Weekly column of ‘The Worker’ on activity of the Socialist Party in New York City as it signs in 65 new members, prepares for Commune celebrations, raises money for Russia and Bill Haywood, plans lectures, reorganizes its A.D.s (‘Agitation Districts’ which generally followed the city’s Assembly Districts), among much else.

‘Weekly Party News’ from The Worker (New York). Vol. 16 No. 48. March 2, 1907.

All arrangements for the Commune Celebration of Local New York are Low complete. In addition to the great number of talent already announced, the Executive Committee has secured the co-operation of the Finnish Socialist Mixed Chorus for a few revolutionary songs and the services of the Dramatic Section of the Labor Temple for living tableaux representing Rouget de L’Isle singing for the first time “The Marseillaise”. This is the first time in many years that Local New York has decided to celebrate the Commune, and it is a foregone conclusion that if this celebration is a success the local will celebrate the Commune in a similar way, probably in a larger hall, every year. Tickets have been sent to all the party organizations in the city and the comrades are requested to begin hustling and dispose of them, so that a large attendance may be assured.

At the meeting of the General Committee held Saturday, Feb. 23, 65 applications for membership were accepted. The Auditing Committee reported the books of the local in excellent shape; balance on hand at the end of the year, $495.97. Comrade Solomon reported fully for the State Committee and Comrade Oppenheimer for the Moyer-Haywood Conference. Miss P. Newman, S. Goldbarth and Hillberger were elected delegates to the Moyer-Haywood. Conference, to succeed Comrades Lewis, Phillips, and Chase, who have been unable to attend meetings regularly. The remaining time of the session was spent upon the by-laws and the work of the consideration will probably be completed at the next meeting.

The City Executive Committee met Monday, Feb. 25, G.B. Staring in the chair. The request of the Russian Branch, at present a part of the 4th A.D., for permission to connect themselves with the 6th A.D. was granted, provided the 6th has no objection. Twenty applications for membership were passed upon. The First Agitation District was not represented; the Second made no report: the West Side and Yorkville Districts reported no meeting: the Harlem reported only the transaction of routine business; the Bronx reported good attendance at lectures held in Williamsbridge, and in lower part of the Bronx. The Organizer reported that a primary and convention were held in the 15th A.D. Feb. 23, and H.E. Ackerly was nominated as candidate for Assembly; that he was prepared to send out monthly blanks to Secretaries of Districts, on which returns are to be made of the membership, good standing and in arrears, stamp and literature account. business and agitation meeting, etc… and hopes to secure these returns promptly so that the Organization Committee may have some material to work on; that a quantity of notices were to be sent to Districts for members in arrears, so that a special effort may be made to bring up the good standing membership of the District The Committee on Organization reported on the condition of the organization of the First Agitation Committee, which disclosed the fact that this Agitation Committee is practically run by two members from the 8th A.D., the rest of the delegates being from outside organizations. On the occasion of their visit to the committee one delegate from the 4th A.D. was present, which was an unusual occurrence. Considerable discussion ensued as to the best way to create a good working organization In the First Agitation District, lack of which is greatly lessening its usefulness, and a motion was finally passed that all Agitation Committees should be requested to report the attendance of delegates, by Districts, to the City Executive Committee.

The Rand Debating Club in addition to its regular meeting on Sunday, March 3, at 5 p.m., will hold a special meeting at 7 p.m. to devise ways and means of holding out-door Moyer-Haywood protest meetings, beginning date of trial.

The Harlem districts of Local New York will hold their general meeting at the headquarters of the Harlem Agitation Committee, 250 West 125th street., Tuesday, March 5., 8 p.m. All members should attend. Members of other districts will be welcome.

The meetings of the 14th A.D. will henceforth be held as formerly on the first and third Thursdays of the month at 241 E. Forty-second street.

The 6th A.D. will hold its regular meeting on Friday, March 1, at the club, 255 E. Fourth street, at 8 p.m.

