We left the socialists, on September 30, 1890, in the midst of
jubilation over the great victory they had just won in Germany. The Iron
Chancellor, with all the power of State and society in his hands, had
capitulated before the moral force and mass power of the German working
class. And, when the sensational news went out to all countries that the
German socialists had polled 1,427,000 votes, the impulse given to the
political organizations of the working class was immense. Once again the
thought of labor throughout the world was centered upon those stirring
words of Marx and Engels: "Workingmen of all countries, Unite!" First
uttered by them in '47, repeated in '64, and pleaded for once again in
'72, this call to unity began to appear in the nineties as the one
supreme commandment of the labor movement. And, in truth, it is an
epitome of all their teachings. It is the pith of their program and the
marrow of their principles. Nearly all else can be waived. Other
principles can be altered; other programs abandoned; other methods
revolutionized; but this principle, program, and method must not be
tampered with. It is the one and only unalterable law. In unity, and in
unity alone, is the power of salvation. And under the inspiration of
this call more and more millions have come together, until to-day, in
every portion of the world, there are multitudes affiliated to the one
and only international army. In '47 it was not yet born. In '64 efforts
were made to bring it into being. In '72 it was broken into fragments.
In '90 it won its first battle--its right to exist. Now, twenty-three
years later, nothing could be so eloquent and impressive as the figures
themselves of the rising tide of international socialism.
THE SOCIALIST AND LABOR VOTE, 1887-1913.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account