The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-11-18
CO-OPERATORS
Get SHOCK In
SOVIET MOTION
Resolution Is Beaten by
Narrow Margin
BY WILLIAM wEINsroNE.

The fourth Cooperative Congress
which was held in New York City
on November 6 to was a dull,
uneventful gathering. It was attended
by about so delegates from various
parts of the country. The first two
days of the congress passed in fu-
tile discussion OF bookkeeping and con-
troll. The congress showed itself to
be completely divorced from the life
of the working class of this country
and failed to touch the vital problems
of the movement Had it not been for
a resolution on Russian recognition
introduced by the miIitants which
came up on the last day, it would have
been difficult to distinguish the con-.
gress from any general gathering of
liberals and professionals.
ProIetarian Note.
The resolution introduced by the
militants, calling upon the American
government to establish recognition
and enter into relations with the Sc
Wet Republic, was the first proletarian
note struck at the congress. The res
olution committee bringing in its re-
port stated that the committee was
divided and left the matter open for
decision to the body. The represents
tives of co-operatives, coming from
proletarian sections such as the Fin.
nish co-operatives of New York, Min
nesota, Wisconsin, whose representa-
tives are militants in the labor move
ment and supported also by the dele
gates representing other co-operatives
having distinct proletarian member
ship, came out theoretically for the
adoption Of the resolution. Among the
delegates representing co-operatives
with petty bourgeois membership,
there was CONSERVATION when this res
olution was reported. These delegates
would have rushed from the hall in
terror if it were at all possible.
Feared Soviet Motion.
Despite the fact that the Russian
co-operatives are the most powerful in
the international movement and a
delegate of which had greeted the
congress at the very opening, the mere
mention Of the Soviet government
aroused fear and trembling in the
hearts of these petty bourgeois dele
gates. The working class representa-
tives spoke vigorously and we'll on
the issue, but they were not in suffi-
cient numbers to carry and the reso-
luton was tabled by vote of 10 to IA.
i Cnrno ~ fhAco rwr1.r
clared their sympathy for the Soviet
government but had not the courage
to adopt this resolution. Their argu-
ment was the stock argument of all
reformists that politics" must not be
mixed with the movement.
Working Class Connections
The cooperative movement showed
itself to be in the very earliest stages
of organization. The movement has
not yet taken root among the workers
and the lack of vision, the reformistic
petty bourgeois leadership which this
resolution showed dominated the
movement, is to great extent re-
sponsible for its weakness.
The militants who introduced the
resolution on Russian recognition also
presented a resolution on the relations
OF trade unions and co-operatives in
which it called upon the cooperative
movement to establish close bonds
with organized labor, to assist striking
workers and in general to serve as
weapon of the class war. In that way
1t could prove to the working class
that it was an institution which
should be supported by the working
class and grow in organization and
influence.
The resolution furthermore called
upon the trade union movement to
give material support to the organiza-
ton of co-operatives and issued the
slogan, Every trade unionist a CO.
operator and every co-operator a men,
Der or active supporter of the trade
unions" This resolution caused a
division in the resolutions committee
but when it was reported to the floor
1t was passed without discussion or a
dissenting vote. 1t was unopposed by