Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-10-13
A PARTY FOR AMERICANS.

dental election seemed inauspclous,
was All imperative duty. If the
principles of the Socialist Labor
Party are, as we maintain, based
upon the requirements Of the his
torlcal and economical evolution
the economical interests resulting
now from the material progress of
our time and the necessary sequence
of lt-then there is no higher or
more sacred task than to apply all
our energy and strive for the reali-
zatlon of them. In this spirit we
submit to our compatrlots the result
Of our researches in the socio-eco.
nomic fields and what logically fol-
lows from it, and beg of them to in
vestigate without prejudice what we
are proposing. The cry against
socialism as raised by the enemy, by
the peoples extortionors, is the
thlef's cry of "stop thief" in order
to distract attention; and glorious
will be the day when those who are
ens)ayed by the wage system, will
understand the cause of this cry.
All who accept the stars and
stripes as emblematic Of equality
and freedom in the United States
cannot consistently oppose party
whose aim is to extend the same
blessings over the civilized world,
and whose international emblem is
as uniform in color as is the life
blood that flows through the veins
of the peoples of all nations-the
crimson symbol of the brotherhood
of man.
But the present system Of wage
slavery and competition, aud the
practical subjection of the working
people to the power of handful Of
capitalists is not in keeping with the
grand idea the flag of this nation is
supposed to represent, and the
Socialist Labor Party, in opposing
capitalism and wage slavery, is the
only political party who would
honor the American emblem of
freedom in practice.
The Socialists are maligned and
opposed because they stand out for
the abolition of slavery-wage slav-
cry; because they recognize the Gre
ators of wealth as the rightful own
ers thereof; and because they would
destroy the power of the capitalists
to rob the people of their property
the wealth tnoy have created.
Here is essentially our platform.
You are striving for the same eco
nomic results, and yet you choose
to stand apart from us to the ad
vantage of our common enemy, the
extortioners. Your political and
social freedom does not exist when
you are dependent upon others for
the sustenance of life; when others
may withhold from you the oppor-
tunity to acquire them. This in re-
ality constitutes your bondage. Our
aim is to remove its cause.
The realization of our platform
means the final emancipation. There
is no other political party organized
for This purpose; therefore we have
a right to ask of you to join us. 1t
is because of our principles, grand as
the cause is great, we ask you tc be
with us.
The time is auspicious for our
cause. You observe in the corner
ing of wheat scheme of robbery on
large scale, begun at Chicago, and
from there spreading all over. The
higher price for bread which you
will have to pay is tax imposed by
these robbers, and in order to dem
onstrate how We are morally degen
Grated, this is called legitimate bust
ness. When the landlord raises
your rent, not because the house
costs more to maintain it, but be-
cause he wants greater tax from
you-this tax is simply theft, You
submit to it, for your perception is
blunted. You cannot see that it is
extortion when the value of your
labor is only partially coming to
you, for the wage system permits
others to withhold from you a good
part of it. Yet you deem it legiti-
mate, for you are unable to under
stand, as yet, that there is no basis
of right for this. 1t is the most
barefaced wrong perpetrated. to rob