Fifteenth NNAATTIIOONNAALL CCOONNVVEENNTTIIOONN Socialist Labor Party of America May 5–10, 1920 Published by Socialist Labor Party of America www.slp.org 2005 NATIONAL CONVENTION SOCIALIST LABOR PARTY Mag 5-10, 1920. REPORTS, RESOLUTIONS, PLATFORM’, ETC. Published 1921 National Executi,ve Committee, Socialist Labor Party, 45 Rose Street New York : ‘., . The modem revolutionist knows find the revolutionist putting himself full well. that man is not superior to above the organization. The opposite principle, that principle is superior to conduct is an unmstakable earmark man, but ‘he does not fly off the han- of reformers. dle with the maxim, and thus turn the The revolutionist recognizes that maxim into absurdity. He firmly the present machinery and methods couples the maxim with this other, of production render impossible-and that no principle is superior to the well it is they do-the individual free- movement or organization that puts dom of man such as our savage an- it and upholds it in the field.. .He cestors knew the thing; that, today, knows that in the revolution demand- the highest individual freedom must ed by our age, Organization must be go hand in hand with collective free- the incarnation of Principle. Just the ,dom; and none such is possible with- reverse of the reformer, who will ever out a central directing authority. be seen mocking at science, the revo- ‘Standing upon this vigor-imparting lutionist will not make a distinction high plane of civilization, the revolu- between the Organization and the tionist is virile and selfreliant, in Principle. He will say: “The Prin- striking contrast with the mentally ciple and the Organization are one.” sickly, and, therefore, suspicious re- former. Hence the cry of “Bossism!” Again, the modem revolutionist is as absent from the revolutionist’s knows that in order to accomplish re- lips as it is a feature on those of the sults or promote principle, there must reformer. !be unity of action. ‘He knows that, if we do not go in a body and hang to- No organization will inspire the gether, we are bound to hang separate. outside masses with respect that will He&e, you will ever see the revolu- not insist upon and enforce discipline tionist submit to thewillof the major- within its own ranks. If you allow ity: you will always see him readiest your own members to play monkey- to obey; he recognizes that obedience shines with the Party, the lookers-on, is the badge of civilized man. The who belong in this camp, will justly savage does not know the word. The believe that you will at some critical word “obedience” does not exist in the moment allow capitalism to play mon- vocabulary of any language until its keyshines with you; they will not re- people got beyond the stage of sav- spect you, and their accession to your wery. Hence, also, you will never ranks will be delayed. f CONTENTS. h Report of the National Executive Committee- .................... 1 Report of the Editor of the Weekly People .................... 31 Resolutions Adopted ........................................ 38 National Platform Adopted .................................. 45 RFports of Committees Adopted ............................... 47 Amendments to the Party Constitution Adopted and Approved by Referendum ............................................. 51 Appendix ................................................. 55 Report of the National Executive Committee to the 15th National Convention of the Socialist Labor Party, May 1920 Greetings: the submerged weorking class, which Looking back over the four years so far (outside of Russia) in vain has that have elapsed since the last con- sought to overcome the monster. vention of the Party, one is impressed In America, the final stronghold, with the fact that changes have taken the backbone of Capitalist Imperial- place that none could have anticipated ism, a like condition exists, with the within that short space of time, a pe- difference that actual war does not riod which in importance transcends exist, and the masses, though on the any period of that duration in the verge of starvation, have as,yet not world’s history. The entire civilized gone through that agony of hunger world has been convulsed as if by an and misery which has fallen to the earthquake. The savage war, finally lot of the working classes elsewhere. extending to the remotest corners of The American Plutocracy, true to the the earth, has so affected the com- ideals of imperialism, has, however, plexion of the prevailing system, has introduced a reign of terror among so clianged its processes, or rather dissentients, which goes further than it has so intensified and hastened the in most of the old oountries. Being d ilec- t’on* of these processes, as :o “illiterates” in all matters pertaining render it impossible ever to