The Socialist Party of Oregon (SPO) is the name of three closely related organizations — an
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
state affiliate of the
Social Democratic Party of America
The Social Democratic Party of America (SDP) was a short-lived political party in the United States established in 1898.
The group was formed out of elements of the Social Democracy of America (SDA) and was a predecessor to the Socialist Party of ...
(later the
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a 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 of Ameri ...
) established in 1897 and continuing into the 1950s, as well as the Oregon state affiliate of the
Socialist Party USA
The Socialist Party USA, officially the Socialist Party of the United States of America,"The article of this organization shall be the Socialist Party of the United States of America, hereinafter called 'the Party'". Art. I of th"Constitution o ...
from 1992 to 1999.
Socialist Party of America affiliate (1890s–1950s)
Origins
The Socialist Party of Oregon traces its roots to the late 1890s, when local affiliates of the Socialist Party's antecedent, the
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
For ...
(SDP) first emerged. The earliest published report that a local branch of the SDP had been formed in the state appeared in the '' Appeal to Reason'' in October 1899. By the end of the year a rudimentary state organization was in place, with a state organizer, J.D. Stevens of Portland, actively involved in the effort to establish local branches of the organization.
The SDP underwent a small, incremental growth process during 1900, with a local branch launched in
Oregon City
)
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, imagesize =
, image_caption = The McLoughlin House, est. 1845
, image_flag =
, image_seal = Oregon City seal.png
, image_map ...
in March. A formal state organizational convention followed, held in Portland on April 10, 1900. In the fall election of 1900, the unity slate of
Eugene V. Debs
Eugene Victor "Gene" Debs (November 5, 1855 – October 20, 1926) was an American socialism, socialist, political activist, trade unionist, one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and five times the candidate ...
and
Job Harriman
Job Harriman (January 15, 1861 – October 26, 1925) was an ordained minister who later became an agnostic and a socialist. In 1900, he ran for vice president of the United States along with Eugene Debs on the ticket of the Socialist Party of ...
gained 1.76% of the presidential vote in Oregon running a joint campaign on behalf of the two independent SDP factions in the November 1900 election.US Election Atlas
Following the establishment of the
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a 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 of Ameri ...
in August 1901, a move was made to organize the state under the name of the new party. The inaugural gathering was held September 25, 1901 at
Women's Christian Temperance Union
The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization, originating among women in the United States Prohibition movement. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program th ...
Hall in
Salem
Salem may refer to: Places
Canada
Ontario
* Bruce County
** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie
** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce
* Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...
alem :
Alem is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Maasdriel, and lies about 10 km north of 's-Hertogenbosch.
It used to part of the province in North Brabant. In 1934, it became part of Gelderland. ...
vol. 11, no. 227 (September 25, 1901), pg. 4. Attendance was light and the start of the session was postponed one hour to allow time for delegates to debark from a train from Portland. The dozen or so delegates elected a chairman and secretary and conducted routine organizational business, naming Albany as the first headquarters city for the fledgling organization. Oregon was granted an official state charter by National Secretary Leon Greenbaum during the second half of October 1901. A few counties seem to have organized at this time, such as the 50 individuals who gathered in
Oregon City
)
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, imagesize =
, image_caption = The McLoughlin House, est. 1845
, image_flag =
, image_seal = Oregon City seal.png
, image_map ...
to form a county organization for
Clackamas County
Clackamas County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 421,401, making it Oregon's third-most populous county. Its county seat is Oregon City. The county was named after the Native ...
.
The modest launch of the party was followed with a flurry of enthusiastic county-level conventions during the spring of the election year of 1902. The Marion County gathering alone drew over 100 participants to a gathering held March 5, 1902 in Salem to nominate candidates and approve a platform. The fledgling SPO was able to field broad slates of candidates around the state for the June 1902 general election, with the statewide ticket headed by R.R. Ryan of Marion County for Governor, C. W. Barzee of
The Dalles
The Dalles is the largest city of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The population was 16,010 at the 2020 census, and it is the largest city on the Oregon side of the Columbia River between the Portland Metropolitan Area, and Hermiston ...
for Secretary of State, B. F. Ramp of Douglas County for Congress in the 1st District, and D.T. Gerdes of
Clatsop County, Oregon
Clatsop County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,072. The county seat is Astoria. The county is named for the Clatsop tribe of Native Americans, who lived along the coast of ...
for Congress in the 2nd District.
Party headquarters were moved to Portland by decision of the March 1904 State Convention, where they would remain throughout the Debsian period,
The Socialist Party's 1904 ticket generated an even stronger showing, with Debs and his running mate,
Benjamin Hanford
Benjamin Hanford (1861 – January 24, 1910) was an American socialist politician during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A printer by trade, Hanford is best remembered for his 1904 and 1908 runs for Vice President of the United States on ...
of New York, receiving approximately 8.5% of the vote.
Comparison to the Socialist Party of Washington
Although (or perhaps because) it was an older state than its less populated neighbor to the north,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
, Oregon never generated as large or influential a political organization as was the
Socialist Party of Washington
The Socialist Party of Washington was the Washington state section of the Socialist Party of America (SPA), an organization originally established as a federation of semi-autonomous state organizations.
During the 1910s, the Socialist Party of W ...
. Nor did Oregon generate any publications with a national readership, as was the case with the
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
''
Socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
'', the
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines genera ...
weekly ''
The Industrial Worker
The ''Industrial Worker'', "the voice of revolutionary industrial unionism", is the magazine of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). It is currently released quarterly. The publication is printed and edited by union labor, and is frequently ...
'', published in
Spokane
Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...
, or even the weekly papers of two of the
utopian socialist
Utopian socialism is the term often used to describe the first current of modern socialism and socialist thought as exemplified by the work of Henri de Saint-Simon, Charles Fourier, Étienne Cabet, and Robert Owen. Utopian socialism is often de ...
colonies established in Western Washington just prior to the turn of the 20th century.Carlos A. Schwantes, "Labor-Reform Papers in Oregon, 1871–1976: A Checklist," ''Pacific Northwest Quarterly,'' vol. 74 (October 1983), pg. 154.
