Report on the ‘first’ congress of what would be named the Socialist Labor Party during deliberations. Held just after the 1877 rail uprising, included below is summary of each day’s discussions and results, a full list of delegates (including Albert Parsons) and publications associated with the Party. At the Congress the Party the Lassallean majority lifted the ban on electoral activity resulting in a small anti-electoralist Marxist split named the International Labor Union that retained the S.L.P.’s English-language paper. A feast for students of U.S. Socialist history.

‘Proceedings of the National Congress of the Workingmen’s Party of the United States, held at Newark, N.J., December 26-31, 1877’. Ohio Volks-zeitung, Cincinnati. 1878.

Held at Pythian Temple Hall, Newark, N.J., Dec. 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st, 1877. At 10 o’clock A.M., Dec. 26th, the Corresponding Secretary of the Executive Committee, Philip Van Patten, called the meeting to order and read the list of sections entitled, according to the books of the Executive Committee, to representation in the Congress.

Comrade G. Luebkert, of Cincinnati, was elected Chairman, pro tern. After a short address appropriate to the occasion, the chairman took his seat. Comrades C.E. Collenburg and W. Reinhard were chosen Secretaries, pro tern.

A Committee on Credentials was then chosen. It consisted of seven delegates, namely: Gabriel, McGuire, Burger, Winter, Trautwein, Kaufman and Parsons. The Congress then adjourned until 1 1/2 o’clock P.M, to give the Committee on Credentials time to complete its work.

AFTERNOON SESSION.

At 1 1/2 o’clock P.M. the Chairman called the meeting to order. The Committee on Credentials reported that the credentials of the following delegates were contested by the Secretary of the Executive Committee.

ALLEGHENY CITY, BOHEMIAN. As this Section asked representation through the delegate of the German speaking section of that city, and as no delegate can under any circumstances have more than one vote, the credentials were rejected.

BROOKLYN, GERMAN. Resolved, That the sum of $10.00 paid by that section two weeks since, be credited to account of extra tax of that section, instead of for Congress reports as originally sent, and upon their promise to have the account promptly settled, the delegates from Brooklyn Section were admitted.

CINCINNATI, GERMAN.— The credentials were accepted upon condition of the immediate payment of $13.25 back taxes, which condition was complied with.

NEWARK, BOHEMIAN.— This Section had been over four months in the Party, but was delinquent; since, however, the Secretary of the Section produced a money order for dues which he had neglected to send, but which had been really paid by the Section. The credentials were accepted.

PATERSON, GERMAN.— The delegate was admitted upon payment of the amount of dues for which the section was delinquent.

NEW YORK, ENGLISH.— Credentials for two delegates were presented; Leander Thompson, one of the delegates, read the list of members of this New York Section, showing that over one hundred members were enrolled. The books of the Executive Committee showed that dues had not been paid for over forty members. Thompson admitted that the balance were new members who had not been the necessary two months in the party, but he offered to pay dues for them. It was resolved to accept only the credentials of L. Thompson as he had received the highest number of votes in his Section.

The Congress constituted itself with the following delegates:

G. Reinhold, Albany, N.Y.
W.C. Pollner, Allegheny City, Penn.
A. Gabriel, Baltimore, Md.
W. Wagner, Boston, Mass.
G. Winter, Brooklyn, N.Y.
W. Reinhard, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Val Burger, Buffalo, N.Y.
J.C. Pfeiffer, Chicago, Ill.
A.R. Parsons, Chicago, Ill.
J. Jones, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
F. Bartosek, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
G. Luebkert, Cincinnati, Ohio.
P.C. Christiansen, Cleveland, Ohio.
Nic. Schmidt, Jersey City, N.J.
E. Dumuid, Jersey City, N.J.
A. Kaeding, Lawrence, Mass.
J. Holler, Manchester, N.H.
C. Vogel, Newark, N.J.
F. Meiselbach, Newark, N.J.
Caleb Tilley, Newark, N.J.
F. Schultz, Newark, N.J.
P.J. McGuire, New Haven, Conn.
Leander Thompson, New York City.
F. Filley, New York City.
C. Collenburg, New York City.
J. Schaefer, New York City.
B. Kaufman, New York City.
A. Frey, New York City.
F. Coufal, New York City.
S. Hoffman, Paterson, N.J.
H. Eisman, Philadelphia, Pa.
B. Trautwein, Philadelphia, Pa.
E. Doeppel, (Women’s Section), Philadelphia, Pa.
J. Schwab, San Francisco, Cal.
A. Currlin, St. Louis, Mo.
H.G. Rowley, Utica, N.Y.
J. Kellet, The National Board of Supervision.
Philip Van Patten, do The National Executive Committee.

