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“...PART I
From 1886 to 1896.Make-up of Early S. L. P.
De Leons Entrance into the Party.Bor-
ing From Within.Formation of S. T. &
L. A. and Endorsement of Same by S. L. P.
Forerunner of Industrial Unionism.
My earliest recollection of De Deon dates back to the year
1886, the days of the Henry George campaign and of the Na-
tionalist movement, a collectivist movement that had sprung
up after the publication of Edward Bellamys Looking Back-
ward, a book that stirred up not a little interest in those
days and that was industriously spread by all who took a
more than passing interest in Socialism. De Leon delivered a
lecture on some subject connected with that Nationalist move-
ment and I had gone over to New York to hear him. Of the
lecture itself I have today no recollection whatever, but the
lecturer, how he spoke and how he looked, all that I can con-
jure up before my minds eye as distinctly as though it hap-
pened yesterday. A portrait of De Leon, published in the 2Sth...”
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“...66 REMINISCENCES OF DANIEL DE LEON.
course, be entirely acceptable to them, but hardly to oursel-
yes.
The move made in 1908 came to naught, the S. P. Na-
tional Committee taking it upon itself to decline the invita-
tion for a conference, not taking the trouble to refer it to its
membership. Since then the S. L. P. has several times over
been induced to spend and wa.ste time and effort on the same
elusive task, the last time at the invitation of the S. P., a gen-
eral vote of that party having decided to invite the S. L. P. toa
Unity Conference."
There may be such of our members who reason that these
unity conferences bring the S. L. P. position to the attention
of the S. P. membership and that they have, for that reason,
a propagandist value. I doubt whether any considerable por-
tion of that membership ever hears about the result of these
conferences, and I also doubt that the few who do, ever get
more than a very much twisted version thereof.
There may also be...”
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“... temple upon the foundation that he
strove and fought and lived for, but we of the S. L. P. must
and will do as he would have done. As things look today,
the lead in laying the beginning of the new structure may
devolve upon Russia for the reason that Russia today holds
the imagination of the revolutionary working class the world
over. Let us hope that, when the time comes, she will be in
a position to take the lead. Perhaps, who knows, other na-
tions may by that time have trodden the path that Russia was
the first to venture upon; almost anything is possible in a
time like this and with the Russian example at hand.
In the new International, freed from the rubbish of bour-
geois connections that hampered and stifled the old and
caused its disgraceful collapse when the war-cloud broke, the
Socialist Labor Party of America will at last come into its
own, will contribute to the building material of the new struc-
ture its undying principles so clearly enunciated by De Leon
and...”
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“... vote in the 16th As-
sembly District rose to 2,207. Tammany Hall was alarmed.
The labor leaders in the Central Labor Union, who as a general
rule were boosting Tammany, were stricken with fear. The
oppositionists in and outside of the Socialist Labor Party were
stricken with something like yellow jaundice. Not only in the
16th A. D., but everywhere, the party made gains; 82,000 votes
were cast for the Socialist Labor Party. Something had to be
done. The cry that the party makes no progress, that was
raised a couple of years before could not be raised this time.
The oppositionists redoubled their efforts in the spreading of
slanders. De Leon was denounced by them as an anti-Semite
m Jewish districts; as a Jew among Gentiles; as a man who hated
the Germans, among the Germans, etc. The basest falsehoods
were told in the East Side cafs aibout De Leon. Gompcrs in
his paper made the allegation that De Leons name was Loeb,
not De Leon. The name of Henry Kuhn, who was then na...”
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“...
used by De Leon, and it was quite excusable at that, for there
were a number of men about with similar names, like Loewen-
fuss, etc.
Opposition Organized
With the advent of the year 1899 it became apparent that
the opposition had effected some sort of organization on a na-
tional scale. Connections had evidently been established by
the New York oppositionists with those of other cities. At
any rate the disgruntled elements were getting bolder and more
and more boisterous and bothersome generally. Instead of de-
voting the time to agitation work, party meetings were dragged
out for hours with wrangling; the energies even of the loyal
members were exhausted with endless discussions upon party
tactics. It was felt that a storm was gathering that had to
break, soon or late.
From within the party came the cry that the progress
made was too slow, in spite of the fact that really substantial
gains were made. The party had now nearly four hundred Sec-
tions throughout the...”
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“... elect all officers of the Section, suspend the Na-
tional Executive Committee, and the Volkszeitungs new exec-
utive committee would do the rest. In other words, repeat the
coup detat of 1889. This time, however, things went dif-
ferently.
De Leon the Storm-Center
The lines were now drawn between the loyal party mem-
bers, who were in favor of the revolutionary stand the Social-
ist Labor Party had taken, and the oppositionists of all shades.
There were indeed many shades to the opposition faction.
Some of them claimed that the attitude of the Socialist Labor
Party toward trade unions was correct, but that it was pre-
mature to sever connections with the old trade unions and to
set up a Socialist union. Others, again, claimed that Socialism
was sure to come in a decade and to bother with labor unions
was superfluous,all economic organizations of the workers
were out of date. Another shade maintained that the Amer-
ican Federation of Labor was all that could be expected...”
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“... electing the editor, but it was clearly stated in
the sti^lation made that if any disagreement between the Na-
tional Executive Commitee of the Socialist Labor Party and
the Publishing Association should arise the members of the...”
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“... party organs,that was too
much even for a capitalist judge sitting in a capitalist court to
endorse; such a precedent could not be established.
The kangaroos were in desperate straits. Everything they
undertook turned out as their midnight attack upon the party
headquar^rs had turned out-a failure. In the cities outside
ot New York where attempts were also made to capture the
party organizations and their belongings, they fared no better.
In Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, everywhere
their kangaroo attempts were frustrated.
Party Weathered the Storm
At that time I was sent by the New York State Executive
Committee on a trip to visit all Sections in the state. Roches-
kangaroos predominated.
They had their most precious Frank Sieverman in Rochester,
who had opposed the Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance at
he na lonal convention of 1896. Sieverman boasted at that
w ? "konnsr from within in the Boot and
Shoe Workers Unionhow successful can be judged today by
e...”
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