Born on this day in 1855, Marx’s youngest daughter Eleanor traveled to Chicago in 1886 as part of speaking tour with Wilhelm Liebknecht sponsored by the Socialist Labor Party. Arriving only six months after the Haymarket ‘riot’ as the defendants were waiting in jail, Chicago was then the center of U.S. radicalism. While in Chicago, though not reported here, Eleanor Marx visited the accused in jail.

‘Warm Receptions and Large Meetings for the Avelings in Chicago’ from Workmen’s Advocate (New Haven). Vol. 2 No. 8. November 21, 1886.

THE TOUR OF LIEBKNECHT AND THE AVELINGS.

Warm Receptions and Large Meetings for the Noted Socialists–Chicago Especially Enthusiastic Milwaukee and Detroit in Line.

The tour of our distinguished Comrades Liebknecht and Aveling has been a series of successes. The more important the cities in which they have spoken the greater are the results. Detroit and Milwaukee had brilliant assemblages which will without doubt bear fruit in good season. The meeting in Change in 5th inst. however, was simply grand. The capitalistic press ceded an audience of 3,500. An interesting report of the western tour has reached us and we give it in full:

The visit to Chicago was not unnaturally looked forward to with more interest, perhaps almost any city, than that to any other town in the states. In the first place the town is in a very ferment of excitement; it has for months been more or less in a state of siege: nowhere perhaps at the present time does party feeling on all sides run so high as here. Then, to, Chicago has been considered the stronghold of anarchism. It is true that the anarchism there to-day smacks strangely of scientific Socialism. Thus, after preaching against all organization, and especially against political action, we suddenly find these Herrn Archisten demanding organization, and claiming the marvelous triumphs of the Labor Party at the late election as their special work! However, “there is more joy over one sinner that repenteth than over ninety and nine just,” and it for the future anarchists are content to adopt our program and work for it their sins may be forgiven them. As a matter of fact, the so-called anarchists are no anarchists at all. As usual, there are about one man and a half who are anarchists and who make more noise them twelve other men. As usual, too these one and a half have behaved disgracefully. The one paper that misrepresented the Liebknecht and the Avelings attacked them in that peculiarly refined and delicate fashion affected by Herr Most and his followers, was the Chicago Arbeiter Zeitung. However, as the offender has had a very thorough beating for his behavior, we will hope that he will learn better manners for the future, and we need say no more about the matter.

The Liberal League composed of many well-known Chicago people had invited the Avelings to be present on Sunday night, and the hall where their meetings are held was packed, and a very pleasant, and we believe useful, hour or two were spent there. Dr. Aveling spoke for some half hour or so, setting forth the central doctrine of Socialism. After the speech, which was listened to with the deepest attention by the singularly intelligent, educated audience (counting among their number many prominent lawyers, doctors, Knights of Labor, women’s right’s advocates, Freethinkers, etc.) those who wished to ask questions were requested to do so. Many of the usual type, and many that showed very unusual anxiety to master the meaning of Socialism, were asked, and responded to by Dr. and Mrs. Aveling. Then time was allowed for discussion. Here again many of the stereotoped remarks were made, and on the other hand also some more intelligent arguments brought forward. These having been summed up and replied to by Dr. Aveling, the meeting broke up after first voting nem. Con. (only some dozen people out of the 300 present not voting) that “the present believe the theory of surplus value to be true, and are of the opinion that the wage system should abolished.” This was put forward by our excellent friend and Comrade Morgan, and so many cried they would “second it” that it is impossible to say who the seconder was. Among them we may mention Simpson, Warner and two ladies whose names we do not know.

The Chicago press having been giving our friends admirable free advertisements in the shape of interviews, personals, leaders, and letters, it was a foregone conclusion that the meeting to be held on Mon-day night at Aurora Turner Hall would be great success. But probably neither friends nor foes expected quite such a success we had. The only people who said it was not a success were the disappointed ones who couldn’t get in! As it was, too many friends had been admitted, for the gallery threatened to give way and bent quite in at the center. And small wonder. People were standing on the forms, between the forms, almost upon each other. In the body of the hall it was the same, and several of our friends said, “We couldn’t all applaud at once because we were packed so closely that some of the could not move our arms unless those standing by put theirs down to give us a turn.”

