Ere the last Spaniard had evacuated Cuba, Socialist groups were forming.And from far Japan, in these first days of the twentieth century, writes one Tomoyoshi Murai: "The interest of our people on Socialism has been greatly awakened these days, especially among our laboring people on one hand and young students' circle on the other, as much as we can draw an earnest and enthusiastic audience and fill our hall, which holds two thousand....It is gratifying to say that we have a number of fine and well-trained public orators among our leaders of Socialism in Japan.The first speaker tonight is Mr.
Kiyoshi Kawakami, editor of one of our city (Tokyo) dailies, a strong, independent, and decidedly socialistic paper, circulated far and wide.Mr.Kawakami is a scholar as well as a popular writer.
He is going to speak tonight on the subject, 'The Essence of Socialism--the Fundamental Principles.' The next speaker is Professor Iso Abe, president of our association, whose subject of address is, 'Socialism and the Existing Social System.' The third speaker is Mr.Naoe Kinosita, the editor of another strong journal of the city.He speaks on the subject, 'How to Realize the Socialist Ideals and Plans.' Next is Mr.Shigeyoshi Sugiyama, a graduate of Hartford Theological Seminary and an advocate of Social Christianity, who is to speak on 'Socialism and Municipal Problems.'
And the last speaker is the editor of the 'Labor World,' the foremost leader of the labor-union movement in our country, Mr.Sen Katayama, who speaks on the subject, 'The Outlook of Socialism in Europe and America.' These addresses are going to be published in book form and to be distributed among our people to enlighten their minds on the subject."And in the struggle for the political machinery of society, Socialism is no longer confined to mere propaganda.Italy, Austria, Belgium, England, have Socialist members in their national bodies.
Out of the one hundred and thirty-two members of the London County Council, ninety-one are denounced by the conservative element as Socialists.The Emperor of Germany grows anxious and angry at the increasing numbers which are returned to the Reichstag.In France, many of the large cities, such as Marseilles, are in the hands of the Socialists.A large body of them is in the Chamber of Deputies, and Millerand, Socialist, sits in the cabinet.Of him M.Leroy-Beaulieu says with horror: "M.Millerand is the open enemy of private property, private capital, the resolute advocate of the socialization of production...a constant incitement to violence...a collectivist, avowed and militant, taking part in the government, dominating the departments of commerce and industry, preparing all the laws and presiding at the passage of all measures which should be submitted to merchants and tradesmen."In the United States there are already Socialist mayors of towns and members of State legislatures, a vast literature, and single Socialist papers with subscription lists running up into the hundreds of thousands.In 1896, 36,000 votes were cast for the Socialist candidate for President; in 1900, nearly 200,000; in 1904, 450,000.And the United States, young as it is, is ripening rapidly, and the Socialists claim, according to the materialistic conception of history, that the United States will be the first country in the world wherein the toilers will capture the political machinery and expropriate the bourgeoisie.
But the Socialist and labor movements have recently entered upon a new phase.There has been a remarkable change in attitude on both sides.For a long time the labor unions refrained from going in for political action.On the other hand, the Socialists claimed that without political action labor was powerless.And because of this there was much ill feeling between them, even open hostilities, and no concerted action.But now the Socialists grant that the labor movement has held up wages and decreased the hours of labor, and the labor unions find that political action is necessary.Today both parties have drawn closely together in the common fight.In the United States this friendly feeling grows.The Socialist papers espouse the cause of labor, and the unions have opened their ears once more to the wiles of the Socialists.They are all leavened with Socialist workmen, "boring from within," and many of their leaders have already succumbed.In England, where class consciousness is more developed, the name "Unionism" has been replaced by "The New Unionism," the main object of which is "to capture existing social structures in the interests of the wage-earners." There the Socialist, the trade-union, and other working-class organizations are beginning to cooperate in securing the return of representatives to the House of Commons.And in France, where the city councils and mayors of Marseilles and Monteaules-Mines are Socialistic, thousands of francs of municipal money were voted for the aid of the unions in the recent great strikes.
