Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1904-06-08
National
Platform

rade, in conversation, spoke of the
platform as more of a wall than a
challenge, and / believe that the
characterizations is an apt one. For
instance, the passage reading: If
the world is to be saved from chaos,
from universal disorder and misery
it must be by the union of the
workers." etc. There should be no
ifs" or uncertainties in platform;
it should be positive. strong, ag-
gressive, defiant. The above pas
sage should read something like
this: 1t is the mission of the work
ing class to save the world, etc.
1t is no answer to these criticisms
to point out that the platform does
stand for internationalism and the
class struggle, as shown by other
passages. 1t is perfectly true that
il does and that it corrects all its
own faults in other passages. But
that is not sufficient. The platform
should not only be right in spots; it
should be right in expression and in
spirit from the first word to the
last.
The Public" Louis +. Posts
Single Tax and radical Democratic
weekly, in discussing our new plat
form and the previous one says:
The platform of three years ago
emphasized what Socialists call the
the class struggle" and it wholly
ignored American ideals and tradi-
tions in its pronounced information
alism. Ii was written without in
style and spirit well calculated to
intensity every prejudice against So
cialism and really to attract none
but scientific" Socialists of the
most uncompromising type. And
although il made some concessions
to opportunist Socialists by formulat-
ing a collection of immediate de-
mands, it did this SO grudgingly as
to repel all believers in them except
thorough-g going Socialist Party So
cialists.
Quite different is the platform
of 1904. While it does not discard.
the class struggle" idea, which it
could hardly do without ceasing to
be socialistic; and while il retains
internationalism, as a great many
besides Socialists would have it do;
yet, 1T lays it's emphasis more dis
creetly than its predecessor did, and
it presents its claims in manner
better calculated to attract the
average American voter"
THIS condemnation of our pre-
yious platform and praise of the
new one, coming from an opponent
of Socialism, will doubtless be re-
garded by most Socialists as credi-
table TO our old platforms and dis
credilable To the new one. We GER
tainly want a platform with all its
emphasis on the class struggle"
platform Of pronounced interna-
tionalism, platform which
is satisfactory to scientific So
cialists and thorough going So
cialist Party Socialists" we do
not want a platform which is
more pleasant To non Socialists, we
do not want a platform written dis
creetly" to attract the voter" by
concessions TO the traditional preju-
dices which capitalism fosters, for
our purpose is not to catch votes
but to make Socialists.
The appeal, towards the end, to
disinterested altruists from the other
class is superiluous. Those who
would be worth anything to the
movement will come just as quickly
without, and would understand just
as readily that they were welcome
to work rs comrades in the cause if
the appeal was directed solely to the
working class.
However, although some of its
phrases are lax and loose, the plat
form as a whole states our position
accurately and does not violate So