Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-05-30
SOCIALISM VS.. POPULISM
Letter from Carl D. Thompson-is Argument that Popusn
=s Has Seen its Day of Usefulness IS Answered.
Alexandria, Minn., May 2, 1908.

!. S.-&ry-E. - ~0~eA eS~ 80
b. Alexandris, Mimi, May 2, 1908.
EDITOR Wn1:MAR. TR1BUNE:-My
attention has just been called to your
editorial regarding my recent lecture
In your city. Thanking you for your
courteous comments, see that I failed
to make clear, to you at least, some
very important points in the socialist
philosophy. For example, your idea
that the socialist program. was bor-
rowed from the Omaha platform of the
populists would make q cause for very
serious criticism Of me If my comrades
In the socialist party thought that I
had given any reason for such IN idea.
The socialist party and the MARKHAM
program upon which its rests were in
the field 1t least forty years before the
Omaha platform was dreamed of.
Karl Marx wrote his "Communistic
Manifesto'' in 1848 embodying the
principles which I discussed In my
lecture which have formed the plat
form of the socialist party in the world
ever since. If there was any borrow
ing done it must, therefore, have been
done by the populists. But, as q
matter of fact, I believe that the So
cialist philosophy is 50 far ahead OF
the populist program In matters OF
scientific precision and thoroughness
and that they differ so much that one
could not say that either has borrowed
from the other.
Again you say that the official Or
gan of the socialist party leans to the
impractical utopianism of the Bel.
lamy. Now as I matter of fact the 80
cialist party has no ''of6cial organ. -
There are at least thirty different
weekly publications by the socialists
In the United States. No one of them
can be cited as final authority for our
party. And yet tho q constant reader
of nearly all of these socialist papers
do not know of q single one that
teaches the Bellamy type OF socialism.
Again, in your statement of my pro-
gram you omitted one of the most i'm.
portant points, as We socialists re-
gard it, viz: the necessity of the Or
ganizatfon of the laboring* and pro.
ducing classes and those In sympathy
with them into an independent party
distinct from and opposed to all capi-
talistic parties to capture the powers
of government in order to to put So
cialism into practice. Perhaps I did
not make this point sufficiently clear.
There is . class struggle in the world
today-always has been-between the
oppressive class and the oppressed.
Heretofore in America 1t has taken
the form of the labor union movement,
which up to recently has been non-po-
litical. The populist movement was a
vague expression of this class struggle,
but lacking a knowledge Of the class
struggle in history and being there
fore poorly equipped, and finally be-
ing middle-class movement, roughly
speaking, it was easily tricked on the
political field by fusion. AS . pro-
gram it has never and cannot repre-
sent the interests of but one small SEC
tion of the oppressed class in America
viz: the farmer and those dependent
upon him. H could not and cannot
rally the industrial classes to it's po'
1itical support, because it does not in
cMde in its program the demands
which the distinctly wage-earning
class need most, besides being entirely
Ignorant of the necessary political
tactics. The socialist movement, on
the other hand, in c 1 ud'es S every
ID mand Of the popm list pro
gram and has the advantage of q
historical knowledge of the class
struggle of the oppressed in every ma
tion, together with thorough, even
revolution ary program, and an inter-
national political party with fifty
years of history and experience dur
ing which time there has been steady
and unparalled growth.
Populisrn has teen tried. 1t failed.
It's best men in the rank and fle have
long ago gone into the socialist move
ssment. If as you say, the democratic
movement is hopelessly divided, the
populist movement is many fold more
1so. 1 appeal to, you,, as men OF sense
and Of devotion to the cause OF hu
manfty. is it not time to give up try
ing to resuscitate the populist move:
mant ma and Join in this mighty world
struggle for socialism. The socialist
party has taken your place. The
apricultur 81 classes unite with ths
"a ,w,laqee..,ea,rning classes upon the pro-
Gram of ofIsocialism. There are no less
4, an SOC, 900 voters already. The la