The Congress then organized itself with the following officers:

Chairman, C. Collenburg; Vice Chairman, P.J. McGuire; Secretary in German language, W. Reinhard; Secretary in English language, Ph. Van Patten.

It was resolved that a new Chairman and Vice Chairman should be elected each day, but that the Secretaries serve throughout the entire Congress. The Hall Committee was requested to appoint doorkeepers.

Resolved, All matters concerning the internal affairs of the party shall be acted upon in Executive Session with closed doors, and all deliberations upon matters of principle, organization, etc., shall be conducted publicly.

The Congress then passed into Executive Session.

The following correspondences were read. The Section of Newport, Ky., expressed sympathy, and hope that the present name of the party would be preserved. A workingmen’s organization in Eminence, Henry Co., Ky., asked that a financial plank be inserted (inserted) in the platform. A communication from Conzett, editor of the Vorbote, was referred to the Committee on Press.

Telegram from the Ohio Staats Zeitung, advised the Congress to adopt the entire “Greenback Platform,” as the only means to save society. [Considerable merriment.]

Section of Detroit requests that the Congress should recognize the Detroit Socialist as the official party organ in the English language. Referred to Committee on Press.

Resolved, To place the correspondence on file.

An invitation of the Socialistic Women’s Society in Newark, to a festival in honor of the delegates, was accepted with thanks.

Resolved, To adopt the Order of Business suggested by the Executive Committee.

Resolved, No delegate shall speak more than three minutes at a time, nor more than twice upon the same subject, except with the permission of the House.

The following is a summary of the various points in the report of the Executive Committee:

The difficulties attending the work of uniting the elements previously discordant and at strife with one another, were explained. When these had become fairly organized, the party press fell into difficulty. The Labor Standard was on the point of suspension in the early part of September, 1876, and continued in the same uncertain condition in spite of many large cash remittances, until May of the succeeding year, when the editor and a faction which he had built up, stopped the paper as a party organ, and reissued it as a paper of their own. They having been assisted in this transaction by the Board of Supervision, the Executive Committee appealed to the Party, and demanded the removal of the Board of Supervision by general vote of the party. This was done by a majority of over three-fourths of the votes cast, and a new Board of Supervision was elected in Newark, New Jersey. In regard to political action, the Constitution was very imperfect, since no provisions were made for the management of campaigns, and the Resolutions of the Unity Congress were discouraging to all political efforts on the part of the laboring people. Therefore much strife had occurred within the party, sections were lost and others continually dissatisfied. The Executive Committee finally decided to permit all political efforts of the sections, which seemed to have good prospects and honorable management, but insisted that all political efforts should be directed toward improvement of the economical condition of the laboring people. The agitation for a National Bureau of Labor Statistics had resulted in good effects upon the membership and the trades unions. The agitation trips of comrades McGuire, Savary, Parsons, Thorsmark and others, were successful in organizing many new sections and instructing the membership in general. The Vorbote, which was one of the German party organs, was still subject to purchase by the party. A large debt was owing to the editor. The Arbeiter Stimme, the party organ in the German language had been scarcely supporting itself since the Unity Congress, and was now seriously in debt. The Executive Committee had proposed the junction of this paper with the Vorbote by which arrangement a profit instead of a deficit would result. The proposition was, however, rejected. In the Fall of ’77, the editor of Arbeiter Stimme gave notice of his intention to leave the city. Temporary arrangements were made whereby the paper should still be issued until another editor could be provided. After some trouble, Comrade A. Jonas consented to assume the editorial management which he had since conducted in an able and satisfactory manner. The events of July and August were productive of much valuable agitation, and the Party had since gained ground very rapidly. The new membership had everywhere taken active part in the political campaigns of last Fall, often with much success, but sometimes only to their ruin. The Constitution was found inadequate to the necessities of the hour, and the Executive Committee now hoped that its defects would be corrected. It was further stated that while the Executive Committee was made the centre of authority and obliged to guide the organization, it had no power to enforce the constitution. In regard to foreign relations, there was little to report. Instead of delegates, the Executive Committee had sent an address to the International Congress at Ghent, Belgium, explaining the condition of the Party in America, and reviewing the history of the Labor Movement since 1860. The last Congress having recommended that the Executive Committee should issue pamphlets explaining the Labor Movement, an able brochure from the pen of Dr. Douai, entitled Better Times, had been published, and was now being circulated. Since the Union Congress of 1876, the following Socialistic newspapers had been started in the interest of our Party:

Workingmen’s Ballot, (Weekly) Boston, Mass.
The Social Democrat, (Daily) Milwaukee, Wis.
Emancipator, (Weekly) Cincinnati and Milwaukee
Star, (Daily) St. Louis.
The Socialist, (Weekly) Detroit.
The Echo, (Weekly) Boston, Mass.
The Times, (Weekly) Indianapolis.
The Labor Standard, (Weekly) New York.

