The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-08-29


the failures OF the present Central
Executive Committee. there are many
Of them For instance, we failed to
seize power in the United States; we
did not even elect Comrade Foster to
the presidency. We have not yet cap
tured the unions in the United States;
but there Is one thing comrades which
we have not failed to do and that is,
we have not failed to resist most en-
ergetically the attempts of the min
GRITTY to drive us into fake united
fronts. This we have not failed to do.
The policies Of the Central Executive
Committee that were outlined in con-
nection with every one Of our cam
paigns provided for a united front
policy. It provided for it.
TT instructed our organization to pro-
L coed to mobilize sentiment for our
slogans and organize it jointly with
other labor organizations for definite
political acts. And II as a result OF
these campaigns we have not sue
ceeded in creating large mass move
ments for our slogans, the Central
Executive Committee cannot be blam-
ed for that. For instance, during our
period OF office we were carrying on
campaign against wage cuts in the
textile industry and in other indus
tries. These campaigns did not pro-
duce a strike movement. There were
several sporadic strikes here and
there that were liquidated very soon
| and most Of them were defeated. Our
party issued the slogan: Strike against
wage cuts. We carried on propaganda
for these slogans. We took number
of organizational measures to bring
about a united front struggle against
wage cuts, but the results show that
no big strike movement actually re-
suited. This is a fact. What does
this fact prove? Does it prove that
the policy of the Central Executive
Committee was. wrong? Not in the
least. The policy was correct But
it proved the fact that | started out
with, namely that the American work
ing class still finds itself in depres-
sed mood due to many, many develop
ments in the past two or three years
which did not enable us to arouse
them now at this moment for real big
struggles against capitalism. And the
conclusion to be drawn from this is
that our party must be patient and
persistent in carrying on its work I'M
til more favorable conditions will en-
able us to secure bigger success as
results Of our campaigns. But to con-
clude this, as some of the minority
comrades are doing, that irrespective
of whether you have succeeded in
arousing the masses or not, you must
rush headIong in building united front
organizations which can have only a
paper existence is to make joke of
the united front policy. This conclu-
sion we cannot make. This conclu-
sion the Communist International does
not want to make. Some of our com
rades in the minority have reached
the point where they earnestly main
tain that when the party wants to
publish proclamations to the Ameri-
can workers, it cannot do that unless
its forms united front committees. In
the course of our discussion this idea
was brought forward time and time
again. So our contention is this. The
criticism Of the minority regarding
our united front policy Is invalid be-
cause the failure of our party to real
ly create a mass movement for our
demands is attributable almost com
pletely to conditions outside of our
control. BALKAN is a minority district
organizer. His district includes a
good portion of the textile industry
He was doing his best to create a
united front, so he says. He said he
was doing his best to promote a strike
movement and united front move
ment. The result. comrades, is such
that there is almost nothing to report
to the party As | said hefore wa