The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-04-05
SECOND SECTION
By ALEXANDER BITTELMAN.

/ The trade union movement was to
be scrapped and new purist unions
formed over night" Nonsense again.
The policy of the Communist Inter
national, as embodied in it's official
decisions and literature, was from the
very beginning directed towards one
end: to win the trades unions over to
the revolutionary class struggle.
10 be sure, in the practical appli-
cation OF this policy many difficulties
were encountered. In a few sections
OF the Communist International some
serious deviations from this policy
occurred at one time or another. But
here again it must be remembered
that the instructive and guiding as
sistance of the Communist Interna-
tlonal was always and Immediately
at hand to correct these mistakes
and deviations.
"The revolution was to be the task
of small minorities." Here's where
Comrade Blanqui's ghost appears
again. But that's nothing. 1t does not
frighten any one. Communists can
sit with Blanqui even bodily in one
room and not become contaminated.
The revolutionary strategy of the
Communist international is by now
so well established in our minds that
this talk about ''minorities" sounds
to us like pre-ancient history. We
simply don't take it seriously.
Revolutionary organizations CEN
tralized and secret" Well, we'll, this
| is some charge. To which we reply:
Centralized? Sure, always, the de-
gree and form of GENERALIZATION to be
determined by the actual conditions
of the class struggle. Anything
wrong in that? Nothing that we can
see, and this is and has been the po-
sition of the Communist Interna-
tional.
Secret? No, not always. AS con-
ditions demand. But always remem-
Der that legality with the Commune
list International is not a fetish. Nor
is illegality for that matter. It is a
form of organizational existence
which our enemies succeed at times
in imposing upon US. When they do,
we take it, and proceed further along
the road Of revolutionary struggle.
This is and has been the position Of
the Communist International
In concluding his excursion into
the history of the Communist Inter-
national, ]. B. S. attempts to take a
fling also at the Workers Party of
America. In order to make it more
effective, we presume, he makes use
of a statement published editorially
by "Die New Yorker Volkszeitung"
to the effect that Comrade Zinoviev
was not justified in expecting ode
sirable surprises in the American La
Dor Movement" The "Volkszeitung"
does not believe that our movement
is advancing fast enough to warrant
such expectations.
Well, we are compelled to say that
Comrade Zinoviev, altho not residing
in America and therefore not in pos
session of first hand knowledge about
American affairs, has in this case bet
ter and truer gagged the present sit
uation in the American lalbr move
ment than has the "Folkszeutung."
The Workers Party seems to be In
complete agreement with the Com
munist International and with Com
rade Zinoviev that we are perfectly
justified in expecting such agreeable
surprises in the American labor
movement. The recent developments
in the movement for a mass farmer
labor party is proof sufficient.
J. B. S. is fully entitled to enjoy
whatever little comfort he can de-
rive from the fact that the "Volks-
zeitung" believes in this case as it
does. But this is neither here nor
there. His case against the Commun-
ist International has not been
strengthened at all. He will have to
look for other means-more effective
than this.
We are sorry to say that the Com
munist international is today just as
"bad' as it was three years ago. The
same revolutionary philosophy and
strategy. The same determination to
fight capitalism to finish. and even
the same youthful bouyarsy. Only