‘Socialism in Vermont’ by Socialist Party State Secretary John Anderson from Appeal to Reason. No. 398. July 18, 1903.

When anyone outside of Vermont thinks of this state, it is usually as a pastoral community, and so deeply dyed with Republicanism he would naturally think that a Socialist could not exist here. In the past this has been partially true. But the seed has been sown and needed only the sunlight of truth and the rains of reason to make the cause blossom and bring forth fruit in the form of true Socialism. Although no Socialists have been elected to office in this state, we have cause to be proud of our record, having cast in our first state election nearly 700 votes. And we expect to make the sleek capitalists wince next year.

The 5 locals of the Socialist Party in this state — and before another moon there will be more — are made up of determined men who know what they want, and the way to get it, and they are persuading those of their own class to join hands with them in meeting a common enemy. I wish to say, if you will pardon a personal reference, that it was reading the Appeal in 1897 that made me a Socialist, and I have never missed an issue of the paper since then.

The Socialists have cause to rejoice in that they have driven the capitalist class into an organization of self-defence, with David M. Parry at its head. I feel sure that the Parry Association, with the strong help of the National Economic League, will make converts for the Socialist Party. But these agencies will not do it all. We want to make a long pull and a strong pull to land our party in 1904, and to that end we must each and all join the party of our own class. The next steps are to “agitate” constantly and distribute Socialist literature. Then live nobly and be a shining example of the principles we advocate.

John Anderson, Vermont State Secretary.

The Appeal to Reason was among the most important and widely read left papers in the United States. With a weekly run of over 550,000 copies by 1910, it remains the largest socialist paper in US history. Founded by utopian socialist and Ruskin Colony leader Julius Wayland it was published privately in Girard, Kansas from 1895 until 1922. The paper came from the Midwestern populist tradition to become the leading national voice in support of the Socialist Party of America in 1901. A ‘popular’ paper, the Appeal was Eugene Debs main literary outlet and saw writings by Upton Sinclair, Jack London, Mary “Mother” Jones, Helen Keller and many others.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/appeal-to-reason/030718-appealtoreason-w398-DEFECTIVE.pdf