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
, the largest urban center in Oregon, was a far more orderly town than was Seattle, the rowdy upstart to the north. As historian Carlos A. Schwantes notes, Portland was "conservative, business oriented, with a tendency towards smugness among its elite" and consequently the Oregon
labor movement
The labour movement or labor movement consists of two main wings: the trade union movement (British English) or labor union movement (American English) on the one hand, and the political labour movement on the other.
* The trade union movement ...
was correspondingly more cautious than were the shipping and mill workers of
Puget Sound
Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...
.
The "Red Special" of 1908
The election of 1908 saw the arrival in Oregon of Presidential candidate Eugene Debs aboard the so-called "Red Special," a train chartered by the Socialist Party and taken from station to station around the country for campaign speeches on the fly. The train made several stops in Oregon on September 14, energizing the state's party members.
Speaking in Eugene, Debs declared "I am the candidate of the workingmen, and don't expect the votes of any capitalists." An enthusiastic crowd was addressed in Albany, with Debs asserting that the two old parties each represented the capitalists rather than the people and that the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
had fulfilled its historic mission by freeing the slaves, subsequently becoming a political organization of the
plutocracy
A plutocracy () or plutarchy is a society that is ruled or controlled by people of great wealth or income. The first known use of the term in English dates from 1631. Unlike most political systems, plutocracy is not rooted in any established ...
.
An evening speech on September 14 by Debs at the Exposition Auditorium on Washington Street attracted more than 10,000 spectators, erupted upon the appearance of the candidate in the hall:
"Men and women stood on chairs and benches and waved handkerchiefs, hats, and umbrellas. Ten thousand voices howled and shouted until the band, which had started to play, was drowned out and could not be heard. This commotion lasting for a couple of minutes subsided in three cheers and a tiger led by Chairman om J.Lewis."
Radical SPO State Secretary Tom Sladden made particular note of the 3,000 person procession in Portland which preceded Debs' appearance and expressed optimism about the party's prospects for an increased vote in November:
"The sentimentalists are quitting us; the revolutionary element that four years ago were scoffing at us are joining us now. The lines are being drawn sharply, hatred is being expressed and a
class conflict
Class conflict, also referred to as class struggle and class warfare, is the political tension and economic antagonism that exists in society because of socio-economic competition among the social classes or between rich and poor.
The forms ...
is clearly in evidence. We have enthusiastic members and bitter enemies and the man on the fence is getting hell from both sides."Thomas A. Sladden, "Oregon," ''International Socialist Review,'' vol. 9, no. 4 (October 1908), pg. 812.
Sladden noted that from 1904 to 1908, the number of Socialist Party Locals in Oregon had grown from 32 to 74, despite a lack of full-time party organizers.
The heyday of Oregon Socialism
The years 1910 through 1912 marked a high-water mark of sorts for the Socialist Party of Oregon in terms of its size and influence. The organization conducted an impressive demonstration in the afternoon of
May Day
May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. T ...
1910, in which 1500 members and supporters of the party, decked out in red ribbons and carrying red banners, marched through the streets of Portland.Tom J. Lewis, "May Day in Portland, Oregon," ''International Socialist Review,'' vol. 11, no. 1 (July 1910), pp. 37–38. Beginning at 309 Davis Street, the procession of men, women, and children marched with neither police protection nor police interference to a vacant lot recently purchased for a future school. There a crowd estimated by a supporter at 4,000 people heard speeches and sang together "The Red Flag" and "The Marsellaise," before adjourning to Finnish Socialist Hall for singing and dancing until midnight.
In June 1910
Klamath Falls
Klamath Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Klamath County, Oregon, United States. The city was originally called ''Linkville'' when George Nurse founded the town in 1867. It was named after the Link River, on whose falls the city was ...
in Southern Oregon became the site of the first "Socialist Encampment" in the Western United States with the establishment of "Camp Progress." In an idea borrowed from the
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
religious movement and used with particular effectiveness in
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
, a socialist "revival meeting" was held. More than 60 tents were divided into two parallel lines, with very large tents suitable for group meetings raised at either end. Socialists and their friends camped together, attending politically oriented meetings in the evenings in which they sang, watched plays, listened to speakers and debates, and were entertained by a 12-member "Encampment Band."Kittie E. Hulse, "The Oregon-California Encampment," ''International Socialist Review,'' vol. 11, no. 2 (August 1910), pp. 107–108. Members of the local community were invited to attend the evening meetings, which drew between 2,000 and 3,000 attendees during each of the 8 days of the encampment. Speakers included J. Stitt Wilson, journalists Cloudesley and Dorothy Johns, and Tom J. Lewis.
One Oregon Socialist in attendance saw the 1910 Encampment as a large step forward for the party organization:
"As I looked nightly over the immense throng in the Big Tent, noted the striking absence of dissent to the utterances of our speakers, even the most revolutionary, heard the at times uproarious applause, I recall the time four years ago when the handful of members of Local Klamath Falls held their meetings in a lumber yard. Later the meetings were held at private houses and afterward a hall was hired. The local has had a hard fight and has had its seasons of depressions, also its internal dissensions, but today the movement is progressing at a rapid rate. * * *
"What impressed even the most casual observer at the Encampment was the Spirit of Comradeship that was so plainly manifested, the atmosphere of equality and freedom from conventionality that prevailed."
The Socialist Party showed promise at the polls in the November 1910 general election, with Albany furniture factory worker W.S. Richards receiving more than 7.5% of the total vote in his campaign for
Governor of Oregon
The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...
.
A short-lived effort to organize unemployed workers took place in 1912 with the formation of a
mass organization
A mass movement denotes a political party or movement which is supported by large segments of a population. Political movements that typically advocate the creation of a mass movement include the ideologies of communism, fascism, and liberalism. Bo ...
alem :
Alem is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Maasdriel, and lies about 10 km north of 's-Hertogenbosch.
