The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-08-22

and give an idea of the persistent
wrong-headedness of Wolfe's attitude
toward it. They do not touch upon
the specific points that he tries to
make. shall now take these up one
by one, answering them not only in
my own words, but by quotations from
official documents and recognized
leaders of the Comintern.
The analysis begins by ridiculing
my statement that the American
workers might have already thrown
off the whole system of wage-slavery
if it were not for the appearance of
Imperialism.
"Such speculations," says Wolfe,
ARE un-Marxist and futile. Marx
showed that capitalism leads thru ac-
emulation to concentration and cen
tralization of capital. This leads in
eyitably to monopoly capitalism which
is the primary economic basis of i'm
perialism. Thus Comrade Gomez's
''if1 partakes of scholastic medieval
speculation and not of Marxisr. On
what ground does Comrade Gomez as
sumo that nOn-imperialist background
countries imply victory of the pro-
letariat?"
WfOLFE ought to know that l do
W not assume non-imperialist back
ward countries imply a victory of the
proletariat-alt in the present, i'm
perialist epoch, the overthrow of CAPT
talism in even a backward" country
would be such victory, and if
Wolfe does not understand this his
conception has nothing in common
with feminist theory. What / was
concerned with was to show how CAPT
talist rule was prolonged thru i'm
perialism, this historical example
serving as an introduction to the pro-
position that Imperialism is the back
bone of wage slavery today. Whether
or not my use of hypothesis was I'M
MARKHAM and un-Leninist, / leave for
the reader to judge after comparing
it with the following sentence from
the theses on the national and colo
NAL questions at the second congress
of the Comintern, presented by Com
rade Lenin himself:
"But for the extensive colonial
possessions acquired for the sale of
her surplus products and as a
source Of raw materials for her
ever-erowing industries, the capital
istic structure of England would
have been crushed under its own
weight long ago."
| viii Comrade Wolfe have the
temerity to say that the "but" in this
sentence "partakes Of scholastic me-
dieyal speculation and not of Marx
ism?"
MY critic will no doubt reply that
A'A the conditions in England were
quite different from those in the Unit
ed States, but that does not alter the
question of the allowability of hypo-
thesis. Moreover, Comrade Wolfe
does not give my original statement
intact. In my article I did not speak
of the United States alone, but of
I England, France and the other capt.
talistic countries Of Europe Tin much
the same form as the above quotation
from Lenin's theses, at the same
time drawing in America which as
part Of world system could not help
but be profoundly influenced by the
general development,
Now as to the peaceful period Of
capitalism" about which Comrade
Wolfe gets very much excited-so
much so that he repeatedly misQuotes
me.
This Is the main section Of Wolfes
analysis" and It shows him at his
worst, There is in 1t not a trace Of
understanding of the development OF
Imperialism in its relation to class
war, nor any more than the most SUI
perfciai conception of Lenin's method
of considering it
PEFoRE touching upon my critics
~ misconceptions. however, am
obliged to clear away some false inn
/