The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-08-03
Is a Political Organization All
the WAY Through.
HE WRITES A PIECE
Explaining the Aims and Meth
DDS of the Movement.
Will Attack PlutOcracy in Mil
Haukee First.

! Chicago, Aug. 3.-Eugene v. Debs is
| striving to found a political party.
His Social Democracy. instead of being.
| as nearly everybody supposed. a chimeri-
cal scheme. which had colonization for
| its central idea, is really the organiza ton
of the machinery OF national party.
| which will represent Debs' social and
| economic views. Debs has been a mem
Der of the Populist party. He was a del
egate to its first national convention held
| in Omaha of 1892, and a year ago at the
st. Louis convention he was pressed so
hard to accept the nomination OF the par
ty for president that he felt constrained
to write letter to Senator Allen asking
his friends to nominate Mr.. Bryan.
Events since then have in Debs' opin-
ion, wiped out the last vestige of Pop
ulism, and he believes that the time for
launching another organization. founded
upon lines which will appeal to the
masses of the people, and which will
supplant the Populist party in township,
city, state and nation, is at hand.
The purpose of the Social Democracy
has been Inexperienced until now be-
cause Mr.. Debs did not choose to take
the public into his confidence. Impatient,
however, at the criticisms that were pass
ed upon his supposed plans, the leader
of the great railroad strike of 1894 de-
termfned to outline their purpose and
scope He selected New Time, a Chicago
magazine. as the channel through which
to reach the public, and has contributed
to the August number of that periodical
a brief article in which he tersely sets
forth the ideas that constitute the under
lying principles of the Social Democracy.
He makes it clear that he has entered
nnderfa king which aerT1i-
tude has few parallels in the history of
the nation. He is seemingly confident of
the result of his plans, and predicts that
a new party will spring up the wreck
of Populism to menace the power of the
existing dominant Republican and Demo-
cratic parties.
Here is his own description of the So
cia1 Democracy and its aims taken from
advance sheets of New Time:
1.-THE Social Democracy is a great social,
economic and political organization. 1t is
at once national and international. Polit-
ically speaking, it is a party within and
for itself, and within twelve months its
lated a national political platform. SINH
will have adopted state platforms and
the municipal representatives local plat
local branch. These are organized in
each ward and township. Five or more
persons can organize a branch, and the
membership is limited to 500.
The local branches have local or NUM-
cipaI jurisdiction. From these are chosen
annually, in April, representatives to the
state union, who meet annually in May
at the capital of the state to prepare a
platform, nominate candidates and trans
act other business pertaining to the state.
These several state unions elect repre-
sentatives to the national council and
this body meets annually in June to adopt
a national platform, choose officers, NOM
mate candidates and transact other BUSH
ness pertaining to the national organiZa-
ton. The national council annually elects
an executive board of five. members,
which constitutes the executive depart
ment of the organization"
The declaration of principles is modi-
fication of the declaration of independ-
ence-that is, it is brought up to date and
made to accord with Mr.. Debs' personal
views of the needs of the country and the
people in it. All citizens are called upon
to unite under the banner of the Social
Democracy of America, so that they may
be ready to conquer capitalism by maxi
ing use of their political liberty and by
taking possession of public power, so that
they may put end to the present bar
barous struggle, by the abolition of capt.
talism, the restoration of the land, and of
all the means of production, transporta-
ton and distribution, to the people as a
collective body-and the substitution of
the cooperative commonwealth for the
present state of painless production, in
dustrial war and social disorder"
Mr.. Debs wants it distinctly understood
that the colonization scheme is only a
detail of his general plan and has been
assigned to special department known as
the colonial ton department" Then he
continues:
The purpose has been, and is, to mass
sufficient number of our supporters in
a state to secure political control, and
then in another state, and so on"
This is a trifie vague but Mr.. Debs adj
mits that he purposely restricted his dis
cussion of the Social Democracy on ac-
count of lack of time to write a longer ar
ticle and at some future time he may be
persuaded to explain the significance of
his 80 on
According to the writer applications
for charters already pouring in from
every quarter. and he predicts from this
sign that the Social Democracy will
grow more rapidly than any other organi-
cation ever started, and that its spontan>
eous development and expansion will be a
revelation to the people. Its success, he
claims, is assured from the very begin
ming.
The work of organizing the general
movement is under way, and it is pro-
posed to carry out the programme out
lined in the Chicago convention in full. A
weekly paper which will be the organ of
the party, has been founded, and after
January 1 it will be converted into a
daily newspaper, whose columns will be
devoted to the exploitation of the pro-
gress of the Debs idea.
Perhaps the most important develop
| ment of the whole scheme is the determi-
nation of Debs, assisted by a handful of his
personal followers, to give the Social
! Democracy its first introduction to prac-
teal politics in the municipal campaign
| in Milwaukee next spring. A mayor, city
| treasurer and city comptroller are to be
| elected in the Wisconsin metropolis. The
| Social Democracy will organize for the
| Aeht hold q convention nominate a f1Ill