Held at Printers' Hall, Bartletts Passage,Fetter Lane,London,E.C.at 6pm
on Sunday 12th June 1904
In accordance with the instructions of the Provisional
Committee, R. Elrick and C. Lehane acted as Provisional
Chairman and Secretary respectively, and the other
members of the Provisional Committee acted as stewards.
There was a good attendance, and the meeting opened
with the singing of “The Red Flag”.
The Chairman briefly explained the object of the
meeting, read the notice convening same, and then moved
the following resolution:
“That we hereby declare our membership of and thus form
the new Party, the constitution of which it shall be the
business of this meeting to formulate.”
The resolution was carried, with three dissentients, who
were requested to leave the building, as the invitation to
attend was extended only to those who were prepared to
cooperate in forming the Party. After these persons had left,
the Chairman called on those present to give in their names
and addresses for enrolment as members, and as a result the
following one hundred and forty two names were handed in:
Miss H. Aitken, Mrs Annie Albery, A.S. Albery, Victor Albery,
Arch. Alcock, E.J.B. Allen, Mrs Allen, T.W. Allen, Sidney T.
Alston, A. Anderson, G. Anslow, Isaac Asher, Will L. Auger, J.T.
Bacan, B.G. Bannington, A. Barker, William Bartlett, Hy. Belsey,
John Beauford, W. Betts, J. Blaustein, A. Boggis, A.R. Brooker,
R.J. Buckingham, H.J. Bull, A.H. Burton, F. Cadman, Miss L.E.
Campbell, John Chislekoff, W. Chown, T.C. Collings, Robert
Collins, R. Compton, Mrs E. Craske, F. Craske, Harry Crump,
John Crump, R. Daintree, H.J. Davey, John W. Day, John
Donovan, A.C. Dowdeswell, Paul Dumenil, W. Eayrs, Minnie
Eden, Stanley Eden, R. Elrick, Edward Fairbrother, E. Fawcett,
J. Fitzgerald, G. Fletcher, Haris Fagel, W. Fox, B. Galloway, John
Gordon, C. Goss, A.J.M. Gray, A. Greenham, R.O. Gross,
Edward Hammond, E. Hardcastle, G.R. Harris, H.J. Hawkins,
Miss K. Hawkins, G. Hicks, Geo. H. Hobbs, G.J. Hodson, Mabel
Hodson, William Holford, Mrs. Holford, Mrs. Holgate, Miss
Homerton, H.E. Hutchins, A.W. Ingram, T.A. Jackson, A. Jacobs,
Hyman Jacobs, S. Jacobs, A.E. Jacomb, A. Jones, A.C. Jones, G.
Jones, Mrs L. Jones, J. Kent, R.H. Kent, W.G. Killick, G.T. King,
Mrs King, William Lee, C. Lehane, F.S. Leigh, Hy. Martin,
Valentine McEntee, J. McNicol, F. Meiklejohn, G.F. Moody,
Moore E.C., A. Morrill, D.R. Newlands, H. Neumann, John
Nodder, Charles Orme, J. Oxley, Alex. Pearson, Miss M.
Pearson, H.C. Phillips, Alf Pilbeam, A. Pyrke, W. Pyrke, F.
Quinney, D.A. Reid, G. Richards, A. Ridgewell, S.J.C. Russell,
Walter Russell, Mrs L. Salomon, Hy. Salter, H. Severn, William
Sills, T.G. Simco, Frank Sinfield, H.J. Smith, H.O. Sparks, C.V.
Sparks, T. Spooner, G. Streak, G. Sweeting, T. Tarrant, L.
Thurston, R. Triggs, C. Turner, Annie Walker, R.H. Walker, T.
Wallis, F.C. Watts, T. Wilkins, E. Wilkinson, G.H. Wilson, T.A.
Wilson, W. Woodhouse, Walter Wren, H.J. Young.
While the enrolment was in progress, one man refused
to join the Party stating that he had not yet decided what to
do in connection with the movement, and that he had an
“open mind” on the matter. The Chairman again explained
the object of the meeting and stated that the persons who
had been invited to come were only those who had made up
their minds in connection with the object of the meeting,
and gently but firmly requested this man to take his “open
mind” outside. This being done, the business of the meeting
was proceeded with.
The following letter was read:
“Socialist Society, Newcastle upon Tyne 10/6/04
Dear Comrades,
Our society has recently had its attention drawn to the
controversy between the S.D.F. and a section of its members.
Although we are not affiliated to the S.D.F., we consider that,
as a Social-Democratic Society, and one in full sympathy with
the principles of the S.D.F., we had a title to consider the
dispute.
After much discussion of the question at issue, on
information based on the two circulars of the dissentient
members, the Report of the Burnley Conference, the
Statement in Justice of a fortnight ago, the experience of
those of our own members who, in other parts of the
country, have been members of the S.D.F., and our own
observation of the trend of affairs during the last few years,
– we have arrived at the following resolution,
“That, believing that the basic principles of the S.D.F. have not
been violated by the expelled members and branches, we
regret the motion of the conference and executive in
relation to these members and branches”.
I remain, yours truly,
(Signed) T. Kerr, Secretary.
P.S. Am sending a copy of this letter to H.W. Lee. The
resolution is as far as the bulk of our members are prepared
to go at present. Permit me, however, to express my personal
and, of course, absolutely unofficial sympathy with your
comrades in the action that they have been compelled to
take, and to trust that its result will be the rescuing of the
S.D.F. from the dangers of opportunism and intolerance
which at present beset it and the placing of that organisation
on the absolutely straight and unswerving pathway of Social
Democracy once again. Personally, I should be sorry to see a
permanent second Social Democratic Party established in
opposition to the S.D.F., but I quite agree that the action
your comrades are taking is such as may well lead to the
really closer unity of the Socialist forces in the near future.