The 17th A.D. will hold its regular meeting, Thursday, Feb. 28. 8 p.m. at 827 Columbus avenue, stationery store.

The West Side Agitation Committee will give a festival and entertainment on Sunday, March 10. Arrangements will be made at a meeting at Headquarters, 585 Eighth avenue, Thursday, March 7, at 8 p.m. Members are urged to be present. Donations for prizes can be sent to Comrade Spindler at Headquarters, or at 255 West Twenty-seventh street.

KINGS COUNTY.

Local Kings County met Feb. 23, J.C. Lipes presiding. Delegates from the 20th A.D. were seated. In reply to letter from the manager of The Worker, the Organizer was instructed to send addresses to the sub-divisions for the purpose of securing renewals of subscriptions. Upon request of the Organizer he was given power to call meetings of the Executive Committee whenever he deemed advisable. Organizer reported the new monthly leaflet ready for distribution. He also read the proposed amendment to the by-laws for raising the dues. Reports of delegates to the State Committee and Moyer-Haywood Cooperative Publishing Association requested all members of the association to sign for the renewal of the charter with Julius Gerber. Delegates from the 18th A.D. reported that after a long discussion the district had declared in favor of electing a committee as requested by the S.L.P. to discuss the question of unity; also that the district put in a library of valuable books. The 11th A.D. reported having nominated J.B. Clayton for Assembly in the special election. Twelve new members were admitted to the Local. It was decided to advance $40 for the 40 copies of Marx’s “Capital” ordered by Comrade Schaefer. Resolutions of sympathy on the death of Comrade Pentecost were adopted. The salary of the Organizer was increased to $10 a month. The County Committee was instructed to arrange a public debate on Socialism. Income reported, $41: expenditures, 50 cents.

The regular monthly agitation meeting of the 22nd A.D., which is usually held on the fourth Friday of each month, was postponed for one week on account of Washington’s Birthday, and will take place on Friday, March 1, at Wohlrab’s Hall, 675 Glenmore avenue. James Oneal will speak.

All members of the various lecture committees of Brooklyn are requested to attend a Joint meeting at the party headquarters, Brooklyn Labor Lyceum, on Tuesday evening, Mar. 5 Arrangements for a debate are in the hands of the lecture committee.

AMERICAN AID FOR RUSSIAN REVOLUTION.

Secretary Rubinow and Treasurer Romm of the Russian Social Democratic Society of New York acknowledge receipt of the following contributions for the Russian revolution:

Travenyndistgs. Ironwood, Mich., $14.30: Wenäfen Soc. Dem. Työ. pnolluelle seka, per I. Westir, Nashwood, Minn., $5: Eureka Local S.P.. per R. Ulbricht, Eureka, Cal., $5: Bohemian Bakers Union, Local 22, $5: German Machinists’ Union, per B. Ormer, Phila. Pa., $25; W.S. & D.B., Br.. 138, Relmont, N.Y., per G. Kaiser, $10: do., Br. 102, San Francisco, Cal, per H. Warnecke, $25; Local Lead, S.P., per C.A. Wyeth, Lead, So. Dak.. $2: Local Myrtle. S.P.. per J.U. Lionberger, Myrtle, Mo.. 50c.: previously acknowledged, $12, 665.19: total, $13,750.00.

Contributions should be sent and checks or orders made payable to Dr. Maxim Romm. Treasurer. 306 E. Fifteenth street, New York City.

PRODUCE PLAY TO HELP DEFENSE FUND.

The production of “The Lost Paradise” by the Morris-Shaw Dramatic Society at the Brooklyn Labor Lyceum on Wednesday, Mar. 6, will be in aid of the Moyer-Haywood Defense Fund. The play will be given a high-class production. Leighton Baker, who has had some twenty years practical stage experience, has been of great help in staging the play.