Also the following newspapers in the German language:

Arbeiter Stimme — “Voice of Labor” — (Weekly) New York City.
Arbeiter von Ohio — “Ohio Workingman” — (Weekly) Cincinnati.
Vorwarts — “Forward” — (Weekly) Milwaukee.
Chicago Socialist, (Daily) Chicago, Ill.
Chicago-Volks Zeitung, (Daily) Chicago, Ill.
Die Neue Zeit— “The New Era”— (Weekly) Chicago, Ill.
Arbeiter Zeitung — “Labor Journal” — (Tri-weekly) Chicago, Ill.
Volks Stimme des Westens — “Voice of the Western People”— (Daily) St. Louis.
Die Neue Zeit— “The New Era”— (Daily) Louisville, Ky.
Philadelphia Tageblatt, (Daily) Philadelphia, Pa.
Vorwaerts, (Daily) Newark, N.J.
Ohio Volkszeitung, (Daily) Cincinnati, O.
Freiheitsbanner, (Weekly) Cincinnati, O.

The following papers were in existence previous to the Unity Congress, and are still published in the interest of the movement.

Vorbote— “The Warning”— (Weekly), Chicago.
Milwaukee Socialist; (Daily) Milwaukee, Wis.
Delnicke Listy — “Voice of Labor” — (Weekly), Bohemian, Cleveland.
Social Democrat, now “Arbeiter Stimme” (Weekly) New York.
The Socialist, now “The Labor Standard,” (Weekly) New York.

The Executive Committee suggested improvements in minor details of organization, more especially that instead of a Corresponding Secretary acting as a member of the Executive Committee he should merely be a clerk, who could be hired or discharged at will.

Resolved, To accept the report of the Executive Committee and refer it to the committee to be elected for examination.

The same with the report of the Board of Supervision. Its essential points are as follows:

“The Board of Supervision wrote to the Labor Standard Publishing Association for the purpose of reclaiming the Labor Standard for the Party. We did not, however, receive any answer. Therefore, the Board of Supervision proposes the founding of a new official party organ for the purpose of disseminating our principles among the English speaking workers. There should also be a more lively agitation kept up by sending out traveling orators. In regard to political campaigns the Board of Supervision would recommend a strict adherence to our principles, and to reject all compromises with other political parties. The suspension of McCready by the Boston Section, on account of using fraudulent election ballots, was sustained by the Board of Supervision. We further recommend the organization of trade-unions on socialistic principles and unity with them in forming a solid phalanx against all our enemies.”

Resolved, To proceed to the election of the necessary committees.

Resolved, The Committee on Platform shall consist of nine members; all others only five.

The committees elected were:

Committee on Report of the Executive Committee. — Bartosek, Schaefer, Frey, Christiansen, Rowley.

Committee on Report of Board of Supervision. — The same delegates.

Committee on Platform. — Currlin, Eisman, Kaufman, Gabriel, Wagner, Parsons, Dumuid, Coufal and Schwab.

Committee on Organization. — Luebkert, Schmidt, McGuire, Filley and Trautwein.

Committee on Party Press. — Winter, Burger, Holler, Doeppel and Pfeiffer.

Committee on Complaints and Grievances. — Pollner, Reinhold, Collenburg, Kaeding and Filley.

Committee on Finance. — Meiselbach, Jones, Vogel, Hoffmann and Reinhard.

Resolved, The committees shall commence their work at 8 o’clock. A.M., Dec. 27th. The Committees on Platform and Organization to meet in Turner Hall, and the other committees in Pythias Hall.

Resolved, The next Session shall be held with closed doors.

Adjourned until Thursday, 2 1/2 P.M.

AFTERNOON SESSION, DEC. 27th.

 At 2 1 /2 P.M. the Secretary called the meeting to order, C. Collen- burg was elected Chairman, A. Frey Vice Chairman.

The records of the previous meeting were read and after the necessary corrections, accepted.

