The Socialist Conspiracy Against Religion Wi> By JOS. J. MERETO AUTHOR OF "THE RED CONSPIRACY" TEN CENTS PER COPY Copyright 1919 by ICONOCLAST PUB. CO., 1110 Security Bldg.. Chicago ) THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION It is but proper to begin this pamphlet by conceding that there are many church-going members among those who vote the Marxian ticket not as an indorsement of the teachings of international Socialism, but merely as a protest against po- litical corruption and the abuses of capitalism. Justice, more- over, demands that we acknowledge the existence of a small minority of dues-paying members of the party who neither attack religion, nor tacitly approve of the atheistic propaganda carried on in the official Marxian press as well as in the books, pamphlets and magazines on sale not only in the leading So- cialist book-stores of America but even at the National Office of the party in Chicago. In most countries of Europe, where the war against religion is much more open and widespread than in America, the So- cialists are frank in confessing that their movement is atheis- tic and anti-religious. In our own country some of the more violent Socialistic ene- mies of the church admit both in their speeches and in their writings that they would be extremely happy to see the very idea of God become a matter of ancient history. Christian So- cialists of the Carr faction, who constitute a minority of far less than 1 per cent of the Socialist Party of the United States, have not only conceded the existence of an atheistic propa- ganda within the ranks, but have attacked it and utterly failed to suppress it. Apart from these two classes of American So- cialists who admit the existence of a campaign in favor of atheism, most Socialists in our country, because they fear that votes will be lost if our people are convinced of the anti- religious character of the party, steadfastly deny that they 4 THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION are conspiring against religion. Indeed they are quite cunning and crafty in their efforts to beguile the unwary. If the per- son hesitates joining the party, owing to his conviction that nearly all the Socialist leaders have been the enemies of re- ligion, he is informed that it would be just as foolish for him not to be a Revolutionist for this reason, as it would be for one not to become a Democrat merely because Thomas Jef- ferson was an atheist, or for one to refuse to vote the Repub- lican ticket since IngersoU did not believe in God. As the conspirators against religion have by this plausible argument, involving the names of Jefferson and Ingersoll, re- moved the prejudices that many persons formerly had against Socialism on account of the atheistic teachings of its leaders, it seems but fitting to give a short refutation of the deceptive argument and to point out the absurdity of the comparison just mentioned. In the first place, although Thomas Jefferson and Robert Ingersoll were atheists, neither of them ever stated that Democracy or Republicanism was anti-religious. On the other hand, very many of the highest authorities in the Marxian Party, whose extensive knowledge of Socialism justifies our belief that they know but too well the policy of the revolu- tionary movement, admit that Socialism postulates atheism and war against religious beliefs. Jefferson and Ingersoll never attacked religion nor taught atheism with a view to furthering the cause of Democracy or of Republicanism. But a very large number of the Socialists, whether Europeans or Americans, in their endeavor to promote what they consider to be the best interests of their party, have in their books, magazines, pamphlets and papers been waging a relentless war against religion. The atheistical works of neither Thomas Jefferson nor of Robert Ingersoll were purchased by the rank and file of their parties for purposes of party propaganda, but the rank and file of the Revolutionary Party spend large sums of money on publications in which their avowed leaders teach atheism as part of the Socialist program. Not content even with this, the members do their utmost to increase the circu- lation of anti-religious Socialist books, magazines, pamphlets and papers. THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION Before producing the evidence that will convict the Social- ist leaders and the rank and file of the party of openly advo- cating atheism and of hostility to religion, or at least of tacitly approving of such a propaganda, a few words must be said relative to the materialistic conception of history, or of eco- nomic determinism, as it is often called. According to this doctrine, which is one of the fundamental teachings of the Socialists, the whole history of mankind, including its po- litical, intellectual and religious development, is nothing more than a process of evolution, the guiding principle of which is the prevailing economic conditions and their re- sultant class struggles. Consequently, the Socialists who be- lieve this doctrine deny the intervention of God in the devel- opment and spread of the Christian religion; for economic determinism teaches that the development of the Church is not the work of Divine Providence, but of the economic con- ditions and class struggles of society. W. D. P. Bliss, the Socialist editor of the "New Encyclo- pedia of Social Reform,'' in an article on page 1135 of his work admits that it is perfectly true that the large majority of avowed Socialists are divorced from recognized religion and the church, and that this leads many of them to extreme rad- icalism on all questions of ethics, money and the family. THE CONSPIRACY ON THE PART OF EUROPEAN SOCIALISTS. Frederick Engels, a Socialist of great renown, who, together with Karl Marx, wrote the '^Communist Manifesto" and was the author of other celebrated Socialist works in German and English, taught that "nowadays in our evolutionary concep- tion of the universe, there is absolutely no room for either a Creator or a ruler." ("Socialism, Utopian and Scientific," by Frederick Engels, page 17 of the Introduction to the 1901 edition in English-New York Labor News Co.). Wilhelm Liebknecht, who until shortly before his death in 1900 was one of the foremost leaders of the Socialist Party in Germany, addressing the Halle Convention, said : "As re- gards my own self, I had done with religion at an early 6 THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION age I am an atheist, I do not believe in God We may peacefully take our stand upon the ground of Socialism, and thus conquer the stupidity of the masses in so far as this stupidity reveals itself in religious forms and dogmas." The same German Socialist and atheist taught in his book, "Ma- terialist Basis of History" : "It is our duty as Socialists to root out the faith in God with all our zeal, nor is anyone worthy the name who does not