The Socialist Labor Party reports on their sponsored tour of Marx’s youngest daughter Eleanor and He-Who-Will-Not-Be-Named through the cities of Kansas City, Davenport, St. Louis, and Indianapolis in 1886.

‘The Propaganda Tour’ from Workmen’s Advocate (New Haven). Vol. 2 No. 10. December 5, 1886.

The Avelings at Kansas City, St. Louis and Indianapolis.

From Davenport the Avelings set out for Kansas City, and with the result of their visit to this wild western town both they and the Kansas comrades have reason to be more than satisfied. On the Sunday a pleasant informal little meeting was held at a place known as “Joe and Charley’s,” (there is a delightful free-and-easiness about Kansas City) where after words of welcome were spoken by Comrade Trautwein replied to by the Avelings, and where there was some talk and discussion afterwards. The next (Monday) evening the public meeting was held at Kump’s Hall-and ever since there has been much grieving and regret. No, not because it was a failure, but because our comrades had packed in the people in such a way that they were positively unable to move, and it became doubtful how they could ever be unpacked again. Still at least 500 people had to be refused admission. Hence the tears of the Kansas comrades. From the foregoing facts it will be gathered that the meeting was an enormous one. But the best yet remains to be told. The appeal to form a Section of the S.L.P. there and then was responded to by forty men and women, of whom thirty-five are American, and who enrolled their names after the meeting. Among those who have joined are many who should prove invaluable helpers to our energetic German friends in Kansas City, and not the least invaluable are two quite young fellows, known generally as “the boys.” These boys are Walter and Harry Vrooman, and though the elder of them is only a lad they edit a Labor paper, and will be useful members, because they are earnest and anxious to learn as well as teach. Dr. Hammond and Mrs. Hammond, and others whose names we cannot call to mind, also joined us. Surely, such a success is an encouragement for all Sections; and we must not forget that it is due to the untiring energy of the German Section at Kansas City, who had worked hard to get up this meeting, and who may well feel proud of what they have achieved. This “German” Section is now one with the American Section. All the Kansas Germans speak such excellent English that it was decided to have only one strong Section composed of Americans and Germans. With such workers in the West as we have at Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Kansas City, the East must look out or it will be out-stripped by the West. “Competition” to get up the best sections of the S.L.P. none of us will object to. One of the Kansas papers, the Times, which has been peculiarly foul-mouthed in speaking of Socialists, not knowing the facts, contemptuously asked “how many converts he had made.” To this of course Dr. Aveling replied that “the number of converts was 40, as far as the enrolling of new members that night was concerned, and doubtless during the next week they would be able to find out how many others. Another paper, the Journal, in its report stated that “an appeal to join the Central Labor Union had not been responded to, the audience filing out quietly.” To this journal Mr. Aveling wrote, pointing out that the only truth in the paragraph was the fact that the audience went out “quietly.” No appeal had been made for the Central Labor Union, “but all sympathizing with Socialism had been asked to join the S.L.P., and forty responded there and then.” From Kansas City the Avelings made for St. Louis, thus beginning the “return journey.” Here, too, a good meeting of some 1500 (this is the estimate of a capitalist journal) was held on the 25th, and this although an entrance fee was charged. There, too, a good American section is being formed. On the Wednesday (24th) a reception was given the guests and largely attended. Here only a few informal addresses were made, by George Winter, Dr. Aveling, Mrs. Aveling (who spoke German) and Max Stohr. Our St. Louis friends are very hopeful of the results that are almost certain to follow from the meetings of Liebknecht and the Avelings.

On the 27th a meeting was held at Indianapolis, but was not very largely attended. It is true the hall was an enormous one, and so spoilt have we become by past success that when a hall is not crowded there is a sense of failure. Moreover here too a goodly number of people have come forward and will start an English-speaking section. On the 19th Mrs. Aveling spoke at Davenport, and Dr. Aveling spoke at Moline on the same night.

At all meetings friends are urged to support a Labor press, and especially the WORKMAN’S ADVOCATE.

The Workmen’s Advocate (not to be confused with Chicago’s Workingman’s Advocate) began in 1883 as the irregular voice of workers then on strike at the New Haven Daily Palladium in Connecticut. In October, 1885 the Workmen’s Advocate transformed into as a regular weekly paper covering the local labor movement, including the Knights of Labor and the Greenback Labor Party and was affiliated with the Workingmen’s Party. In 1886, as the Workingmen’s Party changed their name to the Socialistic Labor Party, as a consciously Marxist party making this paper among the first English-language papers of an avowedly Marxist group in the US. The paper covered European socialism and the tours of Wilhlelm Liebknecht, Edward Aveling, and Eleanor Marx. In 1889 the DeLeonist’s took control of the SLP and Lucien Sanial became editor. In March 1891, the SLP replaced the Workmen’s Advocate with The People based in New York.

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