The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-04-11
The Limits of the United Front
Executive Committee o Workers Party.


of development as the means Of di-
vorcing the rank and file of the work
ers from the influence of their pres
ent leaders and bringing them COM
munist influence, and the present
situation in Michigan demands that
this be done.
United Front Has Limits.
The committee must also empha-
size that the United Front has its
limits. The minority of the District
Executive Committee, when it even
considered the possibility that we
could support or would not fight
against the candidacy of Herbert
Baker for governor in the Republic
can primaries, over-stepped the limits
of the United Front. We cannot go
that far, even tho the masses of
workers and farmers still lack class
consciousness so much that they are
ready to support a candidate of the
Republican ticket. For us the limits
Of the United Front is expressed in
the question whether any particular
struggle of the workers and farmers
develops class-consciousnes and class
action on their part. We can sup
port and do support the Farmer
Labor movement because it repre-
SCENTS the growing class-consciousnes
of the workers and farmers in this
country. The development of class
political action by the workers and
farmers against the ruling. capitalist
power is great step forward We
therefore join in this movement and
form United Front to hasten its
development. Once workers and ex.
plotted farmers are fighting against
the capitalist class as a class, one of
the conditions exists without which
we could not even dream Of a pro-
letarian revolution in this country.
While we can enter into United
Front struggles such as those de-
scribed above, we cannot under any
circumstances participate in United
Front which has the opposite effect
and leads back to non-class conscious
action. For us to support a candi-
date on an old party ticket would be
a denial of the fundamental theories
Of our movement. For us, the Re-
publican and Democratic parties are
the instruments of the class rule of
the capitalist class. Whether the in
dividual elected on the Republican
or Democratic tickets is a particu.
larly good or a particularly bad man
IS OF no Importance to US. The Re.
publican and Democratic parties are
part of the capitalist machinery of
government. How can we be part OF
United Front which asks the work.
ers to vote for the Party of their
enemies? The parties which express
the class rule of the enemy we are
seeking to overthrow? To state the
question it is sufficient to make clear
that we cannot enter into such q
/ United Front.
Concrete Proposals..
We trust that this statement will
make clear to the District Executive
Committee and particularly to the
minority members Of the Commit,
tee that we must at all times advo.
cate our Communist ideas, have our
own Communist policies for which
which we fight inside of the United
Front, and that in directing the Dis.
trict Executive Committee to begin
campaign for the launching Of 8
Farmer-Labor Party in the state OF
Michigan, that the Central Executive
Committee instructed the Distric:
Executive Committee to form the
only kind of United Front which is
of any value to us as Communists.
Concretely, the Central Executive
Committee instructs the District Elk.
ecutive Committee to immediately
prepare and publish statement
against the policies Of the progress.
sive Voters League. the Conference
for Progressive Political Action. and
the candidacy Of Herbert r. Baker.
2-That the District Executive
Committee Immediately proceed with
the organization Of local and state
Farmer-Labor parties in Michigan
and the calling Of convention fol-
the formation Of State Farmer.
Labor Party.
Fraternally yours.
William Y. Foster. Chairman.
c. r. Ruthenberg,
Executive Secretary.