The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-06-04
GHOST OF S.P. :
STALKS AT MEET
IN CLEVELAND
Eating the Important
Event on Program
BY PHILLIP SHATz
Especial to The Daily Worksrl

CLEVELAND, Ohio, May 3o.--(5y
MalD-on Memorial Day, | spent my
afternoon In a cemetery, watching the
ghost Of one-tIme revolutionary or
eanlzation which In lts last days be-
lied Its more or less glorious past. |
could not but have revered Its memo
~ as sat at the reporters table but
mo honor Is due TO a ghost which
refuses to recognize the fact that II
Is dead.
The ghost referred to, is the social
list" party Of America which held one
Of series Of regional conventions at
Cleveland, Ohio, May 80. In the same
hall from which a few months before
seventy-fve workers had been elected
for cheering Soviet Russia in the face
of Abramovitch, professional counter
revolutionary, the ghost once more at
tempeted to fool itself into believing
that 1t had real flesh and blood.
A Burial Ground.
Truly the convention hall was a
burial ground-a burial ground of
dead revolutionary spirit, of deceased
MARKHAM theology, Of murdered class
consciousness.
Decadence-the atmosphere reeked
OF it. And appropriately enuf, Eugene
V. Debs presided; a decadent leader
Of a decadent party.
The hectic attempts to spread sweet
ness, light and enthusiasm were met
with no response on the part of the
rank and fllers. One Of them realizing
the futility and the utter ridiculous
ness Of trying to pep up a corpse
pleaded, Let's not be too optimistic,
let's go a little slower" And altho
there was general laughter, the more
conscious delegates plainly registered
gall and NORWOOD when "Gene"
smiled back, I'VE are going slowly
enuf as it is, comrade"
at Lacks New Blood"
Van Essen of Pittsburgh struck a
significant note when he said, "The
greatest weakness Of the socialist
party is that it lacks new blood"
This, perhaps is the best testimonial
to the utterly hopeless stagnation Of
the socialist party that ever escaped
the lips Of one of its members. The
convention seemed to have no other
purpose than to make Debs happy
Every one Of the few actions taken by
the assembly was held up for the ap-
Probation of that political sentiment
alist
When a motion calling upon the ma
-
subjects and references suitable for
use by study classes in social science
and philosophy was presented, it sud-
denly occurred to me that 1t had taken
twenty years for the socialist party to
find out that it didn't know anything.
Debs Takes The Cake
The highest pitch of enthusiasm
which the gathering evoked from the
delegates took place when the two
hundred pound female delegation from
jamestown, N. Y, presented Gene"
with three layer, white frosted,
heart shaped cake as a symbol of her
undying devotion to the cause OF the
working class.
As the assembly was hastily and
confusedly adJourning In order that
the preparations for the evenings ban
quet might be completed on time,
rank and file delegate who apparently
did not know that he was at a social
list party convention moved that the
body send a telegram of sympathy to
Sacco and Vanzetti and Tom Mooney
in their respective struggles against
capitalist justice and because every
one was anxious to get to the ban
quet those who still remained in the
hall, shouted aye and rushed for
the door,
Only Lilies Missing
Today was Memorial Day and lingo
ism turnout the nation hypocritically
decorated the graves Of the soldiers 1t
has killed as well as the ones of those
who have died in its interests. But
one matter 1t overlooked. II forgot to
drop a wreath and shed a tear upon
the political grave of one OF its most
faithful servants-the socialist party
of America.
Fascist Filler In Perth.