return to to the social sciences, economics, the conditions prevailing prior to etc., the Imperialists of this country 1911. It has become clear by this stand bewildered at the sight of the time that capitalism proper, capital- yawning abyss before them. Choking ism in its‘ n,ormal aspects, has gone with wealth wrung from as exploited forever. In its place there has been a slave class as ever existed, they reared a system of society which, tremble with fear and wonder at the though essentially capitalist in so far rumblings already heard, even in this as its relation to th,e working class benighted country of untram~melled is concerned, differs as much from capitalism and labor fakerism. In su- the capitalism of pre-war days as the perstitious awe they. strike blindly rotten ripe fruit differs from the about them, attacking in their despair ripening fruit. Oeath and pestilence, the very foundation of that form of hunger and misery ravage Europe as government which they never tireof a direct result of the war, the foul holding up to the world as the last social atmosphere being surcharged word in governmental arrangements. with the putrid smell of the decaying, The war and its aftermath have fast decaying capitalist system. On produced a darkness that has filled the other hand, Capitalist Imperial- many with despair, and many others ism, or nascent Industrial Feudalism, (formerly clear) with confusion. T,hat towers apparently supreme above the which formerly, in the distance, was social misery and social decay of the or seemed clear to them has now be- old world, holding in its iron grip oome a fog, though within grasp and realization. Many of those groups 1,osing their grip on the workers- and individuals who formerly pre- m.ore and more are these parties and tend,ed to be opponents of capitalism their organs revealed as the hand- ,have not only dropped the pretence, maids of the vested interests, of nas- but have become in fact the last bar- cent Industrial Feudalism. The time ricades, the final support and chief is fast coming, in short, when we may hope of the Imperialists. In the name expect to be called upon to lead of Socialism these unspeakalbmle .that working class to final victory. wretches have slaughtered the work- dne of the important acts of the ers, as witness Germany during the last Party convention was the adop- last one and a half years. tion of a statement on the question In all th’is darkness there has arisen of unity between the S. L. P. and the a pillar of flame, a piercing ray of S. P. The document adopted by the hope, a voice in the wilderness ring- convention was endorsed by the ref- ing around the world. Russia, czar- erendum, and after much discussion ridden and exploited, with a popula- and correspondence the proposed tion groping in thraldom andmisery, Unity Conference took place in Janu- suddenly arose, Phoenix-like, from ary, 1917, in New York City. Five the ashes. Young Russia, shaking delegates from the S. L. P. and four the’ shackles of centuries from off its from the S. P. (one of their delegates strong limbs, stands today as that being unable to attend) attended th.is pillar of flame, as that piercing ray conference, which, by the way, was of hope. initiated by the S. P. The conference * * * lasted two days (January 6 and 7) and We shall now review the events of resulted, as most clear-sighted S. L. ~the last four years as far as they P. men expected, in absolute disagree- concern the Party. ment. The S. P., true to its inherent The national campaign of 1916 was bourgeois nature, naturally clung to conducted with great vigor. Tons of its bourgeois reform program, and literature were distributed, our or- refused to recede an inch from its ganizers were sent to almost every position as a buffer of the American part of the country. That the result Federation of Labor, the strongest in point of votes and membership bulwark of American capitalism. The were no greater need nemither dismay S. L. P., on the other hand, true to nor disappoint us. The S. L. P. is its inherent Socialist nature, insisted the young giant that must and will upon a revolutionary program, in- slay the monst,er capitalism, but it cluding an unqualified recognition of can not do so until that monster has industrial unionism as the sine qlla exhausted its own possibilit,ies-pas- non of working class emancipation. sibilities for good as for evil. So long The Unity Conference having come as the capitalist parties, and their vari- to an end, a period in S. L. P. history ous car,icatures, are able to poison or was concluded during which the seeds confuse the minds #of the workers, so of-future dissension were sown. So long must our work.be that of the long as there was a prospest of unity; apostle-spreading our gospel far and however remote, between the S.