The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-08-04
The Alliance of the Dying

Samuel Gompers, nearing the end of a career Of
treason to the working GLASS; has, like the expiring
serpent's TAIL given a final wriggle. he has en-
dorsed LaFollette, another ancient fake, who is
SO debiltated by age that he has to sing his "swan
song" by radio.
It is all very much like the romantic fiction of
"twin soued" lovers drawn to each other across
the seas and the ages finding in each others arms
the first and final soace this side of the grave 1t
has been long road and Gompers has not always
felt the "sou urge in spite of his statement that
samuel Gompers has never led any movement
opposed to LaFollette," which is a queer way for
a democratic booster to refer to republican, but
which may be accounted for by the usual lovers
lie: 81 have always loved you from the day we
met"
touching sight it is, indeed, to find the last
hours of these two happy lovers somewhat compli-
Gated by the tiresome triangle of the divorce courts
Debs the decrepit remnant of the Second Inter-
national suddenly insists that LaFollette is his
~dream-girl" for which he has been wasting his
socialist heart away during the cons. From
sanitarium he too sends his Astounding love-
precipitatey announcing that LaFollette's con-
duct republican has always been secretly admired
by him. The scene is affectionate even II embar-
RAISING in its apparent mesalliance and the IN
decent promiscuity so publicly manifested Grey
hairs it is said should be respected, but then on
the other hand, they should deserve respect
Gompers has always opposed socialism, repre-
sented by Debs, just hehas opposed las servant
of big busness) the liberal and petty-bourgeols
trustbusting of LaFollette In fact the program he
demanded that the capitalist parties endorse began
with a demand for the repeal of call antitrust
legislation"
LaFolette has always fought against the So
cialists and socialism AS a capitalist politician
he conficted headon with Debs. AS a republican
he has opposed Gompers, the democrat. His pro-
gram of enforcing every law against monopoly
has confcted head-on with Gompers' program
Debs has for years opposed Gompers Debs has
pilloried Gompers' ante-diluvian leadership. he
stood against Gompers fatty in his advocacy OF
industrial as opposed to craft unionism. Debs has
fought LaFolette along with all other capitalist
politicians. The laughable reason that Debs gives
for his present support-that Mrs. LaFolette is a
charming lady-is a causative factor in po-
litcal alignment, for Debs the sentimentalist.
But the puzzle has it's answer. The reason for
his amazing political triangle in which the three
old men, with passion not customary for invalids,
rush into each others arms, is very easily ex-
planned. They are all against the Communists.
They all three bitterly denounce the Workers
Party.
The Workers Party advocates a class farmer
labor party-and denounced by LaFollette.
The Workers Party advocates the waste-basket for
labor takers and industrial unionism for labor
and was denounced by Gompers. The Workers
Party more for Independent political action
by the working class than it does for "nice
ladies' and denounced by Debs. The Work
ers Party stands for the proletarian revolution
and is fought by the whole trio. Debs, LaFollette
and Gompers united in their hatreds, in their
primal antagonism. Buncombe will find its own,
if tottering toward the grave.