Jack Fitzgerald
Source: Justice, 26 July 1902.
Transcription: Socialist Party of Great Britain.
HTML Markup: Adam Buick
Public Domain: Marxists Internet Archive (2016). You may freely copy, distribute, display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and commercial works. Please credit "Marxists Internet Archive" as your source.
Correspondence
Dear comrade,—I am pleased to see this question brought forward, as many members of the S.D.F. seem in doubt as to what their action should be.
All Social-Democrats are convinced that the only goal worth struggling for by the workers is that those who collectively produce wealth should collectively own and control that wealth.
The means whereby this can be accomplished is by the workers gaining control of the political machinery, municipal and imperial, for that purpose.
All those who favour a retention of the present capitalistic system must necessarily be opposed to the emancipation of the working class. Therefore, no choice is left to the Socialist. These people will be fighting against his principles even if the Socialist shuts his eyes and folds his arms; and I for one would rather hit back than take the punishment without a murmur.
In the political action of the trade unions the men who will be prominent are the old officials who will play to the majority and will not take a definite stand for the working class against the capitalist class, and who in many instances are Tories or Liberals first and trade unionists after. Now, how can a Socialist, who really believes in the object given above, support or even acquiesce in the election of a candidate who, from interested motives or from ignorance, is opposed to the emancipation of the workers ? The duty of all Socialists in trade unions or trades councils is to show that only political action with the object stated is of any use to the workers, that any other sort is for the purpose of continuing the present system of exploitation, and therefore those who wish to end that system must necessarily oppose and fight the upholders of it.
What some of our members seem to forget is that when a Socialist is put up, even in combination with others, the only people who work for him are the Socialists, and such of the rank and file who, while not grasping the whole situation, believe his attitude the right one. But the active section usually neglect the Socialist candidate, and often oppose him in underhand ways inside and outside the trade union when open opposition has failed. Moreover, there usually comes a time when the active Socialist is forced to oppose these men, and if he has been playing a conciliatory game in the beginning his last position is worse than the first. Therefore, the only attitude for Socialists in trade unions adopting political action is one of opposition to all who will not accept the Socialist principles, and a refusal to work for such a candidate in any way.
Let the Socialists clearly show that they are opposing certain principles, or want of them, and not necessarily individuals as such, and our conquest of the rank and file (the real work in hand) will be much easier and accomplished in a shorter time. A straight line is the shortest distance between two points.—yours fraternally,
J. FITZGERALD