The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-11-07

William D. Haywood, together with
Frank Bohn, had written a pamphlet
in which the following declaration ap-
peared:
when tho worker either thru
experience or study Of socialism,
comes to know this truth, he acts
accordingly. He retains absolutely
no respect for the property rights
of the profit takers. He will use
any weapon which will win hls
fight"
In the International Socialist Re-
view Debs wrote in regard to this
statement:
~ agree with them that in tho
fight against capitalism the work
ers have a right to use any weapon
that Will help them WIN"
Debs repudiated, as every MarxiHt
must, the idea of the use of sabotage
as the means OF establishing the work
ers power and winning their enamel
patton, but Debs would not permit
himself to be bound by the interpre-
tation of the method of the workers
struggle which the right wing leaders
of the socialist party endeavored to
make.
The struggle in 1912 had its climax
in the national convention OF the So
cialist party OF that year, thru which
the Hillquits, Bergers, ETC., wrote into
the constitution Of the socialist party
criminal syndicalist law seven years
/ before any of the states thought Of
enacting such law.
This criminal syndicalist law was in
the form OF a section of the constitu
ton known as Article 2, Section s.
which sought TO define political action
as participation in election campaigns
and In the work Of the capitalist leg
islative body, and prohibited any per-
son who advocated sabotage or VIC
lence as a method OF the class strug-
gle from becoming member Of the
socialist party.
/ In March, 1914, Debs wrote in the
International Socialist Review in re-
gard to this constitutional provision
as follows: rs
a want to say that in my opinion
Section of Article ought to be
stricken from the socialist party
constitution.
a am opposed to restricting free
speech under any pretense whatso-
ever, and quite as decidedly opposed
to our party seeking favor in the
bourgeois eyes by protesting that It
does not eountenaRce violence and
10 not a criminal organization"
Article 2, SectionI2 which Debs
thus condemned, was stricken from
the constitution OF the socialist party
on the motion of thegwriter of this ar
ticle at the st. Louis convention in
1917, where the left wing of the So
cialist party was in control. \
Debs and the War.
The manifesto against the entry OF
the United States into the World War
adopted at the st. Louis convention in
1917 was accepted as the statement Of
principles of the socialist party under
the pressure of the left wing of the
party, which dominated the st. Louis
convention. Hillquft and Lee repre-
scented a center group in the conven-
ton which, while it wished to declare
against the war, did not wish to make
an aggressive struggle such as the left
wing insisted upon.
The left wing made the mistake at
the st. Louis convention Of permitting
the formal rule that the national exec
utive committee be elected by refer
endum to stand in its way In securing
a national executive committee which
stood on the st. Louis platform. The
consequence of this error soon became |
apparent in the fact that 1t was only
where the left wing was in control of |
the socialist party organizations that |
an actual struggle to carry the st. |
Louis program into effect was carried |
on. Ms
BY the spring of 1918 strong move !
ment had developed in the national
executive committee, Of the socialist |
party for revision of the St. Louis |
program and its strong denunciation
and program of action against the war
and for a policy that the socialist
party should accommodate itself to
the existing situation and II not be-
coming pro-war, at least carrying on
no struggle against the war.
1t was under theee conditions that
Debs made his speech In Nimasilla
Park, Canton, Ohio, opposite the Stark
County WorEhouse,. in which Alfred
Wagenknecht, Charles Baker and the
writer we're confined for actually CIV
ing life to the st.. Louis manifesto
against the war By an intensive strua-
gle against the war in all It's forms.
carried out in the city OF Cleveland
and turnout tho state OF Ohio. Debs
-. Il.