Buoyed by the 1910 garment workers revolt, the Socialist Women’s Agitation Committee of Cook County describes its work and urges comrades to join in a special women’s edition of the ‘Chicago Socialist.’

‘The Socialist Women’s Committee of Chicago’ by Minnie Levinger from the Chicago Daily Socialist. Vol. 5 No. 102. February 23, 1911.

The Socialist Women’s Agitation Committee represents the Socialist women of Cook county, Illinois. It is composed of women comrades, members of the Socialist party, each representing the ward or district, or several representing one. It is not necessary to be elected a delegate to this committee by your ward. If you are a comrade, member of the Socialist party, you are welcomed and wanted by our committee. Every ward throughout the city, however, should see to it that they have a woman delegate representing them on this committee. It is of great importance that we have at least one, if not several women representing each ward for the reasons which I shall set forth later.

The Socialist Women’s Agitation Committee meets as a central committee and exerts every effort to interest not only outside women by holding regular educational meetings every fourth Saturday of the month at their headquarters, and distributing literature throughout the city, but it takes advantage of every opportunity to aid the Socialist party and press. The committee endeavors to cooperate with the trade unions and all progressive organizations. The S.W.A.C. meets every second Wednesday of the month at 180 Washington street, at 8 p.m.

The women of this committee have done a noble work in the past. It was this committee who during the recent garment workers’ strike issued the two Strike Special Editions of the Chicago Dally Socialist, and with the cooperation of the Socialist Women’s League and strikers, sold them upon the streets realizing $5,000 for the benefit of the strikers.

This splendid annual Woman’s Edition, which you are today reading, is the work of the Socialist Women’s Agitation Committee. The woman’s day meetings, the regular monthly meetings, the summer outdoor suffrage meetings, classes in parliamentary law, furnishing women speakers at the various wards and organization of throughout the city, are only a few of the achievements of our committee. We have a great work before us, and here are a few of the vital issues of the day, which are embodied in our program:

Our Press

The Socialist women realize that thy Socialist press is the greatest weapon of the working class today. Our Chicago Daily Socialist is doing more for the cause than any other paper in the United States, but it needs support. There are many things which it might do and which it has not done for financial reasons only. We cannot afford to see our daily paper placed in danger and repressed in its efforts, and so the Socialist Women’s Agitation Committee, with the co-operation of the Young People’s Socialist League, are devising to hold a monster bazaar for the benefit of the Chicago Dally Socialist.

Organization of Women

In organization there is strength. The women must be organized. The various wards throughout the city hold regular meetings, which up to a very short time ago were practically composed of men comrades. These meetings used to be known only as business meetings, and were held very often in undesirable halls. But that time has passed, for since the appearance of the first woman at each meeting, the meetings have been revolutionized. Today the women meet regularly with the men and the meetings are both educational and social. The only difficulty today is the fact that that there are too few women. And this we intend to remedy. To interest the women we must reach them with our message, and this we intend to do. We have distribution leaflets on Socialism addressed to women and girls of every walk of life, and these should be distributed from house to house throughout the entire city. The wards should secure these leaflets and the women will join the men in their Sunday morning literature campaign. We have but to interest the women, get them to organize and every ward in the city will be transformed into an educational and social center for men, women and children.

And now, comrades, I think you will agree with me that we have a great work before us.

To carry out this program we need the cooperation of every Socialist woman in Chicago. I cannot impress upon you too strongly the need of cooperation of the women members of the Socialist party as well as the men. Perhaps a good many of you did not understand the nature of our committee, but now that you do, do not fail to join us. Remember, every woman dues-paying member of the Socialist party is eligible to this committee. Because you are a new member, unacquainted with the Socialist philosophy, because you are a foreigner, or because you are a stranger, do not let that keep you back: do not hesitate to join us.

In fact, if you are in either position it would be to your advantage to become a member of the Socialist Women’s Agitation Committee.

In our work we meet comrades of every walk of life, the opportunities for an education are many, and the work is both vital and interesting.

Comrades, we need your cooperation, for without it success cannot be attained, and so in setting forth some of the vital issues in our program, we ask each and every one of you to feel deeply the responsibility of carrying out our program, and not only to feel, but to act, to take a part of this responsibility and to become an active, fighting comrade in this struggle for human liberty.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/chicago-daily-socialist/1911/110223-chicagodailysocialist-v05n102.pdf