The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-03-20
WHEN MACDONALD
FAILS N EXT STEP
IS COM M U MS N
Is Labor's Only Hope
Then, Says Nearing

topeclO to The Daily Woskers
: NEW YORK, March 19.-"The
attempt of British Labor to inaugu-
rate new social system by due pro
cess of law is the last chance of the
social-democrats," declared Scott
Nearing in the course Of talk be-
fore the Rand School.
eff British labor fails" he con-
tinued, there is no hope for the
workers of the world save in the
methods Of Communism, that is in
the seizure of political power, the
dictatorship of the workers, and the
appropriation of the capitalists.
Should Help Unionism.
II Macdonald is to succeed in lay
ing the foundations for new social
order he must soon make an issue,
and go before the country in a gem
eral election that will strike at the
root of the present social order. He
must do this, either in domestic
politics, or in foreign affairs, or in
both.
''In domestic politics, for example,
he might push the bill providing for
the erection of 100000 new houses
for workers thru the employment Of
those now out of work; or he might
push the bill providing that the work
ers who are unemployed should settle
on the great estates and farm them;
or he might push the capital levy;
but it is doubtful whether he could
obtain a basic issue in any of these
fields. Certainly the most hopeful
of these is the capital levy. If he
were to turn the mines over to the
miners, or if his government were to
push the organization Of labor with
the same vigor that other govern
ments have pushed the organization
of capital, he would probably be able
to go before the country on real
test question.
ain foreign affairs, Mr.. Macdonald
has taken the first step-the recog-
milton of the Soviet Republic. HIS
next step, however, is to protect the
German workers in their right to
revolution against the French and
German capitalists, and his third step
is to call world conference (includ-
ing the Soviet Government) the OBJ
ject of which is to liquidate imperial
ism and to take the necessary steps
to prevent another world war.
With Bosses In Strike.
'What has happened thus far?
''No sooner had the Macdonald
ministry assumed Office than it ran
head on into the class struggle in the
form of a railroad strike. The re-
suits were interesting and extremely
signifcant--the labor government
treated the strikers as obstruction
lists, and altho the strike has been
called by a to 1 strike vote, as a
protest against a cut in wages, the
representatives of the Labor Govern
ment denounced the strike leader,
spoke of Community interests" and
sought to harmonic the viewpoint of
the workers and the management.
Community interests, in the case
Of a strike, are the interests of the
established order-that is, of prop
erty. Labor interests, in a strike, are
the interests, not of property, but of
the producers. Faced with this
dilemma, government must choose
TO side with the property owners or
with the producers. The Macdonald
HOVeTHHlclt III Cillc liAcb tSSes SAOoS
The side of the owners.
MaeDonald's Dilemma.
"Why did the Labor Ministry act
thus? Because they are proceeding
on the assumption that the new
social order can be brought about
thru political means. A strike is an
Industrial act, and as they stand to-
day, necessarily a "direct act,' and
thus opposed to law and order and to
the interests Of the State.
"The first effort of the british Labor
Party was to get power. Now it is
striving to keep power. But to do
this it must work closely enough with
the established order to command
conservative and liberal support.
What does this mean in a war,
strike, or some other crisis? It means
lining up with the owners against the
workers.
"There are only two fundamental |
economic groups in Britain at critical
moments. Men must then line up |
with one group or with the other.
as this inevitably so? Probably. |
Meanwhile the world watches and |
waits while the British Labor Party |
seeks to demonstrate that produc-
er's society can replace profiteer's
society by due process of law"
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