The reading of the Roll Call showed the absence of L. Thompson and J. Jones.

A communication from L. Thompson announcing his withdrawal was read and laid on the table.

An invitation from the N.Y. GERMAN SPEAKING SECTION to a festival and ball to be held Dec. 29th in that city was read and thankfully accepted.

Telegram from Louisville, Ky. expressed hope for Unity.

Telegram from Philadelphia urging the Congress to stand by the principles of Socialism. Both received with applause.

Madox requested a copy of the protest read in the meeting Dec. 26th and signed by members of the ENGLISH SPEAKING SECTION of N.Y. The request was refused by formal Resolution.

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES.

The committee on the report of the Executive Committee reported. After the reading of it by J. Schaefer, the Secretary of the Executive Committee objected to several points of the report.

Resolved, That the Executive Committee be and is hereby censured for the manner in which G. Winter was removed from the Editorial Chair of the Arbeiter Stimme.

The claim of Conzett, editor of the Vorbote was contested but the entire matter was referred to the Committee on Finance.

Resolved, to accept the report of the Committee on Executive Committee’s Report as corrected.

The Committee on Complaints and Grievances asked in the matter of C. Savary, that two other delegates be elected to their committee in place of Kaeding and Tilley as these were personally acquainted with Savary. Rowley and Schmidt were elected to fill their places.

Resolved, To adjourn until Friday, Dec. 28th at 8 A.M.

FRIDAY, DEC. 28th.

The meeting was called to order at 8 A.M. The Roll Call showed the absence of J. Schwab, W. Wagner, H. Eismann, E. Doeppel, A.R. Parsons, G. Luebkert, A. Frey, J. Schaefer, F. R. Coufal, E. Dumuid, A. Currlin, J. Jones and Bartosek. C. Collenburg was elected Chairman, P.J. McGuire was elected Vice Chairman.

Records of the previous meeting were read and after the necessary corrections accepted.

Resolved, To excuse the absence of Committee on Platform as they worked on their report up to 3 o’clock in the morning — They made their appearance shortly after. Telegram from the Weaver’s Central Committee in Paterson, New Jersey, expressing sympathy, was received with applause.

A communication was read from a Newark ward organization; owing to the nature of its contents it was referred to the Committee on organization.

The Congress proceeded to the hearing of Committee Reports. Committee on report of the Board of Supervision asked and was granted more time. Reports of the Committees on Platform and Organization were postponed to open session.

Report of the Committee on Party Press. Its essential points were as follows:

The Board of Supervision should enter into negotiation with the Labor Standard Publ. Assoc, for the purpose of regaining the LABOR STANDARD for the Party. If not successful, the committee recommends the publication of a new Party Organ in Boston and, if possible to make the necessary arrangements with the “Workingman’s Ballot” published in that city.

The committee recommended recognition of the “Delnicke Listy” as the official Party Organ in the Bohemian language.

The “Arbeiter Stimme” in New York should be maintained as the Party Organ in the German language.

The regulations for the official Party Press proposed by the committee to be incorporated into the constitution. The report was debated and placed on file. The delegate of the Board of Supervision stated that he had written to the Labor Standard Publ. Assoc. in regard to that paper but had received no answer.

Luebkert insisted upon breaking off all negotiations with that association and demanded the establishment of a new Party Organ in the English language. Great applause.

A motion “that so long as no other official organ exists, the Detroit Socialist shall be recognized as such,” was tabled till the Committee on Organization shall have reported.

Resolved, To adopt the Bohemian paper “Delnicke Listy” as the official Party Organ in that language.

Resolved, The Arbeiter Stimme shall be the only official organ in the German language. Adopted unanimously.

Resolved, New York shall be the place of publication. In the negative voted Currlin, Pollner, Trautwein, Kaeding.

Currlin protested against cutting off debate before all the members had a chance to speak. Adjourned until 1 1/2 P.M.

AFTERNOON SESSION, DEC. 28.

The meeting was called to order at 1 1/2 P.M. Roll Call. Absent Kellet, Kaeding, Dumuid and Bartosek.

Resolved, All correspondences shall be deferred until the following morning, when they shall be read and acted upon.

A communication from C. Savary was laid on the table until the Committee on Complaints and Grievances should have reported.

Resolved, The open sessions of this Congress shall commence on Saturday morning, Dec. 29th, at 8 A.M.

The Committee on report of the Board of Supervision submitted their work.