It used to part of the province in North Brabant. In 1934, it became part of Gelderland. ...
vol. 22, no. 10 (January 22, 1912), pg. 1. An initial membership of 1,000 was dubiously reported in the press, an error resulting from sloppy misreporting of a January 21 open air meeting in Portland at which "nearly 1,000 men raised their hand in response to the query as to how many were unemployed.""Jobless Men to Hold Big Parade Sunday," ''Oregon Daily Journal'' ortland vol. 10, no. 275 (January 22, 1912), pg. 18. An organizing committee of 8, headed by Tom Lewis, was named and a march planned for January 28. This effort appears to have fizzled and the new auxiliary organization vanished without a trace.
By the summer of 1915, the SPO had English-language Locals and official party contact names in 69 Oregon towns, with an additional Finnish Locals in Astoria and Svenson, as well as Finnish, Latvian, German, and Polish branches of Local Portland.
The Finnish Socialists of Astoria
The early Socialist Party of Oregon was in many ways a federation of two parallel organizations — an English-language organization centered in Portland, the state's largest city, and
Finnish-language
Finnish (endonym: or ) is a Uralic language of the Finnic branch, spoken by the majority of the population in Finland and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. Finnish is one of the two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish). ...
organization consisting of a cluster of radical émigrés from
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
who made their home in the old coastal town of Astoria.
The migration of Finns to North America began in the early 1860s, when representatives of
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
mining interests began to actively recruit hardy Finnish workers as a labor source.Paul George Hummasti, ''Finnish Radicals in Astoria, Oregon, 1904–1940: A Study in Immigrant Socialism.'' New York: Arno Press, 1979; pg. 8. This purely economic migration was joined by others who chose to escape the political hegemony of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
, of which Finland was only a semi-autonomous part. By the coming of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, over 300,000 Finns had left their native land for jobs or freedom.
Comparatively few of the immigrant Finns were
activists
Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...
in the socialist movement of their native land, it does not follow that the socialist cause was obscure to those who were not. In the Finnish election of 1907, the first held under conditions of
universal suffrage
Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stanc ...
, the
Social Democratic Party of Finland
The Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP, fi, Suomen sosialidemokraattinen puolue ; sv, Finlands socialdemokratiska parti), shortened to the Social Democrats ( fi, link=no, Sosiaalidemokraatit; sv, link=no, Socialdemokrater) and commonly kno ...
garnered an impressive 37% of the popular vote, electing 80 of its members to the 200 seat national parliament and making it the largest political party in the country.Hummasti, ''Finnish Radicals in Astoria, Oregon, 1904–1940,'' pg. 12. Many of the top leaders of the Finnish Socialist movement were ultimately driven into political exile in subsequent years by the Russian Tsarist regime. Finnish socialist politics made itself felt upon the Finnish immigrant population in both ways: socialist ideas were not alien to the community's culture and custom, they were a leading political option back home; and these ideas were advocated by some of the most energetic and outspoken political partisans of the Finnish socialist movement via their newspapers, pamphlets, and public speakers.
Astoria, Oregon, a fishing community of about 10,000 people on the American frontier, happened to be a magnet for the Finnish immigration. Located at the mouth of the
Columbia River
The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...
on the far northwest tip of the state, Astoria was cut off from population centers by the mountains of the Coast Range to the East and the waters of the river to the North, and sat perched upon the hills looking toward the Pacific Ocean in the West. It was a hamlet which developed in isolation, a community where newly arriving Finns could readily find others who spoke their language.
While some worked in the area's not insubstantial timber industry, most of the Finns in Astoria caught
steelhead
Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and N ...
and
salmon
Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...
on the Columbia, working independently as small proprietors on their own boats.Hummasti, ''Finnish Radicals in Astoria, Oregon, 1904–1940,'' pg. 18. The needs of the Finnish fishermen were for cooperation, coordination, and collective social activity and they were generally not pitted against ruthless capitalist enterprise as were their countrymen engaged in mining and timber work in the
Upper Midwest
The Upper Midwest is a region in the northern portion of the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwestern United States. It is largely a sub-region of the Midwest. Although the exact boundaries are not uniformly agreed-upon, the region is defined as referring ...
. Consequently, the political views of Astoria's Finnish Socialists tended to be moderate and electoral rather than built around the notions of
class struggle
Class conflict, also referred to as class struggle and class warfare, is the political tension and economic antagonism that exists in society because of socio-economic competition among the social classes or between rich and poor.
The forms ...
and
revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
. Some of the more radical Finns sometimes disparaged the Astorians for their "fish-captain's"
world-view
A worldview or world-view or ''Weltanschauung'' is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge, culture, and point of view. A worldview can include natural ...
.
The Astoria Finnish Socialist Club (ASSK) was established in 1904 as a branch of the
Finnish Socialist Federation The Finnish Socialist Federation () was a language federation of the Socialist Party of America which united Finnish language-speaking immigrants in the United States in a national organization designed to conduct propaganda and education for social ...
(SSJ),Hummasti, ''Finnish Radicals in Astoria, Oregon, 1904–1940,'' pg. 34. an organization which would formally affiliate with the
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a 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 of Ameri ...
on January 1, 1907. The organization gave Finnish adherents of socialism a venue through which they could meet with like minded others and, at least as importantly, meet with other Finnish speakers — throughout their history the
language federations
Language federations were formed in the late 19th and early 20th century by immigrants to the United States, primarily from Eastern and Southern Europe, who shared a commitment to some form of socialist politics. Some of these groups joined the So ...
of the American socialist movement had both political and social aspects. Membership in the ASSK was open to all Finns at least 18 years of age who accepted basic socialist doctrine and paid minimal dues.
The ASSK was a very small group in its initial inception, consisting of 27 members at the time of its 1904 formation and growing to 59 by 1909.Hummasti, ''Finnish Radicals in Astoria, Oregon, 1904–1940,'' pg. 36. Thereafter the organization grew rapidly, hitting a membership of 250 in 1911, nearly 18% of the members of the Socialist Party of Oregon. Thereafter a split of the pro-
syndicalist
Syndicalism is a revolutionary current within the left-wing of the labor movement that seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes with the eventual goal of gaining control over the means of pr ...
left wing of the Finnish Socialist Federation dampened the membership level slightly, with 210 members remaining in the club in 1916. Contrary to national trends within the national Socialist Party, the Astoria Finnish Socialist Club then went on another membership surge, probably driven by enthusiasm for revolutionary events in Russia and Finland, with its ranks peaking in excess of 400 members in the summer of 1918.
