Social Democratic Federation (U.S., 1889)
Encyclopedia
The Social Democratic Federation (SDF) was an American
political party
established as a result of a factional split in the Socialist Labor Party in 1889. Moving its headquarters through a succession of cities, the organization landed in Cleveland, Ohio
, merging with the Social Democracy of America
— forerunner of the Socialist Party of America
— in the summer of 1897.
of New York and other organizations, the SLP had formed a United Labor Party to compete in elections in the city and state of New York. In 1886 it invited Henry George
to be its candidate for mayor of New York. In the campaign that followed George won 67,000 votes, second place. The next year, however, George's followers took full control of the party, ousting the SLP at its convention in Syracuse
in August 1887. The socialist and a faction of the CLU then organized the Progressive Labor party that September. The election results for that year showed the ULP with 72,000 and the PLP with 5,000 votes.
These experiences led a group in the party, the "Lassalleans
", to advocate the abandoning of the tactic of a large labor party with union participation, and to favor a more traditional approach with an independent SLP ticket and no organizational ties with the unions. This faction was led by Wilhelm Rosenberg
and J. E. Bushe, editors of party newspapers Der Sozialist and The Workmens Advocate, respectively. In 1888 the party nominated a large slate for U.S. Congress, New York State Assembly
, and the New York City Council
, headed by Alexander Jonas for Mayor of New York and James Edward Hall for Governor. In September a resolution binding the party to independent political action was put to referendum vote of the party binding it to independent political action and accepted.
The electoral results, however, were unimpressive. Jonas received 2,645 votes, Hall 3,000, and the electors 2,068. This gave impetus for the more stridently Marxist wing of the party, centered around the German daily New Yorker Volkszeitung
and led by Alexander Jonas, Lucian Sanial and others. From January to August 1889 the Marxist and Lassalean wings of the party fought bitterly over the direction of the party. After being unable to get the party's Board of Appeals to remove the Lassallean members of the National Executive Committee for official misconduct, the Volkzeitung forces called a meeting of all the sections of Greater New York to meet at Clarendon Hall on September 10, 1889 to vote to dismiss the officers from the NEC, which such a meeting was legally able to do.
At this meeting things did not go as planned, however. Members from the pro-Rosenberg American branch were shouted down and reportedly threatened with violence by members from the German and Yiddish-language Sections. The meeting dismissed Rosenberg and the others, and replaced them with officers from the Volkszeitung faction. Rosenberg and the Lassaleans were apparently physically ejected from the party headquarters and the parties newspapers, funds and property were taken over by the new NEC.
The Rosenberg Socialist Labor Party changed its name in later years to the "Social Democratic Federation." Although originally quite strong, gradually lost members largely because of its lack of periodical of the stature of the daily Volkszeitung, though it did publish its own weekly newspaper Der Volks-Anwalt (The People's Advocate). There was an abortive effort to unite with the Sanial faction in 1892, by which time the SLP had already embraced independent political action and had grown to over 100 sections. In 1896 the group changed its name to the Social Democratic Federation, hoping to gain members from the SLP during its internal conflict.
The party became known as the "traveling faction" or "party on wheels" because of its frequent change of headquarters. Indeed, in its eight years of existence it moved from Cincinnati to Baltimore, to Buffalo, to Cincinnati again, to Chicago and finally to Cleveland at the time of its merger with the SDA.
In August 1898 the SDF merged into the Social Democracy of America
, providing the SDA its second foreign language publication.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
established as a result of a factional split in the Socialist Labor Party in 1889. Moving its headquarters through a succession of cities, the organization landed in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, merging with the Social Democracy of America
Social Democracy of America
The Social Democracy of America , later known as the Co-operative Brotherhood, was a short lived party in the United States that sought to combine the planting of an intentional community with political action in order to create a socialist society...
— forerunner of the Socialist Party of America
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...
— in the summer of 1897.
Background
Together with the Central Labor UnionCentral Labor Union
The Central Labor Union of New York, Brooklyn, and New Jersey was an early trade union organization that later broke up into various locals, which are now AFL-CIO members...
of New York and other organizations, the SLP had formed a United Labor Party to compete in elections in the city and state of New York. In 1886 it invited Henry George
Henry George
Henry George was an American writer, politician and political economist, who was the most influential proponent of the land value tax, also known as the "single tax" on land...
to be its candidate for mayor of New York. In the campaign that followed George won 67,000 votes, second place. The next year, however, George's followers took full control of the party, ousting the SLP at its convention in Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
in August 1887. The socialist and a faction of the CLU then organized the Progressive Labor party that September. The election results for that year showed the ULP with 72,000 and the PLP with 5,000 votes.
