The daily worker., 1924-12-22
BY MAX BEDAcHT and
JAY LoVESToNE.

VI labor party In Germany, France,
or Soviet Russia, why talk about one
In the United States? Why not throw
out the slogan "FolIow the Workers
Party? n the German Communists
don't demand a farmer-labor party,
why should the American Communists
demand one?
Answer-This is the worst possible
kind of Communism. In nearly every
European country the struggles of the
Communist Parties for leadership
over the working masses is struggle
between the Communists and the so
cial-democrats of some type or other.
In short, the struggle takes place in
distinct working class political
movement. In the United States the
situation is totally different. In order
for the Communists to establish the
political leadership over the working
masses in the United States, the
workers must be separated theological
ly from capitalism. Until the work
ers learn in increasing numbers that
heir class interests demand conscious
political action against and not with
the capitalists the leadership of the
Communists over the workers cannot
hecome vital issue to them Wheth-
n or not the establishment of such
Communist leadership over these
workers is accepted simultaneously
--;4I, tbo hrooi1;rcr oxrox ~ fha yro1o
tarian masses from the theological
bondage Of capitalism will not be de-
cided by the sound of a slogan Fol
low the Workers Party as much as
the quality of the actual leadership
supplied by the Workers Party in
the gradual establishment of the poll
tical independence of the workers
from the capitalists.
7 Question--Instead of farmer
- labor united front, why should we
not build whole series Of united
fronts on immediate problems?
Wouldn't this be the golden key to
the solution of avoiding wrong united
fronts from the top only?
Answer--It is the duty of the Com
munists to help the working class to
assimilate the experiences of its strug
gle. These struggles may have vari-
Gus forms and may assume different
objectives. But no matter how vari-
Gus the forms and detectives of these
struggles may be, there is always one
final paramount experience that we,
Communists, must seek to have the
workers derive out Of these struggles;
an intensified consciousness of their
need for political action as class
against the expIoiters. To get this
idea into the heads of the masses it
is not sufficient to form a united front
here or there in this or that party of
the country for defensive action
against an Injunction and elsewhere
in the country against an open shop
drive against the capitalists. 1t is
necessary to unity and coordinate sep
arate actions on a national scale thru
the introduction of one unifying slo-
gan which holds good and meets a
mass need in the north as we'll as in
the south and in the east as well as
in the west simultaneously.
Therefore, it is not sufficient for
the Workers Party, if it wants to be-
come a mass Communist Party, to
propose and organize in all the differ
ent struggles of the workers in the
various parts of the country united
front tactics. 1t is necessary that in
all these actions there continually be
emphasized the idea of and need for
political union of all the workers
in the country.
Regarding the argument that FL.
P. campaign cannot be carried on as
a united front movement from below,
we need only cite the history of our
own party's experience The present
minority of the c. e. C. this year, and
last year when 1t was the majority,
has had to wage a continuous strug-
gle with the Foster-Cannon group
against their conception of united
fronts from the top. One of the bit
terest fights in the last convention of
the party was waged over a criticism
made by the Ruthenberg-Pepper
group against the present majority for
its wrong application of the united
front in Chicago because that united
front was made exclusively at the top
with such fake progressive labor lead
ers as Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr.. Buck and
Mr.. Nockels
II was in Chicago where we were
presented last year with a glaring ex-
ample OF the united front from the
top only The opposition of Foster to
our proceeding with a vigorous f. f.
l.. p. organization campaign was bas-
ed on his fear of breaking with such
progressive" labor leaders with whom
precious" contact had been estab-
lished II the Foster group had not
been pursuing the wrong united front
tactics from the top only and dis
regarding the rank and file, the fol-
lowers Of Fitzpatrick below, the Fos-
ter group would not have feared so
much split with these labor bureau