL 141 Socialism Brought Up To Date narrow By BENJAMIN GLASSBERG may desert the Socialist Party because of its beist Party in the City of New York, in 1917, trayal of the principles of revolutionary Socialism, will long be remembered for the remarkable the leaders never will. No branch is too small to enthusiasm it aroused among the masses.
nominate them for office.
Stunned by the sudden shift in the Wilson pol review of the character of the propaganda disicy which hurled America into the throes of the seminated by the Socialist Party should be suffiWorld War, large sections of the workers flocked cient to convince the worker that, judged by this to the standards of the Socialist Party, which prac campaign, in which the best brains of the party tically alone among the organized political forces are actively engaged, the Socialist Party has long in the United States had declared against the war. ceased to represent any kind of Socialism, or to From many platforms thruout the city Socialist speak in the name of the class conscious workers of speakers emphasized the economic causes of all America.
wars including the World War.
He Eases the Shocks of Capitalism In spite of themselves the party speakers found themselves drifting away from the many immeThe standard bearer of the party is the perennial diate demands which cluttered up the municipal Jacob Panken. Two years ago, the New York Call, platform and brought a distinctly revolutionary in describing the work of Panken as a municipal message to the workers.
court justice, said in a headline, Panken Eases the The astute campaign managers did their utmost Shocks of the Capitalist System. That sentence, to check this tendency and to keep the party in the municipal campaign of the Socialist Party.
better than anything else, characterizes the 1921 reformistic lines which they thought proper.
Its platform and the speeches of its candidates They plastered the city with cuts showing a milk and propagandists are all smeared with the same bottle which Morris Hillquit would enable the tar, all bear the same taint of reformism.
people to buy at a very cheap price.
The one message of the Socialist Party is to It almost seemed as if they sought to drown the prove to the workers that its program can better revolutionary developments of the campaign in a ease the shocks of the capitalist system than the sea of cheap milk.
Republican or Democratic parties.
One may search in vain thru the many columns High Tide of Socialist Activity of the Call which daily recount the sayings of the Election day found that Hillquit had received great and the near great in the Socialist campaign the tremendous vote of 150, 000, several times as for some indication of what Socialism is supposed large as any previous vote received by the Socialist capitalist system and to substitute the rule of the to be, of any intention or desire to overthrow the Party in New York City.
workers in place of the dictatorship of the capitalist In many respects the campaign of 1917 marked class.
the high tide of Socialist activity. When the 1918 Panken Believes in The Press campaign arrived, the spirit and the enthusiasm so much in evidence the year before was manifestly The chief issues of the campaign, Panken tells lacking, for in the meantime the Socialist members us, are the high cost of living, unemployment, of the Board of Aldermen had voted for the Lib traction, housing, taxation, civil service and the erty Loan. Many of the party most active workschools. My election Panken assures the workwere noticeably absent from the platform ers will mean better schools, cheaper bread, less where they had been found for years.
unemployment, etc. etc.
Soon after began the formation of the Left Wing He challenges Hylan and Curran to debate the section which led directly to the expulsion and issues of the campaign on the steps of the City suspension of the Communist elements.
Hall, and is convinced that the public spirited press (sic) would help spread the various points of It the Same Old Campaign view.
The Socialist Party of New York City has just Panken has in mind as constituting the publicIt would be interesting to know just what engaged in another municipal campaign, the first since 1917. Outwardly everything is the same, spirited press.
that is, if one were to rely on the party mouthpiece, The fact that because of such a thing as a debt the New York Call.
limit the city could not undertake what Panken The old familiar party candidates have faced us urges, does not seem to trouble him.
once more. Not a one is missing. Call the roll and The fact, further, that even if the city were to they are all there: Panken, Oneal Beckerman, carry out the whole Panken program, capitalism Waldman, Solomon, Tuvim, Beardsley, Rosenberg would be just as healthy and vigorous as before, Vladeck, Berenberg, Shiplacoff, Block, Lee, Karlin, seems to be entirely overlooked by the Judge.
etc. etc. No matter how rapidly the rank and file No opportunity is allowed to pass without reaffirming the great faith which the Socialist Party Voters Getting Disillusioned has in democracy.
