Evening star., 1924-10-31
BY JACOB SPOLANSKY.
Chnnter IL

The blow dealt by the Government
through it's raids was not one when
could be too easily overcome by conf
munist leaders who had escaped serv-
ice of deportation warrants or by new
leaders to be sent from Russia to
carry on the work of communizinG
the United States. 1t proved to the
Moscow international what it had
been intended to prove---that the
communist party of America could no
longer legally exist in the United
States. 1t also made plainly apparent
TO international officials that if COM
muniSm were to continue to flourish
here and to retain the hold already
acquired there was need of lmmedi-
ate action to utilize eveTv possible
force in this country to that end.
AS the most effective method for
carrying out their plans IT vas de-
cided to create an organization to be
" known as radical in feeling. but yet
one which should be entirely within
the law. although its membership list
would be almost the exact duplicate
Of the now forbidden Communist
party" Thus was born the ''Workers'
party" legal and harmless to outside
appearances, but under the surface
having the same ambition as the
older party. from which it was form
ed-thc overthrow Of the United
of d government by the workers.
Duty Specified.
at is the duty of the Communist
marty" these instructions read, ito
defeat by any means that may be
necessary the capitalist governments
attempt to continc ii to underground
channels, in which il is even more
concealed from the masses than it is
fro ha iS tr,1o hat
we cannot exist now in the open
under our own name as the Commun
iSt party section of the Communist
J international. This is partly because
of the peculiar present stage of cap
ltalism in this country, partly be
cause of the long habit of non-soli
darity of labor in America, partly be
cause Of the peculiar cowardice Of the
Socialist officialdom which at crit
ical moments prevented united
stand for revolutionary principles.
leaving the rcvolutionists without an
organization with which to with
stand an onslaught in the open: also
partly because the Communists in
this country attempted to stand in
the open and were unable to obta in
the mass support, were partly de-
stroyed and their remnants driven
underground"
/. Lest this new semi political force
thus created he misunderstood or its
purpose be miSconstrued as placing 1t
among others generally looked upon
as radical but harmless" here is the
avoUed program of the party which
afterward was named the Workers
party, given out from Moscow by the
Communist International:
The legal political organ is to be
means enabling the Communist
. party to function in open contact
with the masses in the class struggle
and to become the revolutionary
party of the masses. 1t is to par
ticipate actively in all phases of the
class struggle on a platform that will
go as far toward the Communist pro-
gram as is possible while continu-
ing legal political existence.
Membership Compulsory.
The entire membership of the un-
derground party, the real Commu-
mist party, must join the open part Y
and become its most active element.
Communist party members must at
'all times hold the positions of lead
ership in the legal party.
1t follows from the above that
the leadership and control of the le-
gal political organ must be retain ed
by the Communist party of America.
Hence the party membership must
function in the legal political organ
as unit subject and responsible to
the Communist party.
THE program of the legal political