Resolved, To expel J.C. McCready of Cambridge, Mass., from the Party. The GERMAN SPEAKING SECTION of Milwaukee shall on account of non-payment of dues for over four months, be considered as having expired — this resolution was ordered to be published in the Party Organs.

Committee Report on the report of Board of Supervision was after some corrections adopted.

A delegate from the Soc. Dem. Printing Assoc, of N.Y. with bills and accounts notified the Congress of his presence and the Committee on Finance was instructed to retire and confer with him.

The Committee on Complaints and Grievances reported upon the case of. C. Savary.

A communication from Savary was read and laid on the table. The Secretary of the Committee then read an article which was published by C. Savary in the “Freie Zeitung” of Newark in which he stated that he identified himself with the Republican Party; whereupon the Congress unanimously sustained the action of the GERMAN SECTION of Newark, and resolved to consider said C. Savary as expelled from the party.

The question was asked: What has become of the charges against J.P. McDonnell?

Secretary Van Patten stated that the then existing English speaking Section of New York, had been declared defunct for nonpayment of dues, at the time when the charges against McDonnell were handed in.

A. Currlin, delegate from St. Louis, stated that his section had instructed him to ask that Congress officially censure C. Conzett for having used the columns of the party organ, Vorbote, for personal attacks upon sections and members, thereby injuring the interests of our party.

A. Currlin withdrew his motion as the said Conzett was no longer editor of a party organ.

The question was brought up: “What are the relations of our Party to labor or trade-unions on strikes?”

Resolved, To postpone the question until the Committee on Organization had reported.

The manner in which A. Strasser, President of the Cigarmakers Union ignored a dispatch sent him by the Secretary of the Executive Committee, notifying the Cigarmakers International Union that our Executive Committee had called on all Sections of the Workingmen’s Party to aid the striking cigarmakers, was debated, and it was

Resolved, To sustain the action of the Executive, and to denounce A. Strasser’s action as inexcusable, and as calculated to injure the best interests of working men.

The editor of the Arbeiter Stimme, of New York, having notified the Congress that the New York Staats Zeitung of Dec. 28th, had stated that no one could recognize the members of this Congress as workingmen by their appearance, it was

Resolved, To publish a list of names and trades of delegates in the party organs.

J.C. Pfeiffer proposed that the Congress should adopt the resolutions passed by the recent International Workingmen’s Congress at Ghent. Postponed till the Committee on Platform had reported.

A. Frey proposed the adoption of a resolution compelling every public officer elected by the Socialistic Labor Party to pay into the treasury of the party all moneys paid him as salary over and above the sum of $3,000. Consideration postponed.

Winter proposed immediate decision upon the location of the next Executive Committee. The following were proposed as localities from which one should be chosen as the future seat of the Executive Committee.

Cincinnati, by G. Winter; Philadelphia, by Pfeiffer; Chicago, by A. Gabriel; St. Louis, by Hoffman.

Nominations were closed. Many delegates stated their instructions, although finally, the contest was limited to Cincinnati and Chicago. The vote resulted as follows:

Cincinnati. Winter, Reinhard, Kaeding, Schwab, Reinhold, Holler, Pollner, McGuire, Christiansen, Wagner, Schulz, Eismann, Trautwein, Doeppel, Rowley, Frey, Collenburg, Schaefer, Coufal, Dumuid, Schmidt, Currlin, Jones.

Chicago. Burger, Gabriel, Vogel, Meiselbach, Tilley, Filly and Parsons.

Philadelphia. Pfeiffer.

St Louis. Luebkert, Hoffmann.

SUMMARY.

Cincinnati, 24 votes; Chicago, 7; Philadelphia, 1; St. Louis 2. Total, 34.

Cincinnati was declared the seat of the Executive Committee for the ensuing term.

The location of the future Board of Supervision was then discussed. The following cities were proposed:

Newark, by Filly; Chicago, by Schwab; St. Louis, by Frey; Brooklyn, by Holler.

After close of the nominations the vote was proceeded with, resulting as follows:

Newark. Burger, Schwab, McGuire, Rowley, Pfeiffer, Parsons, Filly, Collenburg, Schaefer, Currlin, Kaufman, Schmidt and Hoffmann.

Chicago. Tilley.

New York. Gabriel, Vogel, Meiselbach, Coufal, Jones, Reinhold.

St Louis. Dumuid, Frey.

Brooklyn. Winter, Reinhard, Kaeding, Holler, Trautwein, Pollner, Christiansen, Schulz, Eismann, Doeppel, Luebkert.

SUMMARY.

