foxes to
put through Hillquit's hypocrisy-plank on marriage and religion? These
are the two whose deceit and violence have now reduced the Socialist
Party of America to little more than a hollow echo of two lying hearts.

Delegate Vander Porten opposed the adoption of the plank as originally
read by Simons and urged the adoption of Morris Hillquit's amendment:

"Nobody regrets more than I do that this question has arisen in
this convention, but as long as it occupies the position that it
does, I believe that there is to be an expression upon it, that
expression should be the truth and not a lie.... When we talk of
educating mankind and when we talk of raising mankind above the
level in which he is, then we have got to throw from his arms those
crutches that bind him to his slavery, and religion is one of them.
Let it be understood that the moment the Socialist Party's whole
aim and object is to get votes, we can get them more quickly by
trying to please the religionists and those whose only ambition is
to pray God and crush mankind.... Let us say nothing or say the
truth. To spread forth to the world that religion is the
individual's affair, and that religion has no part in the
subjection of the human race, we lie when we say it."

After several other delegates had spoken, the "Proceedings of the 1908
National Convention" inform us that the chairman put the question on the
acceptance of the substitute offered by Delegate Hillquit, and the
result being in doubt, a show of hands was called for, and the vote
resulted in 79 for the substitute, and 78 against it.

Those who honestly voted against the plank admitted thereby that the
Socialist Party was very much concerned with matters of religious belief
and that the Revolutionists were then, just as they are today, the
bitter enemies of religion.

The 79 who voted for the plank did so, not because they had any love for
religion, for this is evident from their speeches and from their method
of procedure, but because they considered that a great deal of prejudice
against Socialism would be removed by the adoption of a plank stating
that the Socialist Party is primarily an economic and political
movement, and that it is not concerned with matters of religious belief.

On one single plank therefore there were 79 liars in the Socialist
National Convention out of a possible 157. Quite an unenviable record