The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-12-30

1
been said in these columns again and
again during the last three weeks by
representatives of the majority thesis
in their opposition to new f. F. L. P.
overtures?
I The consistent opposition of our
;roup to the policy of maneuvers,Y of
ghich Pepper and Ruthenberg were
so proud, had brought down upon us
the accusation that we are opposed to
all maneuvers at all times, and are
| therefore, out of sympathy with an inn
portant phase of Communist policies.
Nothing can be further from the truth.
It so happens that some of the most
important members of the N. Y group
are men and women whose entire
work in the party has consisted in the
direction Of Communist maneuvers in
the labor movement. Practically
every one of US did valuable work in
the class farmer-labor party move
ment, SO long as we believed it had
chance for success. l, myself, dur
ing this time, together with the COM
rades of the German group, carried on
campaign for increased propaganda
possibilities in an important German
working class organization, the Work
ingmen's Sick and Death Benefit
Fund, that has opened up for us a
valuable field for our work. What we
did oppose was the attitude assumed
by our comrades that I'VE would
maneuver capitalism into a corner"
and that 1--WE would maneuver LaFol-
iette out Of the control of the work
| ig class and farmer elements in his
own party" because we knew our
own weakness, and appreciated the
dangers attendent upon policy Of
alliance with this would-be farmer
/ labor party under the control Of the
petty bourgeois.
Nothing can be achieved by a tactic
of bluff. Some of us live under the
delusion that the political opponents,
whom we would outmaneuver, are ig-
noramuses, and look down upon them
from the heights of their superior wis
dom. 1t is about time that we un-
derstood that our real strength is
known and that we are only hurting
ourselves when we insist upon exag
gerating our accomplishments. The
time will come, when the Workers
Party will be able to undertake large
scale maneuveIs and to undertake
them successfully.
What Happened at the Chicago Con-
vention?
When / see the frantic efforts that
are being made by the two groups to
burden each other with the respon-
sibility for Lore's misdeeds, cannot
help but think mournfully of those
days, not more than year or two
ago, when was still the respected
friend and co-worker of the present
minority group. Until the national office
was moved to Chicago. was Comrade
Lovestone's trusted conhdant, and al
together was treated with a great
deal more consideration than has fallen
to my humble share since | cast my
lot with the "syndicalist" group. Be-
fore left New York for the Chicago
convention. just year ago, was told
by a mutual friend here that Love.
stone would meet me at the Chicago
railroad depot on my arrival. Love
stone, who had been obliged to get
out OF bed at o'clock of very un-
pleasant December morning in order
to meet me, dangled, after a few
preliminaries, a most enticing list be-
fore my eyes, list of names in the
handwriting Of Comrade Ruthenberg.
My name stood at the head Of this
slate that the Ruthenberg-Love
Pepper group was prepared to propose
to the convention. I informed Love-
stone that had one main purpose at
this convention, to oppose the LaFol-
lette alliance with all my might. At a
secret session Of the convention Pep
per moved that the entire third party
question be submitted TO the @. |. for
unal decision. IL was, OF course, I'M
derstood by the entire convention that
this was the strongest possible bid
for our support. AS is usually the
case when Pepper maneuvers. no made |
his reckoning without his host. Our
group unanimously voted TO support
the present majority. because We felt |
in general our orientation was more
in harmony with the Foster.cannon
conception.
Who was this Lore whom Pepper. |
Ruthenberg, Lovestone were SO anx-
ious to place at the head Of their c. |
r. G. slate at the end OF 1923? The
same Lore who had written the Ser.
ratti and Paul Levi articles that are
being used now to create the new
fake issue OF Loreism in the partyl !