The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-07-31

Toilette. 1t was to be expected,
however, that you, at least, would
sound a revolutionary note of op-
position against the opportunistic
debacle. In the past couple of
years you have winked at the OPP
position of the S. P. to the ANAL
gamation Of the trade unions, it's
calumniation of Soviet Russia, its
refusal to form a united front on
the political field, and its enforce
ment of many reactionary policies
which run counter to the principles
you have so often enunciated from
the platform. This failure to fight
for these principles in the S. P. was
bad enough, but now when you not
only acquiesce in the surrender to
La Toilette but actually defend it,
you by that action definitely leave
the camp of revolutionaries and go
over to the opportunists and petty
bourgeois reformists.
But you contend that we Commu-
nists have no right to condemn your
endorsement of La Toilette, because
you say we proposed to endorse him
ourselves. This is an objectionable
misstatement Never at any time
did the Workers Party propose to
endorse La Toilette or his program.
On the contrary, the w. P. has long
been keenly awake to the menace of
La Folletteism and has been fight
ing it on all fronts. This is proved
by a hundred articles and state
ments in our party press. For the
Workers Party a leading tactical
consideration has been how best to
fight La Folletteism. The Workers
Party realized the influence which
La Toilette had on the farmer-la-
Dor ranks. In order to prevent the
absorption of the farmer labor
movement by La Toilette and to
prevent the isolation of the Work
ers Party from the Farmer-Labor
Party forces, the Workers Party
considered the adoption of the fol-
lowing policy, which, however, was
not supported by the Communist In
ternational: If the st. Paul Far
mer-Labor Party Convention NOM
mated La Toilette over the opposi-
ton of the Workers Party, we
would not split away from it on that
issue, but would accept, under pro-
test, an alliance of the Farmer-La-
Dor Party and, a third party in sup
port of La Follette's candidacy and
would endeavor to organize the
Farmer-Labor Party during the
campaign as class party in opposi-
ton to the La Toilette third party.
Under any circumstances the
Workers Party would have carried
on a campaign of strong opposition
against La Toilette and his program.
1t was later proposed to accept
him as candidate at the st. Pau
convention Of the Farmer-Labor Par
ty, but only upon the condition that
he subscribe to the radical program
of the Farmer-Labor Party, run as
that party's candidate, and accept its
control over his electoral campaign
and campaign funds. In other words
LaFollette would have had to cut
loose from all his capitalist party con
nections, accept a real proletarian
program, and head a genuine Farmer
Labor ticket. Even then the Work
ers Party would have accepted him
only under protest. 1t would have
continued its ceaseless criticism OF
his petty bourgeois notions and its
propagation of revolutionary princi
pies among the masses in the Farm
er-Labor Party. 1t is absurd to com
pare this revolutionary policy with
the IS. P. surrender to LaFollette
Hillquit, without a word of protest in
the convention. humbly swallowed La
Follette's program OF petty bourgeois
reform, his anti-labor party attitude
his reward you friends and punish
your enemies" political policy, and
his insulting and dictatorial control
And now you endorse this proceed.
ing. AS for the w. p, when it saw
that because of the surrender of re.
dictionary trade union leaders and
Observation-Disclosures to LaFollette
it would be impossible to organize
sufficient masses in the new Farmer.
Labor Party to make a successful
united front fight against LaFollette,
1t raised its own banner and will
make the fight in the open field.
. In times past you have stated re-
peatedly from the platform that you
admire Lenin as the greatest figure
produced by the world war. Yet, in
your letter, you sneer, in orthodox
yellow-Socialist fashion, at our affilia.
ton with the institution that incor-
L