Finnish Socialist press
There was no lack of a Finnish-language press for Finnish-American socialists in the early 20th century. From the summer of 1903 there was issued a four-page weekly called ''Amerikan Suomalainen Työmies'' ("American Finnish Worker"), a publication which moved to
Hancock, Michigan
Hancock is a city in Houghton County, Michigan, Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is across the Keweenaw Waterway from the city of Houghton, Michigan, Houghton on the Keweenaw Peninsula. The population was 4,634 at the 2010 United ...
the following year and shortened its name to ''Työmies.'' The enclave of Finns located in
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
had a paper of their own, ''Raivaaja'' ("The Pioneer"), launched early in 1905. With the decision of the national SSJ to divide the Finnish Federation into three districts discussions began to accelerate among the Astorians about the possibility of launching a newspaper of their own to serve as the voice of the Federation's Western District.
In June 1907 a referendum of the Finnish Socialist locals of the West decided to establish a paper for the district and a temporary board of directors was established in Astoria.Hummasti, ''Finnish Radicals in Astoria, Oregon, 1904–1940,'' pg. 40. The venture was capitalized in July through the offer of $5,000 worth of stock at $10 a share. When half of this amount was sold by October, the new holding company, the Western Workmen's Co-operative Publishing Company, was cleared to begin operations.
The first issue of the new paper, named ''
Toveri
The Western Workman's Co-operative Publishing Company, established in 1907, was a Finnish-language socialism, socialist newspaper and book publisher located in Astoria, Oregon, Astoria, Oregon, on the Pacific coast of the United States of America. ...
'' ("The Comrade") appeared on December 7, 1907, under the editorship of Aku Rissanen, formerly on the editorial staff of ''Raivaaja.'' Although planned as a
bi-weekly
A fortnight is a unit of time equal to 14 days (two weeks). The word derives from the Old English term , meaning "" (or "fourteen days," since the Anglo-Saxons counted by nights).
Astronomy and tides
In astronomy, a ''lunar fortnight'' is h ...
, the paper was impacted by an emerging economic crisis and appeared only irregularly during its first year.Hummasti, ''Finnish Radicals in Astoria, Oregon, 1904–1940,'' pg. 42. The paper moved to daily status in 1912.
It was the presence of this newspaper which drew
Santeri Nuorteva
Santeri "Santtu" Nuorteva (born Alexander Nyberg; 29 June 1881 – 31 March 1929) was a Finnish-born Soviet journalist and one of the first members of the Finnish Parliament, where he served as a member of the Social Democratic Party from 1907 to ...
to Astoria in 1911, where he replaced editor Rissanen, who was coming to the end of a second stint as editor of the newspaper, begun the previous year. Nuorteva, a giant of the Finnish-American socialist movement, spent two years in Astoria as the paper's editor-in-chief. He would later become the head of the de facto consulate in America of the Finnish Revolutionary government of 1918 and the number two man in the
Russian Soviet Government Bureau
The Russian Soviet Government Bureau (1919-1921), sometimes known as the "Soviet Bureau," was an unofficial diplomatic organization established by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in the United States during the Russian Civil War. T ...
, de facto consulate of
Soviet Russia
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
in 1919.
In 1911 the Western District convention of the SSJ reversed its previous policy and urged its locals to form special women's committees and, where possible, separate women's branches for their female members, with a view to increasing the size and influence of the socialist movement among women, who were beginning to gain the
right to vote
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...
throughout the West. In Astoria this took the form of the establishment of a
sewing
Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a sewing needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era. Before the invention of spinning yarn or weaving fabr ...
club, designed for both social and fundraising purposes, and the foundation of a special weekly newspaper for socialist women, ''Toveritar'' ("The Woman Comrade").Hummasti, ''Finnish Radicals in Astoria, Oregon, 1904–1940,'' pg. 50. ''Toveritar'' was launched as a weekly in July 1911 and it continued as such until 1930, when the publication was terminated. In addition to news of the socialist movement, ''Toveritar'' included household hints, a section dedicated to the youth movement, poetry, and serialized literature (both original work and material in translation).
In short, although the Socialist movement of Oregon did not produce an English-language newspaper of national note, ''Toveri'' had a regional impact as the voice of the Western District of the SSJ and ''Toveritar'' had a nationwide impact as the sole Finnish-language newspaper for socialist women. The lengthy existence of their two papers and the ongoing role they played in workers' education were believed by the Finnish Socialists of Astoria to be among their greatest achievements.
In addition to its very large Astoria branch, the Finnish Socialist Federation had three other branches in Oregon as of 1923: a rural branch in Svensen in the logging country near Astoria, a branch in the small mill town of Marshfield (now Coos Bay) on the Southern Oregon coast, and an urban branch in Portland.
Electoral activity
As electorally oriented socialists, the Finnish Socialists of Astoria desired to participate in the political process and to win control of the apparatus of local government so as to advance the socialist agenda. It took time for the Finns to build an adequate organization and sufficient confidence to enter the political fray, however. In the election of 1904, the English-speaking Socialists of
Clatsop County
Clatsop County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,072. The county seat is Astoria. The county is named for the Clatsop tribe of Native Americans, who lived along the coast of ...
nominated a full slate for the June county elections, although no Finns received places on the ticket.Hummasti, ''Finnish Radicals in Astoria, Oregon, 1904–1940,'' pg. 62.
Indeed, the Finnish Socialists would run no candidates until the election of 1910, when they supplied two of the Socialist Party's candidates for
State Representative
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
, as well as the nominees for County Commissioner and County Treasurer. Local Astoria's English-speaking branch supplied the nominees for
State Senator
A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature.
Description
A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...
, Sheriff, County Clerk, County Assessor, and County Judge. Later that same year, the Finnish and English branches again cooperated in fielding a full ticket in Astoria's city election. None were successful in their bids.
The elections of 1912 and 1914 followed a similar pattern, with full Socialist tickets put forward topped by native English-speakers while the English and Finnish branches each contributed downticket candidates.Hummasti, ''Finnish Radicals in Astoria, Oregon, 1904–1940,'' pg. 63.