con- secrete himself to the spread of atheism." August Bebel, who before his death in August, 1913, was the leader of the Socialists of Germany, gave many proofs of the intimate relation existing between Socialism and atheism. On September 16, 1878, he declared in the Reichstag: "Gentlemen, you attack our views on religion because they are atheistic and materialistic. I acknowledge the correctness of the impeachment. I am firmly convinced that Socialism finally leads to atheism." In the Reichstag on December 31, 1881, he made the fol- lowing profession of faith: "In politics we profess republicanism, in economics Social- ism, in religion atheism." According to the 1903 platform of the German Socialists, adopted at Dresden, "No religious instructions of any kind shall be given to children under the age of sixteen ; after that they can select their own religious tenets and teachings as they please. Superstitious religious notions that are current among the less educated classes are to be eradicated through proper instructions." "The Comrade," September, 1904, confesses that the satirical weekly, "L'Asino," published by the Socialists of Italy, and known throughout the world for its attacks on re- ligion, carries on a bitter fight against the Catholic Church. In the early part of 1913, L'Asino, speaking of the coming Italian election, boasted that the Socialists would proclaim their anti-clericalism and atheism in the public meetings. The Austrian Socialists in convention at Linz, May 30, 1898, passed a resolution proposed by Pernerstorfer to the effect that "Socialism is directly contradictory to Roman cler- THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION 7 icalism, which is enslaved to unyielding authority, immutable dogmas, and absolute intellectual thraldom. We doubt all au- thority, we know of no immutable dogma, we are the cham- pions of right, liberty and conscience." (Reported in '*Vor- waerts," 1898, No. 126, suppl.). The bitter persecution that has for years been waged against the church in France is too well known to require much comment. The representatives of the French Socialist Party at Tours in March, 1903, voted upon a program from which several clauses will be cited: **The Socialist Party needs to organize a new world, free minds emancipated from superstition and prejudices. It asks for and guarantees every human being, every individual, ab- solute freedom of thinking, and writing and affirming their beliefs. Over against all religious dogmas and churches as well as over against the class conceptions of the bourgeoisie, it sets the unlimited right of free thought, the scientific con- ception of the universe, and a system of public education based exclusively on science and reason. Thus accustomed to free thought and reflection, citizens will be protected against the sophistries of the capitalistic and clerical reac- tion." The program also declares for the ^'abolition of the congregations, nationalization of property in mortmain of every kind belonging to them, and appropriation of it for works of social insurance and solidarity." In the Tours program, therefore, we have the open confes- sion of the Socialist Party of France that it is anti-religious and that it favors the disgraceful robbery of the church that has for many years been going on in that country. The Belgian Socialists are quite as violent as the French in their hatred of the church, for in addition to the large num- ber of vile anti-religious pamphlets distributed during the campaign that preceded the elections of 1912, we have the tes- timony of no less an authority than the Socialist leader, Emile Vandervelde, in ^'Social Democrat," England, January, 1903: "In the end the question to be solved is : what is the essen- tial aim of Socialism? There is not a Socialist who would hesitate to say that it is the emancipation of the workers, the 8 THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION freedom of the proletariat — and by this freedom we mean its complete freedom, the abolition of all slavery in the spiritual sphere as well as in the material sphere Can a sincere believer follow the church's teachings and yet be a Socialist? We are bound to admit that both in philosophy and in poli- tics there must be war between Socialism and the Church." In England, too, the Socialists are the avowed enemies of religion. Blatchford, who is well known to his comrades for his extensive work in propagating Socialism by the pen, wrote in the ^'Clarion," October 4, 1907: '^Believing that the Christian religion was untrue, and be- lieving that all supernatural religions were inimical to human progress, and foreseeing that a conflict between Socialism and religion was inevitable, I attacked the Christian religion. I am working for Socialism when I attack religion which is hindering it." Again in his book, **God and My Neighbor," Blatchford utters the following blasphemies : am an easiful old pagan, and I am not angry with you at all — you funny little champion of the Most High "This is the God of Heaven? This is the Father of Christ? This is the Creator of the Milky Way? No! He will not do. He is not big enough. He is not good enough. He is not clean enough. He is a spiritual nightmare, a bad dream born in savage minds of terror and ignorance and a tigerish lust for blood "Is this unspeakable monster the Father of Christ? Is he the God who inspireth Buddha and Shakespeare and Beetho- ven and Darwin and Plato? No, not he. But in warfare and massacre, in rapine and rape, in black revenge and in deadly malice, in slavery and polygamy, and the debasement of woman, and in the pomps, vanities and greeds of royalty, of clericalism, and of usury and barter — we may easily discern the influence of his ferocious and abominable personality." This book which teaches atheism from cover to cover could be bought for a dollar a copy in 1912 at the National Office of the Socialist Party in Chicago, 111. In the May, 1917, issue of the "International Socialist Re- THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION 9 view," "God and My Neighbor," by Blatchford, is thus adver- tised : "Is the Bible true? This is the chief subject of debate today between Christians and Scientists the world over. Robert Blatchford says: 'Is the Bible a holy and inspired book and the Word of God to man, or is it an incongruous and contra- dictory collection of tribal tradition and ancient fables, writ- ten by men of genius and imagination? Mr. Blatchford be- lieves religions are not revealed, they are evolved. " *We cannot accept as the God of Creation,' he writes, 'this savage idol, Jehovah, of an obscure tribe, and we have re- nounced him and are ashamed of him, not because of any later divine revelation, but because mankind has become too en- lightened to tolerate Jehovah'." Ernest Bax, an Englishman, one of the greatest authorities in the world on Socialism, an author who even in