Newark, 13 votes; Chicago, 1; St. Louis, 2; Brooklyn, 11; New York, 6.

After withdrawing Chicago, St. Louis and New York from the list, the second vote results in electing Newark with 19 against Brooklyn with 14 votes as the future seat of the Board of Supervision. It was then proposed that five cities should be named, of which, one must be chosen by general vote of the party, as the place of convening of the next Congress. The general vote shall be held four months before the Congress.

The following cities were proposed:

Indianapolis, Ind., by Parsons. New York, Schwab; Allegheny City, Pa., Luebkert; Lawrence, Mass., Rowley; Detroit, Mich., Doeppel; Cleveland, O., Schaefer.

As six localities were proposed, it was resolved to drop that one, which should receive the smallest number of votes. The vote resulted as follows:

Indianapolis, 22 votes; New York, 8; Detroit, 20; Lawrence, 23; Allegheny City, 25; Cleveland, 22.

Showing the five chosen cities to be, Indianapolis, Detroit, Lawrence, Allegheny City, Cleveland.

Currlin proposed that the Congress endorse the lottery enterprise conducted in London for the benefit of the suffering French political convicts in New Caledonia. Adopted.

The Secretary of the Executive Committee asked that a resolution be adopted instructing all sections to appoint agents for the sale of “Better Times,” and also to properly advertise the same by hand-bills. Adopted.

Adjourned until Saturday, December 29th, 8 A.M.

MORNING SESSION.

The Secretary called the meeting to order at 8 1/2 A.M.

Collenburg was elected Chairman; Parsons Vice.

Roll call showed the absence of Coufal and Jones.

The minutes of the previous session were with the necessary corrections, adopted.

The Committee on Platform reported and debate was opened on the future name of the Party. The following names were proposed:

Socialistic Party of the United States, by Rowley.
Socialistic Workingmen’s Party of the U.S., by Currlin.
Workingmen’s Party of the U.S., by Schwab,
Social Democratic Workingmen’s Party of the U.S., by Filly.
Workingmen’s Party, by Tilley

Resolved, To take an informal ballot.

The name of “Socialistic Workingmen’s Party of the U.S.” was upported by Burger, Christiansen, Wagner, Rowley, Reinhold, Pfeiffer, Luebkert, Schmidt, Hoffmann and Currlin.

Workingmen’s Party of the U.S. Kaeding, Schwab, McGuire, Gabriel, Vogel, Meiselbach, Tilley, Eismann, Trautwein, Doeppel, Parsons, Frey, Dumuid and Bartosek.

Social Democratic Workingmen’s Party of the U.S. Winter, Reinhard, Holler, Pollner, Schulz, Filly, Collenburg, Schaefer, Kaufmann.

Workingmen’s Party. No vote.

SUMMARY.

Socialistic Workingmen’s Party of the U.S., 10 votes; Workingmen’s Party of the U.S., 14; Social Democratic Workingmen’s Party of the U.S., 9.

Resolved, To vote finally on the two names which received the highest vote. The result was:

Socialistic Labor (or Workingmen’s) Party of the U.S. Burger, Winter, Reinhard, Reinhold, Holler, Pollner, Christiansen, Wagner, Schulz, Rowley, Pfeiffer, Luebkert, Filly, Schaefer, Currlin, Collenburg, Kaufmann, Hoffmann and Schmidt. 19 votes.

Workingmen’s Party of the U.S. Kaeding, Schwab, McGuire, Gabriel, Vogel, Meiselbach, Tilley, Eisman, Trautwein, Doeppel, Parsons, Frey, Dumuid, Bartosek. 14 votes.

Resolved, To drop the words “United States” and accept the name, “Socialistic Labor Party.”

The Report of the Committee on Platform was taken up and debated. On account of a difference of opinion concerning parliamentary rules, the Chairman resigned and P.J. McGuire was elected in his place.

A lively discussion took place on Sec. 5 of the preamble to the platform. Gabriel speaking in favor of organization of trade-unions, insisted upon a more direct expression of the sentiment of the party, as the phrase “sympathy” was a very cheap one. The report was adopted as read, subject to corrections in phraseology, etc., by the Committee of Revision.

Adjourned until 1 o’clock P.M.

AFTERNOON SESSION, DEC. 29.

Roll call showed the absence of Jones and Coufal.

See. 5 of the preamble to the platform was reconsidered by the following vote.

