National Convention

In Manhattan was held the 11th National Convention of the American Socialist Party.

The agenda included:

1) The formation of an American Labor Party. Proposals to join the Farmer-Labor Party and the Workers' Party were rejected. The tatter's overtures were called a move to strengthen Communism, based on " dishonest motives and secret aims."

2) Resolution to petition Congress to impeach Chief Justice Taft for accepting $10,000 annuity from the Carnegie Fund. Passed.

3) Resolution to join the Third Internationale. Referred to Committee on Resolutions. (Morris Hillquit and Victor Q. Berger are now at the World Socialist Convention at Hamburg.)

4) Routine business, including re-organization of campaign funds and foundation of a propaganda weekly.

Party reorganization is badly needed. As a result of Communist and revolutionary disaffection, membership has shrunk from 118,000 in 1919 to 12,474 in 1923. Eugene V. Debs, Socialist Presidential Candidate in 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912 and 1920, declared that there was now a "great reaction against reaction."

Radical spokesman, James Maurer, President of the Pennsylvania State Federation of Labor, declared that " the approaching upheaval would make the war waged for democracy and the other thirteen points look like a piker."

Abraham Cahan, editor 'of Forward (Jewish daily), said that Communistic Russia had failed, that " Lenin was a moral and physical failure," that Trotzky was " a great bombastic windbag."

Charles E. Ruthenberg, Executive Secretary, stated the ideal program as: 1) easy Constitutional amendments, 2) abolition of Supreme Court and courts' power of veto, 3) abolition of the Senate, the Presidential veto, the present Congressional committee system, and of the system of 48 state laws, which served as a " fig-leaf for centralized dictatorship of employers."

Mr. Debs, guiding spirit of the Convention throughout, appeared to be buoyant and in fine health. Said he of Chief Justice Taft:

" I wired Mr. Taft if it was true he was on the pension list of the most rapacious trust in the country. I asked him to answer collect, but he didn't answer at all. I shall go to Washington soon, and then I shall have much to say about Taft and to his face if he will listen. Taft has been eating at the public crib since he was a boy in knickerbockers and it's time he took a vacation."