The Advocate and news., 1898-02-02
Correspondence.
The Socialist Labor Party.

o nearing Tor the other side In the col
umns OF you valuable paper. Though
not a citizen Of Kansas, lacking about
half a mile from being In the State,
yet as l have several Kansas friends,
Socialists who are inQuiring what is to
be done under the circumstances, hope
1t Is not presuming too much II / ask
hearing in your columns. l had the
great pleasure of hearing Mr.. Clemens
In Kansas City q few weeks ago and
was much pleased with his presentation
OF the subject Of socialism. We need
more men OF his ability as a speaker
on the platform to awake the sleeping
people. But / must differ in q good
many points from the statements made
In AN Appeal to Kansas Socialists"
In the first place l do not believe the
facts bear out the statement that we
put in good deal of our time and en-
eIgy fighting one another. AS far as
developments here In Kansas City indi-
cate anything / believe we have put in
very little of our time fighting each
other. And as for Socialist literature
wasted | believe all our literature is
fitted to make converts and / don't be-
lleYe we waste much of 1t. AS for the
Social Democracy | cannot speak but
II a.. their literature Ia as good as some
OF 1t have seen | cannot believe theirs
rs likely to be wasted
It would seem as though in this forma-
tive period the presence of several Or
gani2atiOns mighC have their uses. For
one thing, 1t will give chance for
evolution to work out and allow the
fttest to survive. When the final test
comes that whicn Is most fit will dis
place the others and we shall all be
fighting under one banner, never fear.
Now, as 10 some points find it nee
essary to criticlse Mr.. Clemens article
In the first place find throughout the
article the word Socialistic Labor party
used instead Of Socialist Labor party, |
the real name of the s. l.. P. II Mr.. |
Clemens is as ignorant of the actual |
principles and methods of the s. l.. P. |
Us he It's OF Its name "a take 1t he did |
not misstate the name purposely) then |
has he nee1 of making a more careful |
study and basing his conclusions on |
facts not hearsay. Let us see. He |
speaks about "adhering to some pro-
gram or creed simply because, early in |
the movement, some great leader with
the light he then had proposed it," He
does not say what great leader, and the
fact is the Socialist program has only
grown up by constant trial. rejecting
that which did not serve, and that prin-
clple Is still at work, as the members
nave the power, whenever they learn
OF better ways, to propose them and
adopt them II majority decide on the
principle of the referendum. He says
the Social Democracy convention will
consist OF one and only one delegate
from each State. Is the State, then, the
unit, and not the Individual voter? That
ls certainly not democracy, State SOW
ereignty, 1t was supposed, was done
up IN the late unpleasantness But here
we nave 1t more rank than ever. The
Socialist Labor party has no desire for
q convention which gives the same
power to New York, with its 5000 900.
las to Nevada, with It's less than $4,000.
The Socialist Labor party Is intensely
democratic. | am sorry to see the So
clal Democracy belle its name As to
the Western parS being controlled by
New York and New Jersey. AS long as
they poll over half of the Socialist vote
As seems perfectly just that they should
control, And IL Kansas desires to con-
trob all the Kansas Socialists have to
40 is to pitch in and roll up $4,000 votes
liere next fall and If they want they
might vote to move the whole head
quarters to Topeka. Let us have an end
0f this idea lat small minority should
be given more power than the majority.
Et ls the essence of~the present system.
Aue Socialist Labor party makes un-
compromising war on all such. 1t does
A0l believe rle tail should wag the dog.
Let 1t become the dog first.
again, he does not want to make him
seiL servile nonentity even though
ne superiors dictate nv un-
questioning conduct be Socialists"
Ala..A AlA, ~.