The Washington socialist. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1914-1915, 1915-04-24
The Question of Party Tactics and Platform Discussed by
Two Ex~State Secretaries Barzee of Oregon and
Bostrom of Washington

The Socialist party cannot make good
before elected by majority vote, and
then we have bigger things to accom-
pllsh then reforms. That we will gain
any votes because OF the promises, IS
very doubtful II we gain any, they do
us no good. We must know that be-
hind every one OF our votes stands a
person who is willing to lay down his
life if need be. to back up that vote
And MS long as revolution and reform
arc being served up as political hash
II VIII be impossible to take n scienti-
flc position. impossible to satisfy the
Intelligent investigator We can only
convince the public that we are dis
honest. Government ownership OF
railroads would make IL possible for
| farmers to ship at cost and thus in
| crease their income, municipal owner.
| ship would lessen the taxation of pro.
perty owners, neither would do thing
of good to the workers And precious
ly little II would amount to for the
workers as property owners, whether
their taxes were $40 or $15
Once more, " wage workers, small
| farmers and all other socially small
people have common interest IL is in
tho revolution and In the revolution
only. And 1t can only serve as cause
for dissention to introduce any issue,
that does not concern all
opportunsm In Party Affairs
In the party Itself opportunsm has
played havoc to an extent that should
condemn II forever. From the nation
al office has emanated for many years
past persistent attempts TO break up
all state organizations who did not fol-
low in the footsteps of Milwaukee,
Nebraska, Missouri. Texas, Washing
ton. the Finnish Federation, and just
now Michigan, have felt that nefarious
Influence.
In Washington we had the exper-
fence of having our enemies encourag-
ed by clandestine letters from at least
one member of the National Elk.
whom we honored to the extent of
making our candidate for governor,
worked overtime trying to teach the
small farmers that they had no bus
mess to permit the wage workers to
run the affairs Of the party In this
state rnopIntianc
were passed in the National Elk Com
mittee for the purpose of thwarting
the Washington Reds, mistakes were
committed in the national office that
knocked out the right of our national
committeeman to make motions with
in the time limit, comments TO
motions of Washington national COM
mitteemen were limited to 100 words,
while no limit was placed upon COM
ments Of favorites. The committee
men of Maine were allowed 215 words
not long ago. Finally the national
constitution was set aside absolutely
and carpet-bag administration sent
us. Our regularly elected officials
were dismissed, and after we had been
forced to take back those whom we
had expelled in obedience to the
national constitution, we had to elect
new ones. We came out on the top
and showed Berger that he did not
tell the national committee the truth
when he said that there were as many
yellows as reds in the state. Truth
has always an uphill fight but it wins
in the end. 1t does not pay to be dis
honest in politics any more than else
where. Opportunism has cost this
state $500 members and has poisoned |
the ranks of what remains with |
treason. All over these United States
it's influence has done it's deadly work |
In Europe it has set the German and
Austrian Socialists to fight the French |
Belgian and English Comrades. The
Russians were revolutionists and re-
fused to murder. And in the face of |
all this opportunism is unblushing
enough to still argue it's case, Bah