THE SOCIALIST PRESS.
Published Weekly In The Interest Of The Working-Class.
No. i. FAIRBANKS, ALASKA, July 25, 1914-.
Vol. 1.
John M. Brooks’ Letter Of Acceptance Of Socialist Party
Nomination For Delegate To Congress.
To the Socialists of Alaska.
I believe it is the duty of
«*very true Socialist to pive to
the Socialist Party and the
•class it 'represen ts the best
'there is in him.
'It is forithis reason that I
^accept the nomination for Del
egate to Gongress, given to
me by the Socialist Party of
Alaska. It came to me unso
licited, I accepted it that I
might be of service to the
men, women and children
who are doing the world’s
work. My chief aim as a car.
didate will be to serve the So
•cialist party and the cause it
Tepresents.
'The Socialist party is the only
.party that is not .founded on
•exploitation of the world's
workers hy the masters of
-the bread. The Socialist,par-:
ty alone stands for equal op
Jjortunity to.all, that every
•man, woman and child may
.have the right ,to an educa
tion, to be developed to their
/highest efficiency, physically,
/mentally, morally and other
wise. Socialists believe there
is something more in life than
/lien hours w.ork and three
meals each day.
me workers ot tne world
.^are beginning to realize that
■they are entitled to more of j
the good things that make
life worth living
4H the Republican?, Demo
crats and Progressives have
togive the toiler is long hours
•ol labor, idleness,adulterated
ifoods, shoddy clothing and a
.feunk;house to live in.
They have - driven with the
whip of hunger millions of
our women and children into
ijhe mills and factories, that
their very souls may be turn
•ed into gold, while strong
men are tramping the high
ways „and the by-ways look
ingfor jobs,
* For’ our club rooms they
fiave given us the saloon and
ythe dive. For places of enter
tainment they have given us
the cheap picture shovv$. In
.place of houses that are fit
forhuman beings to live in,;
they have given us the red
light districts and > the Caba
ret. They have giv m us the
soup houses and thr bread
lines. They have given us
chain gangs and jails for ask
Ing for the privilege to live.
’They have filled our prisons
and jails. Our insane asylums
are full to overflowing. Pros
titution, want, bitter tears,
disease, death,'at last the
PottersV: field—all of this is
the.reward for our patience.
■ The end is not yet. The cost
of living is going higher and
higher, consequently the stan
’card of living is going lower
and lower, as wages are not
increasing in proportion to
the constant rise in the cost
of living.
For ages we have been on
our bended knees, pleading
with this monster for the
right to live as human beings
.should liv.c We have asked
for shorter hours of labor,
higher wages, better condi
jtions under which to work
and live, but without avail.
The best they.have given us
ihas been bullets, bayonets,
bull pens and. jails. They have
■ shot and wounded our women
and children in cold blood.
Thousands have starved in
this land of plenty. Look at
Ludlow, Calumet, West Vir
ginia and last but not least,
Alaska. Men were most bru
trlly driven and robbed in
many cases of all they pro
duced. For simply asking for
better conditions they were
hounded a nd jailed.The same
forces that were used in Lud
low. Calumet and West Vir
ginia were used in the Tana
na.
■Workmg m 3n and women
are beginning to see a new
light. They realize that in or
dor to lice as we should live,
we as a class must own the
machinery of production and
the means of distribution.
These must be democratically
owned.and controlled by the
people who are doing the
world’s work. In order to
bring this about we must or
ganize on the political field as
well as on the industrial field.
Without political power we
are helpless. For years and
years there has been a contin
uous.warfare between Labor
and Capital. Organized labor
with empty stomachs, pitted
against organized greed with
all thepower3 of government
at their command. Labor
with but few exceptions has
been mo3t brutally treated,
blacklisted, shot and jailed.
We have no doubt made some
gains in higher wages and
shorter hours. In the mean
time the great machine has
.taken the .place of the hand
tool and the women and chil
dren are operating the ,ma*
chine while the men are on
the tramp looking for a job.
A woman orchild will produce
from ten to thirty times as
much wealth with a modern
machine as a man could in
the days of the hand tool. As
the machine becomes more
complicated and more expen
sive. the wealth of the nation
has become concentrated in
to fewer hands, as competi
tion grew keener and keener,
tiie owners of the great ma
chines ware forced to organ
ize into great trusts. In order
to perfect these great organ
izations, it was necessary to
organize on the political field,
consequently they have con
trolled every branch of gov
ernment from the township
to the national. They con rol
the Press, the church and
the school. Their great poli
tical machine has become so
perfected that this is the on
ly country on earth where la
bor has no voice in the mak
ing of these laws under
which we live.
The Socialists realize that the
masters are using every means
at their command to keep the
workers divided on. the political
field and so long as they succeed,
we are bound to misery and hag
gard want.
It remains for the Socialist par
ty to abolish and destroy this
most monstrously cruel system,
not only to destroy it, but to es
tablish a new cooperative -order
of society. We must organize on
the pc-iitical tieid and the indus
trial. We must educate that we
may be fitted to operate and coi
trol the means of i roduction and
distribution in the interests of all
trie people instead of the few,
that every man may have the
right to work and enjoy the full
products of his toil. The realiza
tion of this aim will mean the ab
olition of the class struggle. We
appeal to the working m-n and
women of Alaska an. .1 ali those
who are in sympathy with o »r
cause to unite with us in our ef
fort to drive from thi earth this
.cruel monster—-capitalism wi'.h
all its vices and crimes, t at we
may establish the new social or
der where mankind wiii for tne
first time in history, bask in the
sunshine of true life. Working
men and women, this new civiliz
ation can be realized if the work
ing classes will capture the politi
cal power of the state and- .ation
and use this power in the inter
ests of all the workers.
