The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-12-18

product only OF the capitalist system,
and as tho the class relations of the
feudal system and of all the other
previous systems based on class divi-
sions did not produce class struggles
Of the working masses. And sup
posing, finally, that Marx ever dealt
in such conceptions as "logiSal' out
comes of class relations. Suppose
that the above quotation from Com
rade Ruthenberg's article were one
hundred per cent MARKHAM lin reality
it is just helpless confusion), what
Of it? What would it mean to us as
far as the present stage Of the class
struggle is concerned? Nothing.
And this sort of oracular wisdom is
being served us as Marxism!
We respectfully submit the thesis
Of the central executive committee to
the earnest consideration Of Comrade
Ruthenberg. Therein he will find an
analysis of conditions as they exist
today. From this analysis he will
learn that the peculiar, concrete
characteristic of the present situation
is the fact that the farmer-labor move
ment, which was never anything else
ideologically but LaFollette move
ment, has now merged also organiza-
tlonally with the third party move
ment. furthermore, Comrade Ruthen-
berg will learn from the thesis of
the central executive committee that
another peculiar, concrete character
istic Of the present situation is the
fact that the only mass movement
now in existence towards new politi-
cal party is the movement toward a
LaFollette, petty bourgeois, third
party. These are facts, the only i'm
portant facts relevant to our present
discussion. What conclusions we
must draw from these facts, is diff
ferent proposition. But it is upon
these facts, and and not upon the
startling discovery that there is CAPT
talism in America, that we must base
the policy for our immediate tasks
We Fool Them by Adding a Word.
Comrade Ruthenberg and the minor
ity are not only real Marxians, but
also skillful strategists. Here is a
sample of Communist" strategy
which is supposed to win the Ameri-
can working class for the class strug-
gle by the ingenious device of adding
to an old slogan a new word.
We quote again from Comrade Ruth
enberg. 'The slogan which we raised
to express the capitalization of the
movement for Independent political
action was, For a Farmer-Labor
Party and later, when the LaFol-
lette movement took form, in order
to sharply distinguish our aim from
the petty bourgeois character of the
latter, For a Glass Farmer-Labor
Party"
1t is as simple as it is great. Here
we are confronted with a tactical
problem of the first magnitude. We
find great masses of workers, organ
lied and unorganized, and poor farm;
ers swept by the force of events into
petty bourgeois, LaFollette move
ment. The question is: What shall
We do? How shall we meet this
lituation?
The central executive committee
thinks that this is a very difficult
problem. The only solution we could
find for it was that we try imme-
diately to save for the class struggle
under the leadership of the Workers
Party as large a section Of the labor
movement as is possible under the
circumstances and that we set out
patiently, tenaciously and continually
to expose LaFollettism by mobilizing
the masses for immediate struggles
upon the basis of partial demands.
This is hard and long road, but the
only one at present open to us.
But Comrade Ruthenberg looks at
us all the while and smiles. He knows
better. He has secret in his posses
sion. He knows of way of solving
this difficult problem which requires
nothing more than merely saying a
word. That word is: class. Say this
word and all your difficulties will i'm
mediately disappear. Isn't it great?
Really. At first we had slogan
for a farmer-labor party" and it
worked more or less satisfactorily.
Then the LaFollette movement made
its appearance. 1t began moving def
nitely in the direction Of new, third
party, which is looked upon by the
'armer-labor elements as the party
hat they desire. This raises a prob
EN-. How can we prove to these
armer-labor elements that LaFol-
cite party Is not the party that they
need? How can we prove it?
Here Comrade Ruthenberg steps
forward and declares: Very simply.
Just add the word "class" to our old
slogan, so that it will read For a
class farmer-labor party" and all the
farmer-labor elements will imme-
diately perceive the difference be-
tween our aim and that of the LaFol-
lette movement.
Thus the problem of exposing