The Alaska socialist., September 29, 1913, Image 1

About The Alaska socialist. (Fairbanks, Alaska) 1913-19??

Image provided by: Alaska State Library Historical Collections

                
* -- ua wuiK
of the working class. - KARL, MARX
THE ALASKA SOCIALI ST
’ i. ’ FAIRBANKS, ALASKA, SEPTEMBER 29, 1913.
THE DEATH
OF BEBEL
Greatest Socialist
Has Passed Away
A press cablegram announces the
death of August Bebel, foremost So
cialist of Germany. He had been ill
for ' Some time, but his recovery was
hoped for. His death was a shock,
not only to the Socialists of Germany
but to the millions of Socialists in
every civilized land on the face of the
earth. Bebel was a pioneer in the
great international Socialist movement.
When he died Germany led in the
race of the nations for Socialism
with a vote of 4,500,000, 110 Socialist
members of the Reichstag, the Ger
man parliament.
Bebel was born in 1840 near Colo
ogne. He was trained as a turner
and passeil through the usual grades
of apprenticeship and journeyman ship.
After his Wanderjalire, spent in south
Germany he established himself in 1860
at heiptic. His first public activity
was as an upholder of the Schubtze
Deiitzech's co-operative movement, to
which Gassalie also at first adhered,
and he became prominent in political
and educational work among working
men. He threw all liis inflneuce agai
nst Rassalle and the Universal associ
ation when the latter was founded.
Prior to 1866 Bebel had no sympathy
whatevtr with Socialism. In fact, he
was an avowed anti-Socialist. But he
got to miking with Liebknecht and
from that time his views rapidly chan
ged. It was plain to be seen that Soc
ialism had gained a powerful champion
when Bebel joined its ranks. He lacked
culture; he was unrefined; but what he
lacked in these tilings he made up in
energy and will. Of these he was ab
undantly supplied. I-Ic was coarsely
molded aud crude in many ways. - But
ne had the necessary iuitiative and fo
rce to do things.
Uebel set about his work by joining
the international, at that time a grow
ing unci important body of workers.
me became influential enough to
take a prominent part in bringing to
gether the followers of Marx and bass
ale, thus helping to make the Social
Democratic party. And it is quite dou
btful that without Hebei's initiative
aud energy tile party would have been
formed; at least, not at that time.
oe.jei iought relentlessly the reaction
try tendencies iu the Internatnonal. At
the time he sought to amalgamate
the various workingmen’s organizauous
in 1837. In that year he persuaded the
un;on join with the international.
dhaL was an important step in the
movement toward Socialism.
-- » .o liis career in the Reichstag that
invo.es die greatest attention. In June,
i>>33, v, itli biebknecht, he became vir
tually a leader of German Social Dem
ocrat, and during his membership in
j the Reichstag he acted more than any
| ‘
other man as spokesman of German
Socialism. With little interruption he
remained a member of the Reichstag
until a few years before his death, when
he became too old and feeble to do
much active work for Socialism.
His career in that body was brilliant.
His speeches were widely quoted thro
ughout Germany. The masters began
a systematic attack on his propaganda,
charging him at one time with inciting
i . . ,.
to assassination. ,
Bebel had an unusually heavy prison
record. In 1869 he was detained three
weeks for disseminating doctrines dang
erous to the state. In December of the
following year he was apprehended on
a charge of high treason and was kept
under arrest more than three months
j .
pending investigations. The trial came
1 off in 1872 and he was sentenced to two
; years imprisonment. Nine mouths was
I added to the penalty for lese majeste.
Finally, a trial in 1886 led to his be
ing depri ved of liberty for an additional
nine months on account of the complic
'
itv iu a secret aud illegal — that is,
Socialist—organiza tin.
Repeated imprisonment gave him an
opportunity tor .authorship ami a uum
ber of works have left his vigorous pen. *
Chief among them are: “The German
Feasant 'War”, “The Mohainmedan
Arabian Feriod of Civilization in the:
Fast and Spain’’, “The Parliamentary''
Activity' oi the German Reichstag and
the Diets’’, and “Our Aims’’, j
"Woman”%and “Memoirs.”