Affirmative. Burger, Winter, Reinhard, Kaeding, Schwab, Reinhold, Holler, Pollner, Christiansen, Gabriel, Vogel, Meiselbach, Tilley, Eisman, Trautwein, Doeppel, Rowley, Parsons, Pfeiffer, Schmidt, Hoffmann, Currlin and Bartosek. 23.

Negative. McGuire, Wagner, Schulz, Luebkert, Frey, Filly, Collenburg, Schaefer, Kaufmann, Dumuid. 10.

After a lively debate on various points of the platform and introduction, the same was adopted.

The Report of the Committee on Organization was read and debated. The communication from the English Section in Newark, concerning organization for elections; after much debate was deferred until after the report on Committee on Organization should have reported.

Adjourned till 7 1/2, o’clock P.M.

EVENING SESSION, DEC. 29, 7 1/2 P.M.

Roll call showed the absence of Schwab, Pollner, Eismann, Doeppel, Frey, Filly, Schaefer, Kaufmann, Coufal, Dumuid, Schmidt, Jones and Bartosek, all of whom had left to attend the festival in New York City.

A quorum being present the session was opened. The Secretary of the Committee on Organization read his report, and it was opened for debate. Concerning the duties of the National Convention it was proposed that the National Corresponding and Financial Secretaries should be elected by the National Executive Committee. The motion was amended to the effect that they should be elected by the National Convention. This was adopted by a vote of 14 against 8 votes.

On account of the lateness of the hour it was resolved to adjourn until Dec. 30, 1 P.M.

AFTERNOON SESSION, DEC. 30, 1 P.M.

McGuire was elected as Chairman; Pfeiffer, Vice.

Roll call showed the absence of Winter, Holler, Schwab, Eismaim, Frey, Kaufmann, Coufal, Schmidt, Jones and Bartosek.

The minutes of the previous session were adopted as corrected.

Pollner and Currlin were excused from attending the session, as they were engaged in a local mass meeting. Schwab was excused owing to sickness in the family.

It was proposed to reconsider the resolution of previous session providing for the election of the Corresponding and Financial Secretary of the Executive. The motion was lost.

Resolved, This question shall be especially submitted to the Party for a general vote. At 5V2 o’clock, Luebkert and Reinhold were excused, as they were obliged to return to their homes.

At 6 1/2 o’clock adjourned until Dec. 30, 7 1/2 P.M.

EVENING SESSION.

Roll call showed the absence of Jones and Bartosek. Winter, Hollner and Kaufmann were then excused for being absent in the afternoon, because they had missed the only train running between New York and Newark on that day. After lengthy debate over the Report of Committee of Organization, Winter excused himself, as he had been requested to address an assembly in Brooklyn. Schwab was also excused on account of sickness in the family.

Further discussion over the various points of the Constitution proceeded. Nearly every delegate present speaking upon different questions brought up. The report of the Committee on Organization was then adopted as corrected.

Resolved, That the committee which shall have to arrange and publish the records of the Congress, shall attach to the Constitution a set of parliamentary rules to be used in all meetings and conventions of the party. The regulations for the Party Press were read and debated.

Adjourned at 10 P.M. till Monday, Dec. 31, 8 A.M.

MORNING SESSION.

The Secretary called the meeting to order. Collenburg was elected as Chairman; Meiselbach, Vice.

Roll call showed the absence of Rowley, Coufal, Jones and Bartosek.

The minutes of the previous session were read, and with the necessary corrections, adopted. Two communications were read and laid on the table. Debate on regulations of Party Press was opened, and it was resolved to designate the place of publication of the new English Party Organ.

The cities proposed were:

Cincinnati, by Winter; New York, by Schwab; Chicago, by Parsons; Detroit, by Schaefer; Boston, by Wagner.

After discussion upon the merits of the different cities, as places of publication for such a paper, they were voted upon with the following result:

Cincinnati, 10 votes; Detroit, 9; New York, 4; Chicago, 3; Boston, 2 votes.

Resolved, To have a formal ballot on the two cities having the highest number of votes. The following result was obtained:

Cincinnati, 16 votes; Detroit, 13 votes.

Therefore the new English party organ will be published at Cincinnati.

Resolved, That the title of the paper, when adopted, shall be copyrighted.

Resolved, The afternoon session shall be held with closed doors.

Adjourned until 1 1/2 o’clock P.M.

AFTERNOON SESSION, DEC. 31, 1 1/2 P.M.

Roll call showed the absence of Jones, Bartosek, Rowley, Luebkert, Reinhard. The last three had returned home.

