The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-09-20
V The Inner Party Situation.


terized by the following features:
First of all, we now have the last
gasp Of factionalism. I do not feel,
and l think no comrade has illusions
that the morning after the convention,
factionalism will be 100 per cent dead,
but I maintain that not only the morn
ing after, but in these very sessions,
the trend will be away from faction
alism, not towards it.
Secondly, believe that the political
differences have been reduced to a
minimum. Never before was our
Party 50 homogeneous ideologically in
such a sense and to such an extent as
today. Never before were our political
differences so small.
Thirdly, there is the beginning of
the merger of the two main groups in
the Party Here we do not speak of
the exclusion of other groups in the
process of unification. I speak of the
fact that the road toward the first
steps Of the merger of all groups in
our Party lies at this moment in the
unification of the two main historical
streams of the Party.
Fourthly, we have achieved a basis
for the establishment of the broadcast
collective leadership The effect of
the fractional struggle has been not
only destructive but also helpful in
the way of Qualification of issues.
Filthy, the objective conditions. We
realize the dangers of the bureau
cracy's campaign against us as Com
munists Especially do all sections Of
the Party realize the dangers today
when Communists are attacked more
than at any time before since the
Palmer raids. We speak of the open
letter sent out by Peter J. Brady,
president Of one of the leading New
York labor banks to 1000 ordinary
bankers, in which he quotes the reso-
luton Of the c. l., regarding their
fight on labor banks. Mr. Brady is
compelled to come out in the open to
his nearest and dearest and best
friends, to ask for support from them
because the Party is engaged in such
an active campaign against the labor
banking schemes.
The Sacco-Vanzetti campaign has
shown that if any campaign of terror
will be started against the working
class, it will start Immediately and
primarily against the most advanced
section of the working class, the Com
munists. This is a further basis for
making every comrade, regardless of
past group alignments, more conscious
Of the need for unification.
What about differences? There
have been differences and there will
be differences in our Party, but we
again cite Lenin on the question of
differences in our Communist Party
or in any Communist Party. Lenin
said: without debates, disagree
ments, conflicts of opinion, no move
ment is possible, not even a labor
movement. Without a relentless fight
against the degeneration of disagree
ments into quarrels and insults, or
ganization is impossible. But without
organization, the working class is
nothing at ALL"
1t is all right to have differences
among ourselves, but we must bear
in mind that these disagrecments must
not degenerate into quarrels, into cam
paigns of insult. because then the or
ganization of the Party is impossible
In the decreasing differences in our
Party, there has been a decrease, a
marked decrease in the extent of our
differences developing into quarrels
and insults. Differences in themselves
are not Objectionable, but the bad
thing about the differences, or the
history of our differences has been
that it has been too often tending to-
ward taking these differences and
making them a question of faction
alism, fight for power.
When l speak of this shortcoming,
l do not speak as a member of any
group, because all groups have been
guilty of that, and the leaders of all
groups and the sections Of the various
groups and the leadership of our Par
ty as a whole have been guilty Of this
error. Without exception that has
been the basic weakness, the most
harmful aspect of our differences and
disagreements. ! believe that after
this convention we shall have very
largely outgrown the possibility Of
our ever facing such a danger again.
We have had differences before in the
history of our Party. | see comrades
in this room with whom some of us
have fought over the organization Of
an open Party. I recall the struggle
over the use of the slogan Of armed
instruction. l recall the struggle
against maintaining an undergo ind
Party when there was no need or it.
I recall the struggle over language
declarations dominating the life of our
Party. l recall all these struggles.
We have had these struggles which !
have mentioned, and ! submit that
thru them the Party has grown.
W. have boJ Fnot;n,,ol; c,., wit e,