By 1916, the English branch seems to have dissolved, leaving the full Socialist ticket to be filled by Finns. Despite this circumstance, Local Astoria still nominated a native American as its candidate for Mayor of Astoria, while Finns occupied 5 of the remaining 6 slots on the ticket, winning one race.
In the election two years hence, the high-water mark for membership in the Astoria Finnish Socialist Club, no ticket was nominated, owing perhaps to war hysteria discouraging the participation of native English-speakers while Finnish-speakers were preoccupied with revolutionary events in the old country and Soviet Russia. Throughout the 1904–1916 period, Socialist candidates generally drew just over 10% of the ballots cast in Astoria, peaking in 1912 with a 15.2% share of votes received.
Criminal Syndicalism law
On January 14, 1919, a
criminal syndicalism Criminal syndicalism has been defined as a doctrine of criminal acts for political, industrial, and social change. These criminal acts include advocation of crime, sabotage, violence, and other unlawful methods of terrorism. Criminal syndicalism la ...
statute authored by conservative legislator Kaspar K. Kubli was introduced as House Bill 1 at the opening of the 1919 session of the legislature."Measure Insures State Positions for War Heroes," ''Oregon Journal'' ortlandvol. 17, no. 208 (January 14, 1919), pg. 4. Kubli's bill moved speedily through the legislative process and was signed into law on February 3, 1919, with an emergency provision attached putting the law into immediate effect."City Authorities Put Into Effect Oregon Criminal Syndicalism Law," ''Oregon Sunday Journal,'' vol. 16, no. 46 (February 9, 1919), pp. 1, 6. Initially intended as a legal cudgel to be used against the
syndicalist
Syndicalism is a revolutionary current within the left-wing of the labor movement that seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes with the eventual goal of gaining control over the means of pr ...
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines genera ...
, the new law made it a felony to advocate in word or writing any doctrine involving "crime,
sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...
, violence or any other unlawful methods of terrorism as a means of accomplishing industrial or political reform."
Anyone editing, printing, or circulating a newspaper or pamphlet advocating such doctrines or assisting in formation of an organization or society in support of such activities was to be subject to the law, which called for penalties of up to 10 years in prison and potential fines of up to $5,000. Authorities made immediate use of the new law, arresting Harlin Talbert, State Secretary of the Socialist Party of Oregon, and five others for selling copies of ''The Western Socialist'' on the streets of Portland and for "distributing handbills without a license" less than one week after the criminal syndicalism law took effect.
The end of Finnish participation in the SPO
In the summer of 1919 the Socialist Party of America (SPA), amidst much acrimony, split into three parts, with the Regular faction controlling the National Executive Committee and the National Office suspending six large language federations for their endorsement of the
Left Wing Manifesto The Left Wing Manifesto is the name bestowed upon two distinct programmatic documents of the Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party during the factional war in the Socialist Party of America of 1919.
The first document, the "Left Wing Manifesto ...
around with the
Left Wing Section
The Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party was an organized faction within the Socialist Party of America in 1919 which served as the core of the dual communist parties which emerged in the fall of that year—the Communist Party of America ...
was organizing its forces. While the Finnish Socialist Federation was not one of those endorsing the Left Wing Manifesto, and thus not the subject of sanctions, many in the organization were sympathetic to the revolutionary socialist pronouncements of the Manifesto and disgusted by the actions of the NEC.
At its national convention held in
Waukegan, Illinois
''(Fortress or Trading Post)''
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, subdivisi ...
from December 25, 1920, to January 2, 1921, the Finnish Socialist Federation decided to withdraw from the SPA and to instead continue as an independent organization. While it had previously pursued as neutral a line as possible regarding factional scuffles, ''Toveri'' under editor Elis Sulkanen came down firmly in favor of an independent existence for the SSJ.
Upon learning of the decision of the Waukegan Convention to separate the Finnish Socialist Federation from the party, Socialist Party Executive Secretary
Otto Branstetter Otto Franklin Branstetter (1877–1924) was an American socialist official. Branstetter served as executive secretary of National Executive Committee of the Socialist Party of America from 1919 until shortly before his death in 1924.
Branstetter wa ...
immediately set about reorganizing a new Finnish Federation for the Socialist Party. A large percentage of the moderate Eastern District of the now independent SSJ came over the new reorganized Socialist Party-affiliated SSJ, including about 30 branches representing approximately 2,000 members.Tim Davenport "Finnish Federations," Early American Marxism website. This group brought with them the daily newspaper of the Eastern District, ''Raivaaja'' he Pioneer
In this split he Astoria Finns — typical of the entire Western District of the Finnish Federation — stayed loyal to the independent organization. They henceforth remained outside the Socialist Party, as did their newspapers, ''Toveri'' and ''Toveritar.'' No branches of the SPA's reorganized Finnish Federation were established in Oregon.
The Socialist Party of Oregon in the 1930s
The party continued to field candidates for public office throughout the first three decades of the 20th century.
In 1934, the SPO, under the leadership of Albert Streiff and George Buickerood, lead the state organization out of the Socialist Party of America under the pretext that the SPA was "too radical.""Oregon Resumes Socialist Work," ''Socialist Action'' hicago vol. 2, no 7 (July 31, 1936), pg. 1. This departure proved to be short-lived, however, as Streiff and Buickerood transferred their allegiance to right wing populist
William Lemke
William Frederick Lemke (August 13, 1878 – May 30, 1950) was an American politician who represented North Dakota in the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Republican Party. He was also the Union Party's presidential cand ...
in the 1936 Presidential election and the SPO returned to the national Socialist Party of America following the election of Don Sweetland of Portland as State Secretary at the 1936 State Convention and Monroe Sweetland as State Chairman.
The party lost the ability to place candidates on the ballot as "Socialist Party" candidates in the 1940s.
Norman Thomas
Norman Mattoon Thomas (November 20, 1884 – December 19, 1968) was an American Presbyterian minister who achieved fame as a socialist, pacifist, and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.
Early years
Thomas was the ...
ran for president variously as an 'independent' or as an 'Independent Socialist Principles' in the 1940s. The party did not field Socialist candidates until nearly a half century later, and effectively ceased to exist as an association of electors mid 20th century.
