One in ten of the Chicago Socialist Party’s 2000 dues-paying members lived in the 15th Ward in 1909, the greatest concentration in the city.

‘Socialists Busy in 15^th Ward’ from the Chicago Daily Socialist. Vol. 3 No. 153. April 26, 1909.

Start a New Plan; Is One of the Best Organizations in the City

The Fifteenth ward branch, one of the thirty-five main Socialist political organizations in the city, is, like Socialist bodies all over the world, composed of workingmen whose sole purpose is to educate their fellows along social and political lines. The members, of whom there are over 2,000 in Chicago, pay monthly dues to the organization, amounting to 25 cents. These dues pay the running expenses of the organization.

History of Fifteenth Ward

At the present time the Fifteenth ward branch is one of the largest and best organized in the city, having a membership of over 200. Besides organizing its own territory, the Fifteenth ward branch supervises the work carried on in the Sixteenth ward, which is unorganized at the present time.

In 1900, when the Fifteenth ward branch was organized, it consisted of twenty members, all of them workingmen, bent on spreading the propaganda of Socialism as effectively as possible. In the 1904 presidential election the ward polled 1,700 votes; four years later in 1908 the vote dropped to 980–a decrease due to the fact that the vote in 1904 was cast by Democrats who deserted their own ticket because of Parker’s candidacy.

For many years following its organization the Fifteenth ward branch remained practically at a standstill, gaining but a few new members. But about the first of May last year a sudden spurt of energy seized the members. They held a special agitation meeting and decided on inaugurating a system of canvassing the ward. A number of the members met early the following Sunday morning and visited the homes of as many voters as was possible, giving the occupants Socialist literature and copies of the Daily Socialist.

Canvassing System Kept Up

The canvassing system was kept up for several months, and by fall there were 160 members on the branch roster instead of the fifty-five on it previous to the inauguration of the system. Not only was the membership benefited by the new system, but the Daily Socialist also reaped an advantage, its subscriptions being more than tripled in the ward.

Today the Fifteenth ward covers a large territory. It is divided along the old primary district plan for the purpose of expediting the organization work, most of which is done on Sunday mornings between 10 and 1 o’clock.

The population of the Fifteenth ward is a mixed one, there being four chief nationalities within its territory. of these the Jewish residents are predominant, the Germans coming close second. A generous sprinkling of Polish, Bohemian and Irish voters make up the balance.

Mixed Population in Ward

To a certain extent the mixed population of the Fifteenth ward serves as handicap to organization, for it necessitates the keeping up of several foreign organizations for those Socialists who cannot understand English. At the present time the foreign speaking residents of the ward have access to the Northwest Side Jewish and the Northwest Side German Socialist clubs. In order to keep in close touch with the foreign organizations, the Fifteenth ward branch has arranged with the Northwest Side Jewish branch to send six delegates, who are able to speak and

understand the English language, to the regular ward and committee meetings and report to their membership, thus keeping it in touch with the plans of the main political organization.

Furthermore, the secretary of the foreign branch is a member of the regular ward organization. This practically makes the Northwest Side Jewish branch a part of the Fifteenth ward, the only drawback to the two meeting together being the fact that neither would be able to understand the other. The next important step of the Fifteenth ward members will be to get the Northwest Side German branch to affiliate. This step will be taken immediately after the close of the Garrick lectures will mean, if carried out, the solving of the foreign problem.

Represented by Seven Delegates

Figuring from the standpoint of representation in the Cook county delegate committee, the Fifteenth ward is the best organized in the city, as it is represented by seven delegates, the largest representation of any ward in the city. The regular meetings, of the Fifteenth ward organization take place on the first and third Wednesdays in the month, at Kimball hall, 412 West Division street. H. Chanenson, 207 Thomas is the regular chairman; J. Lambert Naylor, 735 North Maplewood avenue, is the recording secretary; P.J. Riordan, 817 North Oakley avenue, is the general secretary, and Samuel A. Bloch, 681 North Oakley avenue, is the financial secretary. The ward committee meets on the Wednesdays of the month that are not used for regular meetings, at 817 North Oakley avenue.

Riordan in an Interview

Speaking on the work accomplished the ward and general agitation work, P.J. Riordan, general secretary of the ward, has the following to say:

“The main handicap encountered by the members of the Fifteenth ward in propaganda work has been the lack of proper literature. This lack not only acts as a drawback to converting voters, but also acts as an impediment to increasing the circulation of the Daily Socialist, as we have nothing that can be used as an introduction to Socialism. A good live leaflet would serve to induce interest in the movement and when a paper is handed to an unconverted voter would be more apt to read it and subscribe.

“In agitation work, especially in wards where the foreign element predominates, leaflets in the foreign languages become an essential. This been proven by the fact that in five precincts covered with leaflets in German, the vote increased 60 per cent. Unfortunately, we have had hardly any foreign literature at all in our campaigns thus far.

“If proper literature could be had, the work could be carried on in much better style and it would only be a matter of time until the majority of voters were converted.”

The Chicago Socialist, sometimes daily sometimes weekly, was published from 1902 until 1912 as the paper of the Chicago Socialist Party. The roots of the paper lie with Workers Call, published from 1899 as a Socialist Labor Party publication, becoming a voice of the Springfield Social Democratic Party after splitting with De Leon in July, 1901. It became the Chicago Socialist Party paper with the SDP’s adherence and changed its name to the Chicago Socialist in March, 1902. In 1906 it became a daily and published until 1912 by Local Cook County of the Socialist Party and was edited by A.M. Simons if the International Socialist Review. A cornucopia of historical information on the Chicago workers movements lies within its pages.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/chicago-daily-socialist/1909/090426-chicagodailysocialist-v03n153.pdf