The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-08-20
.To.the members, Of the former
jewish Socialist Federation

81 JCWlSN oOCldlAoll II SuSA ~NA"'a'
Dear Comrades:-
Nearly four years have elapsed
since we broke away from the social
list party Three and half years
have passed since we Joined the
Workers Party as Number Two.
For over two years and half we have
enjoyed membership in the legal
Workers (Communist) Party which
is the American section Of the Conf
munist International. 1t is, therefore
time for us to give ourselves an ac-
count as TO where we stand, especially
now, on the eve of the party conven-
ton.
When we combined with the Jewish
section of the then Illegal Communist
Party, we looked upon ourselves as
a group quite different from the Com
munists. True, we considered our
selves to be Communists, too, and we
platonically recognized the leadership
of the Comintern, but we spared no
effort to maintain our separate identi-
ty as the Jewish Federation, and when
we spoke of mutual readjustment in
the future and of ironing out diff
ferences in the process of work., we
meant by it that the comrades of the
Communist Party would be forced to
accept our leadership and follow to
the line of our group
This line, barring individual differ
ences, reduced itself to the follow
ing:
a. We demanded that the Illegal
Communist Party dissolve itself with
in the Workers Party, the latter to
be recognized as the American section
of the Comintern.
b. We opposed tine drastic central
isation of the Comintern, demanding
more autonomy for the Workers Par
ty.
c. We considered ourselves to be
the sponsors and leaders Of broad
mass movement, while the Communist
were in our eyes a group of sectarians
/ divorced from actual life.
| d. Many of us failed to understand
the policy of the united front, which
to some appeared as Communist
hoax devised to trick the social
/ democratic leaders into an uncomfort
able position, to others as a shadowy
and entirely unrealizable proposition
which has no bearing upon actual
life A considerable section of oul
group saw no field of activity for ouI
/ party outside of conducting CommuE
ist propaganda.
| e. AVE chafed under the control oi
tho Communist Party, we considered
it a tSenseless mechanical conro
which We fought with extreme Bit
.srnesSg unwilling to take into account
he peculiar situation of our Commun
st comrades.
| Underlying all this was our organ
zatiOnal patriotism, our devotion t
no old federation, which we considered
we'll nigh perfect. Ut was this pecdlia
attachment which prompted US stub
Dornly to fight for the retention o
even the n m federation).
Three years and half have passed
We have learned many lessons in th,
course of our work, and we are in
position to view our former cOncer
lions with a critical eye. We mus
admit that large portion of our con
ceptions were un-cOmmunistic. nall
communistic, in the nature Of the two
and-a;half international. We must ad
init that We committed many an CT
rOr in consequence of our failing &
understand Communist tactics. Thu
We We're happy when three under
ground" Communists broke the disc
pine of their party and voted with u
in the executive committee of tn
Jewish Federation Ono. 81 of tn
w. p. We did not understand that
Communist who deliberately ignore
the orders of his party concering lli
work in an outside organization whic
does not belong TO the Comihter
1.-THE W. p. and its Jewish federation
IF that time were, in law ami in tao
only sympathizing organizations 'xhci
Communists were supposed to coud,.r
party work. is, obviously. OF sca:
value as a Communist and his "cor
version" should cause very little =.
ioicing
Subsequent events proved ;his els
mcntary truth. Ono Of tho three va
expelled from the party with our COZ
sent. The other two occupy the O.
IRENE right flank of the right win
opposition. The gain for the more
ment from their lining up with tn
federation leaders is thus, a yer