Platform of the Socialist Party of Washington

[Adopted M arch 12, 1912]

Published in The Commonwealth [Everett, W A], whole no. 91 (September 27, 1912), pg. 4.

Adopted at State Convention, Seattle, M arch 9,10, 11, 12, 1 912; ratified byStateReferendum "A"; amended by State Referendum "C."

The Socialist Party of Washington, in conven- tion assembled, reaffirms its unfaltering loyalty in 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 em braces the world, and will be carried to ultimate victory through intelligent class-conscious political and industrial action.

H uman labor creates machinery and applies it to the land to produce things necessary for human life. W hosoever has control of land and machinery con- trols human labor, and with it human life and liberty.

T he working class owns nothing but its labor- power, and sells this for wages to the capitalist state.

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 ei- ther in this or foreign countries for the surplus prod- uct, are now closing the mines, mills, and factories.

This, together with the constant invention of labor-saving machinery, throws men, women, and children oftheworkingclassout of employment, caus- ing untold misery and distress.

The lack and uncertainty of employment pro- duces extreme poverty, which in 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 privateownership and control by thecapitalist classof mine, mill, factory, and land.

The remedy lies in thesocial ownership of these means of pro- duction and distribu- tion, thereby giving all an equal opportunity to live and enjoy the prod- uct of their labor.

Humanity lives amid constant change. Laws, institutions, and customs, once useful and popular, become oppressive, abusive, intolerable, and danger- ous 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 can not change for the better it is because it is either too ignorant or too terrorized by the ruling class. Tyranny rulesfrom the top down, so- cial democracy from the bottom up.

The Socialist Party is the only political party which stands for the overthrow of the present capital- ist system of exploitation and the substitution of the social ownership of the source of food, clothing, shel- ter, and other necessities.

0 ur U Itimate D emand.

0 ur ultimate demand isthesocial ownership and democratic management of all thesocially used means of production and distribution.

Platform of the Socialist Party of Washington [1912]

Program.

As measures calculated to strengthen the work- ing class in its fight for the realization of its ultimate aim, and increase its power of resistance against capi- talist 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 specu- lation.

3. Publicemploymentoftheunemployedatnot less than prevailing union scaleof 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 em- ployed in all capitalized industries.

5. We advocate initiative, referendum, and re- call to apply to all public officials, the petition not to exceed 10 percent of the voters at the previous elec- tion.

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 jus- tice.

9. We favor a constitutional amendment abol- ishing 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. Wefavor the establishment of a state board of health with full power for the inspection and con-

demnation of all unsanitary factories, tenements, etc., and the liberal appropriation for use of the latest scientific methods of eliminating disease.

11. Wedemand the free use of all public build- ingsand property for public meetings, including court- houses, schoolhouses, parks, etc., without distinction, and wedemand a liberal appropriation for promotion of social centers.

Resolutions.

Resolved, That we, the Socialist Party in con- vention 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 useof police power to suppress thefree- dom of speech, press, and public assembly, as recently evidence 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 so- lidity [sic], clearer class consciousness, and the neces- sity 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 whenever possible to the end that we may win our economic freedom and over- throw the capitalist system.

To the small farmer we say, we are opposed to the private ownershi p of land for the purpose of specu- lation and exploitation.

We are absolutely opposed to the Boy Scout movement, and theteaching of military drill with guns and other means of destruction of human life to our school children.

Edited by Tim Davenport

Published by 1000 Flowers Publishing, Corvallis, OR, 2010. * Non-commercial reproduction permitted.

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