Page:The International Socialist Review (1900-1918), Vol. 1, Issue 1.pdf/53



It was a little over fifty years ago when the economic development of that time caused the vague longings for freedom that had ever pervaded the minds of the workers, to take form in what has come to be known as modern or scientific socialism in distinction from the old or Utopian socialism. These doctrines, once formulated, spread in the wake of the capitalism that gave them birth until today they are geographically as universal as the "world market" of modern commercialism, while on the intellectual side there is no sphere of human thought exempt from their influence.

American life and society has been one of the last to be affected. Owing to the almost marvelous extent of its natural opportunities, it was many years before man's cupidity could neutralize Nature's bounty and sufficiently monopolize the sources of existence to create a dependent class. But at last the seemingly boundless prairies, exhaustless mines and limitless forests were divided up as private property among the class of owners. When this had been accomplished there was nothing left for those to do who had not shared in this first distribution of booty but to sell themselves into wage slavery to the owning class. Then when the proletariat and the bourgeoisie with the class antagonisms and wage slavery had appeared socialism began to grow and develop.

The ideological system of socialism had been here long before Carl Marx was for many years the European correspondent of the New York Tribune, and the International Workingmen's Association had its headquarters in New York for some years prior to its final dissolution. More significant yet, during all the years that capitalism was welcoming in the name of freedom the workers of every land who could be induced to come here and assist in forcing down the price of labor power, there were many of the revolutionary exiles of Europe who sought a refuge in America. [sic] and brought with them the ideas for which they had suffered at home. In all too many cases it must be admitted that those who had been sufferers for the cause of labor at home forgot their principles when they felt the lessening of the economic pressure and thousands will be found this fall shouting in the ranks of Democratic and Republican parties who once marched beneath the red flag of socialism in their native countries.

The few who did not forget their early principles formed little socialist clubs in a few great cities and for many years were as