Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1905-08-02
Another Letter
on Berger Case

IO1nfuut EullOT s-oll Dendll ol
the Wisconsin members of the So
cialist Party, | wish to submit a
few words upon the referendum
which is about TO be submitted to
a vote of the party. This referen-
dunn calls for the removal of Com
rade Victor l.. Berger from the
National Executive Committe, and
the expulsion of the Wisconsin or
ganization, unless we apply for
and accept a charter.
We hope that the members of
the Socialist party will vote "no"
upon this referendum. Wiscon-
sin comrades have spent many
years of hard work and many
thousands of dollars and have dis
tributed tons of literature to build
up their movement. We do not
believe that the Socialists of
America will wantonly destroy
the results of so much labor and
sacrifices.
We have a splendid proletarian
organization in Wisconsin. The
firm foundation of this movement
is shown by the fact that our vote
has steadily grown without any
sudden gain and without any set
back at all. In our last general
election we had 2S,000 Social
Democratic votes in this state.
We now have 30 elected Social
Democratic officials in Wisconsin
including five members of the leg
islature, and almost every one of
the thirty-two is wage-worker
and a member of a labor union
All these men are doing work
which is a credit to the party, and
which shows how well-fitted are
intelligent workingmen for public
office.
We say this in no boastful spirit.
We know that all true Socialists
will feel that this success of ours
is their success, and that in just
such proportion as the party tri-
umphs in one state, just so much
is it to the advantage of the party
in every other state.
Therefore the Wisconsin men,
bers call upon their comrades all
over the country not to deal a
blow at our splendid movement
just for the sake of little piece
of paper.
We pay dues to the national
headquarters and comply with all
the provisions of the national con-
stitution.
True, we have no charter, but
the constitution does not require
us to have one.
The Wisconsin Party had long
been organized when it became
one of the contracting parties
which formed the Socialist Party
at the "Unity Cnvention" at In
dianapolis in 1901. 1t was under
stood at that time that the states
already organized needed no new
charters and that their vote to
form a union of the various or
ganizations admitted them to the
new Socialist Party. We possess
all kinds of charters from pre-
Anti-Socialist enemies have made
a great deal of this whole affair
and if this referendum passes,
will use it still more to our dis
vious Socialist parties. And since
we were already an official party
in Wisconsin in 1901 and had been
one of the contracting organiza-
tions in the Unity Convention, we
thought we should invalidate the
agreement there entered into, if
we asked for an extra charter.
BY the fact that national head
quarters always accepted our
dues, although we have no charter,
they have acknowledged our affili-
alton with the party.
The fact that we have no paper
document is not a sufficient cause
for expelling an organization that
has proved it can do good work
for Socialism without a charter.
1t surely cannot be a good reason
for accommodating members
who have labored so faithfully, so
long, and so successfully.
We do not believe that the So
cialists of America will stand for
any such proceeding.
The question in regard to the re-
moval Of Comrade Berger has al
ready been pretty fully discussed.
1t has been pointed out that Com
rade Berger did not violate any
clause of the national constitution