Would be glad if you would keep me informed of the
progress of the agitation.”
The reading of the above letter was met with loud applause,
and the Secretary instructed to send a suitable reply. The next business was the election of Chairman and
Secretary of the meeting, and the election of tellers. On the
motion of Fitzgerald and Anderson, the Provisional Officers,
viz., Elrick and Lehane, were unanimously elected Chairman
and Secretary respectively. Kent, Woodhouse and Killick were elected tellers.
Phillips read the minutes of the Battersea Meeting on
Sunday May 15th 1904, and on the motion of E. Allen and
Jackson they were unanimously adopted.
Phillips gave a verbal report on the work of the
Provisional Committee elected at the Battersea Meeting to
draft a constitution for the Party and to make arrangements
for the holding of the Inaugural Meeting. On the motion of
Hawkins and Lehane the report was adopted with unanimity.
Anderson and Lehane moved:
“That the name of the Party shall be ‘The Socialist Party of
Great Britain.’”
Neumann and Blaustein moved an
amendment:
“That the name of the Party shall be ‘The
Social-Democratic Party’.”
A good discussion followed, Hawkins,
Jackson, E. Allen, Turner and Kent speaking in
favour of the motion, and Martin, Mrs.
Salomon, Killick and Albery for the
amendment. On a show of hands, there
voted for the amendment 27 against 76. The
amendment was therefore deemed lost.
continued next column >
Martin and Neumann moved a further
amendment:
“That the name of the Party should be ‘The
Social-Democratic Party of Great Britain’.”
After some discussion a vote was taken,
and there were 31 in favour and 73 against.
The amendment was declared lost. Another
amendment was moved by McEntee and
Hutchens:
“That the name of the Party shall be ‘The Socialist Party of
Great Britain and Ireland’.” This amendment was also lost,
only 6 voting in favour.
There being no further amendments, the motion: “That
the name of the Party shall be ‘The Socialist Party of Great
Britain’ was put to the meeting and carried by 91 votes to 3.
The announcement of the result was greeted with loud
applause.
Hawkins and Martin moved: “That the Object of the
Party shall be ‘The establishment of a system of society
based upon the common ownership and democratic control
of the means and instruments for producing and distributing
wealth by and in the interest of the whole community.’”
There was no amendment and the motion was carried
unanimously. The Declaration of Principles drafted by the
Provisional Committee was then read:
“The Socialist Party of Great Britain holds: –
That society as at present constituted is based upon the
ownership of the means of living (i.e. land, factories, railways, etc.)
by the capitalist or master-class, and the subsequent enslavement
of the working-class, by whose labour alone wealth is produced.
That in society, therefore, there is an antagonism of interests,
manifesting itself as a class struggle, between those who possess
but do not produce, and those who produce but do not possess.
That this antagonism can be abolished only by the
emancipation of the working-class from the domination of the
master-class, by the conversion into the common property of
society of the means of production and distribution, and the
democratic control by the whole people.
That as in the order of social evolution the working-class is the
last class to achieve its freedom, the emancipation of the workingclass
will involve the emancipation of all mankind without
distinction of race or sex.
That this emancipation must be the work of the working-class
itself.
That as the machinery of government,
including the armed forces of the nation, exists
only to conserve the monopoly by the capitalist
class of the wealth taken from the workers, the
working-class must organise consciously and
politically for the conquest of the powers of
government, national and local, in order that this
machinery, including these forces, may be
converted from an instrument of oppression into
the agent of emancipation and the overthrow of
privilege, aristocratic and plutocratic.
That as all political parties are but the
expression of class interests, and as the interest
of the working-class is diametrically opposed to
the interests of all sections of the master-class,
the party seeking working-class emancipation
must be hostile to every other party.
The Socialist Party of Great Britain, therefore,
enters the field of political action, determined to
wage war against all other political parties,
whether alleged labour or avowedly capitalist, and
calls upon the members of the working-class of
this country to muster under its banner to the
end that a speedy termination may be wrought to the system
which deprives them of the fruits of their labour, and that poverty
may give place to comfort, privilege to equality, and slavery to
freedom.”
Jack Fitzgerald one of the founders of the
S.P.G.B.
Fitzgerald and E. Allen moved: “That we adopt theDeclaration of Principles as read”. Martin and Blaustein
moved an amendment:
“That the statement of Principles be printed and submitted
to each member of the Party for consideration and that a
Conference of the Party be called in one month’s time to
adopt same or accept amendments thereto.”
Hawkins, Jackson and Leigh spoke against the amendment,
and on a vote being taken only 3 were in its favour, all the
other members present voting against. The amendment was
therefore declared lost. Martin and Albery moved a further
amendment :
“That the word ‘hostile’ be deleted and ‘opposed’
substituted”. This amendment was also lost, only a few votes
in its favour. The motion: “That we accept the Declaration of Principles as read”. Martin and Blaustein
moved an amendment:
“That the statement of Principles be printed and submitted
to each member of the Party for consideration and that a
Conference of the Party be called in one month’s time to
adopt same or accept amendments thereto.”
Hawkins, Jackson and Leigh spoke against the amendment,
and on a vote being taken only 3 were in its favour, all the
other members present voting against. The amendment was
therefore declared lost. Martin and Albery moved a further
amendment :
“That the word ‘hostile’ be deleted and ‘opposed’
substituted”. This amendment was also lost, only a few votes
in its favour. The motion: “That we accept the Declaration of
Principles as read” was then put to the meeting and adopted
with unanimity and enthusiasm.
[The draft rules were read and discussed and the Party’s
officers and executive committee elected.]
The meeting closed at 10pm with the singing of the “Internationale” and cheers for the Socialist Revolution.