The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-11-28

BODDle0 up Dy the bankers IN Dack
interest payments. in paying overdue
taxes and mortgages, and by the spec
ulators. The much-hoped for increase
In the purchasing power Of the farm
ing masses has not materialized and
has proved disappointing to the cap
italist optimists.
Z. The future in the United States
holds a period of deep-going depres
sions, alternating with temporary per-
iods Of Improvement. Hence we must
look forward to the sharpening Of the
class conflicts growing out Of these
economic conditions, period in
which the economic life OF the coun-
try will force the workers to fight in
order to prevent the continuance OF
the reduction Of their standard Of life.
Capitalism, In the crisis Of its life,
will not grant the American working
class a long period of peaceful" de-
velopment for its movement. The
school which will transform the polit-
ically inactive proletariat into a rev
dictionary active one will be one Of
intense clashes which will bring great
struggles on the economic field and
develop the political consciousness Of
the workers.
8. The Political Situation in the
United States.
l. With these conditions as a
background the political groupings In
the United States undergo a rapid
change. Although not yet politically
conscious the exploited masses begin
TO stir uneasily. The war brought a
greater Capitalization of power in the
hands Of the national government
The great postwar economic and fin
ancial problems compelled the govern
ment to more openly use its power as
The agent of the capitalists. This took
the form of attempts to reduce the
standard of living OF the workers and
farmers and to shift the enormous
burdens Of taxation necessary in or
der to meet the costs of the war onto
the backs of the workers and the pet.
| ty bourgeoisie. AS a consequence OF
this there arose the movements Of the
petty bourgeoisie, the workers and
the farmers seeking to gain political
power for themselves. The workers
and farmers were forced to fight 70
prevent the lowering OF their standard
Of life and the petty bourgeoisie de-
sired to halt the encroachments of
big capital on their group interests.
Thus the political effects of the world
crisis Of capitalism on the United
States manifested itself on the one
hand in a movement for independent
political action Of the workers and
exploited farmers through farmer
labor party, and on the other in the
movement of the petty bourgeoisie for
third" liberal party.
2. In relation to the world situa.
ton the American capitalists were
+, divided. Those great International
banking houses whose investments
were largely in European loans de-
sired our entry into the League Of
Nations, because they looked upon
the League of Nations as means of
guaranteeing the gigantic loans and
investments which they had made In
Europe. Those finance capitalists
who were awaiting more favorable
terms, and the capitalist group re-
presenting largely industrial invest
ments, which was not so deeply in.
volved in the European situation,
wished to take full advantage of what
| it considered its strong economic sit
uation in exploiting the wrold market
and therefore refused to assume any
international obligations through the
League OF Nations. With this and
the exception OF tariff policy, there
has been little to distinguish the re-
publican and democratic parties from
one another during the past twenty
years. The democratic party up to
1919 posed as the opponent of the
trusts but nothing was done during
the eight years Of the Wilson admins
tration in the attempt to carry out the
program of destroying the trusts. I'm
der the administration of the demo-
cratic and republican presidents alike,
the government has been equally sub
servient as the tool Of the dominant
capitalist interests. AS consequence
there has appeared in both of the old
parties tendency toward new align
ment thru the growth Of a petty
bourgeois.liberal insurgent group OPP
posed to the dominant policy Of both
old parties. This movement gained
new life and strength as result Of
the world war and the sharpening Of
class conflict growing out Of the crisis
which the war precipitated and devel-
oped into the LaFollette-progressive
movement.
The LaFollette-progress move
ment is an expression Of the revolt
Of the small capitalists, the well-to-
do farmers and the professional
groups and the aristocracy OF labor
aoaffuf tha nffnn ~ fha ernvary,