Both Dr. and Mrs. Aveling spoke at some length, about two hours between them. after having been introduced in a very pithy little speech by Mr. Morgan, one of the best workers in our party, Dr. Aveling and Mrs. Aveling both, while disclaiming all connection with anarchism, made forcible appeals for a new trial for the men unfairly condemned. They said that such a trial was not to be asked for as a favor, but as a right, and in the name of common justice. Both speakers also dealt with the press, and we need hardly say that although the reports of the Chicago papers were tolerably fair, the portions of the speeches that denounced or ridiculed the papers have not appeared in extenso. But the audience were thoroughly delighted, and the only people who spent a mauvais quart d’heure were the reporters present. The enthusiasm of the meeting was immense, and every “point” made by the speakers told especially when the people were called upon to join the S.L.P., to make this a large American Socialistic Party, and to carry on the work begun at the last election. We are certain that incalculable amount of good has been done the cause by their visit, and much of the confusion was gendered of anarchistic muddleheadedness cleared up.

We should also add that while the Chicago people were delighted with the result of their meetings, are visitors were no less delighted. They have repeatedly said that they have nowhere found more excellent Comrades than here, and a section that numbers among it such men as are working for the Party in Chicago cannot fail to make that Party a great power.

On Tuesday morning before leaving Chicago the Avelings had to speak at Bloomington that evening. An informal kind of a meeting was gotten up by a young Chicago doctor and his wife, both intensely interested in the Socialistic movement, and anxious to have some of the “cultured” people meet and talk with our English agitators. At this meeting a bishop, numerous clergy, business men and lawyers, grande dames, lady doctors and writers were present, and an interesting debate followed, both Aveling and his wife telling the good folk that their “culture” wasn’t a thing to be very proud of. It is interesting to note that many of these people, the better among them, were entirely on the Socialistic side, and not a few had voted the labor ticket. “One lady” present was much exercised in mind because Socialists are supposed to favor the holding (!!) of women in common! And the “lady” had great difficulty understanding that woman was not a commodity, though under our present wretched system her womanhood is only too often the only commodity she commands, and just as the man sells is labour-power, she sells her womanhood, either for marriage or as a prostitutes.

After a stay in Chicago that will long be remembered by both the visitors and the visited, the Avelings went off to Bloomington. Though it poured with rain, although the workers in Bloomington are still comparatively well off, the meeting was a good one. The speakers laid themselves out specially to showing that though comparatively well off by the very necessity of things these people must sooner or later be force into the ranks of the poorer or more wretched workers or of the unemployed, while the small shopkeepers were invariably doomed to be “gobbled” by the big ones. Some good new members were made, and the last words spoken to Avelings as they went away early the next morning were that when they came again there would be “a large American Section.”

On Wednesday night the Avelings spoke at La Salle, the hall being filled in every corner almost entirely with the workers from the mines glass, and engine works, a Scotchman, Mr. McLaughlin, being chairman. Among those present was, however, also one of the millionaires of La Salle, one Hegeler, this largest zinc-works employer. He is a man with great pretensions to superior intellect and scientific attainment. He is a friend and follower of Herbert Spicer, and a great “individualist.” As to the opinion of his unfortunate employes (though as things go Hegeler is a tolerably decent person) that is not quite at one with him. The work they do is of the most unhealthy and dangerous kind, and their carnal and burned and disfigured faces are hardly human. The misery of the La Salle people is intense. The “best” wages wretchedly insufficient for even the most common decencies of life, and Poles are constantly being imported to undersell the rest of the workers. Lately, some of the Poles, beginning to understand, had joined hands with their American and German fellows, and at once the employers, the individualist Hegeler amongst the, sent for a fresh batch of people! These not speaking the language, used to the most miserable existence, and positively hopeless, are of course mere slaves, and would work for any wages. This the Avelings made very clear, and their simple exposition of the manner in which the wealth of all the employers comes from unpaid labor evidently impressed the people deeply. A collection was taken and Mr. Hegeler actually gave $5. But far more interesting is the fact that of their little the wretched people all gave to help the cause, $10 being given by them. In face of facts, how can we help feeling proud and hopeful of the work that r Party is doing?

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.

Access to full issue: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90065027/