America has been styled "the most accomplished writer on behalf of Socialism in this and perhaps in any country," in his book, "Religion of Socialism," thus testifies to the relation existing between Socialism and religion: "In what sense Socialism is not religious will now be clear. It utterly despises the other world with all its stage proper- ties — that is the present objects of religion." ("Religion of Socialism," by Ernest Belfort Bax, page 52 of 1891 edition.) Who could imagine any more convincing testimony of the atheistic and anti-religious nature of the Socialistic movement than the following words of the English Socialist, James Leathan, in "Socialism and Character"? "At the present moment I cannot remember a single in- stance of a person who is at one and the same time a really earnest and intelligent Socialist and an orthodox Christian. Those who do not openly attack the church and the fabric of Christianity, show but scant respect to either the one or the other in private and while all of us are thus indifferent to the church, many of us are frankly hostile to her. Marx, Lassalle and Engels among earlier Socialists: Morris, Bax Hyndman, Guesde and Bebel among present day Socialists — are all more or less avowed atheists: and what is true of the 10 THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION more notable men of the party is almost equally true of the rank and file the world over." In 1910 a pamphlet entitled '^Socialism and Religion" was issued by the Revolutionists of Great Britain. One quotation from it will amply suffice to show the utter contempt of the English Socialist for religion : *'If a man supports the church, or in any respect allows religious ideas to stand in the way of principles of Socialism, or activity of the party, he proves thereby that he does not accept Socialism as fundamentally true and of the first im- portance, and his place is outside. No man can be consistently both a Socialist and a Christian. It must either be the Social- ist or the religious principle that is supreme, for the attempt to couple them equally together betrays charlatanism or lack of thought. There is, therefore, no need for a specifically anti- religious test. So surely does the acceptance of Socialism lead to the exclusion of the supernatural, that the Socialist has little need for such terms as atheist, freethinker or even ma- terialist, for the word Socialist rightly understood, implies one (who on all such questions) takes his stand on positive science, explaining all things by purely natural causation — Socialism being not merely a politico-economic creed, but an integral part of a consistent world philosophy." "The Western Clarion," a publication of the Canadian So- cialists, declared in its issue of May 23, 1914, that the Socialist Party of Canada would have "no compromise with advocates of Christianity." Alvarado, the governor of Yucatan, and his criminal sus- tainers several years ago drove the clergy from the country, turned the churches into I. W. W. meeting houses, and turned some as in the case of the Cathedral of Merida, even into warehouses. Religion was outlawed and an atheistic tyranny established. Alvarado is an ardent I. W. W. Socialist of the most violent sort. His advent into Yucatan from the lawless northern part of Mexico was marked by wholesale confisca- tion of property, by robbery and outrage. His vile subordi- nates of like origin with himself committed loathsome crimes, unspeakable and without number, and no opportunity was overlooked to persecute the unhappy people, whose accumu- THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION 11 lations by thrift and industry and whose steadfast adherence to their religion marked them as certain victims of robbery, murder and outrage. "The Call/' New York, April 9, 1919, informs us that the workers in Yucatan have elected a succession of Socialist gov- ernors, and in its issue of April 14, 1919, under the caption, "Up to the Minute Official Socialist News,'' we read the fol- lowing : "Felipe Carrillo, president of the Socialist Party of Yuca- tan, Mexico, spoke on conditions in Yucatan. Among other things, he said: *The Socialist Party of America should do everything possible against intervention in Mexico All the public officials, from the highest to the lowest, are members of the Socialist Party There is no middle class in Yucatan The Socialist Party of Yucatan has been in power three years.' "A rising vote was taken, expressing our fraternal greetings to Felipe Carrillo and the Comrades of Yucatan." The April 9, 1919, issue of "The Call" also informs us that Alvarado in 1915 organized the Socialist Party of Yucatan, 62,700 members of which belong to the League of Resistance, an organization which we are told is purely economic in its activities. What a strange name for an economic league, especially in Mexico, where economics have for some years been taught by the torch, bomb, dagger! The March, 1919, edition of "The Eye Opener," the official organ of the Socialist Party of the United States, throws a little light on this economic league of the "knights of the red flag." On page 4 of that issue we are told that among the principles of the League of Resistance are the following : "The Land is Mother, and Labor is the Father of Human- ity. Attack no one without motive, but never present the other cheek to any who has struck one. Fly from the relig- ions, principally the Catholic religion, as from the plagues." The long article in "The Eye Opener" on the economic League of Resistance en^s with "the call of Yucatan to the 12 THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION rest of the continent: Workers of the world, unite.'* Carillo is then quoted as saying: "Never will labor conquer until it understands solidarity. Political action, economic action, perhaps military action — todos metodos necesitamos. En todas las epocas del mundo, rifley dynamita sean necesarios; pero siempre y sobre todo, solidaridad." The words, "rifley dynamita" mean nothing and are evidently a misprint for "rifles y dynamita." There was good reason for letting the words remain in the Spanish in the official organ of the Socialist Party of the United States, for if the wprds meant were "rifles y dynamita," the following is the translation of the Spanish sentence: "We need all means. In all periods of the world's history, rifles and dynamite may be necessary, but always and above all, solidarity." So much for the economic League of Resistance of the So- cialists of Yucatan which has been destroying both religion and civilization alike ! Carillo, its president, has been greeted throughout our country by the Socialists who have been ex- tending their fraternal greetings also to the rest of their "Comrades in Yucatan." THE CONSPIRACY IN AMERICAN SOCIALIST LIT- ERATURE. Much more testimony than has already been given could easily be furnished for proving that