The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1917-02-01


laugh, but then, what does that mat
tyr ,t ut,cg deep consideration we
feel chat we CANNOT get these or
mani-ations 20 work WlTU US, then
,ct us bc the FIRST to make the move
10 work WITH THEM Let us offer
chem OUR assistance in WORKING
.OUT these IDEAS 10y getting these
ideas to work Let as AS n political
.aIty proclaim TO these different or
.anisauous that if ELECTED TO
'OWER, we will put into practice
or in other words, work out these
IDEAS with DEEDS instead of
WORDS-the measures that THEY
are striving for. If our candidates
were elected to power, the chances are
they would work them out ANYHOW,
so why not get into power by telling
the public that our first moves will
be the enacting of the legislation
MOST DEMANDED.
Asking for votes? Yes, if you
would have it SO. We want POLITE
CAL POWER and there is no reason
why we should not get it by this
method as by any other. WITH poll
teal power we could put stop, to
a great extent, to the CLUBBING,
.JAILING AND SHOOTING of the
Socialists who are working for the
adjustment of slavery.
What have we to lose by legislating
in the interest of these organized
bodies, FARMERS and UNIONS?
AS long as the CLASS LINE is drawn
m our legislation, we will be working
N the interests of the working class.
Already these different groups are
demanding certain kinds of legisla-
ion from the REPRESENTATIVES
at Olympia and these representatives
are either turning the demands
DOWN FLAT or else getting joker
into the legislation that will in no
way answer the needs of those de-
handing it.
This then OPENS THE WAY for
he Socialist Party.
Let us look over the legislative de-
mands of the farmers, trade unionists
and consumers leagues and OFFER
our assistance to the different bodies
o get such demands enacted into law
yhat Will not conflict with the inter
sts of our class.
Before doing this, however, we have
got to put our party INTO SHAPE
for the handling of this situation In
order to make sure that the men elect
ed to office on the Socialist party
ticket are CAPABLE of handling the
situation in an intelligent manner,
,hey should have an extra good UNI
derstanding of scientific Socialism.
| And we are in favor of EVERY pros
! pective candidate answering certain
questions dealing with Socialism (that
should be compiled by the State Elk
ecutive Committee) before he or she
is PERMITTED to accept the nomin-
alton. This, we believe, should be in
corporated in our party CONSTITU-
TON as SAFEGUARD against
politicians and men that might prove
a detriment to the party. We don't
believe any Socialist, who has the IN
TERESTS Of Socialism at heart
would object to this examination. 1t
would not only give us a body of men
we could rely on, but would EN-
COURAGE the studying of scientific
Socialism. There is not man or a
woman, who has joined the party, no
matter how poor their education, but
CAN get down and study to improve
their education and with it, their
knowledge of Socialism. If they can
not do this, then they certainly can
not prove themselves FIT to legislate
in the interest of their class.
Last, but not least, is the matter
Of public SPEAKING. Out of the
hundreds Of candidates that we had
in the last election not more than a
dozen were able to lecture and did
lecture. This is something that MUST
be overcome. Our candidates
SHOULD be able to lecture or else
keep their names off the ticket. If
we were to make it COMPULSORY
for candidates to take the platform
on every possible occasion, we would
not only be able to put up a bigger
campaign, but we would keep out of
he field lot of professional lectur-
9rs who TAKE EVERY NICKEL that
! he membership can raise. And even
at that, they only hit the HIGH
SPOTS, and the small locals get a
peaker but once in a decade. 1t is
OUR OWN fault that we pay such ex-
brilliant sums for speakers. We fail
o develop speakers Of our own and
then we have to take anything that
comes along at any price they may
demand. let US develop our own
speakers. This can only be done,
however, by making it COMPUL-