political and civil rights for the Jews in those countries where they are deprived of these and shapes its policies according to the principles of International Socialism.

The Jewish Socialist Federation is also proud of the fact that Meyer London, the first Socialist Congressman from New York, was elected in a district where the Jewish Socialist Federation is active and is determined to keep him there in the future.

THE LITHUANIAN SOCIALIST FEDERATION.

BY C. A. HERMAN.

The Lithuanian Socialist Federation was organized in 1904, and held its first convention in Newark, N. J., in May, 1905. The L. S. Federation grew very rapidly, especially after the suppression of the Russian Revolution in 1905 and the following year, when numbers of comrades came to this country.

The Federation in the first years of its existence had some internal struggles with the elements which were brought into it at the time of its formation, but were foreign to the real working class movement. This foreign element, nationalists and anarchists, was sifted out in these struggles.

At the present time the Federation besides its common struggle along with the other socialists of this country against the capitalist system, has to fight other elements present among the Lithuanians themselves. The first of these is the activity of the Lithuanian Roman-Catholic clergy in trying to organize the workers into a federation of its own for the purpose of making them subservient to the exploiting classes; the other is the Lithuanian nationalists who try to becloud the struggle between the exploiters and exploited by organizing the workers on nationalistic lines for the purpose of obtaining political autonomy or complete political independence for Lithuania.

In 1914 the Federation decided by a very small majority to join the Socialist Party, which was done last year. At that time the Federation had over 3,500 members, but at present it has dropped to little over 2,000. The decrease in membership is mostly due to the unemployment which was very evident in the first part of last year, and also partly on account of the increase in dues which was brought about by joining the Socialist Party.

The Federation publishes as its official organ a weekly paper Kova (The Struggle), and a monthly magazine Naujoji Gadyne (The New Age), devoted to theoretical discussion of scientific socialism. Both are published in Philadelphia, where the Federation's headquarters are.

Besides these, there are one daily in Chicago; one semiweekly in Brooklyn; two weeklies—one in Boston, and the other in Pittsburgh, and one monthly in Worcester, Mass., issued by local socialist co-operative publishing organizations for educational and propaganda work.

THE POLISH SOCIALIST FEDERATION. From "The Polish Socialists," published by the Executive Committee of the Polish Alliance S. P.

The Polish Alliance of the Socialist Party was established in February, 1913, through the union of two organizations, the Alliance of Polish Socialists in America and the Polish Section of the Socialist Party. The first organization had existed for nearly twenty years "and its main aim was to prepare the revolution in Poland through teaching and organizing those that had the intention to return to Europe." The other organization, the Polish Section of the Socialist Party, had to do exclusively with Polish affairs on American ground.

The Polish Socialist Federation has acknowledged the Socialist Party as the political party of the proletariat, and has declared war on Anarchism. It stands definitely for political action, and seeks to bring about the naturalization of as many Poles as possible, "teaching them that the vote is the modern weapon of the proletariat, considerably more powerful than the so-called immediate action' and other similar methods." Poles are encouraged to send their children to the public schools and to patronize public libraries. Through the assistance of the Federation, People's Universities have been established in New York, Chicago, and other cities; and the Federation has published a large number of books on Socialism by Polish and other authors. It maintains a daily paper, The People's Daily, in Chicago, and two weeklies, one in Chicago and the other in Pittsburgh. The policy of the Federation is to urge Polish workingmen to join labor unions and at the same time to try "to modernize American unionism." A large number of lecture tours has been organized, and in 1913 a correspondence school of social and political science was established for the training of agita

tors.

THE SCANDINAVIAN SOCIALIST FEDERATION.

The Scandinavian Socialist Federation was organized at

a convention held in Chicago, July 2, 3, 4, 1910.

On January 1st, 1911, the Federation was composed of 7 branches with 216 members. Since then it has grown steadily and in 1916 it was composed of 51 branches with 1,741

members, of which 1,161 were in good standing. Out of this membership 265 are women.

In order to further the propaganda throughout the country, the Federation is divided into propaganda districts, which comprise all the branches within one state, and such neighboring states as are not strong enough to have a district of their Own. There are at present six active districts with their respective headquarters in the following cities: Duluth, Minn., Kenosha, Wis., Rockford, Ill., Pittsburgh, Pa., New York City, and West Concord, N. H.

The Federation has its own printing plant which was established in 1915.

A considerable amount of Scandinavian socialist literature has been printed,. or imported and distributed, by the Federation.

Speakers and organizers have been sent out regularly every year, and during the national campaign of 1916 we intend to have two speakers in the field continuously.

Outside of the Socialist Labor Party and a few radical temperance organizations, there are no other radical or semisocialistic Scandinavian organizations on a national scope in the United States.

was

Besides the regular party and propaganda activities, the Federation maintains a Sick-benefit auxiliary. This established in 1913. It is open to all those of the members who want to join, but it is only for members of the Federation.

