The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-08-06
The Internal Struggle in the
Industrial Workers of the World

The factional fight in the Industrial Workers of
the World which is daily growing deeper and more
intense is of great significance to the American
revolutionary labor movement and will be watched
with the greatest interest by all militants.
But charges and countercharges accusations
and recriminations of a personal nature will not
be accepted by revolutionary workers a strong
enough platform for either group to stand on.
The question of who is a liar and who is a scoun-
drel-who violated Section of the Constitution
and who violated Section IL may be interesting
but it is not of fundamental Importance.
What are the policies of these rival groups,
which are driving them to such desperate measures
to gain control of the organization? This is the
question which has not yet been answered. Only
one cear-cut issue has already developed, upon
which it is possible to take definite stand. That
is the menace of split in the organization, which
is signalized by the announced intention to set up
rival headquarters coupled with implied threats of
secession the part of some of the industrial
unions belonging to the l. w. w.
Such an action would only serve to further con
fuse and demoralize the situation 1t is in basic
conflict with the principle of the unity of the labor
movement which the Communists fighting for
in all labor organizations. Such move should not
and will not receive the support of the Industrial
Workers of the World members who take an ad-
vanced and revolutionary view.
The same policy which brings the Communists
into conflict with the Industrial Workers of the
World in those fields of organization where the
attempts to organize the Industrial Workers of the
World involves a split in the ranks of the organ
lied workers in those industries and the existence
of rival organizations, leads also to fat oppo-
siton to this attempt to make split in the ranks
of the Industrial Workers of the World. The
prospect of rival organizations of the Industrial
Workers of the World, especially in such fields as
agriculture general construction and lumber, can
not appeal to sincere, militant workers. The enc
mics of the working class would be the only
gamers
The Communists have found it necessary to take
issue with the Industrial Workers of the World on
a number of important points. The present adj
ministration has continued the throttling censor
ship of former officials against every word in favor
of the Red international of Labor Unions They
deserve the severest condemnation for this.
The Industrial Workers of the World is more
over, strictly out of order when it attempts to in
wade fields in which other labor organizations have
gained substantial footing. Its attempt to ignore
existing labor unions and to set itself up as the
complete labor movement is wrong. It's anti
political propaganda is wrong, because the class
struggle in its very essence is political struggle
that is, struggle for power. We at war with
the tendencies towards pacifism and liberalism,
which in recent years have been entering the In
dustrial Workers of the World and poisoning its
very lifeblood
But in spite of these differences, wherever and
to the extent that the Industrial Workers of the
World is functioning as labor organization, as
center of resistance for the workers in their des-
perate struggle against the exploiters, the Commu-
nists support it, and stand foursquare against this
attempt to bring split into its ranks.