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The Disintegration of the SLP and the Establishment of the Socialist Party of America

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The Disintegration of the SLP and the Establishment of the Socialist Party of America Hillquit: Disintegration of the SLP and Establishment of the SPA [Oct. 1903] 1 The Disintegration of the SLP and the Establishment of the Socialist Party of America. by Morris Hillquit A section from his book History of Socialism in the United States. (New York: Funk and Wagnalls, October 1903), pp. 322-339. The Disintegration of its hegemony in the socialist movement. But, unfor- the Socialist Labor Party. tunately for the Socialist Labor Party, its leaders did not appreciate the situation. The prolonged activity The Socialist Labor Party was founded at a time within the vicious circle of their own had made them when socialism in this country was an academic idea men of extremely narrow vision. They had become rather than a popular movement. The socialists were used to regard their party as the privilege of the cho- few in number, and consisted largely of men who had sen few, and were rather reluctant to open it to the formed their social views and philosophy in European masses. They eyed all newcomers with ill-concealed countries, principally in Germany. They were but little suspicion, and refused to relax the rigidity of the party in touch with the American population, and moved requirements in any way. almost exclusively within their own limited circle. This Nor was their attitude toward the trade union character of the movement reflected itself on their or- movement of the country any more conciliatory. When ganization: the mode of administration and methods the Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance was first orga- of procedure of the Socialist Labor Party were those of nized and sprung as a surprise on the convention of a society of students and scholars rather than of a po- 1896, some delegates had considerable misgivings as litical party of the masses. to the innovation. Fear was expressed that the organi- The organization was, however, quite sufficient zation would only serve to antagonize existing trade for a period of about 20 years. The movement had unions, while accomplishing little itself, and that it during that time made but little progress among the would ultimately lead to an estrangement between the native population, the party grew but slowly, and what- party and the rest of the labor movement in the coun- ever new members it acquired were gradually assimi- try. lated. But these fears were allayed by the repeated as- But...events...worked a great change in the char- surances of the spokesmen of the Alliance that the lat- acter of the socialist movement in America. The move- ter did not intend to interfere with existing organiza- ment grew out of the narrow bounds within which it tions, and would confine its activity to the task of or- had been confined up to that time, and the Socialist ganizing the unorganized. Labor Party was fast becoming inadequate for the new As soon, however, as the convention adjourned requirements. Its highly centralized form of organiza- [July 10, 1896], these promises were forgotten. The tion did not suit the political institutions and tradi- Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance accomplished hardly tions of this country, and its dogmatic adherence to anything by way of organizing unorganized working all canons of scientific socialism and strict enforcement men, and whatever little strength it ever attained was of party discipline were not calculated to attract the drawn from existing unions. The Alliance was besides masses of newly converted socialists. A radical change not always very choice in its means and methods of had become necessary if the party desired to maintain organization, and it has even been charged with orga- 1 2 Hillquit: Disintegration of the SLP and Establishment of the SPA [Oct. 1903] nizing strikebreakers during the progress of some heated with every issue of the papers. The members strikes. This course naturally provoked the hostility of took sides with one or the other of the combatants, organized labor toward the Alliance, and the hostility and the socialists of the City of New York, where the was extended to the Socialist Labor Party, which was headquarters of the party were located and The People considered practically identical with it. Thus the ad- and Volkszeitung were published, were divided into two ministration of the Socialist Labor Party within a few hostile camps — the “administration faction” and the years succeeded in placing the party in a position of “opposition faction.” antagonism to organized labor, as well as to all social- Under these circumstances the month of July istic and semi-socialistic elements outside of the party 1899 arrived, and with it the time for the election of organization. new delegates to the general committee of “Section This policy of the party officers was by no means New York.” This election was of more than local im- always approved by the membership, and voices of portance for the opposing factions. The convention protest were occasionally raised. But the opposition of 1896 had delegated to the City of New York the only served to accentuate the unbending attitude of power to elect and to recall the National Secretary and the men at the head of the party. A relentless war was the members of the National Executive Committee, opened on everything within and without the party and the latter in turn elected the editors of the party that did not strictly conform to their conception of organs. Thus the New York socialists held the key to orthodox socialist principles and tactics. The columns the entire situation, and the election was to demon- of the official party paper, The People, edited by Daniel strate the relative strength of the factions. DeLeon, and the Vorwärts, edited by Hugo Vogt, were The contest was a spirited one all along the line, filled from week to week with violent tirades against and its results were awaited with intense interest. The the “corrupt pure and simple labor unions” and their new general committee met on July 8th, and it be- “ignorant and dishonest leaders,” and against the Popu- came at once apparent that the opposition was in the list, Nationalist, and other reform “fakirs.” majority. The committee did not proceed far in its Side by side with this crusade against the “fa- business. The nomination of a temporary chairman kirs” outside of the party a process of “purification” of precipitated a violent clash between the hostile camps, the party members was inaugurated. Had the party and the meeting broke up in disorder. officers heretofore been strict disciplinarians, they now That very night the opposition delegates issued became intolerant fanatics. Every criticism of their a call for a special meeting of the committee. The policy was resented by them as an act of treachery, meeting was held on the 10th day of July [1899], at- every dissension from their views was decried as an act tended by the opposition delegates only, and it pro- of heresy, and the offenders were dealt with unmerci- ceeded with the party administration in a summary fully. Insubordinate members were expelled by scores, manner. The offices of the National Secretary, and of and recalcitrant “sections” were suspended with little the editor of The People were declared vacant, and their ceremony. This “burlesque reign of terror,” as Lucien successors were then and there elected. Henry L. Slo- Sanial subsequently characterized the regime, contin- bodin, who had taken a very active part in the over- ued for several years, and in 1899 it reached such an throw of the old administration, was elected National acute stage that the members finally rose up in arms Secretary, and guided the much troubled course of the against it. party during the succeeding period with great skill and The first to sound the note of open rebellion circumspection. was the New Yorker Volkszeitung, which engaged in a The war within the Socialist Labor Party was now controversy with the official party organs. The imme- on in earnest. The deposed party officers repudiated diate occasion for the dispute was the Volkszeitung’s the acts of the general committee as invalid and con- adverse criticism of the party’s attitude toward the trade tinued in office. The party officers elected by the gen- unions; but as the controversy continued, the whole eral committee insisted on the legality of their elec- range of the policy and methods of the party adminis- tion, and proceeded to the discharge of their duties. tration were drawn in. The discussion waxed more Each side styled itself the Socialist Labor Party, each Hillquit: Disintegration of the SLP and Establishment of the SPA [Oct. 1903] 3 side had its own national committee, its own secretary consecutive days [Jan. 27-Feb. 2, 1900]. All questions and headquarters, and each of them published a paper of principle, organization, and policy were subjected called The People. to the most searching scrutiny. The methods and tac- The situation was somewhat analogous to the tics of the party were revised, and the party was reor- one created just 10 years earlier by the deposition of ganized on a basis more nearly in accord with the Rosenberg and his associates, except that in the present modern requirements of the movement. case the battle was more perseverant and intense. Almost the first act of the Rochester convention In the beginning the administration party had was to repudiate the Socialist Trade and Labor Alli- decidedly the better end of the contest. The insurgents ance and to proclaim its sympathy with the struggles were practically confined to the city of New York, while of all trade unions regardless of national affiliations. the sections in the country knew little about the mer- The convention also adopted a new platform, its of the controversy, and many of them adhered to which, with very few changes, remains the present plat- the old party officers on general principles.
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