The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-11-04
LABOR PARTY
IDEA DROPPED
BY HILLQUIT
Workers Party Critic
ism Frozen Justified
Especial to the Daily wOrksrJ

In a statement published in the
New Leader on Saturday, Oct.
IS, Morris HilIquit, leader of the
socialist party, makes clear that
he has abandoned all pretense
of working for the formation of
labor party at the January
convention of the Conference
for Progressive Political Action.
His statement will come as a
distinct shock to those workers
who have been misled into the
LaFollette movement in the
hope that it would ultimately
lead to labor party. Hillquit
makes use of the occasion to
extend few fragrant bouquets,
to his fellow progressive" al
Smith.
Hillquit's statement reads as fol
lows: ITO my mind the overshadow-
ing importance of this campaign is
not so much the concrete contest for
public ofice as the creation of a new
political alignment which viii give to
American citizens something moro
than a choice between two evils, the
democratic and republican parties.
Must Organize Party.
'In every advanced country in the
world parties correspond to definite
political principles and popular inter
ests. Progressive parties, whether
known as such or going by the names
Of labor parties or socialist parties,
are organized instruments Of social
progress. In the United States alone,
the two principal parties stand for es-
sentiaIIy the same thing and are there
fore quite meaningless. If the forces
Of political progress in American poll
tics are to assert themselves effective
ly and lastingly, they must be organ
lied into party Of their own.
The LaFoleItte-W Wheeler campaign
is a definite breakup of the tradition
al alignment in American politics and
will inevitably lead to the formation
Of a permanent new party. The
strength and character of the new
party will be very largely determined
by the size of the vote cast against
both old parties in the coming election
and this applied in large measure to
the vote for the state and local tickets
as well as that for the presidential
candidates.
Only Third Party.
''In the coming election vote for
the socialist candidates will mean a
definite expression in favor of new
political deal The socialist vote will
count for more in this election than it
ever. did before, and that is one of the
reasons why socialists and other third
party advocates in this state should
make a special effort to bring out
vote Of commanding size for Norman
Thomas.
while the governor Smith has
many admirable personal qualities,
progressive voters cannot shut their
eyes to the fact that vote for the
governor is a vote for the democratic
party. A progressive party con-
trolled by the producers Of the state
will always faithfully represent the in.
forests Of the people"
HllIqut Goes Back.
The statement clearly brings out
four points: Firstly, Hillquit has gone
back upon the position he formerly
held in the Importance of good men"
in politics. In Socialism Summed
Up" in 1917. he says: 1.-THE socialists
attach but slight Importance to these
good government movements. They
hold that paramount facts in politics
is measures, not men-class interests.
not personal qualities"
Secondly, Hillquit has descended to
the level OF the capitalist class politi-
clans who measure the strength of a
party in terms Of the vote cast instead
of in terms Of it's labor composition
and labor program.
Another Capitalist Party.
Thirdly, II shows that the charges
made by the Workers Party to the ef.
feet that there exists a secret under
standing between the socialist party,
Smith and LaFollette. to silently but
effectively sabotage the Thomas cam
paign, is true. Otherwise why would
TIillquit seize upon this situation to
again pay Smith fine compliment?
And lastly and most important, 1t
brings out most clearly that the social
list party intends to make no fight for
the formation OF labor party, but
that It will iustead urge the formation
Of third. capitalist, progressive party
wiiich will fight the workers.