Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-03-15


FORCES lnsenslbly together, removing by
degrees the mutual suspicious, that at
first arise among them, and finally
Welding them into one solid mass, an
mated by one principle, aiming at one
and the same end. AS soon as that takes
place the phllosophic line of demarca.
ton between the contendng elements
ls sharply drawn; the class that lives
upon profits, l. e, upon the labor Of
others, and the class that draws no re-
venues from profits, !. G. that lives from
its own labor, are brought face to face.
From that moment confusion ia the re-
form ranks is ut end, and the onward
course is clear
This important stage in the labor or
social question in this country is marked
by the advent of Nationalism. The
latent radical thought in the country
was conjured up by Edward Bellamys
great work Looking Backward" a work
which, leaving aside its literary parts
and many immaterial incidents of its
composition, condenses and asserts all
the cardinal principles of the most ad-
vanced economic thinkers. As soon as the
work appeared the thought of putting in
practice its main ideas was taken up In
New England.
Men of Puritan origin now found their
unconscious thoughts expressed in fer
vld language and to the number of not
more than 49, on ground that is classic
IN American history, they founded on
December 10, 1888, the first club of q
new party, whose name, NATIONALIST,
was chosen by them to typity the fact
that today we are only mob OF warning
IL iividuals whose interests are hostile
one to the other; while the establish
ment OF the social system such as we
are ripe for, and in which the land and
the instruments of production should be
held by the organized people and not by
individuals for competitive strife, would
transform us from mutual enemies into
citizens; from wild mob, into a Ma
ton. The founders of the Boston club
soon had opportunity to realize that
they had rightly judged the people.
From Washington, New York, Chicago
and San Francisco the response came,
swift and strong In May, 1889, five
months after the inauguration OF the
first Boston club, Is clubs were in
existence in different States Two
months later there were "a clubs In 3
different States; and. steadily growing,
it numbers today 70 clubs, distributed
over 10 States New York, California,
Connecticut Iowa, Massac husetts, Penn
sylvania, Ohio, Illinois. Michigan, Wis
consin, Tennessee, Colorado, Washing
ton, South Dakota, Missouri, Oregon,
New Hampshire, Minnesota and the
District of Columbia.
Nor is this all the Nationalist move
ment can record. The phenomenal
rate at which Looking Backward" con-
tinues to be demanded is spreading
through the breadth and length Of the
land the ideas it contains, and the seed
is falling on fertile ground; the rudi-
ments of hundred additional clubs ara
already started. Here in New YORK
city alone and contiguous Brooklyn 10
clubs are in operation. The aggregate
enrolled membership of all the clubs la
close to 10000, among whom all ranks
of labor are represented. The move
ment supports over 6 magazines and
journals. And what the stimulus to
thought of the Nationalist movement is
may Furthermore be judged from the
recent appearance oil q second work OF
fiction, Speaking Of Ellen, from the pen
of the most famous of our writer's next
to Bellamy himself, a work whose ex-
pressed purpose it is to inculcate the
immortality Of the Capitalist, the noble.
ness of the Nationalist idea.
With SO short a history behind it the
Nationalist movement cannot yet be ex-
pected to be more than an educational
one, and it's clubs throughout the coun-
try are as yet bat centers of economic
discussions mainly, or nurseries for the
men and women who at the proper
time shall go forth to address larger
audiences for political and immediate
action. In so far, its work is prepare
tory only; it is q labor of drilling and
of propaganda. But that this period
will be speedily passed and the period
Of action, of independent political &C.
ton, is at hand, the growth of the
movement makes manifest, and the
inclination of its members renders inevi-
table. To this end, however, more
concrete platform ia needed. AS soon as a
good majority of States can be repre-
scented at national conference, the first
Nationalist Conference of the Union will
be called together; and from that mo.
ment it will cast off the hull of a propa-
ganda party and become factor in the
political struggles of the land--a factor
of irresistible power.
That this prophecy is not risky, none
who diligently watch the signs OF the
times, and give them that Interpretation
which American history warrants, could
safely gainsay. Looking backward"
the tide Of progress has not receded; on
the contrary, its swell is rising in the
majestic proportions that the issue
demands.