The cast is as follows: Andrew Knowlton, George I. Giefer: Reuben Warner. George A. Shea; Ralph Standish. William A. Schmidt: Bob Appleton. A. Dabler: Mr. Fletcher. Edward Dawson; Schwarz, F.J. Egan: Joe Barrett. Edward Dawson: Old Bensel, Llewellyn Lewis: Billy Hopkins, Geo. J. Lewis: Mrs. Knowlton, Ruth Weettergreen; Margaret Knowlton. Eliza- beth I. Durrant: Polly Fletcher. Mildred Williams: Julia. Adelaide Schetik: Nell. Myrtle J. Schenk: “Cluders”. Elizabeth Schaefer: Kate, Adelaide Schenk. After the play there will be dancing. Music furnished by Schaefer’s Orchestra. Tickets, 25 cents: reserved seats, 35 cents. Doors open at 7 p.m.

LECTURE CALENDAR.

New York City.

FRIDAY MARCH 1.

LIBERAL ART SOCIETY, 206 D. Broadway J. Milton Gottesman. “The Bankruptcy of Marriage”. 8 p.m.

MANHATTAN LIBERAL CLUB, German Masonic Temple, 220 E. Fifteenth St. Capt. W.E.P. French, U.S.A. “Army Socialism”. 8 p.m.

SUNDAY, MARCH 3.

BRONX AGITATION DISTRICT. Metropolis Hall, corner One Hundred and Forty-second St. and Third Ave. Dr. E.P. Robinson. Who Are Fit to Survive 8 p.m.

PEOPLE’S FORUM. Flood’s Hall, Keating’s Block, White Plains Ave. and Two Hundred and Twenty-sixth St. Miss Anna Maley. “Social Justice”. 3 p.m.

YORKVILLE AGITATION COMMITTEE. Labor Temple. 43 E. Eighty-fourth St. Miss Frances M. Gill. A Criticism of Mallock’s Economics, 2 p.m.

WEST SIDE HEADQUARTERS, 585 Eighth Ave. Charles Vanderporton. 8 p.m.

26TH A.D., 1533 Madison Ave. Morris Hillquit. “The Machine as a Revolutionist”.

RAND SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE, 112 E. Nineteenth St. Prof. Charles Beard. The Workshops Experiment in France (1848) 11 a.m.

NEW YORK SOCIALIST LITERARY SOCIETY, 237 E Broadway. Ferdinand. “How the Socialists of Belgium Manage Their Affairs.” 8 p.m.

LYRIC CONGREGATION. Sixth Ave. near Forty-second St. John Russel Coryell. The Family versus the Home”. 11 a.m.

Brooklyn.

SATURDAY, MARCH 2.

SOCIALIST EDUCATIONAL CLUB. Ortner’s Hall, 574 Broadway, corner Lorimer St. R.C. Mason. “The Gospel of Nature”. 8 p.m.

SUNDAY, MARCH 3.

SILVER HALL FORUM. 315 Washington St. Barnet Wolf. “The Wastefulness of the Present Industrial Order”. 8 p.m.

HARTS HALL FORUM. Gates Ave. and Broadway. Rev. Warren H. Wilson, “The Faith of the Carpenter and the Tent Maker”. 8 p.m.

The Worker, and its predecessor The People, emerged from the 1899 split in the Socialist Labor Party of America led by Henry Slobodin and Morris Hillquit, who published their own edition of the SLP’s paper in Springfield, Massachusetts. Their ‘The People’ had the same banner, format, and numbering as their rival De Leon’s. The new group emerged as the Social Democratic Party and with a Chicago group of the same name these two Social Democratic Parties would become the Socialist Party of America at a 1901 conference. That same year the paper’s name was changed from The People to The Worker with publishing moved to New York City. The Worker continued as a weekly until December 1908 when it was folded into the socialist daily, The New York Call.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/the-people-the-worker/070302-worker-v16n48.pdf