Social-Democratic Party of Wisconsin

The Social-Democratic Party of Wisconsin (SDPW) was established in 1897 as the Wisconsin state affiliate of the Chicago faction of the Social Democratic Party of America. When that organization merged in 1901 to form a political party

Political party

A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

known as the Socialist Party of America

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...

, the Social-Democratic Party of Wisconsin became the state affiliate of that organization, retaining its original name. The party was responsible for electing the first socialist member of the United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

and was the governing party in the city of Milwaukee for many years, electing several long-time mayors. In December 1972, when in convention a majority of the Socialist Party voted to change the name of the organization to Social Democrats, USA so as to better work within the Democratic Party, a secessionist Wisconsin contingent was influential in the formation of a new organization dedicated to the traditional vision of independent political action

Third party (politics)

In a two-party system of politics, the term third party is sometimes applied to a party other than the two dominant ones. While technically the term is limited to the third largest party or third oldest party, it is common, though innumerate, shorthand for any smaller party.For instance, in the...

, the Socialist Party, USA.

Historical background

Milwaukee was the location of the first branch of the fledgling Social Democracy of America

Social Democracy of America

The Social Democracy of America , later known as the Co-operative Brotherhood, was a short lived party in the United States that sought to combine the planting of an intentional community with political action in order to create a socialist society...

, established during the evening of July 9, 1897. Labor organizer Eugene V. Debs

Eugene V. Debs

Eugene Victor Debs was an American union leader, one of the founding members of the International Labor Union and the Industrial Workers of the World , and several times the candidate of the Socialist Party of America for President of the United States...

had made the trek from his home in Terre Haute, Indiana

Terre Haute, Indiana

Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...

to Milwaukee to keynote the evening's festivities, and between 75 and 100 of the city's residents, including many German-American immigrants, had turned out to hear the spell-binding orator and his message of working class

Working class

Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...

salvation through socialism

Socialism

Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...

.

Socialism was by no means new to Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

, a fair percentage of the emigrés from Germany in the dozen years prior to the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, the so-called "Forty-Eighters

Forty-Eighters

The Forty-Eighters were Europeans who participated in or supported the revolutions of 1848 that swept Europe. In Germany, the Forty-Eighters favored unification of the German people, a more democratic government, and guarantees of human rights...

," had been exposed to radical ideas and been participants in a continent-wide battle against absolutist

Absolute monarchy

Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...

monarchy

Monarchy

A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...

. Milwaukee was, among other things, an enclave of German-American radicalism, with some 24% of the city German born in 1895. it was there that the American Socialist movement sank deep roots.

Chicago radical publisher Paul Grottkau came to Milwaukee in 1886, bringing with him his newspaper, the German-language tri-weekly the Arbeiter Zeitung (Workers News), a publication which he continued until 1893, when it was taken over by a young school teacher named Victor L. Berger

Victor L. Berger

Victor Luitpold Berger was a founding member of the Socialist Party of America and an important and influential Socialist journalist who helped establish the so-called Sewer Socialist movement. The first Socialist elected to the U.S...

and transformed into the Wisconsiner Vorwërts (Wisconsin Forward). Berger's assent marked a turning point in the history of the socialist movement in the state. Berger grew his paper by attempting to de-emphasize revolutionary change in favor of incremental reform, and made a conscious effort to forge alliances with the trade union

Trade union

A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

movement of his city and state.

The minimum program which Berger espoused included such things as the municipal ownership of public utilities, the national ownership of mines, abolition of child labor, establishment of income

Income tax

An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...

and inheritance

Inheritance tax

An inheritance tax or estate tax is a levy paid by a person who inherits money or property or a tax on the estate of a person who has died...

taxation, and establishment of state standards for working conditions as well as old age pensions and insurance against sickness. Additional political demands included abolition of the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

and the veto power of the executive branch, and the elimination of the standing army and restrictions upon immigration. Berger's consistent advocacy of this "constructive" program began to be felt and by the end of the 1890s the Milwaukee Federated Trades Council was won over to support of the practical immediate demands espoused by Berger.

SDPW average paid memberships

{| class="wikitable" border="3"

|-
! Year
! Average Paid Membership
! Exempt Members
! National SPA Membership
|-
! align="center" | 1903
| align="center" |
| align="center" | n/a
| align="center" | 15,975
|-
! align="center" | 1904
| align="center" |
| align="center" | n/a
| align="center" | 20,763
|-
! align="center" | 1905
| align="center" |
| align="center" | n/a
| align="center" | 23,327
|-
! align="center" | 1906
| align="center" |
| align="center" | n/a
| align="center" | 26,784
|-
! align="center" | 1907
| align="center" |
| align="center" | n/a
| align="center" | 29,270
|-
! align="center" | 1908
| align="center" |
| align="center" | n/a
| align="center" | 41,751
|-
! align="center" | 1909
| align="center" |
| align="center" | n/a
| align="center" | 41,470
|-
! align="center" | 1910
| align="center" |
| align="center" | n/a
| align="center" | 58,011
|-
! align="center" | 1911
| align="center" |
| align="center" | n/a
| align="center" | 84,716
|-
! align="center" | 1912
| align="center" |
| align="center" | n/a
| align="center" | 118,045
|-
! align="center" | 1913
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 95,957
|-
! align="center" | 1914
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 93,579
|-
! align="center" | 1915
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 79,374
|-
! align="center" | 1916
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 83,284
|-
! align="center" | 1917
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 80,379
|-
! align="center" | 1918
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 82,344
|-
! align="center" | 1919
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 104,822
|-
! align="center" | 1920
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 26,766
|-
! align="center" | 1921
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 13,484
|-
! align="center" | 1922
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 11,019
|-
! align="center" | 1923
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 10,662
|-
! align="center" | 1924
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 10,125
|-
! align="center" | 1925
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 8,558
|-
! align="center" | 1926
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 8,392
|-
! align="center" | 1927
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 7,425
|-
! align="center" | 1928
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 7,793
|-
! align="center" | 1929
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 9,560
|-
! align="center" | 1930
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 9,736
|-
! align="center" | 1931
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 10,389
|-
|}

Sources: "Socialist Party Official Membership Series," Socialist Party of the United States of America Papers, Wisconsin Historical Society, box 10, folder 6. Published by 1000 Flowers Publishing, 2011. "Exempt" members denote those receiving special dispensation from the state office due to unemployment starting 1913.

