The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-01-06
BY ]. w. tombstone.

muCn from JuelF WIltlllSS UuI laIhCA III
the general discussions that have TAX
en- place One cannot gather much
farmer labor party arguments from
the comedy column conducted by
Lovestone and Bedacht. Nor can one
see a MARKHAM argument for farm
er labor party from the fact that Lore
voted for a motion made by Foster.
So we have to read between the lines
of what the minority writes and listen
carefully to what they say in debate.
A year ago our party wanted an all
inclusive mass farmer-labor party, and
both factions were agreed that If
farmer-Iabor party did not crystalline
Into a national organization and run
its own candidates in the 1924 presi-
dental election, that the farmer-labor
party movement would be ruined for
many years to come. The minority
saws SO in it's thesis of last year. The
minority admits the correctness Of
this theory, by the very fact that they
have given up the hope of an all in
elusive farmer-labor party and rather
willingly resign themselves to a mere
"class farmer-labor party"
What had been puzzIing me for
some time was just what the min
GRITTY means by elias farmer-labor
party and the answer to this puzzle
was supplied by comrade Minor.
In the Pullman membership meet
L. l.. hrnkAn
dialect said in substance, "Me want
biq, revolutionary, boIsheViki farm
err labor party" and again in the
CHICAGO membership meeting Minor
in as many words said that in order
to get a workers and farmers gov
eminent you have to have "class
farmer-Iabor party" so there we
have it.
The dictatorship of the proletariat
has to come thru a big, Bolshevik
farmer-labor party. Just what was to
become of the Workers Communist
Party Minor failed to state, but we do
not have to guess very hard what would
happen to our party if the member
shin would be foolish enough to place
the direction of our party policies in
TO the hands of these farmer labor
party Communists.
Their Last Stand.
One thing is certain and that is, the
minority wants farmer-labor party.
They are not all as sure as Minor just
what kind of a party they want, but
they want a class farmer-labor party
badly In fact, they want 1t so bad
that they say defnely that a united
front upon the political field is impos-
sible unless thru farmer-labor party.
It is very easy to understand why the
leaders of the minority take this op-
portunistic attitude, why they make
this fundamental blunder.
The arguments put up by the min
GRITTY in favor of farmer-labor part!
take many peculiar turns, they appeal
oftener to the emotions and sentiment
rather than to the intelligence Of our
members. One of their arguments
is to point out that some members OF
the minority have served prison SEN
fences for their Communist principles.
Leaving two impressions, one, that II
is only the minority comrades VINO
were sent to the penitentiary, two,
that serving prison sentences is
qualification for Communist leader
ship. With all due respect to those
comrades, minority and majority alike
who stood the test, we refuse to &C
cent the sentimental rot, that that
alone, is a qualification for Communist
leadership. 1t that is the case, then
Gene Debs would be a Communist
leader, he stood the test Of the penl-
tentlary-but failed miserably in every
other test.
In reality, our party has not yet
shaken Of completely its underground
garments, and this stupid loyalty by
the minority to the farmer-labor party
movement is hangover from our IL
legal underground days. Some Is
months ago when our party actively
entered, as a factor, the movement for
farmer-labor party, comrades like
Bob Minor were still viewing the
masses thru a periscope from the ten
thousand foot level. They emerged
from the cellar into the farmer-labor
party movement. That is the closest
they have ever got to the masses, and
they resent, rather viciously at times,
the attempt of the majority to push
them a little nearer to the workers.
II is not so very long ago that
some of these same comrades were
Of the opinion, that comrades like
Foster should be relegated to the in
dustrial field, as the party's indus
trial experts. The party's commu-
mist purity was to be protected by
our intellectual leaders, the self
styled MARKHAM group. The fear
Of losing their Communist vlrginlty
thru too close contact with the
masses, Is still strong altho not
talked about quite so loudly. This Is
still the background Of the present
struggle In the party. It is strug-
- A.. a