The congress of Lithuanian-Americans which took place on August 17, 1916, at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, united two of the Lithuanian-American factions, the Nationalists and the Catholics. These two factions have agreed to make joint preparations for the coming Lithuanian Day on November 1, 1916, which was designated by President Wilson as the day on which public collections are to be made all over the United States for the relief of Lithuanian war victims in Europe. Our Socialists, who also participated in that congress, have not definitely decided to join the other two factions in this work and have asked to be allowed three weeks in which to make a final decision.

The Lithuanian Socialist League recently held a convention in Chicago, and at that time made a definite decision in regard to the above-mentioned matter.

As far as we have been able to learn, the convention adopted a resolution which contains the following points:

The Socialists agree to form a united front with the Nationalists and Catholics, but only under the following conditions: (1) one third of the members of the Central Committee must be composed of Socialists; in other words, the Central Committee must consist of four members from each of the three Lithuanian-American factions; (2) one third of all the funds collected on that day must be sent to those Lithuanian relief agencies in Lithuania that are designated by the Lithuanian-American Socialist faction.

That is the position our Socialists have assumed, and if these conditions are not granted they will not go into a united front with the other two Lithuanian factions for Lithuanian Day.

Now the question arises: Are the conditions of the Socialists acceptable? We doubt very much whether they can be accepted, for the following reasons:

We believe that the first condition advanced by the Socialists--that the Central Committee be composed of an equal number of members from all factions--can be accepted. We have been advocating this principle for a long time as the most feasible and successful method for forming a united front of all the Lithuanian-American factions. Although the Catholics have been and still are opposed to this principle, nevertheless for the sake of unity and for the benefit of our war-stricken brethren in Europe, they will probably agree to compromise on this point in the same manner as the Nationalists have agreed to do.

We repeat that for the sake of "holy peace" it is possible to agree with the first condition set forth by our Socialists. However, the same cannot be said in regard to the second condition of the Socialists--that one third of all collected funds shall be sent to an organization or organizations in Lithuania to be designated by our Socialists. In our opinion, this condition can hardly be accepted because it is altogether illogical. If the 4Socialists are granted the right of equal representation on the Central Committee with other factions, then they cannot demand additional rights that are not demanded by the other factions. As to the question of where and to whom the collected funds are to be sent, that should be decided by a majority of the votes of the Central Committee. This procedure always has been followed everywhere, is still being followed everywhere, and should continue to be followed everywhere.

It appears that no compromise can be made in regard to the second condition that has been set forth by our Socialists. The Socialists base their demand for one third of the funds on the ground that they can produce more solicitors for Lithuanian Day than either the Nationalists or Catholics. Perhaps they can, but their contention is still only a naked speculation, not based on practical experience. That is one thing. Secondly, as far as we have been able to learn, the organizations in Lithuania to which our Socialists want 5to send one third of the collected funds, are practically nonexistent; their activities are so limited and feeble that, compared with those of the really active organizations, they amount to just about nothing. It appears that these[Socialist]organizations intend to expand their activities and their scope only when they receive funds from Lithuanian-Americans.

The foregoing statements are undeniable facts. It would seem strange to every more or less thinking person if, when harvest time comes, we would hire a shepherd boy and start training him to be a farm hand, instead of hiring an available full-grown and experienced farm hand. It seems that it would not be logical, and in these critical times it would even be sinful, to waste a large sum of money (one third of the funds collected) for experimental purposes. No matter which way we look at them, the two above-mentioned demands of the Socialists, when considered together, appear to be too unreasonable.

However, it is probable that the Socialists purposely made such harsh demands, 6knowing in advance that they would not be accepted, in order that afterwards they would be able to place the blame for disunity on the other two factions. Or, perhaps, besides these two demands, the Socialists may have some alternative demands ready in the event that the original demands are rejected. When we receive more complete information on the official decisions of the Socialists at their convention, we will be in a position to make further comment on this matter. It is hoped that some form of unity among the various Lithuanian-American factions will be established, especially for the all-important Lithuanian Day.