The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1920-05-07
Debs and Socialist Unity

the rearguard of capitalism!
| What does unity meant
When is unity desirables
For many years the fight between
the right and the left in the German
Social Democratic Party was carried
on. The split was always avoided with
tie merely sentimental plea for unity.
Unity of organization was thus pre-
served.
But did the German working class
profit by that unitys
It did notl
On the historical 4th of August, 1914,
the left was overwhelmed by the right
and, for moment at least, aquiesced
in the betrayal of the German working
class by the Social Democratic Party.
And when at last the left realized
the impossibility of unity of organiza.
tion when unity of purpose is lacking.
and when they finally broke away,
they had to do it at time when
their chances for organization were
below zero on account of the condi-
tions created by the war. And in the
Nov ember days of 1915 the left was
too weak to send the Scheidemanns
after their master Wilhelm into ex.
ile The unity Of organization so long
preserved in Germany, then proved
destriment to the revolutionary po-
wer of the workers. The right wing CT
Scheidemann and Noske assassinated
the left of Luxemburg and Liebknecht
with the power that the Scheidemanns
could never have gotten without the
help Of the Luxemburgs and Liebk
nechts during the long period of unity.
Should we learn from history, or
should we close our eyes to it for the
/ sweet sounds of sentimental plea4
Should the communists of America
unite with the Scheidemanns here
merely on sentimental plea for
mityY
They cannot
They will not!
The day will come when capitalism
in this country will call upon its rear
guard, the petit bourgeois Socialist
Party, to save the day for capitalism.
just like the German capitalists called
upon the German Social Democratic
Party there for that purpose. On that
day, the first day of the revolution,
the communists in this country will be
faced by the daggers and bayonets of
the Stedman Scheidemanns. The COM
munists will not unite and wait until
they are assassinated by these friends
Of capitalism in the name of law and
order capitalist law and order. No,
the communists Of America are on their
guard so they may not be caught
mapping.
Socialist unity means more than some
100000 people paying dues into the
same treasury.
Revolutionary socialist unity means
more than some 100000 workers voting
for one and the same man for pres
ident. even if that man happens to
be such lovable and incorruptible
Socialists as Eugene V. Debs.
Eugene v. ,Debs as the presidential
candidate of the Socialist Party is
not acceptable in that capacity to the
communists, no matter how acceptable
. hO UOho uO uo q uiSlnpeI VI pllG GULL
munist organization.
Revolutionary Socialist unity must
he a unity of action obtainable only
| by unity of purpose.
| The purpose Of the communist NOV
ement in the United States and the
world over is to replace the capital.
ist state by proletarian dictator
ship, exercised through workers coun.
sils. And the purpose of this dictator.
ship is the creation of free com.
munist society, thus abolishing the
State.
A unity upon that program is not
only desirable but necessary. Such uni.
| ty, however. cannot be accomplished
by the Socialist Party and the
communists coming together. It
can only be accomplished if the
revolutionary workers gather around
the banners of communism. They must
leave the Socialist Party and its
leaders because those leaders are mis-.
leading the working class.
For unity under the banner of
communism we are glad to join hands
with Eugene V. Debs. But the first
provision is that Debs himself leave
the Scheidemanns and join the real
forces Of the proletarian revolution,
the communist movement of America
u Communist Labor.