The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-09
a CONVENTION
OF
INDECISIONISTS
FUSION SAND DISSOLUTION. INDIGESTION MARKS
Special Report to The Toiler-By THURBER LEWIS

with careful, barrister-like precision.
He agreed, in his resolution with
Hoan, that the present status Of the
socialist and labor movement does not
warrant the consideration Of gen.
erai strike" But unlike Hoan, it con-
tinued "for reconquering and main
tanning our civil rights and liberties,
and for securing substantial measures
Of economic relief" Why this last?
He is cautious. He was not prepared
to say, bluntly, as Hoan did, that the
situation does not warrant general
strike for the attainmentsof our aims.
Though it cannot be denied that he
equivocated, he hides naively in the
confusion of the last provision: "a
general or political strike for recon
quering and maintaining our civil
rights" etc.
Instead of jumping Immediately in
to fusion, the resolution recommended
"a careful survey of all radical and
labor organizations in the country,
with a view of ascertaining their
strength, disposition and readiness to
cooperate with the socialist move
ment upon platform not inconsistent
with that of the party" Always wary
of the shoals, he concluded, "and on
plan which will preserve the in
tegrity and autonomy Of the Socialist
Party"
The Hilquit resolution carried But,
careful as it was, it commits the par
ty to a willingness to engage in po-
litical trading. On a whole, it is mot
inconsistent" with the policies Of
Hoan and Berger.
General and Political Strikes.
As before noted, these motiens were
,IrQrs oE les e Apsndn|sa!I I !. e 8, tloSs AZ
strikes. OF the former, there were
two motions submitted. The first, "re-
CARDS the general strike as power
full weapon Of the working Glass; But,
at is evident that the advocacy Of
general strike in the u. s. under
present conditions is folly" The Sec
ond insists, "a political party cannot
call general strike for any purpose"
and, trying to find reason for its
existence adds, shat is the function
of the workers organized in the un-
IONS" With the assurance that such
thing as a general strike will not
be a very proximate obligation, the
delegation carried the first motion.
The motion on the political strike,
the possibility of which seems to be
but recent admission of the s. p,
was similar to the other 1t starts
out, "a political strike is strike for
the purpose of compelling the enact
ment or repeal of legislative measures
or for the purpose Of influencing the
policies Of the administrative Off
cials.' Even though it may have ac-
cured to them that a political strike
might serve other ends, !. e. con-
troll Of industry, ETC., since such things
are beyond the pale of the narrow
political limits they have set for
themselves, they summarily discard
them. It ends, after applying num-
Der Of straight jacket reservations,
"The socialist party therefore, warns
against the attempted use Of the polit-
ical strike as general or customary
weapon and declares that it should
be used anly Non rare occasions and In
connection with matters Of supreme
Importance to the workers. But, even
this sickly and enervated pretense to
revolutionary activity was disowned.
The motion lost by vote Of 20--l9.
The motion on the latitude toward
labor organizations" merely reafirms
the old socialist party stand, meagre
policy Of individual "boring from
within" "The position Of the socialist
party is one Of constructive, not de-
structive criticism" 1t is through this
policy Of Loyal constructive work
within the Labor Unions that the So
cialist Party strives to strengthen
these organizations and bring about
better understanding and coopera-
tion between the militant economic
and political organisations Of the
workers" The motion said nothing
about the I. w. w. and other really
militant organizations.
Throw Them Out.
Next on the agenda came the FAM
ous ''Branstetter resolution" IL
starts out by saying that the Third
international Is attempting to dis
rupt the Socialist Party. II quotes
an appeal from the Thiri I~tenStlon-
CONTINUED on page 81