the Socialist movement in foreign lands is atheistic and anti-religious, but as suffi- cient has been given, let us dwell more on the anti-religious activities of the Revolutionists in our own country. In answer to a possible objection, namely, that the Amer- ican Socialists should in no way be held responsible for the anti-religious and atheistic teachings of their comrades abroad, the attention of the reader is called to the fact that the Socialist movement is an international one, and that nearly all the Marxian leaders in Europe are considered by the American Socialists as first class authorities on Socialism. Moreover, the books and writings of these foreign protago- nists form a very considerable part of the Socialistic litera- THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION 13 ture of the United States and are considered as standard works on the subject. But in addition to the American Socialists thus sharing the responsibility of their European comrades, the Revolutionists of our own country will now come forward with more than enough testimony to prove that they are just as guilty as their foreign comrades of propagating atheistic and anti-religious doctrines. Rev. William T. Brown, formerly the pastor of Plymouth Church, Rochester, N. Y., after becoming a Socialist, wrote the following in the May, 1902, number of "Wilshire's Mag- azine" : *'For myself, I do not recognize any existing church or state as complete in itself or founded by God. There is abso- lutely nothing in church or state that cannot be traced to a perfectly natural origin Instead of the religious idea that God breathed into clay the breath of life, and so man came into existence in the image of God, we know beyond question that man's ancestors were animals, and he is the image of his animal parentage Singing hymns, saying prayers, learning catechism, attending the services of a place miscalled sanctuary will do nothing whatever to effect the ends for which men are striving The church will at- tract its own, and the Socialist cause will draw those who belong to it. People who are interested in fossils and relics and curios will find a congenial place in the church as will also the ignorant and deluded masses." George D. Herron, who, like William T. Brown, had once been a minister, on becoming a Socialist expressed his athe- istic sentiments by writing in the ''International Socialist Re- view," Chicago, August, 1901 : "When the gods are dead to rise no more, man will begin to live. After the end of the gods, when there is nothing else to which we may turn, nothing left outside of ourselves, we shall turn to one another for fellowship, and behold ! the heart of all worship is exposed, and we have omnipotence in our hands "There will be no more priests, no rulers, no judges, when 14 THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION fellowship comes and the gods are gone. And when there are neither priests, nor rulers, nor judges, there will be no evil on earth, nor none called good, to stand over against others called evil." John Spargo, formerly a Socialist author of considerable renown in the United States, and until recently very popular with the party, speaking of education in ^'Socialism, a Sum- mary and Interpretation of Socialist Principles," touches upon the question of parochial schools in the Marxian common- wealth : "Whether the Socialistic regime could tolerate the existence of elementary schools other than its own, such as privately conducted kindergartens and schools, religious schools, and so on, is questionable. Probably not. It would probably not content itself with refusing to permit religious doctrines or ideas to be taught in its schools, but would go farther and as the natural protector of the child, guard its independence of thought in later life as far as possible by forbidding religious teaching of any kind in schools for children up to a certain age "This restriction of religious education to the years of judgment and discretion implies no hostility to religion on the part of the state, but neutrality." ("Socialism, a Summary and Interpretation of Socialist Principles," by John Spargo, page 238 of 1906 edition.) "The Call" does not fail to publish among its many poems those that are violently anti-religious. In confirmation of this we shall transcribe several, all of which furnish excellent proofs of the existence of the conspiracy against religion. The first poem that will be quoted appeared in the Novem- ber 19, 1911, edition, and reads as follows: "When all the choric peal shall end; That through the fanes hath rung; When the long lauds no more ascend From man's adoring tongue; THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION 15 When overwhelmed are altar, priest and creed; When all the faiths have passed; Perhaps from darkening incense freed, God may emerge at last." The subsequent poem, entitled "To the Religionist," ap- peared on the same day : **You bid us spare your vision, Put faith in a life after death. Strive on toward some realm Elysian And heed all that one Book saith. **You would pray to a power celestial, To direct us in all our ways. Lest we fall to a region bestial And lose ourselves in its maze. "You speak of the Crucifixion Of one on Calvary As if his benediction Were a rank monopoly. "Shall we pray to a power not human For guidance miraculous When the nearest man or woman Will give help, and without that fuss? "When the glorious future people Have realized our dream. Then the cross upon the steeple No longer shall blaspheme. "The godhood of the lowly, Their sacrifice unknown; Of the temple once held holy There shall not last one stone." 16 THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION Only two stanzas of a poem which appeared in "The Call" March 17, 1912, are hereby given: *'The Gods are dead; Dead lies their Heaven, their Hell. The Gods are dead. With all their terrors ! Well ! "Man now unmakes them. Who made them in his youth; He boldly breaks them With shattering blows of truth." Editorials and articles attacking religion are of very com- mon occurrence in "The Call.'