The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-03-10
By MEILECH EPSTEIN

by ME1LEOE1 GIol Elm
IT CAN see his figure standing be-
1 fore me, as if alive. A tall and
stalwart figure, and full of noble
grace. Here he is looking at me
with his light grey eyes of blush
hue assuming a bright steel gaze in
moments Of serious reflection. And
here is his face, refined, intellectual
and firm, with its even and sharp
lines. can hear his deep, emotional,
soft and caressing voice imparting a
tone of inner warmth of feeling and
of unusual strength and conviction.
1t is the voice of a leader.
have often asked whence has this
son of German longshoreman, who
knew so much want and suffering
in his early youth, derived this iron
shod body, this steel character, and
commanding personality
Yes, he was born to lead Those
who have seen him but once will
never forget the impression he made
upon them. And this impression
was even more intensified the more
intimately one had come to know
him.
It is true that as Communists we
must not allow ourselves to fall into
sacrificing and forceful, but unelas-
the fact of this heavy and unreplace-
able loss to keep to the rule. The
deep feeling of personal, painful re-
greet must find it's expression.
Due to specific American .condi-
tons the labor movement of this
country has not brought forward the
type of leader that we have seen
in Europe. Something was always
lacking even in the best of our labor
leaders. One sidedness has always
been one of his weaknesses. On the
one hand, Debs with his over-senti-
mentalism and emotionalism often
losing himself in the dim realms Of
abstract and beautiful phraseology.
On the other hand we had Daniel
DeLeon-hard, inflexible, unyield-
ing and narrow sectarian.
Debs' heart always throbbed in ac-
cord with the wishes and needs Of
the masses, he identified himself
with the masses and he was one of
them in fact, but he was not their
leader. At times he stood at the
head of great labor struggles. but nc
lacked the real qualities of leader
ship. He lacked the theoretical and
analytical line of Marxism. He gave
himself up to every new wave that
came along and he was tossed along
by the wares, like a ship without a
compass.
Daniel DeLeon was proficient in
theory, the most thoro Marxist in
America. An obstinate fighter, self
sacrificing and forceful, but unelas-
tic. DeLeon did not understand the
Leninistic method of giving in in case
of necessity, but not giving up; that
tho we must not compromise on main
principles, yet it is often necessary
to detour from the main road in
order to achieve the main objective.
DeLeon probably had the qualities of
leadership, but he lived twenty years
ahead of time. He did not have the
capacity to adapt himself to the OBJ
jective conditions of the labor move
ment of his time. Therefore he had
to fail, just as Debs, his exact coun-
terpart, had to fail.
Charles E. Ruthenberg was the
first comprehensive leader that the
labor movement of this country pro-
duced. In Ruthenberg there was
combination of all the good qualities
of both Debs and DeLeon, minus
their weak points. 1t was not his
fault that our Communist movement
has not had time to develop to any
extensive dimensions and his great
capacities for leadership have not
met the suitable conditions for their
full display.
Ruthenberg was an excellent Marx
list. This meant a whole lot in the
American socialist movement. In the
conglomeration of syndicalism, semi
anarchism and spineless reformism
which swarrned within the socialist
party, good Marxist was rare
and valuable phenomenon. Ruthen-
berg came to the socialist party by
way of Marx and he remained
Marxist till the end.
Ruthenberg was an energetic and
courageous fighter. This even his
bitterest opponents will admit. In
trepid and obstinate in struggle, he
threw himself into the midst of every
important labor fight disregarding
his own life and security. In this
he was like DeLeon, but what a big
difference between the two of them
Unlike DeLeon, Ruthenberg was not
sectarian. To him the letter Of the
MARKHAM theory was not a thing of
first consideration, as it was to De
Leon. Ruthenberg had an under
standing and sympathetic ear for the
immediate needs and demands of the