The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1920-06-25
COMMUNIST LABOR PARTY AND
MAJORITY OF COMMUNIST PAR
TY UNITE THROUGH SECRET
CONVENTION.

not at once achieved, it was not until
noon Of the seventh day that this issue
was decided conclusively.
Neither side was fully conscious Of
the undercurrent of sentiment on the
other side. Factional controversies of
nearly year s standing surcharged the
atmosphere with suspicion-suspicion
not only across the lines but within
each camp. None of the delegates were
willing TO surrender their reservations
luntil after long series of debates,
some of little intrinsic Importance,
many on basic questions of Communist
understanding and practice-questions
which had never before been really
faced in United States.
One delegate hit upon the most
salient truth about this convention in
the remark that, in contrast to any
other convention in which he had
taken part either in Europe or Amer
lea, this convention had met squareN
every essential issue and debated it
fully to its ultimate solution.
There were three separate advance
sessions of the two parties. To each
of these conventions was presented the
tentative draft of a Program and
Constitution previously prepared by
a Joint Committee: Damon, Caxton
and Fisher, C. P, and Brown, Klein
and Dubner, c. LIP.
During the second of these sessions,
message came to the c. P. convention
that the CLIP. convention had accepted
the agreements of the Joint Committee as
a bisis for unity, reserving all amend
ments for joint discussion.
At this moment the c. P. conven-
tiOn had under consideration a sub.
stitute Manifesto, Program and Consti-
tuition presented by Ford for the New
York District delegation. The debate
quickly centered on the declaration as
to "mass action, it being conceded
that the Joint Committee Program was
more acceptable as an entirety. TIE
main contention was that the Joint
Committee had not used direct and un.
equivocal language as to force. 1t was
answered that the criticism was only
of words; that there could not possibly
be any doubt but that the Program
pointed clearly to armed revolt as the
ultimate and inevitable form of "mass
action.
Personal suspicion stimulated this
argument. The outside group of the G
P.-the majority members of the Cen
tral Executive Committee-had manu-
factured the issue of force as a dom
inant item in the c. P. split. There
had never been such a factional issue
But the Eastern delegates particularly
were determined to make certain that
there would be nothing about the hand
ling of this subject which might leave
loophole for the G. P. opposition.
Agreement was reached for the re
vision of the Program in a number Of
particulars, the G. P. delegates to sup
port these amendments as a unit. TIL,
G. P. convention further bound it,
members on the issue of federations
also, to retain the G. P. name and EN-
blem.
The first joint session opened will
a spirited dispute as to election o
committees. Some of the C. P. dele
gates insisted upon discussion of th'
Program as the first order of business
They said that they were not ready
to commit themselves as to joint pro
eeedings until the Program was dis
posed of. This brought forth angry
protest; it served as challenge to thu
group unity of the c. L. P. 1t wa!
urged that unity had been achieved b.
coming together on the basis of tn,
, Joint Committee Program and Con