620 THE CLASS STRUGGLE EDITORIALS 621 skillful newspaper and publicity propaganda, together with overtime wages of a considerable portion of the workers had created a determination to see it through in place of the former opposition.
Nothing is known as yet about the results in the West.
This in itself proves that the party there has made a poor showing. Nothing seems to be left of the sprinkling of socialist legislators that were elected in the previous year in Washington, Oregon, Nevada and California. In the Middle West the results are little better. Kansas, Idaho, Illinois and Minnesota are again without Socialist representatives in the legislatures, and Minneapolis lost its Socialist Mayor, Van Lear, which is hardly to be regretted. For Comrade Van Lear, who under very difficult circumstances, in the beginning of the war stood his ground courageously and well, and had valiantly fought against the infamous Public Safety Commission of Minnesota, compromised himself and the party that had elected him, by joining hands with the American Alliance of Labor and Democracy, and by speaking from its platform at a so called Victory Meeting. not victory over Germany, but a victory over the radical anti American movement of Minneapolis. That Van Lear took this stand not so much from a change of conviction as from openly opportunistic motives, because he desired, above all, to be reelected, by no means detracts from this sorry spectacle.
Wisconsin is the only exception from the rule. There Victor Berger was elected to Congress, 17 Assemblymen and State Senators sent to Madison, and the full socialist ticket in the county of Milwaukee was chosen. Besides Milwaukee the Socialist Party vote for Governor, in four counties was higher than that polled by either of the capitalist parties. In three counties the full county ticket was elected, and in numerous other counties socialists were returned to office. Undoubtedly a portion of this vote must be ascribed to the opposition to the war; that is only natural in a state where so large a proportion of the population is of German extraction. But it would be worse than folly to overlook the fact that the militant stand that was taken by the Milwaukee Leader and its editor, Victor Berger, that the aggressive attitude of the socialist movement of Wisconsin under this leadership toward prosecution and suppression had very much to do with this splendid showing. We believe that the feeling prevails that Victor Berger, in spite of many sins of omission and commission would have been the right man in Congress during the period of the war. At least he would not have been afraid to speak out against the government whenever the interests of the socialist and labor movement demanded it. His usefulness to the party during the critical period that now lies before us, will be determined largely by the trend that events in Europe will take. For, after all is said and done, Victor Berger is still the great American opportunist.
In the East the loss of the Socialist Congressman from New York is one thing to be thankful for. Meyer London has not been simply opportunistic or careful, he has been much worse. He created the impression that he stood in with the enemies of the Russian revolution, he encouraged the counter revolutionists in this country by sending them telegrams and promising to speak at their meetings. He joined the capitalist politicians and the capitalist press by denouncing the Bolsheviki and their regime. He failed to condemn intervention in Russia when the party instructed him to do so. In the fight for free speech and assemblage, against the pernicious legislation enacted by the last Congress, he was content to play the role of tail to the Republican kite. We do not underestimate the difficulties a lone Socialist Congressman must face in times like these. But he might at least have kept his record clean, if he had not sufficient determina.
tion to make it effective. His renomination is not to the credit of the membership of New York, even though it was prompted by the consideration that the district would be lost if another candidate were nominated in his place.
That it was impossible to elect Hillquit, Scott Nearing, Shiplacoff and Whitehorn to Congress is surely to be re