State Conventions
The Social Democratic Party of Oregon, loyal to the Chicago headquarters, held its first state convention on Thursday, July 12, 1900, at the Washington Hotel, located at Third and Flanders Streets in Portland, for the purpose of selecting Presidential electors for the November ballot. Each branch in the state was entitled to one delegate, either by directly sending a delegate or by assigning a proxy. The gathering also was responsible for electing a State Executive Committee.
In the run-up for the July 1901 convention which established the Socialist Party of America a "socialist mass meeting" was held in Albany on May 31, 1901."Conventions: Oregon," ''Missouri Socialist,'' vol. 1, no. 36 (September 21, 1901), pg. 3. This gathering approved a resolution calling for a formal convention to be opened in Oregon not later than October 1 of that same year. In accordance with this decision, a convention call was issued for a gathering at WCTU Hall in Salem for Wednesday, September 21, 1901, in order to form a permanent state organization and adopt a formal platform. The Founding Convention, attended by about a dozen socialists, was actually held on Sunday, September 25 at that location.
The 1902 State Convention was held Wednesday, March 19, 1902, in Portland at Foresters' Hall, 6th and Washington Streets, to nominate a state ticket for the June general election."A Call for a Convention: Socialists Propose to Meet and Name State Ticket," ''Oregon Statesman''
alem :
Alem is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Maasdriel, and lies about 10 km north of 's-Hertogenbosch.
It used to part of the province in North Brabant. In 1934, it became part of Gelderland. ...
(February 4, 1902), pg. 7. Between 175 and 200 Socialists were in attendance, nominating R.R. Ryan of Marion County for Governor, among other candidates. The state platform adopted included a plank calling for the exclusion of Chinese and Japanese immigrants from the United States. A second convention was to be held the following day in
Oregon City
)
, image_skyline = McLoughlin House.jpg
, imagesize =
, image_caption = The McLoughlin House, est. 1845
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, image_seal = Oregon City seal.png
, image_map ...
for nomination of a congressional candidate in the 2nd Congressional District. Additional county conventions were to be held on March 5 for the naming of county Socialist Party slates.
A special 1903 Nominating Convention was held April 3, 1903, at Hurst's Hall in Salem to name a candidate for a special election to be held in June to fill the vacancy of the 1st Congressional District seat caused by the death of Republican Representative
Thomas H. Tongue
Thomas H. Tongue (June 23, 1844January 11, 1903) was an American politician and attorney in the state of Oregon. Born in England, his family immigrated to Washington County, Oregon, in 1859. In Oregon, he would serve in the Oregon State Senate, S ...
. About 50 people attended, with 41 accredited votes being cast. The convention unanimously named John W. Ingle, a 53-year-old Corvallis farmer who had previously served as superintendent of schools in
Umatilla County
Umatilla County () is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,075. Hermiston is the largest city in Umatilla County, but Pendleton remains the county seat. Umatilla County is part of ...
alem :
Alem is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Maasdriel, and lies about 10 km north of 's-Hertogenbosch.
It used to part of the province in North Brabant. In 1934, it became part of Gelderland. ...
vol. 53, no. 4 (April 7, 1903), pg. 5. A new electoral platform was approved by the assembled delegates which outlined the basic idea of the
class struggle
Class conflict, also referred to as class struggle and class warfare, is the political tension and economic antagonism that exists in society because of socio-economic competition among the social classes or between rich and poor.
The forms ...
and declared "there is only one weapon with which the working class can successfully oppose the capitalistic system — and that is the ballot."
The 1904 State Convention was held March 3 in Portland at 309 Davis Street, headquarters of Local Portland. The gathering adopted a new constitution for the SPO, subject to referendum of the locals."Notes on the Convention," ''The Real Issue'' rants Pass, OR whole no. 5 (March 15, 1904), pg. 2. The gathering endorsed ''The Real Issue'' as the official organ of the state party and encouraged party members throughout the state to assist with its subscription list. Portland was chosen as the new state headquarters for the organization and Local Portland made the new State Quorum of the party. SPA National Organizer John W. Brown was in attendance and spoke to large crowds at public meetings in Portland on the evenings of March 2 and 3. The convention named State Organizer C.C. Mikkelsen its candidate for Judge of the
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.B.F. Ramp its candidate for
U.S. Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
in the 1st Congressional District and George R. Cook in the 2nd, and N. Rasmussen its candidate for State Food and Dairy Commissioner. The party pledged itself to "conduct all the affairs of the state in such a manner as to promote the interests of the working class."
The 1906 State Convention was held in March 1906 and selected a ticket topped by farmer C.W. Barzee of
The Dalles
The Dalles is the largest city of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The population was 16,010 at the 2020 census, and it is the largest city on the Oregon side of the Columbia River between the Portland Metropolitan Area, and Hermiston ...
as the nominee for governor. County conclaves were held around the state throughout the month of March, naming full tickets for local office across much of Western and Southern Oregon.
The 1910 State Convention was held August 7, 1910, at Finnish Hall, 717 Montana Avenue in Portland.C.W. Barzee "Socialists Name State Ticket: Adopt Platform Urging Enfranchisement of All Citizens Over 21," ''Oregon Daily Journal'' ortland vol. 9, no. 134 (August 9, 1910), pg. 6. Party nominees for the November 1910 general election included W.S. Richards of Albany for Governor, Allen McDonald of Portland for Secretary of State, and W.A. Crawford of The Dalles for US Congress in the 2nd District. A platform was also approved which called for enfranchisement of all citizens over 21 years of age "regardless of sex, color, or property qualifications" and which called for "the transformation, as rapidly as possible, of the capitalist ownership of the property in the means of production...into the collective property of the producers."
1940 Picnic – As
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
approached, the dwindling Socialist Party of Oregon remained committed to the party's historic anti-war line, hosting a picnic of Oregon progressives on August 18, 1940, at Mickey's Grove, located 5 miles outside of
West Salem, Oregon
West Salem is a neighborhood in Salem, Oregon, United States, located in the far northwest part of the city. West Salem is the only part of the city that is located in Polk County. The neighborhood is separated from the rest of Salem by the Willame ...
alem :
Alem is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Maasdriel, and lies about 10 km north of 's-Hertogenbosch.
