An early look at Socialism in Connecticut as the S.L.P.’s State Secretary reports on building the organization and delivering the Good News.

‘Socialism in Connecticut’ by F. Serrer from Lincoln Socialist-Labor. Vol. 1 No. 7. June 8, 1895.

ANNUAL REPORT OF SECRETARY SERRER OF THE STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE.

Our Noble Cause Is Making Splendid Progress.

To the Socialists of Connecticut. Comrades:

A year of hard work has passed since our last meeting. Most of us, like the rest of the workingmen, have struggled very hard for a bare existence. Sickness, enforced, idleness, reductions in wages have pressed on us. What show do we stand for the near future? Whilst this system continues which robs the toiler of the larger share of his product, whilst every new machine which our brains and muscles build tends to multiply the number of the unemployed, no better times can be expected.

The two old parties which have alternately governed the country will never bring any relief to us. Their representatives are true and faithful to the capitalist class.

They are By No Means Traitors to the Class They Represent.

We need not blame them for our poor condition. If there is anything to be done, we ourselves must do it. It is by the votes of our fellow workmen that the political agents of those who live idly upon them are kept in power, and even among the organized workers there are many, we are sorry to say, who still vote the old party tickets, although nearly every strike in which organized labor was engaged during the last two years was lost. In this State there are about 150,000 wage workers, most of them working in factories. During the last two years their income has, on an average, been reduced fully 30 per cent, while

Fifteen Per Cent of Their Number Were Thrown on the Street;

no work for them.

At present there is a slight improvement in business, but reductions in wages continue. The concentration of wealth is progressing with accelerating speed, while on the other side the army of the poor is ever growing. Now the question arises: Will this continue forever? We Socialists know that it will not; we know for certain that the end is near. We are few in number. but the material, the will and all the conditions which guarantee the final triumph of Socialism are at hand.

If we look at Europe, we see in every country the workingmen uniting under the banner of the Socialist Labor party. Hundreds of Socialists are thrown into prison or otherwise persecuted; but with what result?

The Army of Socialism Is Ever and Everywhere Growing:

in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Holland, Spain, Italy, Switzerland. Progress upon progress. In little Belgium the workmen not only secured for themselves universal suffrage, but also elected a good number of delegates to Parliament. The French Socialists are today a power. In Austria our comrades carry on a gallant fight for universal suffrage. In Germany the aristocracy of birth and the aristocracy of money have, in their desperation at the gigantic strides of Socialism, forgotten their traditional enmities, and united to resist the advancing tide. Their last attempt to build a dam was a total failure. In Austria the workmen have formed a labor party, and are rapidly. drifting into Socialism.

Here In America, During the Last Year, Great Changes Took Place.

Two men once prominent in the labor movement, and who for years had fought Socialism–Powderly and Gompers–have fallen. A number of trades organizations have lately indorsed the Socialist platform, and more are to follow.

Three or four years ago very few Socialists of other nationality than the German could be found here. For a long time. a very few men, born in Germany and unable to speak the English language, were the standard-bearers of Socialism in this country. Despite insults and ridicule, they held fast to their purpose. Today they are well rewarded.

The time is past when the American workman of average intelligence would laugh at Socialistic ideas. He begins to realize the true state of affairs. It is he who now swells the ranks of the S.L.P.

Our American Comrades Are Sick and Tired Today of Being at the Tail End

of the great international labor movement. Their aim is to be in the lead, and we bid them welcome. There is hardly today one organization in which would not find advocates of Socialism. With this encouragement we have worked this year. Wherever an opportunity was offered we tried to organize. For that purpose we visited, the following places: Stamford. South Norwalk, Ansonia. Branford, New London, Wallingford, Middletown and New Britain. Sections were organized in New Britain, Middletown and Branford. Party members we have in New London, Uncasville, “Woodmond, Milford. Stamford, Naugatuck and Thompsonville. A year ago we had sections and party members in only eight towns: today we are represented in seventeen towns.

Agitation.

Last summer the Arbeiter Mannerchor of New Haven went for the purpose of amusement and agitation to Ansonia Comrades J. Turkey and P. Zimmermann delivered speeches there. On Labor Day nine comrades from New Haven visited Branford, Wallingford, Ansonia, Derby, Seymour, and South Norwalk for agitation purposes.

Literature.

The Hall Committee distributed large quantities of literature throughout the State. About twenty copies of the “People” are every week mailed to different addresses, and we have some very good results to show.

We distributed in all 400000 English and  10,000 German campaign leaflets; 6,000 English, 1,000, German and 500 Italian platforms: 500 posters, 200 Labor Day “Peoples, and 4,000 other leaflets.

