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

"Unity of Socialist elements in the
United States" has become the hobby
horse with which some Soeialist-party-
ties are parading in order to lure some
stray comrades back into the folds of
that organization. Some of these per-
sons are well meaning. But they do not
understand the fundamental Offences
between Lenin and Scheidemann, (if
we may express principles in names of
those who represent them). But the
greater number of them feel an uncon-
trollable longing for tie nickels and
dimes of the tens of thousands of
members, that the late executive COM
mittee of the late Socialist Party has
thrown ont. The deep love of these
right wingers for the Non-Partisan
League and the coming Labor Party
was prevented from ending in happy
marriage by the lefts. and with a tenn
per, only inspired by unsatisfied love,
they cOncocted scheme to get rid of
the obstacle. So they expelled the left
wing, nearly half the party and half
of the half that was left them quit in
digsust. But now other obstacles pre-
vent the final consumation of the mar
rage, so these politicians realize, first.
that they have robbed their party Of
The only excuse it had for posing as
revolutionary party by throwing out
the revOlutionists, and second they
have, and this is something to be still
more regretted, lost countless nickcls
and dimes which otherwise would have
probably found their way into their
till.
We neither have time, nor do we
desire to here investigate deeper into
the real cause of the unity move.
Suffice it to say that in the desire to
bring about unity they hit upon the
scheme to induce Eugene V, Debs to
accept the nomination for president
from the Socialist Party, as undesirable
as his candidacy may have been TO
them otherwise. And Debs, noble heart,
bent down by the knowledge of the
feud within the ranks of the socialists,
accepts, and so unconsciously helps TO
play the game of the scheming gents in
the Socialist Party.
Without going into the question
deeply by writing necessarily ex-
tensive treatise on the fundamentals
of communism there might be said
Just this about the question of unity:
We would advice Debs to read the
arguments filed by Mr.. Stedman in
behalf of the Socialist Party in the
court action of that party in Detroit.
Mich. We would further advice him
to read the transcript of the Albany
'trial."
Should the communists unite with
Stedman, who denounces them in a
capitalist court as enemies of capital
ist society, in order to induce that
court to take property, bought and
paid for by the defendants, away from
them and turn it over tc the law
abiding Socialist Party7
Or shall the communists unite WITH
Mr.. Hilquit who assured the sub-com-
mittee of the Assembly in Albany
that the socialist surely would shoulder
a gun and fight for "their" country
should the Bolshevists "attack" it?
Or should the communists form a
happy union with Mr.. Waldman, who
swore TO the conviction. that he would
by all means prefer the capitalist con.
stitution of the capitalist ridden state
of New York to the dictatorship of
the working class as desired by the
Bolshevjstsf
Or should the communists unite with
Mr.. Berger, whose hatred for them is
only exceeded by his love for capital.
ism, and compared to whom even
Scheideman is raving "radical"!
Now all these persons and their acts
arc mere incidents that can not de-
termine the possibility or advisability
of unity. These incidents, however,
show us the fundamental differences
in TIE conception of these Socialists y
and the communists. These differences
prove conclusively that there can be no
unity between the two, except the
communists betray the working class
whose advanceguard they are, or
these Socialists" desert the capital.
ist" class whose rear guard they are
One is as impossible rs the other with
out one of the two giving up its prin.
ciples and accepting the principles Of
the other. And Debs surely would moi
want the communists to desert tho
working class in order to strengthen