The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-01-07
BY JOSEPH MANLEY

BY JOSEPH MANLEY
n REGIMENTS put forth by leaders
IN of the minority, in the present
party discussion, carry me in memory
back to the dear dead days of the
romantic past of the minority. In these
days of farmerlabor knight-errantcy,
when the central executive commit
tee operated in a bucolic Polyanna
atmosphere created by those of the
minority who saw the NaFollette)
revolution-just around the corner.
The G. /. decision and what hap
pened at the Cleveland c. P. p. A.
conference seem not to effect at all
the methods of reasoning or the line
of argument of the minority. Their
myopic methods produce a distorted
picture of events that suits and boil
sters up the preconceived conception
of the minority-that right or wrong
I'VE must have a farmer-labor party
BY twisting and turning the merest
everyday happenings in the labor
movement, into "debacles" for the
policy of the majority and bowling
victories for the minority. And all
this they swear to, not in the name
of God but Of Marx.
Back of all this minority distortion
and exaggeration lies much that is
personal desire and ambition. When
was a member of the Pepper caucus
it was the chief object of the group
to have Comrade Ruthenberg accom-
pany Comrade Pepper to Moscow
Comrade Ruthenberg in spite of our
importunings did not go across. He
probably felt that the big thing for
him would be to organize for the st.
Paul convention while Pepper and Eos
ter fought it out in Moscow. Then
when Foster got back he would be
faced with fait accompli-a farmer
labor party.
In this Comrade Ruthenberg reckon
ed without his host. In spite of all
information to the contrary Foster got
back before the st. Paul convention,
and brought with him a decision
which changed baslcaly, insofar as
the LaFollette maneuver was con-
cerned our whole conception and pro-
gram.
The lesson l learned from Fosters
first reading Of the C. /. decision to
the c. e. c., was that our farmer
labor movement was nothing short of
united front at the top, which all
factions alike were equally respon-
sible for. My experience was that the
majority were the quickest to recogn-
ize this conclusion and the correct
ness of the G. /. decision itself and
it was this factor more than any other
which won me away from the minor
ity, and eventually led to my Joining
the majority.
too have said that Comrade Love-
stone is the most logical thinker of the
minority. But Comrade Ruthenberg
also, on occasion is logical. Is it not
logical for Comrade Ruthenberg to
continue to hang on to the name OF
the farmer-labor party? He it was,
who consistently pushed it whenever
he could. In his official capacity as
secretary, before the holding of the
July 3rd, 1928 convention, he got out
subscription lists for donations to the
campaign for a federated farmer
labor party. These lists brought
about near crisis in the negotiations
between us and the old farmer-labor
party. He wrote the platform of the
Inflated federated that was organized
at the Chicago convention. He wrote
manifestos issued by IL. He attended
the first st. Paul conference to ar
range for the st. Paul convention. He
and | perhaps more than anyone else
became stepped in the farmer-labor
movement He went to the February
gathering of the c. p. p. A. at st.
Louis; and we'll | remember that on
his return he wrote thesis in which
he said nothing but miracle could
prevent the organization OF a labor
party at the coming Cleveland July
convention of the c. p. p. A.
As have intimated Comrade
Ruthenberg's supreme effort was
made after Pepper and Foster left for
Moscow. He organized many farmer
labor parties thruout the east, all for
the st. Paul convention. To still main
tain the necessity OF this past work
is the secret OF Comrade Ruthenbergs
present logic. All the noise made in
organizing these parties, all the money
spent on them and their delegates 70