The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-12-13
MARKHAM Club Socialists
Editorial Committee:
KATE S. HlllIARO.
e. A. BATTELl.
ROY e. SOUTHWICK.

meetings are opened with prayer, and
the majority of the members call
themselves Christian Socialists, fall
lacy which is beyond the comprehen-
sion OF a logical mind. One is a So
cialist, or one Is not socialist. So
cialism can not be modified by any
adjective, nor socialist qualified by
one. IL would be as sensible TO speak
Of a professor of mathematics as a
Christian mathematician" as TO speak
of socialist as one One may be a
Christian and be A socialist, or an
atheist and a socialist, spiritualisl,
theoSophist. or a Unitarian. or any
thing else to which he chooses to be
long and be a socialist. Socialism is
purely an economic proposition. It
Will be plain then that the Christian
Fellowship is rather a weak factor In
the socialist movement Its chief
strength lies in agitation and public
lily, The three other organizations
are political and are associated with
the International Socialist congress,
which meets every two years in one
of the principal cities of Europe Ev.
cry recognized political Vocalist or.
ganization in the world sends dele
gate TO this congress, where reports
OF the movements are given, and ways
and means are discussed for the adj
yancement of socialism Resolutions
are introduced and discussed. and
those which meet the approval of the
congress are adopted The congress
sets the pace for all the socialist
organizations. The Industrial Workers
of the World was necessarily a So
cialist organization. and sent a dele
gate in the interests of Industrial un-
iOnism, when the congress met in
Stuttgart two years ago. The social
list party, and the socialist labor par
~ have always sent delegates. At the
Stuttgart congress there were four
resolutions which the International
considered favorable, two of which
were voted on rs measures 10 be
adopted by the socialists; the other
two were recommended The two
resolutions adopted were on antI-lm.
migration and anti-militarIsm. those
recommended for the socialists In Am
erica TO work for were. Industrial
unioniSm and TO devise some common
ground for the unity OF the two par
ties in the United States. You will
please keep these four resolutions
in your mind as they will
be referred 10 later At this
juncture a slight digTession is impera-
tive
One Political Party.
Until 1899 there was just one po-
litical party for socialism In the
United States. namely, the Socialist
Labor party. For three years or more
previous TO 90 there had been dis
sension in the party ranks about the
attitude the party should take on the
trade union question As an auxiliary
the the Socialist Labor party had an
organization known as Socialist Trade
and Labor alliance. The principles
were on the order of the Industrial
Workers OF the World, The mem
bers OF the S. r. & l.. A. were op
posed 10 the American Federation OF
Labor. not only because Of the craft
unionism which VI taught and upheld
TO its members, but also because ii
did not recognize the class struggle
aud believed then as now that the in
terests OF the employer and employc
are identical. The socialist said that
the American Federation Of Labor
was a tool of capitalism and would
lead the workers into miro (subse-
quent events have proven this To- be
truc). The moro conservative Social
lists said they must Join the American
Federation of Labor, and as II is ex-
pressed. bore from within a policy
which is most fallacious IL there is
any effective boring it must he done
from without Over this question, The
parties fumed and fused and quar-
relied, there were minor questions. of
course. but the union question was the
rock on which they finally split which
happened ar tho general convention
for 1899 when the party divided.
Those who upheld the Socialist Trade
and Labor Alliance principles stayed
in the Socialist Labor party and held
the party name and the party press.
The other factions finally met in con-
Ventions in 1901 at Indianapolis, This