* Several illustrations will suf- fice. In the May 1, 1912, edition we read: "In our combat with the natural forces we have been taught by science to seek the cause and effect not in anything super- natural; we have gotten rid of superstition and fear of re- vengeful gods.'' The following short article appeared on November 19, 1911, in the same paper: "Our exploiters might as well understand now that we have no use for the distorted and mystical figure that they repre- sent as Christ, a conservative member of the Property De- fence League, a thing neither man nor woman, but a third sex — not understood of us except as a rightful object of sus- picion; we have no use for this rant, cant and fustian of his holiness and immaculate qualities. That presentation has al- ways been repellent to us and always will be, no matter how much he may be proclaimed as the friend of the working- man Christ, the democrat, the agitator, the revolu- tionary, the rebel, the bearer of the red flag, yes we can un- derstand that figure." Under the caption, "The Old Year and the New," an edito- rial, part of which is hereby given, was published in "The Call" January 1, 1912: "Interesting is H to see these clerical reactionists trying to kindle into P" . the dying embers and ashes of the religious THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION 17 enthusiasm of past ages, now on the point of flickering out, and marshaling the remnants of fear and ignorance against the inexorable march of humanity and social progress. "We have no verbal answer to expend upon them. They are not worth it. Well do we know that their show of attack is but a defensive movement. The only answer they need expect from us will be given in the steady continuance of our work. For we can put a thousand workers into the field for their one, and despite all they may do, we will take from them thousands and hundreds of thousands of those who now fol- low them, and in whose ignorance alone lies their defensive strength. Economic conditions fight on our side. Their cap- italist Christ cannot feed the multitude. We can teach the multitude hov/ to feed themselves." "The Proletarian," the Socialist paper of Detroit, in its April, 1919, edition tells us that "Socialism is not a religion, it explains the causes and fallacies underlying all religions.'' In the "International Socialist Review," August, 1908, a notable confession is made relative to religion: "Religion spells death to Socialism, just as Socialism to re- ligion. The moment Socialism turns into a religion it loses all its progressiveness, it ossifies and turns into a superstition of fanatics, who never forget and never learn anything. So- cialism is essentially, although not apparently, a free-thought movement. The thinking Socialists are all freethinkers." In the "Internationalist Socialist Review" not only are there many articles and editorials attacking religion, but also many advertisements of atheistical and anti-religious books. For instance, in the February, 1912, edition, among the many works advertised on page 512 the following are listed under the heading, "Free-Thought Pamphlets": "Holy Smoke in Holy Land. Myth of the Great Deluge. Revelation Under the Microscope of Evolution. Chas. Darwin, What He Accomplished. Jehovah Interviewed. Church and State — by Jefferson. Mistakes of Moses — by Ingersoll. 18 THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION Ingersolia: Gems from R. G, IngersoU. Age of Reason — by Thos. Paine. Ingersoll — 44 Lectures. Ingersoll's Famous Speeches." In the April, 1912, edition of the "International Socialist Review/' the subsequent additions are made to the advertise- ments already mentioned: "Voltaire. Confessions of a Nun. Merry Tales of the Monks. Secrets of Black Nunnery." Surely such books as these would not be extensively adver- tised in the Review and in the Socialist papers, nor would money be spent in this way by their publishers unless the atheistic and anti-religious works found many purchasers among those who inserted a plank in their party platform stating that the Socialist movement was primarily an eco- nomic one and was not concerned with matters of religious belief. In the spring and summer of 1919 large numbers of atheis- tical books were found on sale by the author of "The Red Conspiracy" in practically all of the Socialist book stores that he visited both in the East and in the West. The following is part of an editorial taken from the "Com- rade," New York, January, 1904, on the death of Herbert Spencer : "Dying at 84 years of age, Herbert Spencer leaves behind him an enduring monument such as few men have been able to build for themselves. He helped to rid the world of super- stition and to destroy priestcraft; he put the idea of a God- direction of the world, and its counterpart, the eternal sub- jection and the dependence of man, into the waste paper bas- ket of history. He cleared the way for the feet of the army of progress." In the propagation of atheism, the German Socialist papers of the United States are worthy imitators of those that are published in English. The "New Yorker Volkszeitung," October 9, 1901, thus THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION 19 acknowledges the atheistic and anti-religious attitude of the revolutionary movement : "Socialism and belief in the Divinity as taught by Chris- tianity and its representatives do not agree, cannot agree, are diametrically opposed to one another. Socialism is logical only when it denies the existence of God, when it maintains that we do not need the so-called assistance of God, since we are able to help ourselves. Only he who has no faith begins to feel that he can accomplish something. The laborer who places confidence in God, and who with Christian resignation, thinks that all is done by God is well done — how can that laborer develop revolutionary forces for the overthrow of authority and social order, both of which, according to his faith, are instituted by God? As long as he clings to this be- lief he will not be able to acquire a genuinely revolutionary spirit." In the May 10, 1902, edition of "Vorwarts," a weekly sup- plement of the "New Yorker Volkszeitung," we read: "New York, May 6. — Archbishop Corrigan died last night after a protracted illness. Preparations are going on for a grand funeral with the usual paraphernalia. The soul of the prelate whizzed out of his mortal remains straight up into the seventh heaven, and now the bishop is staying there with lovely little angels and other beautiful beings hovering about him. Let him who is fool enough, believe it.'' We are informed by "The Call," April 5, 1911, that at Utica, N. Y., on April 4, 1911, churches of all denominations were placed under the ban of the Italian Socialist Federation of the United States at the closing session of its National Congress, which had been in session for the last three days in that city and that strongly worded resolutions charging all churches with being against the emancipation of the working class and for the protection and perpetuation of capitalism and moral and economic slavery were unanimously adopted amid vocif- erous applause; finally that by the adoption of these resolu- tions, all members of the federation must sever their affilia- tions with any and all existing churches and religious organ- izations and refrain from all religious practices and rites. 