‘The Socialist Club of Kansas City’ from the International Socialist Review. Vol. 11 No. 8. February, 1911.

The Socialist Club of Kansas City, Mo., has a right to be proud of its open headquarters at 1400 Grand Ave. For years the comrades met once a week in small halls in different parts of the city. But now they have a home of their own where visiting comrades will always find a warm welcome.

We miss the faces of many of the older comrades who in the early days fought the battles of the young organization when it meant something more than paying dues once a month to be known as a Socialist. However, we recognize Comrade Atkins, sitting at the right of the table, as one of the old guard. He writes, “We now carry about $250.00 worth of books at wholesale, mostly your publication.” And after all is said and done, the most valuable work a Socialist organization can accomplish is the circulation of sound, scientific Socialist literature.

The International Socialist Review (ISR) was published monthly in Chicago from 1900 until 1918 by Charles H. Kerr and critically loyal to the Socialist Party of America. It is one of the essential publications in U.S. left history. During the editorship of A.M. Simons it was largely theoretical and moderate. In 1908, Charles H. Kerr took over as editor with strong influence from Mary E Marcy. The magazine became the foremost proponent of the SP’s left wing growing to tens of thousands of subscribers. It remained revolutionary in outlook and anti-militarist during World War One. It liberally used photographs and images, with news, theory, arts and organizing in its pages. It articles, reports and essays are an invaluable record of the U.S. class struggle and the development of Marxism in the decades before the Soviet experience. It was closed down in government repression in 1918.

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