Nearly all of his writings are inter
dicted in Germany.
1
G
I
The above, from the Appeal to Reason
is a very briel description of the great,;
Socialist leader, August Bebel who,
together with that great trio of intell
ectuals hrurxr hngcls and Liebknecht,
laid the Ioundation ol the movement
that is siowiy but surely boring under
and through tiie imperial structure of
Germany.
Tile last great gathering of import
ance to the world at large that Bebel '
took an active part in was the great!
international peace Congress at Basle, j
Switzerland, when delegates from all |
the ieading civilized nations assemebled j
to declare against a war which the lead- j
ing diplomats ol hurope were trying to j
launch in a vain attempt to attract the j
minds 01 the people irom the main issue ;
---aociaisru.
Athougn Bebel was bitterly opposed I
to the war policy ox cermany, he said on |
one occasion taat il the latherland was i
j
attacked ne would shoulder a gun.
:
* (Continued on Page 4.)
NO COMPROMISE
NO Pom TRADING
BY
WEHELM LIEBKNECHT
“When I speak here of our policy, I
use the word without regard to any
thing immaterial or superficial, but iu
the sense which, since the beginning
of the party has had for us in contrast
to all other parties in the sense of the
policy of the class struggle, which has
very often changed, in form, but in
substance has remained the same our; un
ique proletarian class policy whsch separa
tes us frfim all other political parties
in the world of bourgeois society and
excludes us from intercourse with them.
Ill certain circles there exists an in
clination, or let us say, an effort, to
desert the platform ol tne class struggle
and enter into the common arena of
the other parties. As all the other
parties stand upon the basis of a polit
ical state,, therefore their field of act
ivity is necessarily confined to the sp
oils of politics.
The question of tactics came up then
in our party for the first fime. Should
we, in consideration of certain con
cessions to the laborers, aid Bismarck
against the Progressive party and other
opponents of his policy in the expect
ation of being then after that strong
enough for a successful struggle against
him and against the landlord, police
and military state embodied in his per
son? Or did prudence and party interest
demand that we, taking advantage of
Bismarck’s quarrel with the progres- j
sive bourgeois and other opponents of
his policy, contest the Bismarckian pol
icy, and organize the proletariat into;
an indepeudent political party for the I
purpose of preparing it for the conquest
of political power? . ^ . The tactics
were everywhere accepted which has:
ever since been ili**;force for the party ]
I
down to the present day. These tactics
consist in:
Keeping clear the class character of
the Socialist party as a proletarian
party ;to train it by agitation, education
and organization for the victorious com
pletion of the emancipation struggle;
to wage a systematic war against the
class state, in whose hands the political
and economic power ot capitalism is
concentrated, and in this war to draw
advantages as far as possible out of tlie
quarrels and coni licit of die different
political parties witu each other.
This foundation oi the class struggle is:
The main point of attack in the battle
which the bourgeois political economy
is waging with Socialism. The political
economists deny the class struggle
and would make of the labor movemeuts
only a part - of the bourgeois party
movements, and the Social Democracy
only a division oi the bourgeois
democracy. The bourgeois political j
economy and politics direct all their
exertions against the class character of
tlie modern labor movement. If it j
were possible to create a breach in this
bulwark in this cua iel ol the Social
Democracy, the Soca.l D .uiocracy is
conquered anil the proletariat is thrown .
(continred on page four)
mm A REASON
“There’s a reason” for the Alaska
Socialist. It is not a reason arising cut
of a prearranged plan whereby some
“inner circle” or ambitious politicans
might boost themselves into office.
The reason for the Alaska Socialist
can easily be understood by reading the
following extracts from letters received
from all parts of Alaska:
“We are all anxious to have a good
Socialist paper in fact, and not a bogus
sheet run in the interest of machine
politics in Alaska. «
From CHAS. H. ROGERS,
Birch Creek.
"You can count me in On helping a
long all 1 can. I have no patience with
the man who cails himseit a Socialist
and is willing to make use of the old
party tricks simply to get into oftice.
Not that I belittle political action, for I
realize that we must gain control politic
ally, and trie more officials we can elect
tlie better; but I want to se£ them elect
ed by class-conscious votes, not by the
votes of those who are merely reformers.