20 THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION Some information regarding the atheistic teachings of the New York "II Proletario," the official organ of the Italian So- cialist Federation of the United States, will be of interest td the reader. In the edition of December 23, 1910, there are several attacks on Christianity. One of these, entitled ''Christ- mas Is Here,'' is translated as follows: "Christmas is a fib, Christmas is a fraud, Christmas is a crime wanted and continued by the powerful to delude their servants and to make them believe that there is really happi- ness, justice and love on this earth There is no ever- lasting joy. How long, O poor and exhausted workingmen of the world, will the shameful comedy continue? When will you finally perceive that not from a false and unexisting God, not from a mystical and epileptic crucified man, who died without rebellion and without protest, will come your redemp- tion? When will you open your eyes to the truth of Social- ism, and realize that finally upon you alone depends your sal- vation?" In the same edition of "II Proletario" there is a detailed list of 170 books and pamphlets that are advertised as being on sale at the bookstore of the Italian Socialist Federation. The first part of the list, under the heading **Anti-Religious Pam- phlets," includes 22 works, whose prices range from 5 cents to 30 cents. Among them are to be found: ''The Religious Pest— 5 cents. The Crimes of God — 5 cents. The Sins of My Lady Penitents — 8 cents. The Last Religious Lie — 5 cents. Neither God Nor Soul— 15 cents." Near the end of the detailed list 22 more works are adver- tised as anti-clerical novels. On May 1, 1912, while its editor, Arthur M. Giovannitti, was in prison at Lawrence, Mass., "II Proletario" published an article under the caption, "The Priest" : "Now at last the nations have understood that God is a monstrous fable, and that hell, heaven, immortality, and all the other devilish things are states created by rascals to de- spoil and oppress the people." THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION 21 We are very much indebted to the Social Reform Press for favoring us with the translation of **The Little Catechism/' edited by Bartos Bittner, whose dead and corrupt body was found by neighbors in his lodging in Chicago. This blas- phemous Catechism, from which quotations are hereby given, was published for the use of the children of the Bohemian- American Socialists. "Question.— What is God? "Answer. — God is a word used to designate an imaginary being which people of themselves have devised. "Q. — Is it true that God has never been revealed? "A. — As there is no God, He could not reveal himself. "Q.— What is heaven? "A. — Heaven is an imaginary place which churches have devised as a charm to entice their believers. "Q. — How did man originate? "A. — Just as did animals; by evolution from their lower kinds. "Q. — Has man an immortal soul as Christianity teaches? "A. — Man has no soul; it is only an imagination. "Q.— Who is Jesus Christ? "A. — Jesus Christ is the son of a Jewish girl called Mary. "Q.— Is he the son of God? "A. — ^There is no God, therefore there can be no God's son. "Q. — Did Christ rise from the dead as Christianity teaches? "A. — ^The report about Christ rising from the dead is a fable. "Q. — ^Is it true that after Christ's death the Apostles re- ceived the Holy Ghost? "A. — It is not; the Apostles had imbibed too freely of wine and their dizzy heads imagined all sorts of queer things. "Q. — Did Christ ascend into heaven? "A. — ^He did not; what the church teaches is a nonsensical fable, because there is no heaven, and there was no place to ascend to. "Q.— Will Christ come to this earth? "A. — He will not because no dead person can come back. "Q. — Will Christ return on judgment day? "A. — There will be no judgment day; that is all a fable so that preachers could scare people and hold them in their 22 THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION grasp. Man has no soul, neither had Christ a soul. All these things have been invented by the church. "Q.— What is the Holy Spirit? "A. — The Holy Spirit is an imagination existing only in the minds of crazy religious people. "Q.— Is Christianity desirable? "A. — Christianity is not advantageous to us, but is harmful, because it makes us spiritual cripples. By its teachings of bliss after death it deceives the people. Christianity is the greatest obstacle to the progress of mankind, therefore it is the duty of every citizen to help wipe out Christianity. All churches are impudent humbugs. "Q. — Is there communion of saints? "A. — No, because there is no God, no saints, no soul, and therefore our prayers are wholly useless, and only a waste of time, which should be spent in more useful things. "Q. — What is our duty when we have learned that there is no God? "A. — We should teach this knowledge to others. "Q. — Should we take the name of God in vain? *'Yes, because the name of God has no meaning.'' Isidor Ladoff, a Socialist of Cleveland. Ohio, and a candi- date for office in 1911, speaks very frankly about religion on page 11 of his pamphlet, "Socialism, The Anti-Christ'': "The Church knows that Socialism in spite of the declara- tion of neutrality of the latter in religious matters, under- mines the very foundation of the former. The Church realizes that Socialism is Anti-Christ. For the Church it is a question of life and death, a struggle for existence. Why, then, should the Socialists not engage in an open, aggressive campaign against the Church? Would not an honest war between Christ and Anti-Christ be more dignified, more wise and more effect- ive than a false pretense of neutrality and a defensive attitude toward the attacks of the Church? Let us have the courage of our convictions, not only in matters of social and economic significance, but in all things affecting the interests of the toiling masses of humanity, including religious institutions." Rev. E. E. Carr, writing in the "Christian Socialist," Chi- cago, May 15, 1907, informs us that: THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION 23 '*The Christian Socialists do not ask or desire that the Party declare for religion. Strictly speaking, Socialism is a purely economic proposition. . . . We demand absolute freedom of religious opinion in the party, and that officials of the party cease teaching anti-religious dogma as an essential part of Socialist philosophy." THE CONSPIRACY IN THE NATIONAL CONVEN- TION OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY AT CHICAGO. Dishonest Socialists, when arguing that their party does not advocate atheism as the ''religion" of their contemplated state, frequently appeal to the religious plank of their 1908 National Platform, which declares that the Socialist Party is not concerned with matters of religious belief. Though this deceitful appeal of the ''Knights of the Red Flag" has been exposed time and again, still it seems expedi- ent that the underhand methods of the party which boasts of being the only one sufficiently honest and upright to fight for the rights of poor and oppressed workingmen, be better known to the American people, and that the more important parts of the indoor