Two Washington State Socialist locals are expelled for supporting the candidates of capitalist parties.

‘Locals Bellingham North and Gig Harbor Expelled for Party Treason’ from The Commonwealth (Everett). No. 109. January 31, 1913.

State Committee Vote in Majority of 92 to 10 to Revoke Charters, and to Make Clear That Party Treason Will Not Be Tolerated. Bellingham to Start New Local.

The state committee has just voted by a majority of 92 to 11 to expel locals Bellingham North and Gig Harbor, for party treason. Next week we will print the defense of Bellingham North. We will print it that all may see the mistakes made by the expelled local. We invite an analysis of the Bellingham defense and will print it for its educational value.

We give the following extracts from the statement of facts sent the state committee by the state office:

“Local Rosedale preferred charges against Alice Yarnell in local Gig Harbor. Rosedale local charged her with party treason in that she advised members of the Sawawa club to vote for capitalist candidates. Local Gig Harbor, where Alice Yarnell holds membership refused to try her and wrote the state office that the matter was too trivial to command their attention. Local Rosedale then sent to state office their evidence in the case. This evidence consisted of a sample ballot upon which Alice Yarnell advised in writing above her own signature to vote for capitalist party candidates, advising others to vote for Robert Hodge instead of Anna A. Maley for governor. Upon this evidence and because local Gig Harbor refused to try Alice Yarnell upon the charges preferred by local Rosedale, the state executive committee suspended local Gig Harbor at its last meeting. We wish also to mention that local Gig Harbor only paid for 45 dues stamps in 1912, less than an average of five per month.

The other violation of our party laws occurred in local Bellingham North. After regularly trying E. Lux upon charges of party treason in that he voted for and advised others to vote for capitalist party candidates, and finding him guilty as charged, local Bellingham North decided by a vote of 15 to 14 (the chairman casting  the deciding vote) not to expel E. Lux for the offense committed. Because, the local refused to expel E. Lux after he was proven guilty, members of the local who voted to expel him complained to the state office. The local was written to for the minutes of the trial and for the evidence in the case. Upon receipt of this it was seen that E. Lux himself admitted that he voted for and advised others to vote for capitalist party candidates. Upon this evidence the state executive committee at its last meeting suspended local Bellingham North.

To suspend a local is not a pleasant duty for the state executive committee and we know that to revoke a charter is just as unpleasant for the state committee. Yet our party constitution imposes those duties upon us. By an overwhelming majority, the national membership by referendum vote passed Article 10, Section 3 of our national constitution, and if we are to remain an integral part of the national party, this section must be obeyed. By an overwhelming vote, the state membership by referendum vote passed Sections 14, and 63 of our state constitution, and if we are to remain loyal to our organization we must obey these sections. So both the state and national constitutions provide that members must be expelled for party treason, and locals refusing to do so, or refusing to try a member so charged, must have their charters revoked. Though the duty may be unpleasant, it is a duty laid down for us by the state and national membership, and if we are to remain loyal to our party law as expressed by majority vote, it is a duty we must perform. The party membership must be obeyed. The laws the party membership decides upon, must be obeyed by every individual member as well as by the party servants, the state officers.

The Commonwealth was a Socialist Party-aligned paper based in Everett, Washington that began in February, 1911. First edited by O.L. Anderson, the weekly paper was quickly involved in the state’s very fractious inner Socialist Party life. Editors followed the changing political fortunes with Anna A. Maley directing The Commonwealth from September, 1911 until May, 1912, who also focused the paper nationally. Maley left the paper to run for governor in 1912, the first woman and first Socialist in the state to run for that office, winning a respectable 12% of the vote. Six more editors followed Maley, including Maynard Shipley. The paper’s orientation was left and supported the I.W.W. when many S.P. papers were denouncing them. The Commonwealth struggled, like nearly all left publications in history, with money financially and sold to the Socialist Party of Snohomish County in April, 1914 to be reborn as The Washington Socialist.

Access to PDF of original issue: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84025731/1913-01-31/ed-1/seq-1/