Committee on Finance reported inability to make a correct statement of the condition of the Party’s finances, as the necessary papers were in the detained trunk. The report of the Finance Committee was placed on file. New business was then taken up. Parsons asked information of McGuire regarding his connection with the late greenback political movement in New Haven, and a definite statement as to whether certain articles in the New Haven papers were true reports. McGuire declared that they were false, and stated that he was ready to defend himself when a formal charge should be made. Trautwein reported that the Philadelphia German Section had repeatedly sent money for the support of the Labor Standard while it was still a party organ, and claiming part of this to have been a loan, asked that it should be credited to that section. As Trautwein could not prove the acknowledgement of said payments as loans, the matter was laid on the table.

The delegate of the Social Dem. Print. Association was invited to make a statement of the indebtedness of the Party to said Association. He spoke of the difficulties under which the Association had labored, and how many sacrifices they had made to keep up the N.Y. Party Organs. He complained that the party had not fulfilled its obligations, and was still over $600.00 indebted to the Association. He asked that at least the Labor Standard debt of $297.60 be paid.

Resolved, The Executive Committee is instructed to pay off the various debts of the Party in proportional sums to each creditor as fast as possible.

Resolved, That the financial books of the Executive Committee be referred for revision to a committee to be elected by the Chicago Sections.

The following resolutions were introduced and adopted:

Resolved, Every party member is expected to subscribe for and assist at least one of the official party organs.

Resolved, The Executive Committee is instructed to assist in distributing tickets for the London lottery now being prepared for the benefit of the French political exiles in New Caledonia.

Resolved, The sections are recommended to send to future conventions of our party, delegates familiar with the English language.

Resolved, The salary of the Corresponding Secretary of the National Executive Committee, shall be not less than $12 per week. The salary of the Financial Secretary of the Nat. Ex. Com. shall not be more, than $6 per week. The following members were nominated for the office of National Corresponding Secretary of the Executive Committee Luebkert, by Winter; Van Patten, by Schwab; Parsons, by Wagner.

After Parsons withdrew his name the ballot had the following result:

Van Patten, 25 votes; Luebkert, 3 votes,

The election of a National Financial Secretary of the Executive Committee was for the next term referred to the Cincinnati Sections.

Resolved, To elect an editor for the new English Party Organ. Dr. Douai declined on account of not liking to leave his present residence.

Messrs. J. Mcintosh and J.F. Bray were nominated. A vote of 23 for Mcintosh and 5 for J. Bray decided the question.

A Committee of five was elected and instructed to review the records of the Congress. Those serving on this committee to receive a salary of $2 per day. Reinhard, Van Patten, Kaufmann, Meiselbach and Holler were elected Committee on Revision.

Resolved, 1000 copies of the Platform, Constitution and Resolutions shall be printed in the French language.

Resolved, The Congress Reports shall be sold at 10 cents per copy.

Resolved, The corrected records of Congress shall be sealed up and sent to the new Board of Supervision when elected.

Resolved, Secretary Reinhard shall be paid the sum of $5 for his work during Congress.

Resolved; There shall be printed in pamphlet form 5000 copies of Congress Reports in the English language. 5000 copies of Congress Reports in the German language. A delegate of the Bohemian Section of New York, stated that the Bohemian sections would attend to the printing of the Congress Reports in their language.

Resolved, The Committee is instructed to push with all possible energy the publication and circulation of Socialistic pamphlets, circulars, books, etc.

Resolved, The thanks of this body are hereby tendered the publishers of the Vorwaerts, of Newark, to the Newark Sections and to the Committee of Arrangements, for their valuable assistance and courtesy throughout the Congress. After passing the resolutions, the work of Congress was done.

Comrade Parsons, of Chicago, made a short and stirring address full of hope for the future, and gratification at the successful and harmonious completion of the arduous labors of the Congress.

Comrade Gabriel, of Newark, closed the proceedings with a similar expression of sympathy and confidence, thanking the Congress in the name of the working people and the Newark Sections, for the sincere desire for their emancipation and elevation, shown by the delegates there assembled under such adverse circumstances. With intense emotion and enthusiasm the Congress was adjourned, all present singing the passionate, throbbing notes of the Workingmen’s Marseillaise Hymn, the grand music of the new Revolution.

The above is hereby declared a correct record.

Joseph Holler, w. Reinhard, Philip Van Patten, Fred. Meiselbach.

PDF of full book: https://archive.org/download/PlatformConstitutionAndResolutionsAdoptedAtTheNationalCongressOf/nc_1877.pdf