The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-12-23
BY MAX BEDAcHT & JAY LOVE.
STONE.

STONE.
II Question--Isn't it true that a
It's farmer-labor party must be
based on the mass organizations of
the workers and poor farmers? If
the masses aren't yelling for farm
er-Iabor party, how can the commun.
lists do anything else but oppose a
farmer-Iabor party?
Answer-Of course, that's true.
What about it? All the more reason
for the central executive committee
majority being lamentably wrong
when they definitely indicate in their
thesis that these mass organizations
and the bureaucracy now controlling
them are synonymous
Are we not, on the basis of the de-
situation in which these masses
revolt against their reactionary leader
ship and overthrow the present
bureaucracy? In preparation for this,
is it not necessary for the Commun-
lists, who always must set the pace for
the masses and advance the political
theology of these masses, at this time
to throw out the slogan of a farmer
labor party which is to be organized
on the basis of these organizations
of the workers and poor farmers?
Is it not our task as Communists
to propagate these slogans which, if
applied, will satisfy mass need and
which if propagated will hasten a re-
volt of the masses against their
bureaucracy?
Because such movement and such
'logans as the farmer-labor party can
be utilized by the Communists as
effective means of precipitating such
revolts they, therefore, take on addi-
tional value and increased Importance
to us.
These movements must not always
somehow or other develop themselves.
AS long as the economic and political
conditions prevailing demand them it
is our task to facilitate and hasten
their development
In this connection it is also inter-
esting to note what Comrade Stain
says in his excellent book. "Lenin
and Leninism." page 4S: "The theory
of spontaneity is the theory Of oppor-
tunism, the theory of bowling before
the spontaneity of workers move
ment, the theory of actual denial Of
the leading role of the vanguard of
the working class. f.. The theory of
spontaneity is the theology Of trade
unionism."
~ ouestion-Why should Com
iH' munists want to sit around a
conference table, as that famous rank
and filler, Joe Manley, would say, with
a lot of labor takers, bureaucrats and
petty bourgeois minded trade union
officials?
Answer--We will call on Cofnrade
Losovsky to answer all such renowned
rank and t1lers like Marley. We quote
from the concluding report made by
Losovsky at the Fifth Congress-: 1--WE
do not sit at the same table with him
| (Johaux) for the sake of his beautiful
eyes but because there are millions
of workers who follow him and be-
cause there are tens of millions of
workers who are neither with us nor
with him."
10 Question-Is there the slightest
Tvs bit of truth In the Foster-can-
non contention that the formation Of
farmer-Iabor party means the con-
scious formation Of a reformist party7
Answer-First OF ALL, let the Bittel-
man of June, 1924, answer the Bittel-
man Of December, 1924. In the June
Labor Herald, Bittelman said: 1.-THE
only test for progress in the American
labor movement OF today 1--WE hope
he wasn't speaking OF one day or 6
few months) is INDEPENDENT
POLITICAL ACTION, a class political
party Of workers and poor farmers.
He who is Indifferent or opposed to
independent political action and to the
immediate formation OF class farm
er-labor party is a reactionary no
matter what language he uses. The
only real progressives in the Ameri-
can labor movement today are those
who favor and work for the formation
of such party"
OF course, such an argument be.
trays lack of knowledge and even
greater lack of understanding of the
most elementary principles OF MARKHAM