The signs of the times point unmistakably toward a violent revolution in the United States before many years, despite all that Socialists can do in trying to prevent it.
Socialists have long seen that with the coming of the industrial crisis when thousand of men all over the country would be laid off from work they would be in a mood to receive the cooperative message, but it comes somewhat in the nature of a surprise to many that the capitalists have seen it too and that they should take such vigorous measures as are now being taken all over the land to prevent that message from being heard.
They are no longer content to discriminate against the Socialist in permitting him the same rights that are accorded to others in sing the streets to proclaim his teachings; they are now boldly taking the initiative and sending their blue-coated minions to break up the Socialist hall meetings also on the ground that such meetings are “prejudicial to social order,” in other words the economic interests of the ruling class.
Philadelphia seems just now to be the especial scene of these exhibitions of force on the part of the ruling class, and their ruthless trampling upon the most sacred and primary of human rights, that of free speech, solemnly guaranteed as it is by the Constitution of the United States.
We give below an extract from a capitalistic paper of Philadelphia, the “Northern American,” issue of April 13th, descriptive of a recent breaking up by force of a Socialist meeting in that city:
“Following out the order of Director Clay and Assistant Superintendent of Police “Tim” O’Leary that meetings which tent to breed disorder may not be help, police of the Fifteenth street and Snyder avenue station yesterday broke up a socialist meeting at Southwark Labor Lyceum, 1208 Tasker street.
Entering the hall they requested a word with Charles P. Gildea of Coaldale, the chief speaker and former candidate of the Socialist party for Lieutenant Governor. When he advanced to meeting them two policemen grasped him by the hand and pulled him to the floor. Them seizing him roughly, they hauled him through the crowd and 200 persons, tearing away his collar and tie, and ejected him from the building.
J.J. McCelvie, chairman of the meeting, next met with their attentions. Pulling him from a chair they rushed him to the back of the hall and threw him bodily down a flight of thirty-two steps. He had said, “No American citizen would handle men and women as the poli0ce are doing.”
Other men were beaten by the policemen. AND THE SCORE OF MORE WOMEN IN ATTENDANCE WERE MAN-HANDLED SPEEDILY FROM THE PLACE. As they fought to execute their orders, some of the policed cursed steadily.
In the crowd gathered to attend the meeting was E. Niedes, a young Socialist from the University of Pennsylvania. When the fighting began he stepped to one side to avoid trouble. Asking the young man if he “were looking for trouble,” Policeman Harry Osterheldt struck him, cutting his lip and bruising his face. He was led, bleeding, from the hall by women.
The disturbance created by the police drew a large crowd to the meeting hall. Reuben Satin, a Socialist, attempted to address them. He was arrested on charges of inviting to riot. None of the person whom the police threw from the hall was arrested.
The meeting was under the auspices of the First and Thirty-ninth Wards branch of the Socialist party. Mr. Gildea, in addition to having been a candidate for a high state officer on the Socialist ticket, also has served as a member of the United Mine Workers’ executive board.”
No one needs to be a prophet or the son of a prophet, but merely an ordinary observer of human nature and of the facts of history to predict some of the things that must shortly come to pass in this country if this policy is adhered to, as evidently it will be on the part of the ruling class.
We may be very sure, in the first place, that the APPARENT SUCCESS of these methods at first, will lead to their extension and that the ruling class, drunk with power will go further and further, not only suppressing Socialist meetings and processions of the unemployed in other place but aft meeting which tend to voice the discontent of labor. The freedom of the press will also be further infringed. Fred D. Warren, Managing Editor of the Appeal is now awaiting trial for publishing articles reflecting on the dignity of the President and we have the further ominous spectacle of a president of the United States ordering the suspension of a paper and trial of its Editors afterward.
Let no one deceive himself and [...] where there is no peace. The capitalist tiger has already tasted blood and we may reasonably expect that when his savage jungle passions are thoroughly aroused, his ferocity will go the limit.
Free speech in American is already dead. The Constitution and its sacred pledges are no longer regarded even as a formality.
