National Party (United States)
Encyclopedia
The National Party was an early-20th-century national political organization in the United States founded by pro-war defectors from the Socialist Party of America
in 1917. Rather than filing into the Democratic Party
, these adherents of the SPA Right first formed a non-partisan national society to propagandize the socialist idea called the Social Democratic League of America. Many of these individuals were eager for the formation of an alternative political organization to both the so-called "old" parties and the anti-war Socialist Party of America and eagerly latched on to a burgeoning movement for a new party that sprouted in 1917.
on behalf of these measures, activists came to realize their common vision in practical terms, despite whatever philosophical differences they might have harbored in the theoretical plain. Thus veterans of the Progressive Party
believing in the "spirit of 1912," Prohibition
ists, suffragists
, Single-Taxers
, and Socialists began to talk amongst themselves about the possibility of uniting their forces in a new political organization to advance their common cause.
Informal conferences were held in New York and elsewhere in the country during the first half of 1917 between these individuals, culminating in a more formal four-day gathering in July at the home of Progressive Party leader J. A. H. Hopkins in Morristown, New Jersey
. The group did discuss and decide upon the outlines of a program for the forthcoming organization. The New Jersey conference was unable to agree amongst themselves to a name for the organization, so the matter was deferred to a future organizational conference, which ultimately decided upon the name "The National Party" for the new organization.
The National Party was funded by annual dues payments by its members, based according to the means of the party member, but of not less than $2 per annum. One dollar of this amount was to be retained by the national organization to fund its operation, while the other dollar was to rebated to the state organization for its own support. Party members were to receive membership cards and a periodic bulletin was planned. Those not wishing to cast their lot with the organization as full members could gain "sympathizer" status through the purchase of an annual button for fifty cents.
The National Party's national office was located in the Lafayette Building, 138 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois. It also had an office for its "Eastern Division" located at 15 E 40th Street, New York City.
of the sale and use of alcoholic beverages; for prison reform; for a system of proportional representation allowing minor parties representation according to voting strength; and for government ownership of transportation, communications, and other natural monopolies.
The conference adopted a declaration in support of American participation in the ongoing World War
which declared:
The group also called in no uncertain terms for an end to the "unlimited power of censorship now reposed in the Postmaster General," in favor of a less draconian "national council of censorship, upon which the various social reform ad labor movements of the country shall be adequately represented."
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 1917. Rather than filing into the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, these adherents of the SPA Right first formed a non-partisan national society to propagandize the socialist idea called the Social Democratic League of America. Many of these individuals were eager for the formation of an alternative political organization to both the so-called "old" parties and the anti-war Socialist Party of America and eagerly latched on to a burgeoning movement for a new party that sprouted in 1917.
Origins
The National Party seems to have begun as a byproduct of personal coalitions around single-issue advocacy, such as the drive for constitutional amendments for woman suffrage and prohibition. Coming together to lobby Congress and the Wilson AdministrationWilson Administration
Wilson Administration may refer to the administration of:*Woodrow Wilson*Harold Wilson...
on behalf of these measures, activists came to realize their common vision in practical terms, despite whatever philosophical differences they might have harbored in the theoretical plain. Thus veterans of the Progressive Party
Progressive Party (United States, 1912)
The Progressive Party of 1912 was an American political party. It was formed after a split in the Republican Party between President William Howard Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt....
believing in the "spirit of 1912," Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
ists, suffragists
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
, Single-Taxers
Social Credit
Social Credit is an economic philosophy developed by C. H. Douglas , a British engineer, who wrote a book by that name in 1924. Social Credit is described by Douglas as "the policy of a philosophy"; he called his philosophy "practical Christianity"...
, and Socialists began to talk amongst themselves about the possibility of uniting their forces in a new political organization to advance their common cause.
Informal conferences were held in New York and elsewhere in the country during the first half of 1917 between these individuals, culminating in a more formal four-day gathering in July at the home of Progressive Party leader J. A. H. Hopkins in Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
. The group did discuss and decide upon the outlines of a program for the forthcoming organization. The New Jersey conference was unable to agree amongst themselves to a name for the organization, so the matter was deferred to a future organizational conference, which ultimately decided upon the name "The National Party" for the new organization.
