Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-02-22
]. Trade Unions and The Socialist Party
10y Robert liunter)
IA BIT Of HISTORY.


The attitud which Socialists should
take toward Trade Unions has been d
subject of endless discussion in the
councils Of our party. N ali meetings
and conventions Of Socialists the
TRADE Union Resolutions, have
awakened 4 bitterness that seems to
many new comrades difficult 10 under
stand The older comrades have not,
however, forgotten that the Trade
Union policy Of the Socialist Labor
party was the chief cause Of its COM
plete obliteration as political force
In America.
BY policy Of friendIiness toward
organized labor, the Socialist Labor
party built up a strong working class
political movement It reached the
zenith Of its career in the middle Of
the nineties and then 1t altered its
policy toward the unions. AS q result
chiefly Of this act, it was literally
torn to pieces and destroyed.
The rapidfty with which destruc-
ton overcame It Is startling The So
scialist Trade and Labor Alliance was
launched in 1895. It was an attempt
ito form a new National Labor move
ment pledged to the principles Of So.
scialism. It was hoped that It would
sdisplace the Knights Of Labor and
the American Federation Of Labor.
This new organization aroused the
most bitter controversy. Although
endorsed by the Socialist Labor Party
Convention of 1896. the dissenions
which it created in the Socialist move
ment must ever remain 4 warning to
those who believes that the attitude
Of Socialists toward Labor organiza-
tions is a matter of little moment. In
deed. the present Socialist party owes
its very existence to the antit-rade
union policy Of the Socialist Labor
Party. Theft It act Of the Rochester
convention therefore was to .repudiate
the Socialist Trade and Labor ALI
ance and to proclaim its sympathy
with the struggles Of all Trade I'm
ions, regardless Of national afilia-
lions. The later union Of all Social
lists opposed to the old Socialist Labor
Party reafirmed this attitude, and,
despite opposition, 1t has been the
policy Of the Socialist Party ever
since.
AT the National convention Of the
Socialist party, May. 1904, It was de-
clared: THE Trades and Labor Union
movement Is natural result of the
capitalist system Of production and IS
necessary to resist the entertainments
Of capitalism. I In accordance
with the decisions Of the InteTnation-
al Socialist Congresses in Brussels,
Zurich and London, this Convention
reafirms the declarations that the
Trade and Labor Unions are d neces-
sity IN the struggle to aid IN enamel.
pating the working class, and we con-
slider it thed uty of all wage workers
to join with this movement. Neither
political nor other differences Of Opin-
ion justify the divisions Of the forces
Of Labor In the Industrial movement"
The last sentence Is Of the utmost
significance The Socialist Trade
and Labor Alliance was an attempt to
organize the workers on political
lines. Had It been successful the
Trade Unions would have been divid-
ed into Democratic, Republican and
Socialist Unions. or at least into So
cialist and Anti-Socialist Unions. IN
every shop and trade the workers
would then have been split into poll
teal factions that would have render