Mass Meetings.

In 1892 ten mass meetings in seven different towns were arranged. Last year over forty public meetings were arranged in the following seventeen towns: Stamford, South Norwalk, Bridgeport, West Haven, New Haven, Fair Haven, Branford, Wallingford, Middletown, Meriden, Hartford, Rockville, New Britain, Waterbury, Danbury, Naugatuck and Ansonia. As speakers we had In the State Mrs. Martha Moore Avery, Miss Konikoff, L. Sanial, A. Jonas, A. Cahan, C. Casson, B. Felgenbaum, H. Carless, Charles Matchett, D. De Leon, B. Taylor, S. Taylor, F.O. Pilgrim, J. Tuckey, P. Zimmermann.

Press.

Our English party organ, the “People.” Is gaining in every way; “Labor” is circulated as a local organ in three cities: “Vorwaerts” is doing well in its new form. The two German publications, “Der Sozial Democrat” and “Der Wahre Jacob,” are also gaining. but the greatest success has been achieved by the Hebrew press.

State Election.

When, in 1892, the Homestead strike aroused the working people of this country, we all expected that a fair vote would be cast for our party, and that a greater number of the toilers would thus manifest their dissatisfaction with the present system. But in this we were mistaken. The few meetings held were poorly attended. About a year later the workmen were alarmed by a panic, which threw many into enforced idleness and compelled them to deny themselves and their own the chief necessities of life.

General Dissatisfaction With State of Affairs Was Loudly Expressed.

Our old comrades began the work with renewed effort. Many new and young comrades joined our ranks under the red banner of the proletariat. New life and unusual enthusiasm were infused into our movement. Our meetings were all very well attended. The election brought us officially 859 votes, but we surely obtained 1,100, as in many districts our vote was not counted. Section Bridgeport received the indorsement and support of the Workmen’s Club for our ticket. The following tables explain themselves:

In Middletown our votes were counted, but not officially credited to us. In some places our ballot was thrown out because we had no candidates for all the offices to be voted for. From the above figures: it may be seen that the Socialist Labor party had the highest percentage of increase.

A word now on our State constitution. There is hardly a State that has such a poor constitution as that of Connecticut.

Our Legislature, Now in Session, Did Not Find It Worth Mending.

Twelve thousand and five hundred out of 155,000 voters elected 127 out of 252 Representatives. The same evil exists nearly to the same extent in the Senatorial election. One-third of the voters elected one-eighth of our Senators. It is evident that, there is no fair representation of the working people possible under such conditions. Corporations find it an easy thing to elect their men, who never fail to give them satisfaction. As an illustration, we may mention New Haven and Waterbury, which, with 12,700 votes, elected four Representatives only. The census of 1890 shows a decrease of population in the rural districts, while the larger cities have increased in numbers.

The necessity of greater activity on the part of our party members becomes more evident day by day. The eagerness of vast numbers of people to learn something about Socialism brings home to us the fact that we must not content ourselves. with distributing the “People” and pamphlets wherever we deem it advisable, but that we should acquire a more thorough knowledge of their contents, so that we may be able to victoriously meet in debate any opponent.

Comrades and friends! Thousands of hands are busy today decorating graves of those who have fought against foreign tyranny, and those who have fought for the abolition of chattel slavery, one of the most cursed institutions ever in existence. We honor them. But let us also honor all those who have during the centuries fought against all injustice, all sorts of tyranny. and those who have fought wage slavery, another still more cursed system.

They are bedded all over the world, in the ice fields of Siberia as well as in sunny Italy. And in memory of our dead heroes and those who are buried alive in the fields of Siberia, in the mines of the Ural or in the dungeons of so-called civilized Europe.

We pledge our honor that we will stand in union, shoulder to shoulder, until the last form of slavery will be abolished. Yours in the cause,

F. SERRER, Secretary.

The Lincoln Socialist-Labor was published in St. Louis, Missouri by the Socialist Newspaper Union of that city’s Socialist Labor Party beginning in 1895. The editor of the weekly was Philip Kaufman. While the paper claims to be from Lincoln, Nebraska it was in reality the paper of the St. Louis SLP. Four of its eight pages were given over to the printers in exchange for cheaper rates, so only four of the pages were edited and produced by the SLP. However, these were locally produced and do not contain some of the idiosyncrasies of De Leon’s editing. The paper was known for its front illustrations and ceased publishing after about 18 months.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/lincoln-socialist-labor/950803-lincolnsocialistlabor-w15.pdf