The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-10-09
ORGANIZATION NEWS ~
LET US SUPPORT OUR OWN
PRESS.
lRy carl ulonslal

There is one thing every Socialist
must learn to do and that is to support
the press of his class, support the
paper, the magazine that represents
your ideas, the one that fights the bat
ties of your class, the working class.
one of the greatest needs of the So
cialist movement today is a powerful
press, it is essential to the workers
in the establishment of the co-opera-
tive commonwealth.
With the growth of the Socialist
movement capitalist editors have
found it most profitable to publish
semi-Socialist and reform news and
articles; magazines that are not So
cialst but merely undertaking reform
publications have had the support of
Socialists.
1t is a fact that a magazine which
pretends to represent Socialism adyo-
Gates the amalgamation of the Social
list party with the Progressive party
and endorses the Boy Scout move
ment.
There is a magazine from the time
it pretended to endorse Socialism has
had the hearty support and co-Opera-
ton of many so-called prominent So
cialists' and the result has been that
many well meaning but misinformed
Socialists rallied to the support of this
reform publication while the revolu-
tionary Socialist press has suffered in
loss of subscribers, and in many cases
were forced to suspend publication.
The press is a most powerful educa-
tional factor.
Under capitalist control it has held
the workers in mental servitude for
years, it has blinded us to our own
interests.
The working class must come to the
realization that no leader or prophet
can emancipate it. Our emancipation
lies only within ourselves; our strug-
gle is not only a political struggle but
also an industrial struggle.
We cannot fuse with the ruling
class, the class that exploits us; we
cannot compromise with the small
business man who seeks to retard the
coming revolution, reform amounts to
nothing, it is as some one has aptly
said, but bone thrown to the working
class to keep them from taking that
which belongs to them.
In our struggle for freedom we must
move as a unit, as a class, as rebels
against the existing order of society.
If we are to teach the working class
Socialism, that stands for something
more than electing politicians to of
flee. We must put revolutionary So
cialist papers, magazines and books
into their hands.
No member of the Socialist party
has any valid reason to support any
paper or magazine that uphods the
present system, nor should he give
his support to any magazine or paper
that pretends to represent Socialism
but advocates the amaTgamatTon OF the
Socialist party to any political party
representing capitalism.
Such magazines and papers have
come into our movement, they seek
the support of the working class by
alluring cover designs and pictures;
they pretend to advocate Socialism
but constantly teach the workers to
be content with reform and reform
measures.
Rather an Otis or Blethen fighting
our party from the outside than So
called Socialist magazines and papers
fighting from the inside by seeking
to degenerate the Socialist party into
mere reform party.
The time has come when the Social
lists must realize this danger, we must
educate ourselves before we attempt
to educate others. Let us begin our
own education by SUPPORTING OUR
OWN PRESS.-From Int. Soc. Rev.