The significant thing in the Socialist National Convention just close in Chicago, is its demonstration of the fact that the Opportunist or conservative wing of the Party is at present in the saddle, While a motion to endorse Industrial Unionism was lost by a vote of 160 against 48, the Committee on the Platform reported in sixteen “immediate demands” and the Platform so reported was adopted with but little modification. Of course the Party membership are yet to be heard from when the Platform is submitted to referendum.
For the information of any of our readers who might not understand we may state that the Socialist movement as is customary with all movements, has developed two more or less defined wings, a radical wing and a conservative wing.
The difference in the main is this, their respective attitudes on the subject of immediate demands, the conservatives being willing to accept with the complaisance and even strive for almost any little reform which seems to them to have socialistic bearings, while the radicals, impatient of the disappointments and shams of capitalism, are anxious to lead the hosts of labor at once into the Promised Land of the Cooperative Commonwealth.
The Wage-Slave, we may add, belongs emphatically to the radical camp, and the Editor as Delegate so acted in the National Convention.
The conservatives are frequently called Opportunists and they retort by calling the radicals Impossibilists, a term which is certainly misplaced, and which the Wage-Slave, for one would repudiate.
A characteristic point of difference between these two wings of our movement is their respective attitudes toward Labor Organizations. No Socialist is to be taken seriously or is in fact entitled to be called a Socialist at all who does not acknowledge the superiority of the Industrial over the Craft form of Organization.
But the Opportunists is willing to palter and trim for the sake of getting more votes, saying, “It’s the best way and the only way, but the Trade Unions aren’t ready for it yet. Let them alone and say nothing about it and they will evolve. Even the A. F. of L. will evolve into Industrial Organization.”
The Opportunist says. “lo four months and then cometh harvest.” The Revolutionist insists that the fields are white unto the harvest now. The Opportunist is a vote getter; the Revolutionist is an idol smasher.
The Opportunists generally claims the title of Revolutionist also, but that is a bit of unconscious humor.
It is heart-breaking to see our dear comrade the Opportunist playing at what he calls “Constructive Socialist.” His failure to stand squarely for the real constructive program of Socialism, Industrial Unionism, throws him back on a lot of disconnected “immediate demands,” generally desirable enough in themselves, but often incoherent and unsystematic. But the Opportunist won’t be happy till he gets it. Whether it is the reforestation of cut-over woodlands, the “nationalization” of railways, or the ballot in the hands of a woman, it is all “a step toward Socialism.”
The Revolutionist on the other hand, would point out that the place where the laborer is robbed is precisely where he works and that until that place has passed into collective Ownership, nothing has been accomplished. It would say, “Seek ye first the Cooperative Commonwealth and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Well, the Opportunist element was completely in control at the National Convention as the voting and debating clearly showed. There was four propositions which more than any other brought out heated discussion and these were, first the motion to endorse Industrial Unionism, second the motion to confer with the Socialist Labor Parry, with reference to Unity, third the motion to insert a statement that “religion is a private matter with which our movement has no concern” among the “immediate demands” (Think of it!) and fourth a motion to adopt the majority report of the Women’s Committee which provided for special methods of reaching women with our propaganda and contained another “immediate demand” that she be at once enfranchised.
The Editor voted with the minority on the first, second and third questions, and failed to vote on the fourth not being fully decided at the time.
G. H. Lockwood, our Party Secretary in Michigan, and the Editor, also filed with the Secretary of the Convention a joint statement which will appear in the published minutes, recording our attitude on Opportunist measures, and also setting forth the reason why we votes against inserting the statement concerning religion in the Platform to be that we deemed it inappropriate to make any statement whatever on the question.
The only resolution of any consequence which we can now recollect as being unanimously adopted without dissension was one on the Liquor Traffic in which the evil affects of the excessive use of alcoholics was recognized and deplored, and Socialists as individuals argues to be temperate or abstain wholly, recognizing at the same time that the Liquor Traffic is an integral part of the capitalist system and can not be cured by extending the police powers of the Capitalist State.
We feel it our duty to give all these facts to our readers. The Party membership especially are entitled to know all that is going on in the Party as near as we can find it out, not only in prosaic detail but also to be kept in living touch with every drift of thought in our movement, As so we say, the general drift of thought at the Convention was too conservative to suit the Editor of the Wage-Slave.
We deem a note of caution not inappropriate, that while we are rightly anxious to convert the people to Socialism, we must be ware, lest for the sake of a few more votes we convert Socialism to the people.
“Salt is good, but if the salt have last its savor wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth fit got nothing.”
At the same time, it also becomes us of the radical wing to show our more conservative comrades that we are certainly not behind them in Party loyalty and zeal.
Our candidates are nominated and we are in the midst of a Presidential campaign. Into the conflict boys in dead earnest. Let this be the best propaganda year and the best organization year that we have ever seen.
Close up the ranks and move forward on the political works of the common enemy.