The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-12-12
WAR AGAINST OPPORTUNIST CONFUSION

Communist Party as the only class
party of the workers.
Minority Wants Two "ciass Parties"
Here we touch the heart Of the mis-
take Of our minority. All Of their err
rors reach down to their conception
Of Glass" farmerlabor party. Even
tho dominated by conservative labor
leaders," said c. E. Ruthenberg in
The Workers Monthly for November,
"a party created by the c. P. P. A.,
based upon the labor organizations it
represented, would have been labor
party" $3.50. which would fight for
the economic interests" OF the workers
and poor farmers. They think that
such party would be an expression
Of working class political action" as
''class action"
There is only one sense in which a
farmer-labor party is class action, and
that is, it is part OF the working class
acting. But that means nothing in a
political sense. Glass action" Of the
workers becomes something more than
a phrase only when it is action direct
ed against the capitalist class, that is,
revolutionary action. Farmer-Iabor
party action is reflection Of the il
lusions of the masses, of the idea that
by electing few labor" leaders to
Office they can make the world suitable
for the workers to live in.
Is the organization of such an illu-
sion, class political action? The c.
E. c. says no, it is not; but the mi
nority thinks it is. They even 60 so
far as to say that If we give up the
slogan embodying the illusion, we
thereby give up class political action.
Comrade Ruthenberg even asks: "Is
the movement for class political action
dead?" in dealing with the question of
a farmer-labor party. He thinks that
If the farmer-labor party is dead, then
the class struggle is over But Com
munists are not so easily discouraged
We knew all the time that the Work
ers (Communist) Party is the only
class party Of the workers, SO we can
not waste any time grieving at the de-
mise of the "class" farmer-labor party.
How VIII Masses be RevolutIonIzedf
The minority has the right-wing con-
ception that the masses will be revolu-
tionized by parliamentary and reform
list politics. 1t is quite we'll establisi
ed, Of course, that Communists must
participate in parliamentary action.
But when Comrades Lovestone and
Ruthenberg tell us in their thesis that
the slogan Of farmer-labor party will
''revolutionize the broad masses of
workers." we call a halt. This is the
worst kind of confusion masking the
worst kind Of opportunist tendencies.
The masses will not be revolution
lied by slogan which had nothing of
a class nature in it, but the word
class" They will be reyolutionized
in the process of actual struggle
against the forces of capitalism on
the basis of definite and concrete de-
mands. The united front must be
based upon such concrete and every
day struggles, from below, not upon
the abstract organizational slogan of
farmer-labor party, which is form
of united front from above.
For the first time in the American
movement we are faced with a sys-
tematic opportunism, well organized
and with some standing in the move
ment, that bids for leadership boldly
and frankly on the basis of its op-
portunistic deyiations. But it will not
get very far. The Workers (Commu-
nist) Party in it's overwhelming ma
1ority follows, and desires to continue
to follow, the line of the Communist
International. 1t will rally as one
great army to repudiate this oppor.
tunist confusion that is presented in
the minority thesis.