The platform on which the large and well-organized (if terribly disunited) Washington State Socialist Party contested the 1912 elections, doing very well in a year with a strong third party run from Theodore Roosevelt, winning around 10-15%, while making a point to run women for state-wide office. Debs would win 12.5% in Washington that year; more than twice his national average.
‘Platform of the Socialist Party of Washington’ from Commonwealth. No. 92. October 4, 1912.
PLATFORM
The Socialist Party of Washington, in convention assembled, reaffirms its unfaltering loyalty to the principles of international socialism, and the socialist party of the United States and presents the following as its platform:
In the struggle for freedom the interests of all modern workers are identical. The struggle is not only national, but international. It embraces the world, and will be carried to ultimate victory through intelligent class-conscious political and industrial action.
Human labor creates machinery and applies it to the land to produce things necessary for human life. Whosoever has control of land and machinery controls human labor, and with it human life and liberty.
The working class owns nothing but its labor power, and sells this for wages to the capitalist class.
This labor power applied to modern means of production and distribution, produces at least four times as much value as the working class receives in wages.
The capitalist class, unable to find a market either in this or foreign countries for the surplus product, are now closing the mines, mills and factories.
This, together with the constant invention of labor-saving machinery, throws men, women and children of the working class out of employment, causing untold misery and distress.
The lack and uncertainty of employment produces extreme poverty, which in its turn produces crime, insanity, prostitution of body and brain, suicides, drunkenness, disease and degradation. The insecurity of a livelihood and consequent degenerating results are therefore directly due to the private ownership and control by the capitalist class of mine, mill, factory and land.
The remedy lies in the social ownership of these means of production and distribution, thereby giving all an equal opportunity to live and enjoy the product of their labor.
Humanity lives amid constant change. Laws, institutions and customs, once useful and popular, becomes oppressive, abusive, intolerable and dangerous to further progress of the race. It is at such a time that the race must find a new method, inaugurate a new system more in harmony with its needs. If any nation or community cannot change for the better it is because it is either too ignorant or too terrorized by the ruling class. Tyranny rules from the top down, social democracy from the bottom up.
The socialist party is the only political party which stands for the overthrow of the present capitalist system of exploitation and the substitution of the social ownership of the source of food, clothing, shelter and other necessities.
Our Ultimate Demand.
Our ultimate demand is the social ownership and democratic management of all the socially used means of production and distribution.
Program.
As measures calculated to strengthen the working class in its fight for the realization of its ultimate aim, and increase its power of resistance against capitalist oppression; we advocate and pledge ourselves to the following program:
1. Collective ownership and management of all public utilities, and all industries that have become monopolized.
2. Abolition of private ownership of land and natural resources when used for exploitation and speculation.
3. Public employment of the unemployed at not less than prevailing union scale of wages and not more than eight hours per day.
4. We demand the enactment of a maximum eight-hour law to apply to both men and women, employed in all capitalized industries.
5. We advocate initiative, referendum and recall to apply to all public officials, the petition not to exceed 10 percent of the voters at the previous election.
6. Abolition of child labor under the age of 16 years.
7. The elimination of the injunction in labor disputes.
8. Abolition of all residential qualification or other restrictions for voters. The abolition of all filing fees at primaries and other elections and repeal of all non-partisan laws. Abolition of property qualifications for jurors. We favor the election of a public defender as well as prosecutor together with the adoption of other means to insure the free administration of justice.
9. We favor a constitutional amendment abolishing the senate and we also demand that all cities be prohibited from enacting ordinances infringing on the right of free speech and free press.
10. We favor the establishment of a state board of health with full power for the inspection and condemnation of all unsanitary factories, tenements, etc., and the liberal appropriation for the use of the latest scientific methods of eliminating disease.
11. We demand the free use of all public buildings and property for public meetings, including court houses, school houses, parks, etc., without discrimination, and we demand a liberal appropriation for promotion of social centers.
Resolutions.
Resolved, That we, the socialist party in convention assembled, do hereby recall to the minds of the working class all the arbitrary, cruel and inhuman methods used by the capitalist class in this class war, including the use of police power to suppress the freedom of speech, press and public assembly, as recently evidenced in several cities of this state, and as this abuse can only continue as long as we, the working class, remain divided, we here and now, urge the members of our class to devote their efforts toward greater solidity, clearer class consciousness, and the necessity of united political action, and we hereby endorse the principle of revolutionary industrial unionism.
Resolved, That we, the socialist party, hereby endorse all united action of the workers and pledge ourselves to assist them by supplying speakers, money and other necessary support wherever possible, to the end that we may win our economic freedom and overthrow the capitalist system.
To the small farmer we say, we are opposed to the private ownership of land for the purpose of speculation and exploitation.
We are absolutely opposed to the boy scout movement, and the teaching of military drill with guns and other means of destruction of human life to our school children.
Adopted at state convention, Seattle, March 9, 10, 11, 12, 1912; ratified by state referendum “A”; amended by state referendum “C.”
