The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-09-10
BUILD UP THE UNIONS
Organize All Workers, Says q
Socialist Editor.
FOR ECONOMIC FREEDOM.

p0l1ticAI Action Must "0Se OntSt wage.
workers Arc United Under Union
ism's Rannsr-Rober. Hunter Tells
Socialism How It Has Erred.
Robert Hunter In a recent article.
which we reprint from the Minnesotn
Union Advocate. warns Socialists that
they must cease lighting trades union
ism IL they hope to further their cause
Mr.. Hunter says:
We Socialists are fast revising our
views. Indeed. the revision is pro-
were extremists on one side; tomorrow
we promise to be extremists on the
other side.
John O'Neill. editor Of the Miners
Magazine, said recently that it was
Idle to talk Of political unity while the
workers were divided on the economic
field.
TT Is q consoiing philosophy" be
said. that tells US all we have to do
Is to march up to the ballot box on
election day. But other things are
necessary.
I'VE must have unity in the shops.
mills and factories. We must be thor
oughly educated and organized. We
must be alert. must be conscious OF
our interests and be prepared at oil
times to resist encroachments.
Blind protest voting will solve moth
ing. Our emancipation will not come
from the sky nor from the manipula-
ton Of little slips OF paper called bal
lots. Get the workers into the unions.
I'VE are slowly rejecting the theo-
ry," he said. that political action alone
Is necessary"
Now. these are the words Of sturdy
Socialist. John O'Neill has fought q
good fight. and what he says ,is worth
giving ear to. And we must recognize
the fact that In this case he speaks the
cialists. We have gone to one extreme.
and now we are on the point of going
to the other extreme.
Now. men and movements that 60
to one extreme are likely to swing
about and so to the other extreme.
Enrico Ferri used to be the most vio-
lent revolutionist in the Socialist move
ment of Europe. The other day he
left the Italian Socialist party to sup
port the new capitalist cabinet.
John Burns was in his hunger days
q raging lion. Today he Is more con.
sentative than Winston Churchill and
Lloyd-Gecrge. two liberal politicians.
Aristide BRAND used to be violent
direct actionist." Nothing but gen.
eral strike and insurrection would sat
isfy his revolutionary soul. Today
BRAND is premier Of France.
The extremist is an extremist even
when he turns from revolutionist
into a conservative.
do not mean to say that O'Neill Is
| OF this type. Far from 1t. ] only
mean to say that with movements, az
with men. extremism is dangerous.
John O'Neill and other Socialists Ill
over America are beginning to SEE
that political action will not solve ev.
eryfhing. And that Is true.
The mistake was made in going to
the first extreme. We ought never to
! have said that political action alone
was necessary. We ought never to
have derided the unions. jeered at their
weaknesses or chnckled at their every
mistake That was the first error and
terrible one 1t was an error the
Germans uhade at drst. although they
soon squared themselves. And 1t Is
a fact that in no Other country has
this error persisted as II has IN Amer.
lea. And 1t Is also fact that II we
continue to persist in this error we
shall create a sftuac that will put
back socialism for many years to come
We shall see able and valiant work
ing class comrades like John O'Neill