With seventeen locals and 747 dues-paying members, the Pennsylvania Young Peoples Socialist League meets for its second conference in Reading.

‘Second Annual Pennsylvania Y.P.S.L. State Convention’ from Young Socialists’ Magazine. Vol. 10 No. 6. June, 1916.

The success of the convention was due in a great measure to the splendid spirit of co-operation that manifested itself on every hand. The Socialist Party of Reading donated the use of the Labor Lyceum and the Woman’s Educational League prepared an elaborate menu for the banquet that followed the four busy sessions of the convention.

The Reading comrades extended a hearty welcome to the visiting delegates through their spokesman, Claire Spohn, which was responded to in a neat little speech by Theodore Swartz, in which he outlined the work for which the convention was met.

The convention promptly elected the committees to prepare a constitution, and reports and plans strengthening the organization, and a resolution committee was also chosen. The State Secretary’s report showed that the state organization consisted of 17 Circles. Two Circles disbanded and six new ones organized during the year. The total membership of the organization is 747 in good standing. The reports of the officers showed that the Pennsylvania “Yipsels” are alive to their responsibilities and that they were willing to co-operate with the Socialist party to the fullest extent was shown when they made arrangements to confer with the State Executive Committee of the Socialist Party. Comrade Ringler, State Secretary of the Socialist Party and a fraternal delegate to the convention, immediately arranged for the meeting.

The outcome of that meeting was that the party will give the league their active co-operation, and that speakers routed from the state office will be given instructions to bring before audiences for which they speak, the necessity and the advisability of organizing Young People’s Socialist Leagues. The matter of publicity was also discussed and the director of publicity, a new department provided by the new constitution, was instructed to furnish Socialist and labor papers with news and propaganda matter regularly.

The revenue derived from the sale of dues stamps was not considered sufficient to carry on the work and pay the convention expenses, so the new constitution provides that the price of due stamps shall be 5 cents to the leagues, and that one-third of all the money derived from the sale of stamps shall be used to defray convention expenses.

The next convention will be held at Pittsburgh in 1918, unless the referendum decides otherwise, but the provision for biennial conventions seems to be a move in the right direction, since the resources of the organization are not large enough to stand the strain of yearly conventions.

The reports of officers and committees, and particularly the report of the Ways and Means Committee will be compiled and published in booklet form. The suggestions contained in these reports were considered to be of so much value to the Circles and to individual members of the Y.P.S.L. that the convention elected a committee to compile these reports and to issue a manual, the cost of the booklets to be just enough to cover the cost of publication. It was pointed out that a great need of our movement was some sort of a text-book to instruct comrades in various phases of our work.

The following officers were elected to serve until the next convention: State Secretary, Theodore Swartz, McKeesport; Financial Secretary-Treasurer, Irvin F. Weber, Reading: Organizer, Joseph A. Ploeger, Pittsburgh; Educational Director, Nathan Marks, Philadelphia; Director of Entertainment, A. Levinson, Philadelphia; Director of Publicity, Charles Coover, York; Ways and Means Director, H. Shneiwiss, Philadelphia. The following were elected as the Grievance Committee: A. Levinson, H. Birtwhistle, Nathan Marks, Harry Perelman, and Theodore Hamberg.

Irvin F. Weber was chosen as the fraternal delegate to the New Jersey State Convention, which will convene May 14, at Elizabeth, N.J.

Harry Perelman of Philadelphia was chosen as the Convention Secretary.

William F. Kruse was present at the last two sessions of the convention and was seated as a fraternal delegate. He delivered an inspiring address at Red Man’s Hall. His lecture, “The Fighting Chance” was well received.

Milton D. Neuman, State Organizer of New Jersey Y.P.S.L., and Chas. F. Sands, of Reading, were fraternal delegates.

Born to Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Fred Weber of Reading a daughter on May 3rd. Mother and child are reported as doing fine.

PENNSYLVANIA Y.P.S.L.

A new circle of the Y.P.S.L. has been organized at Scranton, Pa., with seven members, and at the next meeting it is expected that they will double their membership, as each comrade knew of one more that would join the organization. They have planned to take part in the May Party held under the auspices of the Party, which will be held in one of Scranton’s parks. The Yipsels and the children’s clubs will enjoy an automobile ride to and from the park.

York Circle

A new circle organized with 40 charter members and doing work like a bunch of well-seasoned veterans. A dance and musicale was given last week and a debate has been arranged for this week.

Philadelphia

A novel membership campaign is being carried on by the Philly Yipsels. The Central Committee asked each circle to select a number, and the number selected by the circle means that the circle will make a special campaign to secure that many new members in a given time. Circle No. 6 was not a bit backward, and they selected number 100. We wish them success, and if they accomplish their aim we think that the Central Committee should banquet them.

A new plan for encouraging comrades to speak before audiences is being tried out by Circles 1 and 2. The educational director of each circle has prepared a list of subjects, and each comrade is allowed to select the subject that suits him best, and they are given two weeks to prepare a short 10-minute talk, which will be delivered at an educational meeting.

Twenty-two new comrades have joined the circle during the month of April.

Young Socialist’s Magazine was the journal of the original Young People’s Socialist League and grew of of the Socialist Sunday School Movement, with its audience being children rather than the ‘young adults’ of later Socialist youth groups. Beginning in 1908 as The Little Socialist Magazine. In 1911 it changed to The Young Socialists’ Magazine and its audience skewed older. By the time of the entry into World War One, the Y.P.S.L.’s, then led by future Communists like Oliver Carlson and Martin Abern, had a strong Left Wing, creating a fractious internal life and infrequent publication, ceasing entirely in 1920.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/youngsocialist/v10n06-jun-1916_Young%20Socialists.pdf