The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-12-11
The c. E. c., the Minority, and COmrGde Lore

greatest TACT ana consideration, ana
his advice and support were always
sought whenever a question Of policy
was to be considered. Comrade Lore
was carried around--so to speak-like
basket of eggshells. never saw a
grown man handled with more tender
concern.
If l may be pardoned few personal
illusions, which are introduced, not
in any sense as complaint but mere
ly by way Of Illustration, l might cite
the fact-to show the high favor en-.
joyed by Comrade Lore-that he was
drawn into the political committee
when | was excluded from it, and tina
he was appointed a member Of the {
e. G. steering committee at the July
8 convention in Chicago which ! was
denied the right to attend, being as
signed to speak at a picnic in Port
land, Oregon, on that historic occas
ion.
After July Third.
After July 8" the c. E. G. returned
to New York with the federated
farmer-labor party" in its brief case
The letter of the Y. c. 1. to the Young
Workers League Of America quotes
Karl Radek, who wrote the last c. l..
thesis on America, as having said in
the American commission: "The fed
Grated farmer-Iabor party is seven
eigths a fantasy" What the other
one-eighth consisted of, the letter does
not say.
In ing August meeting Of the G. e.
c., Comrades Foster, Bittelman and
myself began to ask few questions
about this fantasy; but Comrade
Lore supported it. Perhaps l do him
an injustice. Comrade Lore's attitude,
as recall it, was about as follows:
We've got it. so we have to keep it."
At this meeting the August thesis"
the most curious melange of oppor-
tunism and confusion ever pressed in.
to one document, was adopted. Foster,
Bittelman and myself voted against
it. Comrade Lore voted for it and his
support was most gratefully accepted
Comrade Lore was one of Comrade
Peppers famous majority" / men
ton this merely as a matter Of his
tory.
Up till the time of this meeting
Comrade Foster had also been gener-
ally been supporting the original ex-
periments of Comrade Pepper in the
political laboratory and had conse-
quently enjoyed certain respect in
the c. E. c. In fact, Comrade Foster
was highly regarded. He was immune
from all criticism, and. as long as he
did not attempt to assert himself in
the G. e. c., was given the title, not
only of leader of the party" but
leader of the whole American work
ing class"
When the attempt on his life was
made in Chicago, the Worker carried
a two-line streamer head, written by
Comrade Pepper, running across the
entire first page. THE capitalists
want to kill Foster-WORKERS YOU
MUST DEFEND YOUR LEADER!"
The Attempt to Destroy Foster.
But when it became apparent that
Comrade Foster was not becoming
reconciled to the F. F. L. P. fantasy"
and that he was beginning to assert
his right and duty to participate &C
lively in the party leadership, the
leading group in the C. e. c., which
had formerly been heaping such full
some fiattery upon him, turned on him
in fury. They set out to destroy him.
to kill" him, to rob him Of his great
prestige and undermine his authority
in the party.
The leading group in the G. e. G.
suddenly discovered that Comrade
Foster was "syndicalist," a trade
unionist," that is to say, no good. A
subtle campaign in the party press
against "non-Communist and syndical-
list tendencies" held by unnamed COM
rades was accomplished by a sys-
tematic whispering campaign Of Sian,
der and character assassination in the
party ranks against Foster and the
Chicago trade union comrades gener-
ally. Some Of Comrade Lore's greatest
errors were made during this period
his estimation of events in Germany
and the party crisis there-but the G.
e. G. took no notice. 1t was too busy
fighting the trade unionists."
This campaign to destroy Foster
and the group closely associated with
him continued right up to the last
party convention and was the one big
issue there.
The convention divided into two
camps over the resolution introduced
by Pepper and Ruthenberg, which had
for its object the putting Of the whole
blame for the July 3 debacle upon
Foster and the Chicago trade union
comrades, who were standing up in
the Chicago unions under the heaviest
blows of the reactionaries and bear
HWw@ ~