The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1912-02-09
ORGANIZATION.


ni5h the brains, the funds ana the NoJes'
Consequently il is the workers. party.
Owned by the workers, controlled by the
workers, IL is made to serve their pur-
pose. Our chief work consists of show
ing you working men and women your
duty in forming the party Of your class.
Each new addition of n class conscious
man or woman to the party means an
other step nearer to the final victory.
So. fellow working men and women,
don't delay get in now.
But ] hear you say again: ooh, I'd
be Of no use to the party. | can't do
anything, | can't speak or say any
thing and so on.
Sayl We are not a party of orators,
but a party of doors. There is place
and something to do for each and every
one of you. No matter of how little
consequence you may hold yourself-re-
member that the giant wave on the ocean
that sweeps everything before it is com
posed of drops.
Perhaps I hear you remark: "The
giant wave will not miss one little drop"
Possibly so, but the foolish little drop
will miss the wave. OF what conse-
qucnce is little drop separated from
its fellows? Come, get inl Add your
mite BE a part of the moving force of
this giant wave of united workers which,
driven by the storm of economic neces-
sity, will sweep every form of slavery
imposed by man upon his fellowman,
from the earth.
Some of you object to the dues. I re-
marked before that the socialist party
is financed by the workers themselves.
It must be, for the other fellow will not
do it, And honest, now, wouldn't you
consider him several kinds of a fool if
he did furnish the money to lick himself
with? Some of you may claim that you
can not afford to pay the dues. As to
that none of us can, but we do it just
the same.
If you can not invest from % cents
to 5 0 cents a month now, in a movement
that if you all do your duty, will in a
few years abolish the cause of your pow
erty, l say if you don't do it now, in a
few years, from present indications, you
will not be able to.
Oh! I had almost forgotten you, my
religious friend, You say you would
Join the party if the socialists were not
so opposed to religion. Let me state
again the purpose of the socialist party:
The abolition of the private owner
ship of the sources of life, which gives
one set of human beings the power of
life and death over another set, natural
ly engendering hate, hypocrisy, robbery
and murder, substituting therefor the
collective ownership and management of
the sources of life, or in other words, the
co operative commonwealth having as a
natural consequence the very opposite
effects of private ownership. Now, my
friend, if the purpose of your religion is
to continue the causes from which the
very things spring that you claim your
religion condemns, then we are very ir-
religious and are opposed to such re-
ligion.
But is it not the lack of understanding
on your part of the causes rather than
the fault of the religion? People are
made what they are by birth and the
conditions under which they are com
PEELED to live. Can you expect people to
be good and just under a system of So
ciety that permits or rather compels a
small portion of the human race to thrive
and grow more powerful on the misfor-
tunes of the larger portion? Of course
you cannot, And you would like to
change to a system under which people
could be good and just? Then join the
socialist party. But you ask, How do 1
know that the party will carry out its
program? OF this you have the most
positive assurance possible. The object
is plainly stated in platform and decla-
ration of principles. The party is solely
organized for that purpose by that class
of people to whom the change in society
has become an absolute necessity, and
when you join the party you will have
become, like the rest of us, imbued with
the purpose of building up a political
party which, as soon as strong enough,
will abolish owned production Tor profit,
and substitute therefor collective pro-
duction for use with all possible wastes
eliminated, and industries so organized
that all may have few hours of pleas
ant work a day and enjoy the fruits
thereof tenfold in comparison to what
the workers receive for ten or more long
weary hours today. If such IS not your
purpose, then you can not become a
party member.
And herel You would be socialist
who according to your claims vote the
ticket and talk it all the time and think
you are doing wonders. I want to tell
you if you had a thousand votes and