It used to part of the province in North Brabant. In 1934, it became part of Gelderland. ...
vol. 90, no. 109 (August 2, 1940), pg. 10. The gathering, hosted by the Salem Socialist local, was touted as a means of bringing together "farmers, union members, anti-war people, members of co-ops, pacifists, socialists, and progressives throughout the state" to "get acquainted and work out some united plan" against conscription and the restriction of civil liberties.
State Secretaries
* W. S. Richards, Albany. (1901–1904)
* A.H. Axelson, Portland. (1904–1905)
* Claude Robinson, Portland. (1905)
* Thomas A. Sladden, Portland. (1905–1908)
* C. W. Barzee, The Dalles (1909-1910+)
SPO average paid memberships
::
: Sources: Carl D. Thompson, "The Rising Tide of Socialism," ''The Socialist'' (Columbus, OH), August 12, 1911, pg. 2; ''St. Louis Labor,'' February 22, 1902, pg. 5; "Dues Paid Last Year," ''The Worker,'' March 22, 1903, pg. 4; ''Socialist Party Official Bulletin'' and successors, Executive Secretary state-by-state membership summaries, January issue "Socialist Party Official Membership Series,' (1932). Report to 1937 Convention, cited i Early American Marxism website. "Exempt" members denote those receiving special dispensation from the state office due to unemployment starting 1913. Adoloph Germer ''Report of Executive Secretary to the National Executive Committee: Chicago, Illinois — Aug. 8, 1918,' pp. 5–6.
1992 reorganization
The party was re-organized in 1992 by at-large members of the
Socialist Party USA
The Socialist Party USA, officially the Socialist Party of the United States of America,"The article of this organization shall be the Socialist Party of the United States of America, hereinafter called 'the Party'". Art. I of th"Constitution o ...
, including the organization's 2004 Presidential candidate Walt Brown, Bill Smaldone, James Hadley, Trey Smith, and others with interest in democratic socialism. The Socialist Party of Oregon is recognized as both an
activist
Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...
organization and an electoral vehicle. The Socialist Party of Oregon was a supporter early on of the Health Care for All-Oregon ballot measure, a participant in the successful unionizing effort at
Powell's
Powell's Books is a chain of bookstores in Portland, Oregon, and its surrounding metropolitan area. Powell's headquarters, dubbed Powell's City of Books, claims to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world. Powell's City of ...
, a continuing presence in the
peace movement
A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals, such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world peac ...
, and Oregon's electoral arm for
democratic socialist
Democratic socialism is a left-wing political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self-management within a ...
electoral
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...
politics
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
.
The party regained electoral ballot status through acquisition of ballot lines previously held by others; the No Sales Tax Party was acquired circa 1994 (changing its name to the Socialist Party thereafter) and the
Representative Party
Representative may refer to:
Politics
*Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people
*House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities
*Legislator, someon ...
was acquired in the same year (also changing its name). In 1995, the ballot line of the
New Alliance Party
The New Alliance Party (NAP) was an American political party formed in New York City in 1979. Its immediate precursor was an umbrella organization known as the Labor Community Alliance for Change, whose member groups included the Coalition of G ...
was acquired, giving the Socialist Party of Oregon statewide minor party status. The Socialist Party has run candidates for partisan office regularly since that time although in 1998, the party failed to achieve 1% of the statewide vote under then existing state election law, and lost statewide ballot access.Abstract of vote /ref>
As of November 2008, the party was recognized by the
Oregon State Elections Division The Oregon State Elections Division (officially, Elections Division of the Office of the Secretary of State of Oregon) is the agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon which administers the state's election laws in cooperation with the c ...
as a "less than statewide" nominating party, having failed to retain certification outside of Oregon's Third Congressional District.
Party organizers subsequently announced a plan to expand ballot access in other areas of the state by circulating petitions to qualify for nominating privileges in individual state
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
districts.
Segments of the Party's ballot access line remained active until 2008. That same year, the organization disaffiliated from the national Socialist Party USA and continues now as a small independent political organization.
The Party has achieved a few recent electoral successes (although has not won a partisan elective office since re-organization):
* Bill Smaldone, elected to Salem City Council, 1998
* Michael C. Marino, Northwest District Association, 1999–2008
Prominent Oregon Socialists
*
Henry Askeli Philip Henry Askeli (March 24, 1886 – March 13, 1962) was a Finnish American draftsman, labor activist and therapist.
Askeli was born on the island of Hailuoto in North Ostrobothnia, Finland; his parents were John (Juho) Askeli Jr. (1861&nda ...
Tom Burns Thomas Burns, Tommy Burns or Tom Burns may refer to:
Politics
* Thomas Burns (politician) (born 1960), Nationalist Northern Irish politician
* Thomas Edward Burns (born 1927), Unionist Northern Irish politician
* Tom Burns (Australian politician ...
*
Louise Bryant
Louise Bryant (December 5, 1885 – January 6, 1936) was an American feminist, political activist, and journalist best known for her sympathetic coverage of Russia and the Bolsheviks during the October Revolution, Russian Revolution of Novembe ...
*
William Z. Foster
William Zebulon Foster (February 25, 1881 – September 1, 1961) was a Political radicalism, radical American labor organizer and Communism, Communist politician, whose career included serving as General Secretary of the Communist Party US ...
Santeri Nuorteva
Santeri "Santtu" Nuorteva (born Alexander Nyberg; 29 June 1881 – 31 March 1929) was a Finnish-born Soviet journalist and one of the first members of the Finnish Parliament, where he served as a member of the Social Democratic Party from 1907 to ...
Benjamin F. Ramp
Benjamin ( he, ''Bīnyāmīn''; "Son of (the) right") blue letter bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3225/kjv/wlc/0-1/ H3225 - yāmîn - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv) was the last of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's thir ...
Monroe Sweetland
Monroe Mark Sweetland (January 20, 1910 – September 10, 2006) was an American politician in the state of Oregon. A native of the state, he served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly starting in 1953 for a total of ten years. A Dem ...
John Viita
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
Albany
* ''The People's Press'' (1894–1901) —Socialist from 1899; Official organ of SPO in 1901.