These experiences led a group in the party, the "Lassalleans
Ferdinand Lassalle
Ferdinand Lassalle was a German-Jewish jurist and socialist political activist.-Early life:Ferdinand Lassalle was born on 11 April 1825 in Breslau , Silesia to a prosperous Jewish family descending from Upper Silesian Loslau...
", to advocate the abandoning of the tactic of a large labor party with union participation, and to favor a more traditional approach with an independent SLP ticket and no organizational ties with the unions. This faction was led by Wilhelm Rosenberg
Wilhelm Rosenberg
Wilhelm Ludwig "William" Rosenberg was a German-American teacher, poet, playwright, journalist, and socialist political activist. He is best remembered as the head of the Socialist Labor Party of America from 1884 to 1889.-Early years:...
and J. E. Bushe, editors of party newspapers Der Sozialist and The Workmens Advocate, respectively. In 1888 the party nominated a large slate for U.S. Congress, New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
, and the New York City Council
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
, headed by Alexander Jonas for Mayor of New York and James Edward Hall for Governor. In September a resolution binding the party to independent political action was put to referendum vote of the party binding it to independent political action and accepted.
The electoral results, however, were unimpressive. Jonas received 2,645 votes, Hall 3,000, and the electors 2,068. This gave impetus for the more stridently Marxist wing of the party, centered around the German daily New Yorker Volkszeitung
New Yorker Volkszeitung
New Yorker Volkzeitung was a German language labor daily newspaper which suspended publishing during the Great Depression, in October 1932. At the time it was the only German language daily in the United States and one of the oldest radical left newspapers in the nation...
and led by Alexander Jonas, Lucian Sanial and others. From January to August 1889 the Marxist and Lassalean wings of the party fought bitterly over the direction of the party. After being unable to get the party's Board of Appeals to remove the Lassallean members of the National Executive Committee for official misconduct, the Volkzeitung forces called a meeting of all the sections of Greater New York to meet at Clarendon Hall on September 10, 1889 to vote to dismiss the officers from the NEC, which such a meeting was legally able to do.
At this meeting things did not go as planned, however. Members from the pro-Rosenberg American branch were shouted down and reportedly threatened with violence by members from the German and Yiddish-language Sections. The meeting dismissed Rosenberg and the others, and replaced them with officers from the Volkszeitung faction. Rosenberg and the Lassaleans were apparently physically ejected from the party headquarters and the parties newspapers, funds and property were taken over by the new NEC.
The split
Both wings called a national convention of loyal party branches at Chicago to strengthen their claim to be the "real" Socialist Labor Party. However, the loss of the newspapers and party funds limited the Rosenberg factions ability to contact the SLP branches and members so they could only summon 23 small sections of the party to its congress while the Sanial-Jonas convention could summon 27 "large" ones. Their cause was not helped when the Board of Supervision, which had been wavering refused to recognize their convention.The Rosenberg Socialist Labor Party changed its name in later years to the "Social Democratic Federation." Although originally quite strong, gradually lost members largely because of its lack of periodical of the stature of the daily Volkszeitung, though it did publish its own weekly newspaper Der Volks-Anwalt (The People's Advocate). There was an abortive effort to unite with the Sanial faction in 1892, by which time the SLP had already embraced independent political action and had grown to over 100 sections. In 1896 the group changed its name to the Social Democratic Federation, hoping to gain members from the SLP during its internal conflict.
The party became known as the "traveling faction" or "party on wheels" because of its frequent change of headquarters. Indeed, in its eight years of existence it moved from Cincinnati to Baltimore, to Buffalo, to Cincinnati again, to Chicago and finally to Cleveland at the time of its merger with the SDA.
In August 1898 the SDF merged into the Social Democracy of America
Social Democracy of America
The Social Democracy of America , later known as the Co-operative Brotherhood, was a short lived party in the United States that sought to combine the planting of an intentional community with political action in order to create a socialist society...
, providing the SDA its second foreign language publication.
External links
- Proceedings of the Socialist Labor Party 1889 Convention Cincinnati, Ohio : Kommissions-Verlag G. Muehler These are the proceedings of the Rosenberg factions September 1889 convention
- Manifesto of the National Executive Committee of the Socialist Labor Party a circular to the membership explaining the Rosenberg groups position
- Eighth National Convention of the Socialist Labor Party These notices on the October 1889 convention give the Sanial-Jonas factions view on the split