Prominent members

Oscar Ameringer
Allan L. Benson
Allan L. Benson
Allan Louis Benson was an American newspaper editor and author who ran for President as the Socialist Party of America candidate in 1916.-Early years:Benson was born in Plainfield, Michigan on November 6, 1871. His father, Adelbert L...
Meta Berger

Victor L. Berger
Victor L. Berger
Victor Luitpold Berger was a founding member of the Socialist Party of America and an important and influential Socialist journalist who helped establish the so-called Sewer Socialist movement. The first Socialist elected to the U.S...
Winfield R. Gaylord
Winfield R. Gaylord
Winfield R. Gaylord was an American minister and Socialist politician from Milwaukee, who served one term as a member of the Wisconsin State Senate representing the Milwaukee-based 6th Senate District...
Frederic Heath
Frederic Heath
Frederic Faries "Fred" Heath was an American socialist politician and journalist who was a founding member of the Social Democratic Party of America in 1897 and the Socialist Party of America in 1901. He was an elected official in Wisconsin for nearly half a century.-Early years:Frederic F. Heath...

Daniel Hoan
Daniel Hoan
Daniel Webster "Dan" Hoan was a United States lawyer and politician. He became the second Socialist mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and his tenure is generally considered to be the longest continuous socialist administration in U.S. history...
Ralph Korngold
Ralph Korngold
Ralph Korngold was a Polish-born author and businessman. He is best remembered as a leading public propagandist for the Socialist Party of America during the decade of the 1910s and as a biographer of Maximilien Robespierre.-Early years:...
Emil Seidel
Emil Seidel
Emil Seidel was the mayor of Milwaukee from 1910 to 1912. He was the first Socialist mayor of a major city in the United States, and ran as the Vice Presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America in the 1912 presidential election....
A.M. Simons

Milwaukee

Milwaukee Arbeiter Zeitung (1886-1893) —Tri-weekly, published previously in Chicago.
- Wisconsiner Vorwërts (1893-XXX) —Edited by Victor Berger.

Social Democratic Herald (1901-Sept. 1913) —Weekly, published previously in Terre Haute and Chicago.

The Vanguard. (1900s) —Monthly theoretical magazine.

Milwaukee Leader (Dec. 1911-1940s)

Wisconsin Comrade (1914-May 1916)

The Coming Nation (June 1916-March 1917)

Publications

Arnold, Louis A., Men of Wisconsin: They Have Silenced the Voice of Freedom But Votes Speak Louder than Words: Let Your Answer Be Victor L. Berger for US Senator (Socialist Ticket). Milwaukee: Louis A. Arnold, n.d. (1918).
Victor L. Berger, "A 'Dissolved' Trust," The Vanguard, vol. 5, no. 10, whole no. 54. Milwaukee: Social-Democratic Publishing Co., 1907.
- Berger's Broadsides. Milwaukee: Social-Democratic Publishing Co., 1912.
- Voice and Pen of Victor L. Berger: Congressional Speeches and Editorials. Milwaukee: Milwaukee Leader, 1929.
Winfield R. Gaylord, County Option: Where Labor Stands at Present on the Liquor Question: Address Delivered in the Debate on County Option in the Wisconsin Legislature, March 31st, 1909. Milwaukee: Social-Democratic Publishing Co., n.d. (1909).
Daniel W. Hoan, Inaugural Address of Daniel W. Hoan, Mayor of Milwaukee: Delivered to the Common Council of Milwaukee, Wis., April 16, 1918. Milwaukee: n.p., n.d. (1918).
Ralph Korngold, Brain Jolters. Milwaukee: Milwaukee Social-Democratic Publishing Co., n.d. (c. 1914).
Paul Porter, Which Way for the Socialist Party? Milwaukee: State Executive Board, Socialist Party of Wisconsin, 1937.
Emil Seidel, Which Must Go? America or Private Ownership of Railroads? Milwaukee: Socialist Party of Wisconsin, n.d. (c. 1920).
Norman Thomas, Collective Security and War. Milwaukee: Socialist Party of Wisconsin, 1938.
Carl D. Thompson, Ferdinand Rehfeld, and Max Grass (eds.), Milwaukee Municipal Campaign Book 1912, Social-Democratic Party. Milwaukee: County Central Committee of the Social-Democratic Party, Milwaukee County, Wis., 1912.
R.W. Tucker, The Debs Caucus: A Party Within a Party. Milwaukee: Socialist Party of Wisconsin, 1970.
Some Anti-Socialist Voices of the Press on Victor L. Berger, Representative of the Fifth Wisconsin District, and his Work in Congress. Milwaukee: Social-Democratic Publishing Co., n.d. (c. 1912).
Socialist Party of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Socialist Platform, 1918," Milwaukee Leader, vol. 7, no. 337 (Aug. 31, 1918), pg. 8.

Historical background

SDPW average paid memberships

Prominent members

Milwaukee

Publications

Further reading

See also