The daily worker., 1924-11-07
The Results Of the Elections
Statement BY the Central Executive Committee the Workers Party

guments of terrorization were quite effective.
The capitalist dictatorship is prepared to use
terrorism much more drastic than this if
necessary for its continued rule.
The reactionary oficialdom of the labor
movement, which only with the greatest re-
luctance, and under severe pressure, broke
with the old parties in this campaign, and
which itself is responsible in large measure
for Coolidge's victory, may now be expected to
try to convince the workers that even the mid
dle-class revolt is hopeless and that they must
return to the back door of the old party coun-
ellis, there to beg for crumbs in the time-hOn-
ored GOmpersian manner.
Among large sections of the working class
there will appear dangerous tendency to de-
precate all kinds of political action as futile,
as leading nowhere, tendency resulting in
complete indifference and abstentiOn on their
part from political action. The fact that the
LaFollette movement, supported by these work
ers, altho effectively movement Of the middle
classes, the well-to-do farmers, and certain sec
tions of the labor aristocracy, failed to get the
expected mass support in the election, will un-
dOubtedly create a spirit of pessimism as
regards the possibility of creating new mass
party within the frame of democratic" capi-
talist government. Among some sections of
militant workers it will strengthen the syn
dicalist tendencies of conscious opposition to
wOrkingclass participation in politics. All OF
these reactions-the Gompers' return to the old
parties, the rank and file Indifference, and the
syndicalist opposition to politics-alike play
into the hands of big capital We warn the
workers against all of them equally.
To permit Gompers and his lieutenants to
switch the labor movement back to the old cap
italist parties would be to leave the working
class at the mercy OF its worst enemies. In
difference and abstention from political action
means the voluntary withdrawal from the most
important field of struggle, which is tan
tamount to surrender to capitalism. The syn
dicalist tendency, altho dictated by healthy
reaction against the illusions of parliamentary
ism, yet strengthens the reactionary elements
in the labor movement and thereby plays into
the hands of labOrs worst enemies.
i The demonstrated weakness of the LaFOl-
lette movement as compared to the prediction
estimates of all sides, not only seriously retards
the development of the so-called third party"
but also completely eliminates the immediate
possibility of the growth of a mass farmer
labor party of industrial workers and poor
farmers, distinct from the Workers Party.
general agitation campaign by the Workers
Party under the slogan of ''For a Mass Farmer
Labor Party" would not be profitable or sue
cessful. The policy of applying the united
front tactic by attempting to form mass
farmer-labor party of which the Workers Rarity
would be part is not adaptable to the present
periodkOnr chief task in the immediate future
is notf building of such a farmer-labor party
but the strengthening and developing of the
Workers Party itself as the practical leader
of the masses and as the only party that repre-
sents the worldng-class interests and knows
how to fight for them. The best means to this
end is to agitate and fight for the united front
from below with the rank and file workers in
their daily struggles, in the spirit of the Fifth
Congress of the Communist international y
This election will be interpreted by The
strikebreaker Coolidge, and the "open shop"
PERI Dawes, as a mandate to crush the labor
movement of America and to extend the rule
of Morgan Rockefeller capitalism abroad. 1t
will be taken as a blank check, drawn upon the
American working class, for increased exploita-
tion for lower wages, for longer hours, for per-
secution of militants, for breaking up of unions,
for intensifcation of Imperialism and mlitar-
ism, for preparation of new wars, and for every
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