The daily Nome industrial worker., 1916-12-29

| master OI the art, ROOSeNelt, cdluS and spades.
 It was not an uncommon thing to |. discover labor papers which before had been inclined invariably to favor the socialist party candidate, ring ing with the praise of Wilson, and just as the railroad brotherhood republican clubs boosted the demo- cratic party candidate, so many of the former socialist leaders came out openly for Wilson. In those places where the chances of sending a Victor Berger to Congress still eX- isted. Benson found some strong support but where it did not, 1t grew so faint that it might be said to be fairly non-eXistent.
 The socialist party to have justi- fled it's exclusive political policy even while claiming to represent "one or the arms, must have each election shown a big increase. That was it's sole hope. When it flirted with i'm mediate demands and other reform ist measures which tend rather to bolster the capitalist system than to abolish it, it could only do so for the sake of getting votes. Ii IL got votes. it could claim that it's policy however vicious was repaid Ill the advertisement it gave socialism and not otherwise. Hence its parlous position when it begins to fall back.
 Now Benson made no slouch ot a campaign The papers and maga- zines gave him quite liberal adver' Using. As a writer he has Eugene V. Debs skinned a city block. Ben son is professional; Debs is an amateur. He toured the country and had mammoth meetings. But he failed to inspire enthusiasm Ill
 his cause as the means whereby the
 workers will achieve industrial
 freedom.
 In fact there is marked tendency
 today to rely upon the economic or
 ganization of the workers as the
 best means of working out thelr
 own salvation. It would be easy
 to mention a number of former i've
 socialist party workers who nave
 thrown in their lot with the indus
 trial union movement as the true
 means whereby salvation is to De
 obtained.
 That is not merely conjecture. u
 is self evident. Where the working } class movement shows signs o1'Vl-
 talitv and originality and hope1ul activity is almost exclusively Tn the industrial labor organizations. They
 conduct actual fights which are ty- ; nical of the class struggle, and while it is infinitely pleasanter to indulge in newspaper controversies lhteilec' tual discussions, ,parlor re-unlohs ol . o more or less revolutionary nature the real work is done on the job no" and hereafter.
 : The well organized railroad l hrotherhoods wrung from reluct ) ant congress an eight hour law
 inst as far as political action coulc 5 % and as far as a bunch Of sQclal 3 ist congressman could go either bu l the real fight for the eight houl l day will be on the job, and It VII ? have to be fought by the worker: l through their economic organization 3 The Adamson law shows that, and I = did more to dissipate that gulleles' e faith in political action which man!
 socialist party men so strongly De y fore that had manifested.
 r With many leaders. advocating e government ownership, With other . advocating all kinds of petty re T forms in taxation and the like |, there is no earthly reason following l. such leaders, the Wilson program T should not also fascinate. That l y did is only too clear from the cleo . tion returns.
 When Benson made his prophes. n that his party vote would be tw' F. million, this paper examined th g situation and concluded for reason r then stated that it was more 1kei! n that the socialist party vote would l. show a decrease rather than an Ill : crease. The main reason was tn f utter confusion upon the simples I principles of socialist economics al ! l well as in the socialist doctrine