Occasional items in the Call would declare Commenting on the refusal of the Board of Al(September 25) Fusionists Aid Communists? Redermen to seat Lee and Cassidy, who had been ports have it that the old parties are openly aiding duly elected by the voters to seats in the Board of the Communists. It was stated that the fusion canAldermen, Panken allowed this striking comment didate for alderman is attending the Communist ary to be blazoned forth in the columns of the meetings. Another statement (September 29) read, Call. concerted attack by Republicans, Democrats, He for Democratic Government and Communists, apparently working in harmony The matter involves the very fundamentals of with each other, was made upon a Socialist meeting in the 17th group of Communists our system of democratic government.
stood in a row close to the speaker stand. Nearly One can almost feel Panken trembling for the every one of the men wore glasses, in anticipation safety of our glorious institutions as Taft did of trouble.
when, upon the passage of the recall measure in a Ninety five per cent of the former members of Western state, he declared that it was laying the the Socialist Party have already deserted the ranks axe to the roots of the tree of Liberty.
of the party. There remains nothing but the shell Panken is also in favor of extending the bless of a once powerful organization. The great mass ings of democracy to Ireland, for he informs the of those who have supported the Socialist Party in Irish voters that the position of the Socialist Party the past are not yet fully aware of the party beon the Irish question has always been definite trayal of its former principles. few more camreal freedom for Ireland as determined by the paigns such as that waged in New York this fall, Irish People. Could any Socialist ask for some 1921, will disillusion them as thoroly as the former thing more definite?
party members were disillusioned during the last For fear that some might still mistake Panken two years.
for a revolutionist because he bears the Socialist label, he took care to inform an audience that he would never shoulder a gun; that he preferred to JOIN NOW!
control the telephone from the White House to the prison in Atlanta.
Now is the time to join the WORKERS COUNCIL and get into the struggle it is making to unite all the What Is Socialism?
elements that have seceded or been expelled from the Socialist Party during the last two years.
This is a variation of the new Socialist theme, We also want all additional workers who have been awakened to the necessity of a real working class political so well expressed in the latest masterly summary organization. Organize a group in your town.
on What is Socialism brought to light by the The Workers Council of the United States is a temCall. In this leaflet we are told, The Socialist porary organization. It is planning to call a national conParty, while it is revolutionary in its final aim, is ference in the near future, to help build nationally, along the lines laid down in the manifesto on the inside two none the less distinctly evolutionary and conpages.
structive in its method. Bold face ours. But the Read this manifesto for yourself and decide whether it main reason for our favoring such measures (im states your stand. If it does then fill out the application blank below and mail it to the WORKERS COUNCIL, mediate demands) is because, if logically carried 80 11th St. New York City. The initiation fee is 25c. out they offer the possibility of a peaceful, lawful the dues 50c. per month. Here it is: and orderly transformation of society. Bold face ours. Louis Waldman, late of Albany, evidently struck Application for Membership in the Workers Council by Panken neat way of putting the thought that OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Socialism is opposed to a proletarian dictatorship, and relies implicitly on the methods of American recognize the class struggle between the working class and the capitalist class, favor the abolition of this sysdemocracy in inaugurating a Socialist regime, tem of class division of society. realize the necessity for makes use of the very same phrasing. do not the working class organizing independently, as a class, want to shoulder a gun, he says. would rather both politically and economically, to lead in the struggle have the keys to Atlanta than a musket at the for the acquisition of all power for the workers. This final aim, the abolition of all classes, will be achieved by warden head. It may seem unkind to remind the working class obtaining for such limited time as may Waldman that in his testimony during the ouster be necessary all the power in the state and doing away proceedings, namely on February 25, 1920, in an with all economic inequality at present covered by the swer to a question as to whether he would fight system of would be political democracy and the capitalist state. Communism, the complete abolition of any and all against an invading enemy, he replied, that he exploitation and the inauguration of a free, human society would go out and shoulder a gun to repel the in of socially equal men and women, is the final aim of the vader; not only that, but he would call upon all workers rule. For the purpose of aiding in the struggle the workers to join him.
toward this goal, apply for membership in the WORK.
ERS COUNCIL and agree to be guided by its ConstiAn interesting feature of the campaign was the tution, Declaration of Principles and Program.
effort on the part of the Sociali to meetings arranged by the Workers League and to Signature charge the Communists with working hand in glove with the Republican and Democratic parties. Address ers. reak up