JOHN M. BROOKS.
Jack Wn.de, Alaska.
July 14, 1S11
Preamble and Platform Adopted By
Socialists of Alaska, Campaign 1914.
Alaska, the last of the great American frontiers, the home of the
pioneer, the country of the hopeful prospector, is rapidly becom
ing a thing of the past.
The dog team trail of yesterday is about to he supplanted by the
! steam anti electric methods of transportation.
! The dreams of the lonely prospector are giving way to the ugly
! realities of wage slavery and job hunting. The nightmare of Cap
italism already haunts the workers of Alaska, Capita'ism is fast en
j croachin r upon the last outposts of American Territory. It is only
1 a matter of time until all the accompanying evils of j this system
'■ .'ill be ramp un in the Golden North. 'Already many of the unem
ployed n. av surging along the Pacific Coast arid < eu extending
el ‘nr back c > N >w Y >rk are looking forward to Alaska a-: their last
hope and salvation.
And not tb - ie alone, but the oppressed and dispossessd of 'Euro
pean countries, have their eyes on this land with its fabulous
wealth.
The Panama Canal makes it possible to embark from a European
seaport low n and erne straight across and land on the Pacific and
Alaskan shores.
Given the following factors: the necessity of capitalist extension,
aland of untold resources, an unr.i.. bored host of laborers compet
ing for jobs, it requires no prophetic vision or second sight to
I foresee what will bo h e inevitable consequences. There is no.inhe
rent virtue in the land of the midnight sun that exempts it from
| the dire effects of Capitalism; and realizing as we.do that the pre
| sent system of exploitation is a menace to society, a curse to the
| working class, we declare our uncompromising hostility to the pre
jsent system and proclaim our demand fora new ancl compute reor
: ganization of society based primarily on the rights of the wotkers
and producers as the possessing class.
In view ot this.demand, we believe that the workers should orgs
; nize both on the Industrial and the Political field. Capitalist develop
1 ment has made trade and craft organizations inadequate and the
Industrial form not only unites tiie workers more closely together,
hut contains possibilities in the direction of preparing fhe workers
for the control and management of the industries after they be
come'the collective property of the working class
Ownership anti the power to produce arc the essential -factors tc
obtain economic security and justice. The work-' .g class already
! possess the latter. It must set about .to obtain ownership. Ti e
j deeds come through the acts and approval of government, rp
i are defended through the various functions of government. It is
therefore necessary for the working class to organize politically in
a party of its own class for the purpose of capturing the powers of
government, through which it may secure and defend its rights.
We appeal to the working class of Alaska and all those who are
in sympathy with that class to unite with us in our effort to estab
blish the w orkers in political power, in order that they may he abk
to protect a id serve their own interests.
The realization of this aim. will mean the abolition of the class
struggle, the doing away with economic insecurity, and the estab
lishment of a co-operative order of society.
Our ultimate aim is tha Collective Ownership of the f*neans of
production and distribution by all the people. Our methods, indus
trial and politics! organizations.
In order that we may conserve ov.r immediate interests while we
are still under Capitalism, we make the following demands and urge
all tho_v who are in accord with the aims and objects of the Socialist
-Party to support the candidates standing on this platform.
Wij'endorse and reaffirm oar alle
giance to the Constitution of tan Na
tioral Socialist Party of the United
States and the National Plat/, rm adopt
ud at Indian ip In i.. in 1012.
We demand the immediate enactment
.f li.-. Initiative ami iteferenuum end
: '.lecali.
We demand that or. the presentation
i of 15 per cent of tj’ > voters of the pre
cc iifi.; election, a referendum Is taVen
at cnee on tite suhjoct tt'i .o ■ . sr.snlera
1 lien.
We demand ti.rt all laws en: -tod by
, the Alaska Legislature b" referred to
! a referendum of the people of the ter
, ritory.
|
. Wo daman 1 the establi. hiar of the
Australian llaliot System in ail the.va
rious electi >n.s held in Aiasaa.
We demand from the federal govern
1 mailt a law giv.ong labor a prior her.
. cn.ury mining grounds, dumps, inachir
! ery and equipment use ! ir operating,
regardless as to who is operating sail:
ground, whether it he owner or lessee,
The Government shall stand the expense
of enforcing liia above lien law.
| We demand that the government
| own develop and operate all coal mines
. in Alaska, and that no leases or con
i tracts shall he made by the Gwr. rn
: ment with private individuals or corpo
! rations.and that all work in and around
| he mines shall he done under the direct
| Supervision of the Government. \V e
I further demand that coal be furnish *d
| to the J'eople of Alaska at the cost o:
productirn and distribution through.
1 Givernment owned coal yards to he «.s
I tablished.v/herever feasible.
i We demand the abolition of the rqad
tax and the poll tax.
V.'e demand that the Government on
ly shall build aud operate the Railroad
! and not lease it out to private individ*
| uals or firms or corporations.
1 Vc demand an eight hour day in ah
industries in Alaska.
We demand a law forbidding any dis
. crimiiiabor. against * man or wutnas
because of his or her union affiliations
| pr activities, or his or. her political or
j reunions beliefs.
We demand the elect:on of a Mining
Inspector for each Judicial Pistrict a‘
j Alaska