The National Party was funded by annual dues payments by its members, based according to the means of the party member, but of not less than $2 per annum. One dollar of this amount was to be retained by the national organization to fund its operation, while the other dollar was to rebated to the state organization for its own support. Party members were to receive membership cards and a periodic bulletin was planned. Those not wishing to cast their lot with the organization as full members could gain "sympathizer" status through the purchase of an annual button for fifty cents.
The National Party's national office was located in the Lafayette Building, 138 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois. It also had an office for its "Eastern Division" located at 15 E 40th Street, New York City.
Founding Conference, Chicago, Illinois October 3-4, 1917
The founding conference of the National Party adopted a tentative platform declaring for universal and equal suffrage; for strong advocacy of the rights of Initiative, Referendum, and Recall; for the absentee ballot as a means of enfranchising and deradicalizing transient labor; for prohibitionProhibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
of the sale and use of alcoholic beverages; for prison reform; for a system of proportional representation allowing minor parties representation according to voting strength; and for government ownership of transportation, communications, and other natural monopolies.
The conference adopted a declaration in support of American participation in the ongoing World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
which declared:
"Fundamentally the war is struggle between the ideals and aspirations of democracyDemocracyDemocracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
on the one hand, and the ideals and aspirations of autocracyAutocracyAn autocracy is a form of government in which one person is the supreme power within the state. It is derived from the Greek : and , and may be translated as "one who rules by himself". It is distinct from oligarchy and democracy...
on the other hand. Imperfect though our democracy may be, nevertheless it is one of the most advanced in the world.
"We rejoice in the assurance that in the words of President WilsonWoodrow WilsonThomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
we have entered this war for no selfish objects of our own...
"We entered the war to resist international aggression and lawlessness, to establish a permanent basis for international peace, and to aid the movement toward democracy in all lands. Believing that these aims are coincident with the best interests of all free peoples, and even those of the people of GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and confident that this nation will not forget these aims nor permit our forces to be used for conquest or imperialisticImperialismImperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
oppression, we pledge our full and undivided support to our nation and its allies in the pursuit of these aims."
The group also called in no uncertain terms for an end to the "unlimited power of censorship now reposed in the Postmaster General," in favor of a less draconian "national council of censorship, upon which the various social reform ad labor movements of the country shall be adequately represented."
First Convention, Chicago, March 6–8, 1918
The Second Convention of the National Party adopted a formal organizational constitution and revised platform for the organization. The group was to be headed by a National Chairman, four Vice Chairmen, and a National Executive Committee of 29. Former Socialist David Coates was elected National Chairman, while J.A.H. Hopkins was elected First Vice Chairman and Chairman of the National Executive Committee.Name change
Before the 1936 election, the party changed its name to the "Greenback Party", a reference to the 19th-century party of the same name.Prominent members and associated organizations
- David C. CoatesDavid C. CoatesDavid Courtney Coates was a Pueblo, Colorado businessman, a radical, the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado, secretary of Colorado's State Federation of Labor, and a friend to Big Bill Haywood.Coates was born in Brandon, England....
(ex-Socialist Party) - J. A. H. Hopkins (Committee of 48, Progressive Party)
- Marie Caroline Brehm (Suffragist)
- William F. Cochran (Baltimore real estate developer)
- Upton SinclairUpton SinclairUpton Beall Sinclair Jr. , was an American author who wrote close to one hundred books in many genres. He achieved popularity in the first half of the twentieth century, acquiring particular fame for his classic muckraking novel, The Jungle . It exposed conditions in the U.S...
(ex-Socialist Party) - John SpargoJohn SpargoJohn Spargo was a British-born American socialist political activist, orator, and writer who later became a renowned expert in the history and crafts of Vermont...
(ex-Socialist Party) - J. G. Phelps StokesJames Graham Phelps StokesJames Graham Phelps Stokes , known to his friends as "Graham," was an American millionaire socialist writer, political activist, and philanthropist. He is best remembered as a founding member and key figure in the Intercollegiate Socialist Society and as the husband of Rose Pastor Stokes, a radical...
(ex-Socialist Party)