The San Francisco call., 1897-07-16
Its Solution to Be the Great
Work Undertaken by the
Movement.
The DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES
The First Commonwealth May Be
Established in the State
of Washington.

Social Democracy, the new organization
fathered by Eugene V. Debs at Chicago
less than month ago, has already Sc
cured foothold in this City. 1t has for
its object the solution of the problem of
work tor the unem ployed.
Among those prominent in the move
ment in San Francisco are James Taylor
Rogers, J. NJ. Reynolds, c. e. Morse and
Roger L. Ryfkugel. Already a large
number of names have been signed to the
call for the preliminary meeting, at
which is to be organized the first local
branch of the Social Democracy of
America. The meeting will probably be
held within the next two weeks.
The National body was organized at
Chicago last month, and on the 21st of
June the constitutions of the National,
State and local bod es were formally
adopted. At the same time the following
declaration of principles was adopted:
We hold that all men are born free, and are
endowed with certain natural rights, among
which are life, liberty and happiness. In the
light of experience we find that while all
citizens are equal in theory, they are not so iii
TACT. While all citizens have the same rights
po ilcal.y. this political equality is useless
under the present system OF economic
inequality, winch is essentially destructive OF
I
political equal iiIy la Dor is robbed oil the wealth
| it produces. By the development of this sys-
tenn II is denied the means of seif-employmenl,
| and by enforced idlentss, through lack of
employment, is even deprived OF the neces-
saries OF life,
To the obvious fact that our despotic system
of economics is the direct opposite of our
democratic system OF politics, can be plainly
traced the existence OF a class tnat corrupts
The Government, alienaes public property,
public franchises and public functions and
holds this. the mightiest OF nations, in abject
dependence.
Labor, manual or mental, being the creator
of all wealth and all civilization 1t rightfulIy
! follows that those who perform all labor and
create all wealth should enjoy the fruit of
their efforts But this is rendered impossible
by the modern system OF production. Since
the discovery and application of steam and
| electric powers and the general Introduction
OF steam in all branches OF industry The indus
! trial operations are carried on by such gil
| gantic means that but few now able to pos
sess them, and thus the producer is separated
| from his products
| While in former times the individual worker
| labored on his own account, with his own
! tools, and was the master of his own prod
! uctS, now dozens, hundreds and thousands of
men work together in shops, mines, factories,
| ETC., cooperating according to the most eff
| fcient division oflabor, but they are not the
masters of their products. The fruits OF this
cooperative labor are, In great measure,
! Appropriated by the owners OF the means OF
production, to wit, by the owners of ma
chimes, mines, land and the means OF trans
portation.
This system, by gradually extinguishing ;he
middle class, necessarily leaves but two
classes in our country-the large Class of
workers and the small class of great employ
ers and capitalists.
Human power and natural forces are wasted
by this system which makes ''proft" the only
object in business.
Ignorance and misery, with all concom-
liant evils, are perpetIated by this system,
which makes human labor a ware TO be
bought in the open market and places no real
value on human life
Science and invention are diverted from
their humane purposes and made instruments
for the enslavement of men aud the starvation
of women and children.
We therefore hold that in the natural course