The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-08-29
Communism in America,
After Seven Years Is
More Defiant Than Ever
BY J. LOUIS ENcDAHL.

Union in their work OF reconstruc-
ton. Thus The Forward with it's
ally, The New York Call, later the
New Leader, directed repeated and
malicious onslaughts against the
Friends of Soviet Russia during the
famine period 1922 in the hope of
discrediting the Communists and
Communism in this country. Later
they developed their campaign into
vicious expulsion policies in those
unions where they were in power.
Similarly the government seized
upon the occasion of the shopmen's
strike on the railroads in August,
1922, to launch its raid against
the Communist Party convention at
Brddgeman, Mich, arresting many
and returning indictments against
scores of the party's representative
spokesman. The government Off
Gals heralded this raid as the final
official act in stamping out Commu-
nism in America.
The Communist Party, however,
wrecked the self-complacency of the
government by courageously ending
its own Illegal existence, that dated
from the Palmer raids of January,
two years before, and establishing
the open Workers Party as the or
ganized expression Of Communism
in the United States,
The party showed its virility by
raising sufficient funds, in addition
to all the other heavy demands
placed upon it, to start the first
English language Communist daily,
The DAILY WORKER, that came
into being January IS, 1923, less
than half year after the Bridgeman
raid, and that is now rapidly ap-
preaching its fourth anniversary.
The party has been intensely ac-
tive in the parliamentary cam
paigns. Practically alone it has
waged the struggle for independent
political action, carrying the bur-
den when the socialists and social
ed farmer-laborites deserted prac-
tically en- masse to the LaFollette
bourgeois third party campaign in
1924. It was in 1924 that the Ameri-
can Communist movement for the
first time had national candidates,
for president and vice-president in
the field, just as this year it strives
to enter the congressional elections
on as large scale as possible with
an election program stating the
Communist attitude on all the vital
problems of the day.
The Communists not only retain
their foothold in the unions, but
their numbers and their influence is
rapidly growing in the ranks of or
ganized labor. The socialists raised
the issue of Communism in the re-
cent successful strike of the Fur
ners in New York City. The attack
on the Communists has been re-
peated in the present struggle of
the International Ladies' Garment
Workers Union in New York City.
The socialists joined the mill own
ers, the government and the reac-
tionary officials of the American
Federation of Labor, in raising the
Communist issue in the strike of
the Passaic textile workers. This
is only a reflection of the growing
admission that Communists are
gaining influence over larger mass
es of the American working class,
not only over those organized in
the trade unions, but over the un-
organized as well, an increasing
threat TO the rule of reaction.
Thus Communism develops in the
rich soil of the worlds greatest i'm
perialist power. It's organized ex-
preston, the Workers (Communist)
Party, develops in the common
struggle with the Communist
Parties leading the workers in 9th
er countries for the overthrow of
capitalism. 1t grows as 1t fights for
imperiahsmis subject and semi
subject colonial peoples. 1t becomes
the mass party of American labor
as 1t wins the broadcast influence
over labor engaged in the bitter
class struggle dn the home country,
right here in the United States.
Seven glorious chapters, record
ing great sacrifice and brilliant
progress for American Communism,
have been written in this country
during the seven years existence
OF the American Communist move
ment. Another glorious chapter
Will be written during the coming
year with the American party
emerging successfully from It's re-
organization on the street and shop
nucleus basis which will gradually
develop closer contacts for Il among