The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1917-03-08
TOO ABSTRACT
IND ACADEMIC

? 4 Great many different views have
been ta!ou in regard 10 the falling
on oil the Socialist vote in The last
toction. Afitr one Ur the 4 mttat
aud most thorough 'ampaigns eyer
wagcd by the Socialist party, we find
the Socialist vote in the last general
election to have decreased instead Of
increasing, as we so confidently eX-
pcctcd. True, we polIed more votes
and elected more candidates to office
in local affairs than over before, but
when it came to our National ticket,
we fell back from the mark set in
1912 Thousands Of reasons have
been given for this slump and it is
right and beneficial that every com
radc should think this matter over
and express his conclusions.
1t is not necessary or possible that
all or any Of us at present should
be infallibly correct in our conclusion,
but that out Of this multitude Of di-
vcrgent opinions the truth in regard
to our methods, any weakness or fault
therein, should become known and
corrected
TO my way of thinking one Of the
greatest mistakes we have made lays
in this fact-we have been too alb
stract and academic, where we should
have been more concrete and practi-
cal. Scientific deductions and alb
stract theories appeal only to the
scholar and thinker. The Socialist
party has made its appeal to the
working class, who have neither the
time, the inclination and in a great
many eases, the intelligence to com
prehend only the plainest of plain
| facts.
The working class wants something
tangible, and they want it right now,
not fifty or a hundred years from
now. How many times before cleo
ton have we heard this statement
handed to some Socialist by a person
he was trying to convince:
"WeIl, yes, / believe Socialism will
come some day, but it will never come
in our day"
And the academic Socialist would
ropIy:--
ooh, we don't expect it in cur
time; we are working for the benefit
Of posterity Under the process Of
social evolution, etc"
A great many Of our writer's write
that way and nearly all Of the plat
form speakers have ever heard
talk to great extent that way. They
do not seem to know the best way
to help the children of tomorrow, is
by helping in practical way the
people who are living today. What
we want is better conditions of life
on this earth, and we want those con-
dltions to arrive right now!
Let us forget our glttering gener-
alities, our profound knowledge of
ABSTRACT sciences, our deep research
into political economy, and as one
man put our shoulders to the wheel
and work for what the useful mem
bers of society desire right now. Let
up put our full strength in establish
ing one practical measure of immed-
late benefit to the working class and
when the victory is won move our
entire army as unit on some other
desired stronghold of capitalism
What is the matter with universal
eight hour work day? Instead of
theories the intelligent and worth
while part of the working class want
action. Instead Of a beautiful world
made just and good a thousand years
from now, they want a decent chance
to work and play, live and enjoy the
fullness of life and love, during their
brief existence on this planet. Right
now.
BERT GODDARD.
Plummer Ida