* ''Discontent'' (1913?)
Astoria
* ''Toveri'' he Comrade(1907–1931) —Organ of the
Finnish Socialist Federation The Finnish Socialist Federation () was a language federation of the Socialist Party of America which united Finnish language-speaking immigrants in the United States in a national organization designed to conduct propaganda and education for social ...
. Master negative film at University of Oregon: 1916–1922.
* ''Toveritar'' he Woman Comrade(1911–1930) —Organ of the Finnish Socialist Federation. Master negative film at University of Oregon: 1915–1930.
Grants Pass
* ''The Real Issue'' (1904–1905) —Official organ of SPO. Incomplete hardcopy run at University of Oregon.
Medford
* ''Saturday Review'' (1913)
Milwaukie
* ''The Alliance'' (1912–1915)
Portland
* ''Pacific Coast Citizen'' (1901–?)
* ''Vapauttaja'' (The Liberator) (1902–1903) —Pioneer Finnish socialist paper edited by Martin Hendrickson. Only 4 issues produced, 1 surviving.
* ''The Liberator'' (1903) —Published by T.E. Latimer.
* ''Worker's Voice'' (1910)
* ''Oregon Socialist Party Bulletin'' (1910–1919) —Official organ of SPO. Hardcopy only at University of Oregon.
* ''The Hourglass'' (1915)
* ''Oregon Herald'' (1916–1917)
* ''Western Socialist'' (1919) —Edited by Harry M. Wicks.
* ''Till Kamp'' (Into Battle) (1919) —Mimeographed bulletin of Branch 118 of the Scandinavian Socialist Federation. No known surviving copies.
* ''Oregon Socialist Party News'' (1945–1947) —Mimeographed.
* ''Portland Socialist'' (2003–2007)
** ''Portland Current'' (2007-date)
* ''The Oregon Socialist'' (1995, 1999, 2005–2008)
Salem
* ''Oregon Socialist Searchlight'' (1950–1952) —Official organ of SPO.
* ''Expansive Democracy'' (1995) —Official organ of SPO.
: Sources: Carlos A. Schwantes, "Labor-Reform Papers in Oregon, 1871–1976: A Checklist," ''Pacific Northwest Quarterly,'' October 1983, pp. 154–166; Dirk Hoerder with Christiane Harzig (eds.), ''The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s–1970s: An Annotated Bibliography.'' In 3 volumes. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1987.
Socialist Party of Washington
The Socialist Party of Washington was the Washington state section of the Socialist Party of America (SPA), an organization originally established as a federation of semi-autonomous state organizations.
During the 1910s, the Socialist Party of W ...
*
Social-Democratic Party of Wisconsin
: ''This article deals with the Wisconsin state affiliate established in 1897 of the Social Democratic Party of America and its successor, the Socialist Party of America. For the current party affiliated with the Socialist Party USA, see Socialist ...
*
Finnish Socialist Federation The Finnish Socialist Federation () was a language federation of the Socialist Party of America which united Finnish language-speaking immigrants in the United States in a national organization designed to conduct propaganda and education for social ...
*
Western Workmen's Co-operative Publishing Company
The Western Workman's Co-operative Publishing Company, established in 1907, was a Finnish-language socialism, socialist newspaper and book publisher located in Astoria, Oregon, Astoria, Oregon, on the Pacific coast of the United States of America. ...
Footnotes
Further reading
* C.W. Barzee (ed.), ''The Real Issue'' rants Pass, ORbr>whole no. 5 (March 15, 1904). Rare issue of early SPO official organ.
* Tim Davenport (ed.) ''The Multnomah County, Oregon Socialist Party Convention of 1904: Two Reports from the Contemporary Press.'' Corvallis, OR: 1000 Flowers Publishing, 2004.
* Adam J. Hodges, "Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: The Portland Soviet and the Emergence of American Communism, 1918–1920," ''Pacific Northwest Quarterly,'' vol. 98, no. 3 (Summer 2007), pp. 115–129 In JSTOR * Paul George Hummasti, "Ethnicity and Radicalism: The Finns of Astoria and the Toveri, 1890–1930," ''Oregon Historical Quarterly,'' vol. 96, no. 4, (Winter, 1995–96), pp. 362–393 In JSTOR * Paul George Hummasti, ''Finnish Radicals in Astoria, Oregon, 1904–1940: A Study in Immigrant Socialism.'' New York: Arno Press, 1979.
* Paul George Hummasti, "World War I and the Finns of Astoria, Oregon: The Effects of the War on an Immigrant Community," ''International Migration Review,'' vol. 11, no. 3 (Autumn 1977), pp. 334–349 In JSTOR * Jeff Johnson, "The Heyday of Oregon's Socialists," ''The Oregonian,'' December 19, 1976.
* Jeffrey A. Johnson, ''"They Are All Red Out Here": Socialist Politics in the Pacific Northwest, 1895–1925.'' Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2008.
* Robert D. Johnston, ''The Radical Middle Class: Populist Democracy and the Question of Capitalism in Progressive Era Portland, Oregon.'' Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003.
* Clifton Howard Jones, "The Oregon Socialist Party, 1901–1918." M.A. Thesis, University of Oregon, 1974.
* Tom J. Lewis, "May Day in Portland, Oregon," ''International Socialist Review,'' vol. 11, no. 1 (July 1910), pp. 37–38.
* Socialist Party of Oregon "The Boy Scout Movement: A True Exposition of Its Aims and Objects." No city: Socialist Party of Oregon, arch 1, 1912
* Socialist Party of Oregon ""Workers and Soldiers Council Organized in Portland," ''Oregon Socialist Party Bulletin'' ortland vol. 8, no. 1 (January 20, 1919), pg. 1.
* Peter Sleeth "'Read You Mutt!': The Life and Times of Tom Burns, the Most Arrested Man in Portland," ''Oregon Historical Quarterly,'' March 2011.
* Harvey Elmer Tobie, "Oregon Labor Disputes, 1919–23: I, the Living Wage," ''Oregon Historical Quarterly,'' vol. 48, no. 1 (March 1947), pp. 7–24 In JSTOR
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...