A Frustrated Voice of SociaUsm, 1910-1919 JOHN E. HAYNES u ^^^^ ocialism is inevitable." Thus believed that year. It appeared weekly until late 1918 when fi­ L "^ the New Times, for many years the only nancial difficulty and government harassment contrib­ r^—^ English-language socialist newspaper in uted to occasional interruptions. Its last known appear­ Minnesota. "Scientific Socialism," as the paper habitu­ ance was in January, 1919. Although adhering to the ally referred to its basic principles, proved that "the Socialist party, the paper first was owned privately by greater capitalists crush the smaller. The concentration The Workers Publishing Company, later The Workers' of industry and wealth into fewer hands squeezes out Educational Association, and finally by The New millions of men. They drop into the working class. As a Times Publishing Company. In its early years the New result the working class is now in the overwhelming Times did not list an editor although Frank Finsterbach majority. It is constantly growing in numbers. It is con­ with the assistance of his wife Annah initially stantly growing in conviction that it is entitled to the functioned in that capacity. In March, 1911, Alexis E. full value of its labor. It is constantly growing in the and Stella Campbell Georgian replaced the Finster- determination to translate that conviction into political bachs. Alexis Georgian remained as editor throughout action and actually secure the full value of its labor. the remaining life of the paper; his wife, Stella Geor­ These numbers, this conviction and this determination gian, served first as literary editor and then assistant make it invincible. Its triumph is inevitable."' editor, and sometimes both were listed as editors. Both The New Times began publication in the fall of wrote news stories, Alexis appeared to write most edito­ 1910, with the earliest extant copy dated November 25 rials, and Stella authored frequent opinion columns outside the editorial page. When the Socialist party split over Bolshevism in 1919, Alexis Georgian adhered 'John M. Work, "Cause and Cure," New Times, Feb. 13, 1915, p. 4. to the faction that founded the Communist Party of "For a history of the New Times, see Daniel C. Kallgren, America. This essay wdl examine the causes contribut­ "Joining the Socialist Press Army: The New Times of Minne­ ing to the failure of the Socialist party's agenda as re­ apolis, 1910—1919," graduate paper. University of Minnesota, flected through the words of the Georgians and their Aug., 1989. New Times themes not discussed in this article newspaper.- include heavy coverage of foreign socialist movements, particularly the Russian one, its detailed exposition of mainstream Marxist theory and its polemics against Dr. Haynes, author oj Dubious AUiance; The Making of Min­ syndicalism, the journal's intense hostility toward American nesota's DFL Party (1984) and an essay in the recent Minne­ involvement in the Mexican civil war and World War I, its sota in a Century of Change (i989), is a historian with the steadfast conviction that capitalism and capitalists were irre­ manuscripts division oj the Library oj Congress. This article deemable, and its contempt for progressivism and nonso- is revised jrom a paper presented at the "Voices oj Dissent" cialist reform politics. conjerence, St. Paul, May 20, 1989. SPRING 1991 183 scious of their number and strength. The great majority of those—men and women—who are feeding and clothing the world are with us." By 1916, the New Times's associate editor claimed that "This political awakening of the laborers is alarming the capitalist class as nothing has yet done. They are few, the workers many. Once let the workers learn to vote for their own interests and elect their own representatives and the supremacy of capitalism will be at an end." "For the workers to secure political power is not difficult," an editorial assured readers, "it needs only that they unite consciously in one working class party for the definite purpose of securing political control." Thomas Van Lear, Minnesota's leading SP candidate, told his fol­ lowers "No working class in history ever had the same political opportunity as we have on election day. One workingman's vote is as good as Rockefeller's and we are many and the capitalists are few."^ SOCIALISM'S coming did not occur within the time envisioned by the New Times. Nor did the party do very well in Minnesota elections. In 1912, the SP's gu­ bernatorial candidate, David Morgan, received 25,769 votes, about 8 percent of the total, and came in fifth, behind the Prohibitionist, "Bull Moose" Progressive, Democratic, and Republican candidates. (Eugene Debs, the socialist presidential candidate, also received 8 percent of the vote.) This unimpressive performance was the high point of statewide socialist strength.