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

ment for an objectively revolutionary
situation-and never admitting any
mistakes-which furnishes the basic
cohesion of the minority. Their utter
lack of mass following absolves them
from any obligation in that respect,
and permits them to turn their atten-
ton mainly to matters of internal
group formation.
Against this group arose move
ment in the party, eliminating in the
present majority-it was a reaction
against the unyielding party sectarian-
ism Of July, 1923. The majority is
homogeneous in rthat it sprang from
the American left wing trade union
movement; but such possibilities of
lasting organia2ttonal results as they
had thru their former connections
they destroyed by continuously enron
eous policies ION the political as we'll
as on the industrial field
AS far as their party and political
history is concerned they had nothing
in common at all until July, 1923.
Since they are greatly lacking in the
oretical understanding and critical
analysis based upon it, they are con-
tinually overawed and ORIGINATED by
real and imagined objective condi-
tons, with utter contempt for Com
munist theory, and ignorant of the in
herent social forces, This leads them
into a Different but also a siz-zag
path, leading from sectarian leftism
dropping of the labor party slogan
to soeial-democratic opportunism LA
Follette) n.
This explains the curves of right
and left wing deviation; and how
these curves sometimes meet, as in
the day of LaFollette, when both, the
majority and minority were to the
right.
But in 1928 the majority deviated
to the right and the minority to the
left.
And in 1925 the minority deviated
to the right, and the majority to the
left.
Y The Two Leading Groups-on
: the industrial Field.
Here we fnd the same theological
forces shaping 1.-THE policies of these
two groupsT sac
The minoritE Stands for political
work in the trade unions; in their
practical Application this amounts to
tendency of dmmediate "cashing in"
on our investment of Communist pres
tige, regardless of the larger conse-
quenees. Several years ago some of
its present leaders were particularly
responsible for good deal Of our
deliberately destructive dual-unionist
policy This non-co-operation with
left blocks easily and usually leads
TO sectarianisnf; but in the peculiar
case Of the tybegraphicaI union it led
to the support OF the archreactionary
Lynch. fIht ~
The majority has right along been
particularly Identified with trade
union activity. We find here its
usual exaggerated pliability toward
objective conditions; but it also
takes into account some peculiar sub
jectiye conditions. e. g., when a policy
of compromise is promoted by a ma
jority supporter it represents invar-
iably Bolsheyism, when the same is
done by others it is "Loreism on the
industrial field
The outstanding opportunist devia-
tions of the majority are represented
by the following instances; Fosters
letter to Sigman, the, support of Cap
pellini, the Anderson slate in the In
ternational Association of Machinists
But a veritable jungle of opportun-
ism do we find in the Amalgamated
Clothing Workers where the party
leadership has for three years sys.
tematically suppressed the elemental
opposition OF the left wing member
ship against the Hillman machine
ever since the fateful convention of
1922. Today our party leadership
recognizes its unmittigated defeat at
the hands of Hillman and reverses its
policies; the membership stands vim
dicated, but the left wing movement
in the A. c. Wpis shattered, democrat
ICED and impottnt, 81 otis
The recent Instruction Of the Co
mintern, not to Identify the TIL f. L.
so much with the party. has shaken
the majority ont of the sectarian rut
into which they had fallen in many
other instances, 9. g., In including the
slogan for the Dictatorship of the pro.
letariat in the Progressive Building
Trades Worker.3o
10 The Two Leading eroups-on
O'the Defensive,
1t is necessary to appreciate the
precarious position Of our party lead.
ership with such record OF intellect.
ual. political and organizational bank
ruptcy. known 70 our membership in
detail. The obvious thing to do was.
therefore. TO evade the issues. sup.