Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1889-08-31
S HAK E "

To the H'orkmen'S Advocate:
Will Comrade "Zeno," who, | have
been reliably informed, is good bona
fde socialist, and one who has in this
city rendered efficient aid for our cause
during grave crisis, accept the right
hand of fellowship, and with it the as
surance that he has somewhat misappre-
hended me on several points?
do not like him to labor under the
impression that | am ,bigot; for if
there is anything in the wide world that
| cannot tolerate it is intolerance, and |
value Zeno's good opinion too highly to
run the risk of FORGETTING it on grounds
which do not exist.
While | fully stand by everything |
said in the communication to which
Zeno refers, |, nevertheless, regretted
the writing of 1t for several reasons, and
wrote to the editor, requesting him to
suppress it, My letter was received too
late and the communication appeared.
| wish to say, however in self. iustifi-
cation, that do not think that an hon.
est attempt to establish our identity III
the public mind as socialists and to keep
our propaganda Enthusiastically distinct
and separate from all other movements
in order to avoid the confusion, can
justly be pronounced bigotry. | think
we owe it to ourselves to make our arti-
tude and aims so clear and definite that
we cannot possibly be misrepresented.
And while we do not shrink from bear
ing any odium we may incur in the
propagation OF our own principles, do
not consider that it is either lust or
right that the cause we love should be
compelled 10 suffer on account of the
opinions of those who are possibly Nth
us, but certainly not Of us. We have
our own position to defend, our own
principles to maintain, and they are SO
essentially at variance with those of the
revolutionary class that any utilization
with them must necessarily lead to a
popular misaprehension of our proper
work. Holding, as we do, that indus
trial emancipation can only be achieved
by system of universal cooperation,
and that agitation by means of political
action can best serve this end, it is nee
essary that we keep ourselves distinct
from those who believe that industrial
evils can only be removed by a general
extension of the competitive system by
means of force and destruction of
everything that stands in its way. In
brief, our watchword is cooperation.
construction, evolution--theirs, compe-
tition, destruction, revolution.
Now, in the language of Scripture,
| ask, "How can two walk together ex-
cept they be agreed?" What fellow
ship hath light with darkness?' Grant
ing for arguments sake that our oppo-
nents are right and we are wrong, still
while the objects aimed at and the meth
DDS of attaining them differ so radically
and fundamentally, it it surely far bet
ter for both that there should be no at
tempt at fusion. | regret that Zeno
should suppose that | would depend
upon the capitalistic press tor my infor-
nation touching the Cooper Union
meeting and the speech of Pentecost.
My authority for the statement | made
was the subjoined item from the ADvo-
Gates report:
There are signs Of forceful revolu-
ton in this country. In Braidwood, ILL.,,
children died of hunger in strike re-
Gently, and the parents hadn't the man.
hood or the womanhood to throw
brick to break a window, though they
would have been justified in doing So"
| see no objection to Socialists cele.
brating the Fall of the Bastille, but
maintain they would have done better
to do so as socialists, in which case they
could not have been held responsible for
the speeches of those whose propaganda
is of different order from our own.
AS to the red flag, am aware that it
can be made to represent very different
ideas from those for which it stands in
the popular estimation, but since it is
claimed by the revolutionary party as
their proper emblem, and so regarded
by the public generally, hold that no
good purpose can be served by our
adopting it, but that by doing so we
place ourselves in a position to be mis-
represented, and hence we would be
! justified in letting those who ordinarily
appropriate it enjoy full monopoly
of it. In conclusion, | would like to
suggest to Zeno and others that it is not
well to 'let our good be evil spoken Of"