THE SLOVAK SOCIALIST FEDERATION.

Report of Paul Bruchtel, Translator-Secretary.

The Federation started early in 1904 in Chicago, but it was not then affiliated with the Socialist Party. In the same year the Slovak paper was established, Rovnost Ludu; it was owned by the entire membership and is still the organ of the federation.

In June, 1913, the Federation was affiliated with the Socialist Party, with 590 members and 22 actual branches. During the same year we organized 16 new branches and in June, 1914, we had a membership of 723, with 42 branches.

In 1915 there were 751 members and 38 branches. Because of the prevailing unemployment this was a hard year and several branches disbanded; but the membership has again been brought up to 800 with 38 branches in the following states; Illinois, Indiana, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Missouri.

Each year three thousand copies of an Almanac are issued containing excellent articles and translations.

The work during the first few years was very difficult, and the Slovak paper was established only after many sacrifices. When the paper appeared, however, new light was thrown into the home of the workingman. Among the active comrades of that time were Stefan Martincek, speaker and organizer, and Frank Klabik, editor of Rovnost Ludu for four years.

The federation now owns two papers, Rovnost Ludu, in Chicago, a weekly, and a monthly in New York.

There are about 600,000 Slovak workers in this country, most of these belonging to Sick and Death Benefit Societies. These societies are usually conservative, but the Socialists are trying their best to permeate them and they now contain many members of the federation. In Newark a Socialist Benefit Society has been formed.

The Slovak Federation now employs three comrades at salaries from $16 to $20 per week, but the editor and business manager of the New York paper work without pay.

Many Slovak workers belong to the A. F. of L. There are no radical organizations or papers among them except those of the Socialists.

In the old country the Slovak Socialist movement is very weak because of the war. Their paper, published before the war in Presburg, Hungary, is still published but on a reduced scale.

THE SOUTH SLAVIC SOCIALIST ACTIVITIES

IN THE UNITED STATES

Report of Frank Petrich, Translator-Secretary.

As all other advanced nationalities, so have the South Slavics-Slovenians, Croatians, Serbians and Bulgarians— become conscious of the class struggle.

Knowing the value of the law of combination which means power, the South Slavic workers, differing little in language, organized themselves into a Federation. This was in July, 1910, when a unity convention was held in Chicago, and an agreement was reached to this effect:

It was decided that the Federation should be affiliated with the Socialist Party. This decision was carried out in January, 1911. The Federation at that time had 36 active locals with a membership of 635.

In the 36 locals of the Federation the different nationalities were represented as follows:

Croatians, 340; Slovenians, 250; Serbians, 45. Among them were a few Bulgarians.

From January 1, 1911, to December 31 of the same year, there were 30 new locals organized with over 800 members.

At the close of 1911, there were 58 active locals, some having disbanded, leaving a membership of 1266.

The nationalities then stood as follows: Slovenians, 607; Croatians, 558, and Serbians, 101.

Of these, 340 were union members, and 201 American citizens.

In accordance with this favorable beginning, the organization has grown proportionally up to the present time, February 29, 1916, with union members and American citizens among the new members of the organization.

The highest point in membership was reached in 1914. In January of that year, the Federation had 2608 members. After that time, because of bad industrial conditions, there was a decline in membership, bringing it down to 2,000, and this has been the average membership since.

The locals are distributed as follows:

Arkansas, 3; Arizona, 1; California, 1; Colorado, 1; Illinois, 16; Indiana, 3; Iowa, 2; Kansas, 10; Michigan, 2; Minnesota, 2; Missouri, 1; Montana, 4; Ohio, 16; Pennsylvania, 30; Washington, 1; West Virginia, 1; Wisconsin, 4; Wyoming, 4; total, 103 locals.

In the old country, the South Slavic Socialists, being divided by their monarchical boundaries, strive toward a Federated South Slavic Socialist Republic. In this aim, the American South Slavic Socialists are trying to assist whenever possible.

The Federation works along the line that its members become American citizens and fight the political and economic battles of the proletariat of America whenever neces

sary.

There were at the end of February, according to the reports of locals, out of 2,000 members in good standing, 979 union members and 576 American citizens.

Eighty-five per cent of the South Slavic people in the United States are industrial laborers, working a good third of them in the coal mines and the rest of them in the steel mills; 14% of them have their trade, and one per cent are farmers.

8. THE SOCIALIST PRESS.

1. The Socialist Party Press.

The organ of the Socialist Party is The American Socialist published in Chicago at the national headquarters. The editor is J. L. Engdahl.

The following statement regarding the party press is given by Mr. Engdahl.