Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1905-05-24
Says De
Leon OppOrtuniSt

MANI iilNhh, iiNNNi "lhhliSiN a
blow at error lest we make an en-
emy."
This has long been the motto of
the fighting Socialist Labor Party,
but abandoned by you in your adj
dress to members of the Socialist
Trade and Labor Alliance.
For years you have fought for a
classconscious Industrial Union, you
taught that a labor organization
which rejected the ballot and used
only the strike and boycott was a
monstrosity and doomed to distruc-
ton.
You taught that the political party
must dominate the economic, and
now you invert your former position
and teach that the economic must
dominate the political.
You also come out squarely for
the principle of AN economic or
ganization affiliated with no political
party"
Why no political party? Is there
no revolutionary political party in
existence today worthy of the sup
port of a classconcious political
party2 Then why not organize one?
Is this an admission that after all
these years of agitation by the So
cialist Labor Party it is unworthy to
be the right arm of Socialist move
ment?
In other words, professor, you
are tired of your uncompromising
stand in favor of the principles of
the Socialist Trade and Labor ALI
ance; you abandon them at the crit
ical stage of its existance and adopt
the role of an opportunist. l quote
two paragraphs, word for word from
the same issue of the People to show
how absurd your reasoning is. In
your address you say: | am of the
opinion that a motion to endorse
the Socialist Labor Party would be
illadvised;-it would be a challenge
to conflict with the only element
in the Socialist Party upon which
the Socialist movement can be
safely built, the working class ele-
ment-an element that is drawing
nearer to us over the only bridge
over which the Socialist forces in
this land can march toward unity
the bridge of class conscious revolu-
tionary economic organization of
which our own S. +. and l.. A., is
on the one side of the stream and
the American Labor Union on the
other, may be considered the piers.
Consequently, if | am member of
your delegation | shall not make
such a notion"
In the trade union attitude of the
S. l.. p, you say: by the light of
these facts we renew the party's dec
larations made in 1896 and 1000 in
congratulation of the birth of the
S. l.. p, and all sympathizers the
necessity of ceaseless propaganda in
the interest of that body, and we
expect of them, that they will join
the local or mixed trade alliances,
which may now exist in their several
localities. and do all in their power
to organize such alliances where
none exist, TO the end that the work
ing class may be correctly organized
on the economic field, and the struc-
ture of the Socialist republic rise
unhampered by the crumbling inhu-
ence of the Gompers form of union
ism-happenings which are calcu-
lated to strengthen the arm of cool
eyizing the working class of the land,
as has been instanced on numberless
occasions both on the part of the
A. +. of L., and that caricature of
the S. T. and l.. A., the American
Labor Union. The conduct of
which resulted in the present Colo
RADIO outrages upon the working
class.
Mr.. De Leon, you will build a
bridge and put it over the stream of
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