convention speeches be presented in greater detail. Pages 191 to 205 of the "Proceedings of the 1908 National Convention of the Socialist Party," edited by John M. Work, published by the Socialist Party, and sold at 50 cents a copy at the National Office of the party, Chicago, 111., bear ample testimony to the hypocrisy of the Revolutionists. When Delegate Simons had finished reading the proposal of the platform committee "that religion be treated as a private matter- — a question of individual conscience," Arthur M. Lewis, a delegate from Illinois arose and moved its re- jection, saying: "I am among those who sincerely hoped the question of religion would not be raised at this convention. I am willing to concede so far that we shall let sleeping dogs lie. I know that the Socialist position in philosophy on the question of religion does not make a good campaign subject. It is not useful in the propaganda of a presidential campaign, and 24 THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION therefore I am willing that we should be silent about it. But if we must speak, I propose that we shall go before this coun- try with the truth and not with a lie. . . . Now I do not pro- pose to state in this platform the truth about religion from the point of view of the Socialist philosophy as it is stated in almost every book of standard Socialist literature ; but if we do not do that, let us at least have the good grace to be silent about it, and not make hypocrites of ourselves. ... I say, let us either tell the truth or have the good grace and the common sense and the stamina and the manhood and the self respect to keep our mouths shut about it. Therefore I move this be stricken from the platform." Delegate Hillquit of New York urged the following amendment as a substitute for the one, the ratification of which Lewis had tried to prevent : *'The socialist movement is primarily an economic and political movement. It is not concerned with the institutions of marriage or religion." Hill- quit then went on to say: **The fact that Comrade Lewis as a scholar, as a student of psychology, of history, of ethics and of everything else, has in the domain of religion come to the position of an agnostic, and that 99 per cent of us have landed in the same spot, does not make Socialism agnostic, nor is Socialism Christian, nor is Socialism Jewish. Socialism hasn't anything to do with t;hat side of our existence at all. I say to you, com- rades, if we are to follow Comrade Lewis's advice, and to say in our platform and declaration of principles what is true, let us not be afraid to insert in it the things we are advocating day after day and on all occasions." Delegate Unterman of Idaho, speaking in favor of the adop- tion of the religious plank as originally proposed by the plat- form committee and read by Simons, added : "Comrades, no one will accuse me of any sympathy with Christianity, either as a church or as a religion. I am known in the United States as a materialist of the most uncompro- mising order. But I want it clearly understood that my ma- terialist philosophy does not permit me to strike this plank out of the platform. I want it understood that my materialist THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION 25 dialectics do not permit me to forget the exigencies of the moment for our ideals in the far future. . . . Would you ex- pect to go out among the people of this country, people of different churches, of many different religious factions, and tell them that they must become atheists before they can become Socialists? That would be nonsense. We must first get these men convinced of the rationality of our economic and political program, and then after we have made Socialists of them and members of the Socialist party, we can talk to them inside of our ranks, talk of the higher philosophy and of the logical consequences of our explanation of society and nature. . . . We should not go out in our propaganda among people that are as yet unconvinced and are still groping in ignorance and obscurity, and tell them that they first must become materialists before they can become members of the Socialist party. No. This declaration that religion is a pri- vate matter does not mean that it is not a social matter, or class matter at the same time. It merely means that we shall bide our good time and wait till the individual is ready, through his own individual evolution, to accept our philos- ophy. It means that we shall give him plenty of time to grow gradually to the things that are necessary to him, and those material things that affect his material welfare, the eco- nomic and political question of Socialism. After he has grown into them, it will be so much easier to approach him with the full consequences of the Socialist philosophy. There- fore I ask you to retain this plank in our platform." Delegate Stirton gave the subsequent reason for his opposi- tion to the adoption of any religious plank in the party plat- form : "If this statement is true that religion is no concern of our movement, as stated in the amendment, or in the original recommendation that it is a private matter — if that is a true statement, then we don't need it. If it is a lie, then we don't want it." It will be remembered that Delegate Lewis at an earlier session of the convention had said: "Let us either tell the truth or have the good grace and the common sense and stamina and the manhood to keep our mouths shut about it." 26 THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION (i. e., religion from the viewpoint of Socialist philosophy.) To show his insincerity, we shall now quote parts of a second speech made by him in the evening of the same day on which he had spoken so eloquently in behalf of asserting the truth and not telling a lie. "I have gone into conference," he says, **between the after- noon session and the evening session with most of the mem- bers of the platform committee, and I have reached an agree- ment with them which I am sure the convention would be glad to hear, and it will dispose of this question, I think amic- ably to all concerned. ... I consider myself and every other delegate on this floor as being present at this convention for the sole purpose of promoting the best interests of the Social- ist Party. I am willing to waive any personal views of mine, and I believe the members of the platform committee are in the same position, to promote those interests. . . . While it may not harmonize with my personal opinion to have this plank remain in the platform, I am willing to sink those personal opinions rather than put the Socialist movement in America in a false position and lay it open to the attacks of our enemies.'' Victor Berger of Wisconsin mentioned expediency as his reason for favoring the adoption of a religious plank and argued : "In the first place, a plank of this kind you will find in every platform or program of