The 1934 Declaration of Principles was a political platform of the Militant faction passed at the Socialist Party of America (SPA) May 1934 National Convention held in Detroit, Michigan.
The chief author of the 1934 Declaration of Principles was Devere Allen, a pacifist follower of Socialist Party leader Norman Thomas from Connecticut.
In closing the debate at the convention, New York "Old Guard" leader Louis Waldman railed against adoption of the Declaration of Principles: "I warn against these dangerous, provocative proposals, which will lead the party to ruin.
Waldman recalls: "When Thomas rose, he received a great ovation from the Militants, but he was pale and nervous.
As a pacifist, he had little difficulty in making a general and eloquent statement about the horror of war, which he condemned.