The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-02
NATIONALISTIC SPIRIT RULES. DELEGATES REPUDIATE
AFFILIATION WITH THIRD INTERNATIONAL, LEFT
WING HOPELESSLY WEAK. "MILWAUKEE So
CIALISM' IN COMPLETE CONTROL.
Special Reports to The Toilsr-By THURBER LEWIS.

AC last tney nave performed Ine
task! Hillquit and Berger have done
what they have been trying for years
to do--they have divorced the Social
ist Party from the Revolution. And
the Party, if one is to judge by the
delegates, for the most part glory in
the separation. T.
This is just what was expected, bu.
it was not anticipated that it would
be done so sweepingly. 1t took but
one day to cook the goose and eat it.
/. took but one afternoon to silence
the upstairs of the Lefr. The machine
worked beautifully.
Our Chairman, Mr.. Hillquit.
The ceremonies were enacted in the
auditorium of Northeastern High
School, Detroit. 1t was very kind Of
the School Board to grant them this
privilege, and judging from Sec
retary Branstetter's financial report,
it was timely donation. Branstetter
opened the convention. He refrained
from making an opening speech, as Ne
said, Ito expedite matters, but in
fact, because he wanted Hillquit to do |
it. OF course Hillquit was elected /
Chairman and upon nomination of his
crony, Berger. With this, Secretary
Branstetter gleamingly remarked
that this was the ninth time, success
sively, Socialist Party Convention
was honored by comrade Hillquit's
initial gavel.
Comrade Hillquit was every bit
himself-vboth as to his usual consci-
BUSINESS Of his superiority and as a
pdrveyor of soothing salve. He opened
his speech with this remark, "This is
not convention, it is conference.
The purpose Of convention is to
convene, Of conference to CONFER
Jfr Il was later noticeable that it was
neither, it was a wafk-over) Then
came the sob-stuff. The Socialist
movement has been crippled by the
war. and the peace. 1t has been re-
duced to one fourth of it's original
membership. 1t has Jagged way be-
hind the movements of other coun-
tries. What is needed, he went on, is
to rebuild the movement (at which
one was struck by the thought that
it needed it, badly. And then, wax
ing optimistic, "The capitalist order
of society has sustained deathblow
from the war" Is their still not a
large sentiment for socialism as the
elections demonstrated?
One would expect that so experien-
ced chairman would remember to
strike keynote, but he either for
got it or purposely avoided it. One
remark, however, stood out in bold
relief over the creamy remainder
"No matter what stand we take, no
matter how revolutionary, in the eyes
Of the Communists and the, Third In.
terRational we shall always remain q
handful Of social-patriots and trai.
tors" Which was true and which
henceforth will be more true thar
ever. He closed with, 1--WE are hert
to perform tremendous, histori,
task" Che forgot to add, infamous)
And they proceeded to do it.
The Preliminaries.
Dan Hoan, Of Milwaukee Mayo,
fame, was elected Vice-C Chairman
There was considerable trouble get
ting a secretary, six declining. Jone
of New Jersey was finally drafted b.
Hillquit. The agenda came up.
made no provision for constitution
committee. Berger moved for its pro
vision, ut might be necessary t
change It little, and added that
ought to expedite meters somewha
and he wanted to get home quick.
Engdahl touched a soft spot in th
N. Z. c. when he called for the In
clusion Of the report Of the Interna
tional Delegates and Secretary. Bu
since It could do no real harm it wa
allowed to be carried with feebl
opposition from Milwaukee.
Lee, Berger, Engdahl, Coleman an
Hoen were elected on the Resolutio
committee. Only five, Kruse anon
them, accepted for the Constitute
committee. Since there were to
only five on the committee Hillqu
was about to declare nomination
closed. Sensing something wrong, Mi
waukee asked that nominations be r
opened. They thereupon nominated a
other, Plunkett, and the conventi,
proceeded to elections. The resul
we're: Hoan, Wilson, Davidow, VI
lert and Plunkett, Kruse conspicuou
ly ditched.