The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-01-02
BY SID. A. BUSH

NOV that open discussion on i'm
IN mediate party tasks is carried on
in the press and all party units for a
period of several weeks, the over
whelming majority of the membership,
no doubt has a clear conception Of the
different points of view held by the
leading comrades of the party on the
subject of carrying on a campaign for
a "class farmer-labor party"
From the point of view of sheer pol
emics the controversy over the slogan
''for a class farmer-labor party" and
the carrying on Of a major campaign
for it at this time, resolves itself in
to a discussion between dialectic
materialists on the one hand, and
metaphysicians on the other hand.
Those who reason from the point
OF view of dialectic materialism sur
vey the world of phenomena, analyze
their component parts. objective and
subjective; discover the changes that
have taken place, detect the new
trend in events, ascertain the direc-
lions Of the various tendencies, which
are being propelled by the new con-
ditions; and, knowing their goal the
dialectic materialists form policies,
lay down rules, initiate maneuvers to
counterfeit those tendencies which are
obnoxious, and triy to accelerate
others which are favorable towards
the realization of the goal. And here
let us remember that the goal is the
principle, the fundamental law, which
is not being altered to conform to
a changed condition. Only the man.
euvers, the policies, that is, the
strategy and tactics are being changed
because Of changed conditions.
The metaphysicians, on the other
hand, once they grasp a fact at a GER
tain time, they hold on to it most
tenaciously. They cannot believe that
the facts they grasped and saw so
clearly could disappear. They cannot
conceive that new conditions have
arisen which demand a revaluation
Of previous conceptions, and the
present demands the setting into
motion such organs of action that
must of necessity be different from
those hitherto used. To the metaphy-
sicians things appear more or less
static, therefore, they cling to the old,
outworn and obsolete formula. That
is the method of the minority.
The thesis of the majority of the
central executive committee states:
"Three years ago our party adopted
the position that a labor party policy
was the only way of applying the tao
tics Of the united front TO the pol
itical conditions of America. To this
decision our party was moved by the
following considerations; The exist
ence OF the strong mass movement in
the direction of a farmer-labor party
as evidenced by a large number of
local and state farmer-labor parties,
and also by the formation of the Con-
ference for Progressive Political Ac-
ton, which we interpreted as the re-
suit of this same mass pressure to-
wards independent political action.
Since that time, however, these
farmer-labor parties, this mass move
msnt was absorbed by the LaFoliette
movement And what is this LaFol-
Istte movement? The majority thesis
states:-
"The LaFollette combination is so
cially and politically bourgeois
MOVEMENT hostile and antagonistic
10 the proletarian class struggle and
20 the political Independence OF the
oppressed and toiling masses"
But, as this movement, as has been
demonstrated by the last elections,
has the support of those elements
among the workers and poor farmers
who have been the backbone Of the
erstwhile mass movement for farm
er-labor party. the majority thesis
proposes to carry out the following
united front tactics:-
Exposure OF the bourgeois nature
OF LaFolletteism. This becomes the
central problem of our agitation and
propaganda. II must be carried on
along the following lines: AZ Form
ulake concrete political demands based
on Immediate burning needs Of the
nassesa NJ nonulexixa tbaae demands