As the Industrial Panic deepens and the army of the unemployed increases always menacing the interests of the possessing classes, we may as well make up our minds to the fact that the repressive measure of the ruling class will rapidly become more drastic and severe. Taft, “the father of the injunction,” not calls loudly for a larger militia, “to quell local disturbances,” that is, to put down all expression of discontent on the part of the plundered and disinherited. And there is no reason to doubt but what that militia will readily be forthcoming.
But in the end this will not work. For a time it may, and the apparent success will lead the ruling class on to still more dastardly and high-handed acts, until finally a breaking-point is reached. The day has gone by when the working people can be clubbed and shot into submission without retaliation. But the capitalist class in the United States do not know that.
Meanwhile the duty of the Socialist is ten-fold more pressing to spread out propaganda as rapidly as possible and around as many of the working class as possible to class-consciousness and united action against yet more evil days than those that are upon us now. Soon our propaganda will be conducted under far greater difficulties than any that have beset us yet. The days of persecution and of the Iron heel are upon us. “Work while it is day, the night cometh when no man can work.”
It will not do to say, “O when the Panic is really here that will teach the workers: the Panic will make Socialist out of them.”
The Panic never yet made a Socialist of anybody. All that the Panic can do is to make the opportunity to teach Socialist, And the ruling class have already determined that as the Panic intensifies and Socialist propaganda becomes more and more dangerous to their class interests, they will make the attempt, indeed they are making it now, to prevent our reaching the workers with out message, nor will they hesitate to put down all expression of discontent in blood.
Now is the time, while it is yet in our power to do it peaceably, to push our propaganda by every means in our power. Now is the time to arrange propaganda meetings all over the land. Now is the time to build up our Party press and sow the country knee deep with socialist literature before it is too late, and the propaganda of education gives place, alas, to the appeal to the sword. “The Philistines be upon thee, Samson!”
There is something else on which the charges should be rung, by every Socialist paper in the land, but upon which, unfortunately, too many of them are silent. Would that it could be burned into the thought of every socialist in the United States in letters of living fire till his mind was all aglow with it. It is this: The capitalist class will never submit to the decision of the ballot-box when a National election goes Socialist unless the Socialists are prepared to enforce that decision. The capitalist class will never throw up their hands and walk peaceably away simply because the Socialists have a few more pieces of paper in a box than they have. The ballot-box never enforces itself. The reason that the minority submit in any National election, is, either that they recognize that there are no issues involved worth fighting about or that the voting power of the majority is about equal to their fighting power. But the workers are unarmed and the capitalist have the army and the police, the machine guns and the battleships.
Did the Southern slave-holders submit peaceably when Lincoln was elected even with an overwhelming majority?
What means are at hand where-by the workers may expect to enforce submission to their will when a working-class party captures political power at the ballot-box.
Industrial Unionism is the word. The old Craft Unions dividing the workers into petty, waning factions, are of no value for this purpose nor for the constructive processes of the Cooperative Commonwealth.
Let us get busy then and organize into great Industrial Unions, competent TO STRIKE AND STAY, that’s the word, not to strike and leave as the manner of the Craft Unions is. Get busy and build up the I.W.W. Let every miner in the country join the Western Federation of Miners, and let the Western Federation of Miners swing into line and take its place where it ought to be in the I.W.W.
Against a united working class organized into great Industrial Unions prepared to back up a working-class ballot by seizing and holding the Industries, the capitalist class might hesitate to throw their military power. Otherwise, working-class victory at the ballot-box will be the signal for armed rebellion on the part of the capitalist class and their supporters.
This is the thing that we don’t want. War is disastrous and one of its worst evils is that the wrong man so frequently gets shot. We don’t want it. But we will never avoid it, by closing out eyes to the signs of the times and living in a Fool’s Paradise.
While you are at it, look into the Modern Sons of Marx. This society is doing a great a practical work in a quiet and unobtrusive way. Write to Vernon F. King, Holland, Mich. For information.
We don’t want a violent revolution. We are for peace. But it is as certain as that two and two make four that the capitalist class are preparing to spring it upon us. And that they, who trample under foot the guarantees of free speech and natural rights embodies in the Constitution which they profess to uphold which never submit to the decision of a working-class ballot except as the working-class are prepared to enforce submission.
Build up Industrial Unionism. Do it now.