The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-04-16
NOTES

ferent title Instead of calling it, he did, "a
History Of American Communism" he ought to
have named it ''An Apology For Social Reformist
Betrayals," "The Outpourings of Broken So
cialis Heart The advantages of this latter title
obvious. corresponds more closely to the
contents of the book. 1t is cOlorful, alluring
and hence convenient for advertising pur-
poses And in addition it carries a connotation of
intimacy which would capture the eye of many
broken heart not only socialist, and thus make the
book one of the best sellers of the season.
Writing history. of American Communism is not
as simple a proposition as Oneal thought for. 1t
requires not only intellectual honesty which being
realists we do not propose to demand of the "his-
torian under discussion, but also a thorough study
of social economic and political background of the
epoch logically preceding the energence of a Com
munist movement in the United States. That would
include examination of the history of American
capitalism, class struggle and labor movements at
least since the Spanish-American 1t would
also require fundamental analysis of the develop
ments during the modern imperialist era and the
effect of these developments upon the class struggle
in the United States In short it requires a basic,
scientific MARKHAM analysis of all those factors and
events which conditioned the appearance and devel
Opment of a modern working class revolutionary
movement in America.
Considered from this point of view, Oneals His
tory of American Communism is a complete failure.
The book will undoubtedly satisfy the spite and
venom of those who have betrayed and
tinuing to betray socialism. 1t will please every
leacllOndTy ana SSdnupaJter IN the LABOR movement
1t will be received with glee by the open-shoppers"
as well by all the true servants of capitalism
But it will be rejected with disdain by every class
conscious worker. 1t will be turned away as poor
joke by all who seek genuine objective knowledge
The history of American Communism, which is
fufilment and further development of the best ira
ditions and struggles of the American working
class, is yet to be written
What is American Communism? Oneal does not
dare to treat it frankly as foreign product i'm
vAoI .o4o 49, It'll -.
undoubtedly conscious of the fact that were he to
treat Communism in America a foreign importa-
ton he would be doing the thing the 'his-
torians" of the infamous Lusk Committee, or the
American Legion-and with the same result. Oneal
also knows that the charge of being alien pro-
duct is being directed by the reactionaries even
against his party, though it is non-working
class and harmless to the capitalists. Hence, Oneal
feels compelled to give the history of our party
little American background.
But how much of this background is he giving
us? Just enough-enough for his purpose-to
make the Communist movement of America appear
not only alien but also contrary and hostile to all
the natural and unnatural laws supposedly govern
ing the development Of the American labor move
ment
Which, by the way, is precisely the thing which
defenders of capitalism the world over are saying
against every movement which they believe to be
contrary and hostile to the rule of the capitalists
1t can be easily proven that the Communist move
ment of America is much native product of
American conditions as, for instance, our trade
union movement that party belongs as much
to America any of its time honored and his
torcally recognized institutions This despite the
fact that so-called foreign influences had a good
deal to do with crystallizing and maturing Com
munst thought in the United States
These so-called foreign influences, which
being branded as alien to America by the enemies
OF the working class, have operated upon American
Communism in practically the Same way the for
sign influences Of European bourgeois revolutionary
thought have operated upon the founders of the
bourgeois republic of the United States Did the
Declaration of Independence become product alien
10 America just because the making of this docu-
ment influenced by the ideas of the XVIII
century philosophers of France? To be sure, the
Declaration of Independence had been branded as
alien to America by the British Crown and its sup