The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-12-26

ton to the cooperative. Not all OF us realize
that now since the October revoutiOn-and not
at all impaired by the new economic policy ton
the contrary, we must say-just because OF the
new economic policy)-co-operation has attained
dominating Importance among us. There is much
phantasy in the day-dreams of the old coop
orators. They are often a ridiculously phantas
tic folk To what is their phantastic nature due
To the circumstance that these people do not un-
derstand the fundamental Importance of the pc
litical fight of the working class for the over
throw of the exploiters' rule. For us this over
throw has taken place and now much of what was
phantastic even impossibly romantic In the
dreams of the old coOperators has become the
most naked reality.
Among us, where the state power is in the
hands of the working class, and where all the
means of production belong to this state power,
the only problem which remained was the actual
cooperative amalgamation of the population.
Under the premise of the maximal cooperative
organization of the population this socialism has
as a matter of course attained its goals, which
formerly were regarded with iustifable smile
of indulgence by those who were-rightly enuf-I
convinced of the necessity of the class struggle
and of the fight for political power And now all
our comrades do not give themselves account of
the illimitable Importance which the cooperative
organization of Russia assumed for us. In the
new economic policy we made concessions to the
peasant the merchant, and the principle Of pri-
vate trade; precisely out of that there arises icon
trary to the usual opinion) the tremendous i'm
portance of cooperation. At bottom all that we
require is to organize the Russian population CO
Operatively in sufficient degree during the period
of the new economic policy, for have now
reached such degree of union of private interest
private trading interests, and their inspection
and control by the state and their subordinatiOn
to the common wea-a union which formerly was
f1na Iscfc Il
then in reality the contr0lb by the state of atthed
more important means of production, the state
power in the hands of the proletariat, the ALI
ance of this prOletariat with millions of small
peasants, the assured leadership of the peasantry
by the prOletariat ETC., is this not all that is
necessary to attain the building of the socialist
society from cooperation, from cooperation
alone, which we formerly considered pedantry
and which in certain respects may treat as
such now under the new economic policy as well
That is not yet the building of the socialist So
ciey but is all that is necessary for the building
of this society
Precisely this circumstance has been underesti-
mated by many of our practical officials Coop
Grafton receives negligent treatment at our hands,
We do not realize of what extraordinary impor-
lance cooperation is; firstly, as principle 1.-THE
means of production state property and Sec
ondly, with regard to the transition to new or
oer w Me StmpteSt, eGSVeSt, ana Tor me peas
ants most GttGindbIe manner.
And that is the kernel of the matter. 1t is one
thing to romance over the building up of social
ism in all sorts of workers societies and it is an
other thing toslearn how this socialism should be
practically so developed that each small peasant
can take part in this development. We have
already reached this stage 1t is beyond doubt
that now, after having reached it, we are making
all too little use of it.
We acted too hastily when we went over to the
new economic policy, not in the sense that we
allowed the principle of private industry and of
free trade too much elbow-room, but that we for
got to think of cooperation, that We now under
estimate cooperation, and that are beginning to
forget the overwhelming Importance of co-opera-
ton in connection with the above mentioned two
sides of this question.