political and as to its labor-union
policy.

This action of the Miners was followed a few months later by the
election to office of several of Mr. Gompers's Socialist opponents in
his own union (the Cigarmakers). Then another of Mr. Gompers's most
valued lieutenants (after Mr. Mitchell), Mr. James O'Connell, for many
years President of the very important Machinists' Union, was defeated by
a Socialist, Mr. W. H. Johnston,--after a very lively contest in which
Socialism and the Civic Federation, and their contrasting the labor
policies, played a leading part. The old conservative trade unionism is
not only going, but it is going so fast that one or two more years like
the last would overwhelm it in the national convention of the Federation
of Labor and revolutionize the policy of the whole movement.

The change in the political attitude of the American unions has been
equally rapid. Until a few years ago the majority of them were opposed
to cooeperation with any political party. Then they decided almost
unanimously to act nationally, and for the time being with the
Democrats, and this decision still holds. More recently several local
labor parties have been formed, and the Socialist Party has occasionally
been supported. The only question that interests us, however, is the
purpose behind these changing political tactics.

It is natural that unionists on entering into the Socialist Party
should seek to control it. Socialists make no objection at this point.
The only question relates to their purpose in seeking control. A
prominent Socialist miner, John Walker, has frankly advocated a Labor
Party of the British type, while others wish to turn the Socialist Party
into that sort of an organization; while the Secretary of the Oklahoma
Federation of Labor, on joining the Party said: "Let us get into the
Socialist Party--on the inside--and help run it as we think it should be
run," and then gave an idea of how he proposed to run it by accusing the
Party of containing too many people "who are Socialists before anything
else." This is a common feeling among new labor-union recruits in the
Party. It is difficult to see the difference between those who share
Walker's view and want to carry out the present non-Socialist political
program of the unions through a non-Socialist Labor Party and those who,
like this other union official, expect to use the Socialist Party for
the same purpose. Let us notice the similarity of certain arg