The Washington socialist. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1914-1915, 1914-10-15


convention assembled, reaffirms it's
faltering loyalty to the principles of
international Socialism, and the Social
list Party of the United States and pre-
sents the following as it's platform:
In the struggle for freedom. the interests
of all modern workers are Identical. The
struggle is not only national, but interna
tional 1t embraces the world and will be
carried to ultimate victory through intelli-
gent class-conscious political and Industrial
action.
Human labor creates machinery and ap-
plies it to the land to produce things neces-
sary for human life. Whosoever has control
of land and machinery controls human Ia
Dor, and with it human life and liberty.
The working class owns nothing but its
labor power, and sells this for wages to the
capitalist class.
This labor power applied to modern
means of production and distribution, pro-
duces at least four times as much value as
the working class receives in wages.
The capitalist class, unable to find mar
ket either in this or foreign countries for
the surplus product are now closing the
mines, mills and factories.
This. together with the constant invention
of laborsaving machinery, throws men,
women and children of the working class
out of employment, causing untold misery
and distress.
The lack and uncertainty of employment
produces extreme poverty, which in its turn
produces crime insanity, prostitution of
body and brain, suicides, drunkenness, dis
ease and degradation.
The insecurity of a livelihood and conse-
quent degenerating results are therefore
directly due to the private ownership and
control by the capitalist class of mine, mill,
factory and land
The remedy lies in the social ownership
of these means of production and distribu-
tiNp thprnbV GIVING all pun11 ODnOrtuOitV
to live and enjoy the product of their labor.
Humanity lives amid constant change.
Laws, institutions and customs, once useful
and popular, become oppressive, abusive. in
tolerable and dangerous to further progress
of the race 1t is at such time that the
race must find a method i1augurate
new system more in harmony with its needs.
If any nation or community can not change
for the better it is because it is either too
ignorant or too~terroriZed by the ruling class.
Tyranny rules from the top down, social
democracy from the bottom up.
The socialist party is the only political
party which stands for the overthrow of
the present capitalist system of exploitation
and the substitution of the social ownership
of the source of food, clothing, shelter and
other necessities.
OUR ULTIMATE DEMAND
Our ultimate demand is the social owner
ship and democratic management of all the
socially used means of production and dis
tribution.
PROGRAM
AS measures calculated to strengthen the
working class in its fight for the realization
of its ultimate aim, and increase it's power
of resistance against capitalist oppression,
we advocate and pledge ourselves to the
following program:
1. Collective ownership and management
of all public utilities, and all industries that
have become monopolized.
2. Public employment of the unemployed
at not less than prevailing union scale of
wages and not more than eight hours per
day
8. We demand the enactment of a maxi
mum eight-hour law to apply to both men
and women employed in all capitalized in
dustries.
4. We advocate initiative, referendum and