Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1889-09-21
NEW YORK SPEAKS.
LARGE MEETING OF S. l.. P.
MEMBERS.


tanned A Review of Recent
Events by S. L. Shevitch- Policy
of the Former Executive and Ut.
terances of the Party Organs.
Resolutions, etc.
The call for d meeting of the men,
bers of the Sections of New York and
vicinity, issued by the newly elected
Executive Committee to discuss the
present condition of affairs in the party,
was responded to by between 250 and
800 members. Comrade Rudolph Praast
was elected chairman and Henry Foth
vice chairman. Comrade S. E. Shev.
itsch, on behalf Of the Executive Com
mittee, gave review of the events
which led up to the withdrawal of
Hintze, Gerecke, Rosenberg and Sauter
as members of the Executive Commit
tee. The substance of his rem arks was
as follows:
"fhe present trouble does not arise
from any differences of principle. 1t
has been falsely charged that the major
ity Of the New York members are op-
posed to political action of the party.
There is no such opposition. We all
know that the social problem cannot be
solved by economic action; but we
know also that political action is like
wise'but one means of working for our
aims.
at is alleged that it was the Tolks-
2e1tung party which opposed the de-
posed Executive Committee. That is
absurd. Those who agree, as well as
those who disagree with the Volkszeit-
ung in many respects are agreed in
their determination that the imbecie
management of the party as it was con-
Quoted by the old Executive had to be
stopped.
"The conduct of Der Socialist was apt
to disgrace the party and make it ridic-
ulous. While Marks Communist Mani
festo pronounced it the policy of the
Socialist Party, we are not doctrin-
aires who say to the world Here is the
truth, here kneel down; we only show
humanity that it is striving and what it
is striving for. Der Socialist has in its
every article, its every line and every
word been permeated by the dogma,
Here alone is truth; all must kneel
down before u.s. The old Executive
narrowed down our movement from a
proletarian class movement to a sect.
"This was especially apparent in the at
titude of Der Socialist toward the eight
hour movement In the issue of Dec
&c. 1888, the paper says: we are cool
antO our heart against this movement, as
we cannot lend our hand to the possible
loss Of the subsistence of many Of our
members Against the same move
ment Der Socialist adduces in another is
sue the old Manchesterian argument that
"a nation which would within its iuris
diction only establish the eight-hour
day without reduction of wages, or
unless the intensity of labor can be so
increased that the workmen will render
about the same work in eight hours as
now in ten, such a nation must neces-
sarily within one year announce its
complete bankruptcy on the market of
the world July 6, 1880. Again, in an
other issue, Der Socialist declares the
dead thing, that can be revived neither
by trumpets nor baskets full of articles,
because it is based upon the idea Ct
the solidarity of labor which ought to
bean idea which is just as windy as the
commonest political phrase June 80,
1882 Again, at another place, that it
considers the question of invalid and
oldage insurance of far greater i'm
'portance to us than the eight-hour
movement March 2, 1880. In another
instance Der Socialist approved of a
most outrageous abuse of power by a
Chicago judge. An anarchist named
Dusey, on examination as tales-man
for a jury in murder trial, declared
that his opinion would not allow him
to find anybody guilty, as the criminals
were the products of the present wrong
full conditions When he added that he
would have to disregard the evidence to
that extent if he should be impaneled,
the judge sent him to Jail for twenty-four
hours for contempt of Court. Der S0zidi-
ist remarks, 'SerUed him right June 20,
1889. The same spirit was apparent in
the WoRKMEN's ADVOCATE in regard to
the economic Improvements. Last win
tti, "Heh oCNeidl Iilouodhu Idi di-uiiNClo
were on strike in New York, the ADvo-
CATE told them in an article, which was
especially written for propaganda among
the strikers, that they must not commit
any violence; that if they do so they
act foolishly, yea, criminally: if they
cannot win peacefully, the only thing
they can do is to give up the fight and
vote the socialist ticket next fall WORK
MEMS ADVOCATE, Feb. ?, 1899.
There was no objection to criticizng
the labor movement; on the contrary