every other civilized nation in the world. Yet in no country do they have as much reason for it as in this country. There is not a race in the world that is as thoroughly religious as the Anglo-Saxon race. If you want a party made up of free-thinkers only, then I can tell you right now how many you are going to have. If you want to wait with our co-operative commonwealth, until you have made a majority of the people into free-thinkers, I am afraid we will have to wait a long while. I say this, although I am known, not only in Milwaukee, but wherever our papers are read — as a pronounced agnostic. . . . You can hardly find a paper in which we are not denounced as men who want to abolish all religion and abolish God. Something must be done in order to enable us to show that Socialism, being an eco- THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION 27 nomic theory — or rather the name for an epoch of civiUzation — has nothing to do with religion either way, neither pro nor con/' 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 posi- tion that it does, I believe that if there is to be any expression upon it, that expression should be the truth and not a lie. . . . When we talk of educating mankind and when we talk of rais- ing 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" informs us that the chair- man 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 to-day, 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 Social- ism would be removed by the adoption of a plank stating that the Socialist party is primarily an economic and political 28 THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION movement, and that it is not concerned with matters of re- ligious belief. On one single plank therefore there were 79 liars in the Socialist National Convention out of a possible 157. Quite an unenviable record for the party which is so fond of ac- cusing its opponents of lies and falsehoods! When speeches against religion such as the ones quoted can be delivered at the national convention of a political party, without arousing anything like serious opposition among the delegates present, or among the rank and file of the party who afterwards read them, the only reasonable conclusion to be drawn is that the vast majority of the members of the party either advocate atheism or else are in sympathy with those who do. For four long years the Socialists all over the country ap- pealed to the religious plank of their 1908 platform to prove that their party was not opposed to religion; and although they were aware that the plank was a lie, they were not suf- ficiently honest to have it removed by referendum, as could have been done at any time. The plank was finally dropped by the National Convention of 1912 and has not since then been re-adopted. This, however, was not because the Social- ists as a body had become more upright through their adher- ence to atheism, but because their lies concerning religion had become pretty well known all over the United States. No doubt the reader will be interested in the following quotation taken from "The Communist," The Left Wing Socialist paper of Chicago. In the April, 1919, edition there is an article by John R. Ball, entitled ^'Challenge of the S. P." (i. e., the Socialist Party) "of Michigan" : "When the delegates to a State Socialist Convention gath- ered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Feb. 24, 1919, to nominate candidates for the coming State Elections, they were deter- mined to do much more than to go through the mere for- malities of complying with State Election Laws. . . . "There were many striking features about the personnel of the delegates: not only were the preachers entirely absent, but their following also. A Christian Socialist would have THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION 29 felt lonesome indeed, with no one to act as a listener for him. ... "Fearless and unashamed, in true Bolshevik fashion, the delegation paid no heed to the prejudice of some, but adopted, with one opposing vote, an additional constitutional amend- ment, guided solely by historic facts and scientific data. A Socialist who understands the Materialistic Conception of History cannot have faith in superstitions of any kind. In other words, a 'religious' or 'Christian' Socialist is a contradic- tion of terms, and the statement that 'religion is a private mat- ter' is a lie. The belief in a supreme being or beings is a social phenomenon which can be explained on the materialistic basis, just as all economic phenomena can be explained. With per- sistent adherence to honesty, the convention adopted a reso- lution and a constitutional amendment declaring religion to be a social phenomenon and instructing all organizers and speakers to explain religion upon its materialistic basis. "Here again the Socialist party of Michigan issued a direct challenge to the National Organization. This time it is not a challenge in regard to tactics, but we challenge the honesty of the National Organization in declaring that 'religion is a private matter.' " Sufficient evidence has now been given for proving that the Socialists are the declared enemies of the Church, not merely the Catholic Church, but every Church. They are conspiring to destroy an institution which, apart from the supernatural blessings that it has conferred upon mankind, has done won- ders to promote the happiness of nations. To the Church many countries owe their civilization and their conversion from heathenism. She has preserved for us the priceless treasures of art and learning that would otherwise have fallen a prey to the ravages of the barbarians. For centuries she has trained untold millions to observe the Commandments of God, and has thus been instrumental in the prevention of innumerable crimes and sins from which the human race would have suffered. Not only has she taught the people the virtues of charity, justice, temperance, humility, liberality, purity, meekness and forgiveness of enemies, and been a source of immense consolation to the poor and oppressed, the 30 THE SOCIALIST CONSPIRACY AGAINST RELIGION sick and the injured, but she has comforted millions of the dying, who when they realized that no earthly joys remained, took hope and delight at the thought of an eternal reward in heaven. It is this glorious institution then,' founded by Almighty God Himself, that the Socialists hate with all their hearts, and would destroy forever, because it prevents the spread of their revolutionary doctrines by teaching respect for law, order and authority, and by exposing to all the world the deceptions, frauds and empty promises of the conspirators against religion. BUNDLE RATES 15 copies $1.00 500 copies $30.00 100 copies 6.00 1000 copies 50.00 These prices prevail not only on this pamphlet but on another by the same author entitled, **The I. W. W." BRANN'S ICONOCLAST 1110 Security Bldg., Chicago, Hi.