The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-04-04
SOCIALISM AND oPPORTUN-
ISM.

ISM.
A rival party is being organized in
this state by certain individuals, who
claim that the party is irretrievably
lost to the anarchists, direct action
lists, free lovers, syndicalists, impossi-
bilists, /. w. W., etc, ETC., and that
the only salvation lies in beginning
from the bottom and build anew.
Having the honor to have been the
state secretary from the memorable
revolution of 1909, when most of the
revolutionary members left the party
in disgust because it was supposed
to be too yellow, until today when it
is accused of being too red, and hav-
ing had something to do with it's
change of hue, my opinion may be
of some interest to at least the newer
members.
What is a revolutionary or red?
What is an oppcrtunist or yellow?
What is the struggle about and what
is to be the outcome?
The opportunist says that he be-
lieves in political action and that the
revolutionist does not. Political ac-
tion is NOW defined in article 2, Sec
tion 6, national constitution, as "par-
ticipation in elections for public Of
flee and practical Legislative and ad-
ministrative work along the lines of
the socialist party platform"
Any member who OPPOSES politi-
cal action, so defiradi must be ex-
PEELED from the patty. This then is
what the claim of the opportunist
amounts to, that the revolutionist is
opposed to participation in elections,
etc. Does any one believe this to be
the case? Does any one believe that
the opportunist honestly believes this
charge to be true? Rats! But the
opportunist believes that all that the
party stands for is participation in
elections, etc." and no constitution,
national or state, gives him any right
to be so shallow The revolutionary
program can be found in the state
constitution, section 1, and reads thus !:
"Its purpose is to unite and organize
the workers of the state for their
self emancipation from economic
slavery by the conquest of the powers
of government" The Tacoma con-
vention of 1910 adopted a new consti-
tuition and l took occasion to insert
that sentence in order that there
should be no misunderstanding of
what we worked for. That is all there
is to revolutionary socialism, "the po-
litical education of the working class.
The revolutionary does not oppose
participation in election, but he real
ICES that he must SOW before he can
expect to reap that he must make so
cialists before he can expect socialist
votes. To the red the election is a
census taking, a counting of noses, to
learn how we have grown. With no
intention of shirking the responsible
ty should he be elected, he does not
chase after votes. Realizing the revo-
lutionary immensity of the change we
propose, he also realizes the utter
futility of attempting to bring about
such a change without the majority
behind him. This is our goal, the ma
jority. We must educate the majority
up to our views. The ripe fruit will
fall into the outstretched hand of the
revolutionist, no matter how far out
of his reach it seems to hang today.
The opportunist is in his impatience
building step-ladders from which to
pick the fruit green. Frankly, the
difference between the two is that no
one can be a socialist without being
revolutionary and that the opportun-
ist is too ignorant to be a socialist
The bulk Of the opportunists are new
members and are rather green than
yellow Temporary opportunism is
only ignorance, a failing that can be
eradieated by reading a few good
books and by a few months Of assid-
ious attention to party affairs. but
chronic opportunism is a disease,
from which the victim has never been
known to recover. In all my years Of
experience in the party have never
known one individual so afflicted. who
did not ultimately wind up as a po-