Comrade Marcy greets the revolutionary year of 1919 flush with determination over the new possibilities opened of transforming the world.

‘The Coming Struggle’ by Mary E. Marcy from The Ohio Socialist. No. 49. January 1, 1919.

To my mind the ultimate triumph of Socialism is as inevitable as the coming of the spring. The capitalist financial system is already crumbling. The spirit of revolution is already spreading beyond the boundaries of Russia into Germany Bulgaria, Austria-Hungary Italy and down to Romania and far into Sweden and Finland.

But nowhere is capitalism going to resign without a life and death struggle. Nowhere is Labor going to triumph without standing united against a rapidly uniting and desperate foe.

Nationalism and national governments are rapidly being swallowed up in the new crisis and everywhere the capitalist class, the junker class, are joining themselves in a real alliance against the workers of all countries.

Marx said that the governments of the various countries were merely committees for administering the affairs, protecting the property interests, of the whole capitalist class of these countries. He said that all social institutions reflect the changes that take place in the economic life of a nation and that these institutions foster, and protect the economic owners of society in their private ownership and control.

But capital today has become so absolutely international that the allied governments are unable to demand large indemnities of what was once the central empires for the simple reason that the payment by them of large sums to the allies would utterly ruin their already collapsing financial system and throw Germany and Austria-Hungary into such utter financial chaos a would render these countries utterly incapable of consuming the surplus products of the allied nations, or of sending their own products to other nations, or of buying raw material from any country.

And for this, declare the great French bankers, we need an international banking system, an international central bank; we need a world capital, a great coercive power that shall protect the interests of international capital. And so, in one form or another, but undoubtedly as some great worldwide police force, we shall soon see the great international state evolving. It may take the form of a League of Nations.

Then, comrades, be very sure that wherever small working class revolts raise their heads, the international government, the international capitalist police force will rush to endeavor to crush it out.

Opposed to such power as the world has never seen, the gains made by Socialism in small elections will seem very small and very inadequate. What can even a whole nation in the hands of triumphant labor do against the capitalist world state and world power? To be effective Socialism must become more and more international. We must array the labor Internationale against the capitalist international.

Into the coming conflicts that are going to rock every nation we must throw and dissolve ourselves. We must be ever on the field of battle, sounding the class call of Socialism; teaching the workers that Socialism means shop-control by the workers, real, practical, bread-and-butter industrial democracy!

Socialism is coming but whether it be soon or late depends upon us! The greed of the capitalist class, the collapsing financial system upon which it is built, the enforced rebellion of the workers will be our opportunity. We must organize this rebellious force and we must educate it in the meaning of Socialism.

If we say to the worker striking for higher wages in the face of steadily rising prices that Socialism means voting for the party candidate next year, we will be rightly pushed aside in the midst of real class war.

We must remember that every class conflict is our fight; we must use these struggles to explain the purpose of Industrial Socialism, shop-control by the workers—Socialism.

We must have industrial, shop propaganda and we must jump into every conflict and organize the workers for the only kind of Socialism that will free and save the working class.

As Marx said: “Socialism proposes not the governing of peoples but the administration of industry by the working class.”

On this platform we can gain the working class; on this platform we will soon become invincible!

The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from January, 1917 to November, 1919. It was edited by Alfred Wagenknecht Wagenknecht spent most of 1918 in jail for “violation of the Conscription Act.” The paper grew from a monthly to a semi-monthly and then to a weekly in July, 1918 and eventually a press run of over 20,000. The Ohio Socialist Party’s endorsement of the Left Wing Manifesto led to it suspension at the undemocratic, packed Socialist Party Convention in 1919. As a recognized voice of the Left Wing, the paper carried the odd geographical subheading, “Official Organ of the Socialist Parties of Ohio and Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia and New Mexico” by 1919’s start. In November of that year the paper changed to the “labor organ” of the Communist Labor Party and its offices moved to New York City and its name changed to The Toiler, a precursor to the Daily Worker. There the paper was edited by James P. Cannon for a time.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/ohio-socialist/049-jan-01-1919-ohio-soc.pdf