The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-12-24

and deficiencies are forgotten, COM
rades become calm about the matter
and even conceited. Two or three
to think we are all wonders. Another
two or three great successes and we
are inclined to believe that we can
settle our enemies with a snap of the
fingers. But the mistakes remain,
the deficiencies are still there. The
sources of sickness in our party are
driven inwards.
A second deficiency of our Party is
the application of administrative
measures in the party in place of the
methods of conviction which are of
such decisive Importance for our
party.
A third deficiency is the wish of
number of our comrades to swim
easily with the stream without per-
spective and without an eye to the
future, always surrounded by holidays
and festivities. That is the essence
of the third deficiency of the practice
of our party. With this | have
touched briefly the basic failings of
our party.
And now will deal with the ques-
tons of the discussion and our So
called opposition.
Sometimes it is said: Why do you
exaggerate the discussion or, why
don't you settle the points in question
internally and not take them out into
the open? That is wrong. Discus
sion is sometimes absolutely neces-
sary and Internationally useful. 1t
is necessary and useful when it takes
place within the ranks of the party
and when it aims at honest self-criti-
cism and criticism of the faults of
the party, when it aims at aiding our
cause and supplying the working
class with improved weapons in the
struggle. But a discussion which
does not aim to assist our common
cause, but to hinder it, which does
not aim at the consolidation of the
party but at it's degeneration, leads
generally not to the armament of
the proletariat, but to it's disarma-
ment.
Would Force Discussion.
When the opposition demanded the
opening of the discussion all over the
country three months before the
party congress, before the theses of
the Central Committee had been
worked out and before they had been
published, it wanted to force a dis
cussion upon us which would only
have been of use to our enemies,
which would only have facilitated the
cause of the enemies of the working
class. And it was for this reason
that the C. c. rejected the demand of
the opposition. And because it re-
jected this demand it has succeeded
in placing the discussion upon the
right lines and making it's basis the
theses of the c.. c. for the party
congress. Now we can say without
hesitation that on the whole the dis
cussion ended with a plus for the
party. We have never been afraid
of open criticism of our errors in the
eyes of the whole party and we shall
never be afraid of it. The present
discussion is sign of the strength
of the party, a sign of it's power.
In all great parties which consist
partly of peasants and employee ele-
ments, ETC., there collect during the
course Of time, particularly when the
party in question has power in it's
1ands, certain Indifferent elements.
These elements form morass in our
party. The discussion forced these
elements to show their colors and go
over either to the opposition or to
the party and thus the morass ceased
to exist. The present discussion con-
siderably reduced this morass. Up to
yesterday approximately 724,000
members of the party had voted for
the c. G. and approximately 1000 for
the opposition.
ITO Be Continued.)