The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-12-12
LIQUIDATION WHAT, AND BYWH0M7
Continued from page 81

Dor party. The minority was at no
time blind to the fact that this cam
paign might result in the formation
Of such party. and that this new
party would then be competitor with
the Workers Party for leadership over
the working masses. Yet the cam
paign was carried on in spite Of that
danger.
First: Because our activity and
leadership in this campaign might re-
suit in our theological and even ac-
tual leadership Of such party and
thus turn the new party from com
petitor to an instrument of our lead
ership.
Second: Because If the process of
the formation of such labor party
would be completed quicker that we
succeeded in widening our influence
and strengthening our leadership for
the task of leading the labor party so
that actually a tremendous mass party
Of workers and exploited farmers
would spring up beyond our control,
the Communists would still be the
gamers. The actual political split Of
the forces Of the exploited urban and
rural masses from the leadership Of
imperialist capital would facilitate our
political work to a degree that would
far outweigh all disadvantages accrU
ing to us from the existence Of the
competing leadership Of the new par
ty. In other words the newly formed
political party of the exploited would
present for us much more favorable
basis of operation than the political
alliance of the working masses with
the old capitalist parties. 1t is i'm
mensely more difficult to make the
first break in the political alliance of
workers and capitalists than it is to
widen an existing breach.
Third: Tho the campaign for la
Dor party may or may not result in
the formation of such a party, yet,
the process of the campaign itself, the
maneuvers Of the campaign would
bring us in contact with the masses,
would strengthen our party numerical
ly, would teach our party maneuvers
and activities, and was bound to ex-
tend the influence of the party to
greater numbers Of workers and ex-
plotted farmers.
The minority therefore, in all the
phases of the campaign, always kept
the interests of our party in the fore
ground. And we "farmer-labor Com
munists7 were ready at any time to
sacrifice the labor party to the inter-
ests of our own, the Workers (Com-
munist) Party. And vixen this very
point became an issue, in August,
1923, Comrade Ruthenberg introduced
the following declaration of prin-
ciple
THE formation of labor party
in the United States is not in itself
irrespective of the relation of the
Workers Party to such labor party
IAN aim of the Workers Party. The
labor party campaign of our party
is an application of the united front
policy of the Communist Interna-
tional and must be governed by
the same underlying principles as
other united front maneuvers. We
will carry on the struggle for the
labor party so long as we can in
crease the influence and strengthen
the Workers Party organizationally
thru this campaign. When situations
arise in which the interests of the
Workers Party conflict with the goal
of the formation of the labor party
we must unhesitatingly sacrifice the
labor party
The stalwart defenders of the
Workers (Communist) Party, against
the ogre Of labor party, Comrades
Foster, Cannon and Bittelman voted
against this statement of policy.
The C. e. G. had established the pol
icy that in all our labor party activi-
ties, the Workers (Communist) Party,
was to be kept to the. foreground But
when real tests came the majority
went back on this policy Of the c. E.
c. When in May, 1924, the fight Of
the LaFoIletteists in California against
our party grew hot, and when these
LaFolletteists made efforts to get rid
Of the Workers Party SO they could
paralyze without interference from the
Workers Party, the growing move
ment for political independence Of the
workers and poor farmers with the
poison Of LaFoIletteism, the political
committee Of our party voted down a
motion Of Lovestone to make fight
for the admission Of Workers Party
delegates to the California conference.
The first two paragraphs of the mo
ton read: ITO make fight for the
seating Of w. p. delegates. 2.-If de-
feated all party members represent
ing labor organizations remain in the
conference to fight for w. p policies