The daily worker., 1927-09-21
The Pary's Shortcomings, Mistakes and Problems

NOTE; This is the ninth Install
ment Of the report for the Political
Committee made by Jay Lovestone,
at the recent Fifth National Con-
vention of the Workers (Commu-
nist) Party held in New York City
This installment deals with "The
Party's Shortcomings, Mistakes and
Problems"
Regarding the two main historical
streams in our Party-Our Party was
born as a result of the splitting away
of the left wing of the social-den1o-
Gratis from the socialist party. A GER
tain section of our Party is therefore
to be found largely in the Nelements
coming out of the socialist party. AS
our Party developed it reached a sec
ond stage, the stage where it was able
to attract masses from the trade
unions When the Party reached that
stage, it reached one of the most inn
portant periods of its development.
Here we have the second main stream
of the Party. Comrades, when we
speak of two streams, we do not speak
of one stream here and another there,
but as concepts merely marking tenn
porary mile-posts, temporary sign
posts in the history of the Party Just
as it is necessary to develop the ideo-
logical homogeneity of the working
class as a class in this country. so it
is necessary to develop the theological
homogeneity OF these two main trends
in the composition Of our Party. We
will never be able to develop the ideo-
logical homogenejty of the working
class as a class until we have accom-
plished homogeneity in our own ranks.
More than ever before, today the two
streams are no longer appearing as
two streams, but more and more ap-
pearing as one stream, the Party
stream.
There are other groupings in the
Party. speak concretely of the COM
rades known as the Cannon group. It
would be foolhardy for US to say that
the unification of the Party is COM
plete with the unification Of these two
main streams alone. The fact 2f the
matter is that these two main streams
cannot unite unless their unity is Of
such character that it becomes the
unity of all groupings. Not only no
first and second class citizens, but no
two and half class. No persecu-
tions; no determinations This may
not be Immediately realized, but the.
test of our policies must be to what
extent are we making a conscious
effort towards that end.
I am sure the incoming C. f. C.
will consciously follow a policy to
break down, to remove these pref
udices and suspicious of groupings as
groupings until all groupings end.
When we speak of the unification
Of the Party being achieved primarily
thrus the unification of the two main
streams, we speak of it not in the
sense of mistrust or suspicion OF de-
precation of any group which still
exists, but in a realistic manner. 1t
is an indisputable fact that the larg-
est number of members and the sharp
est differences in the Party have been
in these two main groupings. But to-
day, all groups have only one task left
and that is to get out of business,
that is, to liquidate themselves, that
is, t. try to merge themselves into
one, the Party unified.
This convention will mark period
when more than ever before the in
coming C. E. c., not any comrade Of
the C. f. c., not any combination of
groups, not any hlocs, but as c. E.
c., not as a combination of groups,
but as a collective leadership, will
fight for the removal of factional
prejudices in the Party. There are
basic reasons for this. The last de-
cision of the C. l., the resolution on
the tasks of the Party, the supplement
tary decision. the various cables, have
laid the basis, helping the Party ito
remove its factionalism. We are no
longer in a struggle in the Party for