The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-12-29
is 1T THE MEASLES? A DIAGNOSIS.

| lOTmluB ldDOT party AO5CS 40 DoD-
ic foundation and ceases to be
fighting issue for immediate prac-
tical use"
This is a major premise Of the
majority. l shall prove later that it
is not only untenable, but that it is
not based upon facts. shall prove
that it is not true that almost the
entire organized labor movement has
thru it's leaders entered into a per-
manent alliance with the petty bourge-
oisie for political action. The major
ity thesis says that, therefore;
"The Workers Party cannot advan-
tageously promulgate the slogan of
farmer-labor party AT THE PRES
| ENT TIME. The further develop
ment Of the class struggle may even
tually create a mass SENTIMENT
for the formation of a labor party.
! In such case the Workers Party
may find 1t advantageous AGAIN
TO RAISE THE SLOGAN for such
party AND ACTIVELY PARTIC-
IPATE in the movement for it." !.
1--WE ARE NOT OPPOSED TO A
LABOR PARTY IN PRINCIPLE"
The majority thesis concludes by
saying;
Therefore, every attempt by the
Workers Party to set up middle-of-
the-way bodies to take the place of
the Workers Party in the eyes Of the
masses is in DIRECT VIOLATION
OF COMMUNIST PRINCIPLES,
and if carried to any length will
spell the LIQUIDATION OF THE
WORKERS PARTY
This farmer-laborism opportunis-
tic tendency within the Workers
Party means DEATH and DES-
TRUCTION to the Communist move
ment in America :. This tendency
must be relentlessly combatted and
stamped out" Cali emphasis ours.
]. J. 3D.
Here you have it. Reconcile these
statements if you can. Let us reduce
the arguments of the majority to a
syllogism:-
Major premise: Any middle-of-the-
road party set up by the Workers Par
ty will liquidate the Workers Party;
Minor premise: The labor party is
middIeof-the-road party.
CONCLUSION: THE LABOR PAR
TY WILL LIQUIDATE THE WORK
ERS PARTY.
Does the majority believe this?
They are not opposed to a labor party
IN PRINCIPLE. The party becomes
INEVITABLE when the economic
mass organizations of labor join hands
for independent political action. The
majority will again raise the slogan
of "a farmer-labor party" when the
development of the class struggle
creates a SENTIMENT for it and they
will ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE in the
movement for it. But, they say, the
advocacy and formation of a middle
of-the-road labor party by the Work
ers Party means the LIQUIDATION
AND DESTRUCTION to the Commun-
list movement. Therefore, the Foster
Cannon-Bittelman group declare that
they are ready to LIQUIDATE the
Workers Party and to destroy the
Communist movement whenever the
LEADERS of mass economic organ
izations become ready to organize a
middle-of-the-road labor party. Who
are the liquidators? Could rank oppor-
tunism go further? Could factional
bitterness and personal hatreds lead
sane men further astray? Could a
graver misconception of the united
front tactics be imagined?
But this is not at all. THE CLASS
STRUGGLE is A POLITICAL
STRUGGLE. Even syndicalists may
come to recognize this MARKHAM fun
damental-"in principle" While wait
ing for the masses themselves to join
hands for independent political ac-
ton, our precious majority is COM
PEELED to recognize the need for some
substitute for the farmer-labor party
slogan. The majority thesis states
the problem thus:--
"At present the MAIN OBJECT
I'VE Of our united front policy is to
start movement from below to
compel the so-called labor wing of
the LaFollette movement to break
its alliance with the petty bourge-
oisie and to win the masses to the
class struggle and to the leader
ship Of the Workers Party"
"At present the MAIN STRENGTH
Of LaFolletteism and consequently
the main danger to the class strug-
gle comes from the theological hege-
mony Of LaFolletteism over the
minds OF LARGE SECTIONS Of the
WORKERS and POOR FARMERS.
We must therefore concentrate our
energy to expose and defeat the pet
ty bourgeois influence Of LaFollett-
ism in the labor movement"
Hom9