The daily worker., 1930-10-23

ciaJist party of America. Workers 1UU find
these articles of Ualue IN their discussions
on the parties and platforms of the present
election campaign-Editor.
MR. CHARLES EDWARD RUSSELL was
HA the Socialist" candidate for governor of
New York in the year of 1910. Not picayune
lawyer, but "man of letters" one who to-
gether with John Spargo and William English
Walling made history" by joining the socialist
party.
However, one who has been accustomed now
to see the publicity of the Socialist" party
splashed all over the capitalist press would be
surprised to find mention of Mr. Russell
in the capitalist papers of those days. For
instance: a glance through the old files of the
New York Times at the New York library
will reveal that in 1910 there were but two
candidates, democratic and republican AS
far that paper was concerned, the Social
ist" party and its candidate might not have
existed Even on the day of election there
was mention of Mr.. Russell. Neither on
the day after elections. The next day, two
days after elections, few inches of space
on an inside page were devoted to tabulation
of the votes Russell received.
Anathema in Those Days.
Neither in 1910 nor in 1912 when the $50
bership Of over one hundred thousand, that
party hardly ever succeeded in 'breaking" into
the capitalist press. It's name was anathema.
Probably, with the exception of the election
campaign for Meyer London in 1914 when
Hearst who (for no sublime reason) was fight
ing Tammany, had an editorial printed in IA
vor of London in the yellow Evening Journal
no capitalist paper in New York up to 1928
ever supported a candidate of the Socialist"
party. In 1926, the Socialist" candidate for
governor of New York. Jacob Panken, hardly
received any publicity to speak of.
Not that the Socialist" party in the days
of Russell was much more revolutionary. But
it was still talking about the workers. There
was Debs talking of the Social Revolution The
main reason for freezing out the Socialist
party however, was that the capitalist class
did not need the socialist" party. The two
party system was good enough for the capital
ist class.
Given the cold shoulder by capitalism, de-
spised by the workers, the Socialist" party
was in poor shape since the splits of 1919
and 1921. So poor, that by 1925-1926 that
party was hardly existing. Not even the shell
of the once formidable organization was left.
With the exception of Milwaukee and New
York, where, in the former, the Berger crowd
still capitalizing on its pro-German at
titude during the war and, in the latter, where
the Jewish Daily Forward crowd was still liv-
ing on the fat incomes derived from that yell
lowest of all sheets, the socialist" party was
non-existant.
By 1926 something important happened. BY
that time the social democracy of Germany and
Austria, as well as Macdonald in Great Brit
ain, have conclusively convinced the American
bourgeoisie that the parties of the second in
ternational can be of immense use for capi-
4-1. IL
geoisie realized that it must not allow the
socialist" party to disappear
Left Wing Unions
By 1926 number of unions in the United
States came under the influence of the left
wing, the then powerful Ladies Garment Work
ers union amongst them. Probably hundreds
of thousands of workers came directly under
the leadership of the left wing. Things looked
very bad for great sections of the exploiting
class. Here the fur workers under Commu-
mist leadership, through militant strike, have
gained the 40-hour week and high standard
of wages and union control The manufacture
ers were smartng under this control. And that
was only the beginning. The cloak and dress
makers, the cap and millinery workers, the
tailors were following in the wake of the
furriers.
Something dawned upon the manufacturers
There ray of hope. During the fur
strike of 1926 the Socialists" were the ones
to put up fight in order to break the strike
In the cloak strike that followed after, again
the socialists" were the ones to take up the
cudjels 1t dawned upon the manufacturers
that such party must not be allowed to die!
At Their Service.
The socialists" were given every consider
ation The courts and the police were at their
service in the fight on the left wing. So was
the capitalist press. Hundreds of thousands
of dollars were showered upon them lover half
a million dollars of the cloakmakers Unem-
ployment Insurance Fund kept in trust by
one of the heads of the Chatham and Phoenix
Bank, enormous amounts contributed by the
fur manufacturers, the check-sff system, etc.,.