From J, M. BROOKS,
Jack Wade Creek.
“I am glad to iiear there are some
comrades going to stare a Socialist rrop
agiiiua paper as we are very much haiid
icapped by not having a' good clean cut
paper in uie fourui uivision, and i can
I
see no reason why we cannot support
one. )
From Secretary Pro. Tern.
jacx Wade Focal.
"Fet tne paper be a Clean cut socialist
paper, liewing to incline and not a mere
rciormer or compromiser, always m tlie
lULercsi 01 the working ciass of Alaska
wiiu cwr) member will certainly support
it.
As soon as you issue urst paper send
us twenty sample copies lor distribution
ocsiUcs wuai we nave subscribed lor.
bocal lleadwood, Socialist Party,
ii luc paper snows used to be a real
aiu lo Uie cause ior wuicii we are work
ing, Lucie win ue no just cause ior com
piaiui-on uie grounu ol lack or support
iiuui Lius quarter.”
i ne auove list coulti be extended iu
Ueinucviy with letters ol approval and
endorsement; here is one Irom tlie K.oy
axux:--»
■
bear koinrade:
I am going Outside, but will be back •
m a ie\v months. I do not intend lo go
oacK to that part, but will prouauiy go
lo me v ahicz uistriCL. 1 enclose .two
uounrs lo ileip Lile paper, and vv isluilg
joa luc Ui_sl oi iuck, i am,
It. K. C. [
mere has been a great demand for a
Socialist .publication among the workers
i
ot this part ol the territory and now that
it is started we will do our best to keep it
going, aiiu v\c expect those who wish to!
see it aepL going,do their part by not only
Continued on Page 4 )
i
i UNCLE SAN'S
HOTEL DESCRIBED
BY
BILLY EASTMAN
j Killy Kastman, ex-convict, on the even
j hig of Monday, the 15th of Sept, at St.
| Janies Methodist Episcopal Church ad
| dressed a large and interesed audience
i descibing in detail the conditions at Mc
| Neil’s Island.
| He explained that there were no bath
- tubs until just a little time before he left
i when several whiskey barrels were
brought to the prison ahdcut in two and
; used as bath tubs.
He also explained how'they grafted the
| prisoners when their time was up, claim
| 'ng that the governp:ent allowed the
I prisoners second-dass'fare back to where
they were sentenced’from, but the war
_ deu instead of giving the prisoner who
was being discharged the amount allowed
by the government, would provide
him with a steerage ticket , aud keep the
balance.
I
He told of one case in particular of a
prisonerou refusing to work being hung
: up by the hands every day for several
months and when they couldyiot conquer
i him, put him in solitarv confinement,
where they succeeded in ; driving him
; crazv.
i
The reason why other convicts [never
relate the inner workings of the^Federal
i prisons is because, according to Kast
man, they are afraid of being hounded
and jobbed hack into[prison. He says
that he is not afraid of them putting him
back.
"V on will see from the above that the
same conditions'exist in McNeils Island
as in all other prisons that have been ex
posed up to date, Kastman expects to
change this by singing hymns and pray
ing.
The remedy proposed by Eastman is a
remedy that gives great joy to the capi
talist and which the ruling classes],would
like the workers to waste their time on.
The Socialist knows that bibles and hymn
singing, praying and preaching will never
change anything. Not all the millions
of bibles printed and distributed by the
American Bible Society, the British and
Foreign Bible Society and all other bjble
societies can advance the material inter
ests of the workers. Only class-con
scious agitation, education and organiza
tion can accomplish that. You will find
that God always listens to the capitalist
class where the workers are unorganized,
and where the workers are organized and
educated you will-find that'God without
much coaxing listens pretty quick.
So while we can all afford to sing
hymns on-Sunday, let all the workers
do-iheir praying by educating, organiz
ing, amongst themselves] and their fel
low workers, and you will find that you
will not have to do much cc axing, but
that God -tfili have his ear to the ground
and listen to your wishes without any
superfluous shouting.
John L. White, a Socialist Comrade,
of Olness, visited the office of the
Alaska Socialist a few days ago. lie
forgot to subscribe for the paper.