The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-07-07
SOCIALIST PARTY
IN BIC DILEMMA
IN CLEVELAND, 0.
Not Easy to Mix with
Labor's Aristocracy
BY MAX sHAcHTMAN
(staff Writer Of the DAILY
WORKER.)

list Party is in a pretty Ak at the con-
vention Of the G. P. P. A. here. It
was already we'll known last Friday,
that the convention would endorse
LaFollette for president, on his per-
sonal ticket and platform, with no
organizational control, and without
the formation of either state or
national parties of any permanence
to carry on the campaign. The IS.
p" prophets were DESTROYS of having
party Of which they could be part
and work from within, in order to
recuperate the political fortunes Of
their corpse, and which would cate
gorically exclude the Communists.
HilIquit on the Job.
Thus, when Brother Herman j.
Wills, vice-president OF the Brother
hood of Locomotive Engineers rose in
g. burst Of enthusiasm, after the read
ing Of LaFollette's communication, to
move that the convention nominate
the senator by reclamation, our good
"Comrade" Morris Hillquit took the
floor and pleaded that the motion be
voted down since the committee on
organization and campaign was to
bring in a report which would cover
the entire subject. He was ably sec
onded by the anti-Communist expert
from New York, Judge Jacob Panken,
who raised the point of order that
"a he IL
since the convention had not been
duly organized by report Of the
credentials committee.
Is Hillquit trying to work out some
plan whereby semblance of party
will be organized at Cleveland? No!
But he is undoubtedly trying to lay
the foundation for such party Ito
be organized with patience. wisdom
and discretion" in the dim future.
Pretty Long Bone to Swallow.
1t will be pretty long bone for the
socialist party to swallow if it goes
along with the c. P. P. A. in support
ing the presidential candidacy OF La
Toilette without a party to back it
up substantially. It affects them To-
cally even more. In Pennsylvania,
for example, the IS. p" is in a guam
dairy. The only political movement
of the workers and poor farmers is
the Farmer-Labor Party Of Pennsyl-
vania, which, unfortunately for the
socialists, includes Communists. II
the IS. p" is to maintain any stand
ing at all in the Keystone state it
must go along with the Farmer-Labor
Party. If it wants to continue to go
along with the G. P. P. A. and sup
port LaFollette without a party, it
must maintain no connections with
the Pennsylvania party.
But they still have hopes that the
$4,000 a year labor skates at the
head Of the c. P. P. A. will organize
party. They are in that with both
feet. Their leaders are appointed to
all the committees. They are actual
Iy cheered when they appear on the
platform. They even get big delega-
lions from their non-existent consti-
tuencies. Thus, the socialist party Of
Pennsylvania gets a delegation to the
conference on the basis Of 10000 So
cialists in that state, a most laugh
able basis for calculations to one who
knows the rs. P.'s" condition.
S. p. not Big Factor.
The impression must not be got.
however, that the rs. p" is big fac
tor. Due to the cunning methods Of
representation they could be out
voted by at least fifty to one. The
Boilermakers' International Union,
gets representation not only from the
international union. but from its dis
tricts. The same holds true OF the
Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, the
Brotherhood of Railway and Steam
ship Clerks and numerous others, all
of which also get representation on
a basis of a membership which is
grossly exaggerated.
The labor takers OF the @. p. p. A.
need the rs. p" because OF the Jew
ish Daily Forward which controls
most OF the needle trades unions, and
for calumnious attacks against Com
munists. And the IS. p" shameless
ly hangs on in the hope OF ingratiat-
ing its leaders with real bona hde
trade union chiefs"
Here's Outfit Analysed.
In her speech to the convention.
Mrs. Edward p. Costigan sweetly
stated, "The Conference for Progress
sive Political Action is an association
OF free men and women, progressive
republicans, Independent democrats,
socialists not bound by party tradi-
tions, independents wearing no party
labels OF any kind, patriotic citizens
loving their country and its people so
well that they are willing TO ignore
their differences"
There is more truth than poetry in
the lady's remarks. The socialist
party has at last arrived in good So
ciety, nice, respectable, patriotic.
country-loving citizens. Whatever