New-York tribune., 1917-07-20
Socialists Plan
Sabotage Against
Draft, Says Stokes
Dropped Clause in Conven-
ton to Allow Members to
Attack Government

J. G. Phelps Stokes. who, with
his wife. Rose Pastor Stokes, recent
ly resigned from the Socialist party
because of its anti-conscription plat
form, said yesterday that one OF the
reasons for his withdrawal was the
abolition OF Section 6, Article 2. from
the party's constitution at the st. Louis
convention.
This article read: ....
GARY member of the party who op-
poses political action or advocates
crime, sabotage, or other methods OF
violence as a weapon Of the working
class to aid in its emancipation shall
be expelled from membership in the
party"
Mr.. Stokes charged that this clause
was removed from the party's platform
because a certain element did not wish
to forfeit membership on account Of
their belief in direct action. The mo-
ton to abolish the clause, said Mr..
Stokes. was adopted Immediately after
a delegate had informed the committee
that in his state a resolution had
been passed that on the day conscrip-
ton should be declared all Socialist
rarty members should be summoned
ct once to assemble in their respective
county seats. to take such action as
they might deem necessary in the
al n
forcement of the law by the employ
ment of arms.
Regarded Clause Superauous
THE mere removal of the anti
sabotage clause said Mr.. Stokes,
would not in my judgment have been
objection able. No other political party
ras such clause in it's constitution
nor has any other association Of men
and women for political or reform pur-
poses such provision. In fact. at the
time of its introduction into the con-
stitution of the Socialist party | re-
garded the clause as superfuous and
out Of place.
ats abolition at the convention, how
ever. simultaneou ously with a demand for
mass action 10 resist the policy of .he
government, gives IL a significance that
it would not have had under other cir
cumstances. | believe that mass ac-
tion against the policy of the govern
ment, as indicated in the anti-sabotage
clause. would be highly prejudicial to
the cause of world democracy at the
present time. Mass action by the
government against those who would
overwhelm democracy is, Of course, an
entirely different matter.
ADOPTED Without Protest
Neither Mrs. Stokes nor knew that
any considerable number Of delega .es
20 the st. Louis convention wished to
have the a1ti-sabotage clause removed
from the party's constitution. | be-
lieve it was adopted without any con-
siderable protest. We knew nothing
of the proposal to drop the clause until
after the motion to do so was adopted.
~ do not for a moment believe tnat
any appreciable portion of the members
of the Socialist party will resort to
violence in connection with conscrip-
tion law enforcement, but, on the other
hand, | am unable to doubt that there
are some members who would like TO
see such violence attempted.
Nor can | doubt that the anti
sabotage clause was dropped with a
view Of making persons who believed
in such methods eligible TO party
membership. The majority of law
abiding members of the party have al
lowed the control to pass into the
hands of an element with whose atti-
tude toward the present war and the
government Of the United States I find
myself wholly out of accord"