* Alexis E. Georgian, about 1919 Nor was there a socialist triumph in Minneapolis despite Thomas Van Lear's impressive victory in the 1916 mayoral contest. Van Lear was a socialist and ran as one, although the election and ballots were techni­ The New Times did not regard socialist victory as cally nonpartisan. His election, nevertheless, was a vic­ open to serious question. As one of its commentators tory of socialism only in the narrow sense that he was a wrote in 1916, "I am bold enough to believe that any member of the Socialist party. In large part it was a honest investigator will agree with me that capitalism personal win for a veteran municipal politician (Van is a mere temporary makeshift, and that Socialism is to Lear had run, and run well, in every election since be its natural, necessary and inevitable successor." This 1910); it was also an expression of the reform sentiment same commentator wrote the year before that "to the dominating Minnesota at the time, but mostly it was scientific Socialist . Socialism is, not an arbitrary the success of an aggressive (nonsocialist) trade union scheme or invention, but the logical, necessary and in­ movement. If Van Lear's campaign had had significant evitable goal of economic evolution."" socialist content, one would expect to find it in the New As for the Socialist party's (SP) attainment of elec­ tive office, that was almost as sure as the guaranteed coming of socialism. In 1911, the New Times told party members that the electoral road to power was before 'John M. Work, "The Socialist Party," New Times, Nov. 4, them, stating "The United States is a popular govern­ 1916, p. 2, and "Who said Rainbow Chaser," New Times, Mar. 13, 1915, p. 4. ment. All statements to the contrary notwithstanding, Tohn M. Work, "Labor Day And Capital Day," New the people rule. Their will, as expressed at the ballot Times, Sept. 2, 1911, p. 8; New Times, June 20, 1914, p. 4; box, is approximately carried into effect." Three years Stella Georgian, "Working Class Must Use Its Political Power later an editorial entitled "How to capture Minneapolis To Further Its Own Interest," New Times, May 27, 1916, p. 1; for the Workers," pointed out that "all that is necessary New Times, June 3, 1916, p. 4; Thomas Van Lear, "Why the Working Class Should Control the Office of Mayor," iVetu is to get in touch with them [the workers] and get them Times, Oct. 21, 1916, p. 1. in touch with one another that they may become con­ '^Legislative Manual, 1913, p. 500. 184 MINNESOTA HISTORY Times, which was published in Minneapolis and had many of the issues and much of the rhetoric typical of ardently promoted the mayor's electoral efforts. Fur­ nonsocialist reform candidates of the era." thermore, Van Lear and the paper were aligned in the From the time of its first publication in 1910 until often acrimonious factionalism of the Minnesota So­ about the middle of 1917, the New Times provided cialist party. A close reading of the weekly shows that in regular and heavy coverage of Minneapolis municipal 1916 Van Lear ran a largely reform campaign that used affairs, on everything from a scandal in the city's wa­ ter-meter department, deplorable conditions in the "The New Times and Van Lear were part of the majority municipal jail, and inefficiency in the health depart­ faction of the Socialist party in Minneapolis; however, this ment's fight against a diphtheria epidemic to the need faction was opposed by a strong minority in the city and was for mandatory pasteurization of milk. Above all, the generally in the minority at state SP conventions. New Times New Times stressed chronic corruption in the police often attacked the state Socialist party leadership, and the latter repeatedly attempted, with little success, to sponsor a department linked to gambling, prostitution, and ille­ statewide English-language Socialist newspaper to contest gal alcohol sales in the city's gangster-ridden entertain­ New Times's dominant position. For a comprehensive history ment district. In 1916 public attention to police depart­ of Van Lear's campaign, see David Paul Nord, "Minneapolis ment corruption was heightened by a grand jury's and the Pragmatic Socialism of Thomas Van Lear," Minne­ indictment of an assistant police chief for accepting sota History 45 (Spring, 1976): 2-10. Nord sees more radical content to Van Lear's election in "Hothouse Socialism: Min­ bribes from saloonkeepers. Earlier the paper had asked neapolis, 1910—1925," Socialism in the Heartland: The Mid­ "Is Police Force Too Busy Collecting Graft to Give Pro­ western Experience, 1900-1925, Donald T. Critchlow, ed. tection to City?"' (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1986). The In addition to these problems. Van Lear was able to author's view is closer to the earlier Nord essay.