The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-03-10
Ruthenberg Challenged
U. S. Capitalism When Ii
Felt Itself All Powerful
BY J. LOUIS ENGDAHL.

squad" ever alert the great Grand Central Sta
tion and all along the line of march, from And street
to the Manhattan Lyceum Fourth street, police were
anxousy attentive but the long procession of mourning
comrades permitted to follow in peace the ashes
of dead leader, c. E. Ruthenberg for brief part OF
the long journey their to the last resting place
meath the walls of the Kremlin Moscow, capital city
of the Union of Soviet Republics.
Yet in this very city Ruthenberg had predicted the
downfall of this powerful capitalist state, mighest IN
the world today His prediction thrown chal
enge into the midst of court prosecutor and urymen
and he got prison sentence for telling what he believed
Built and strengthened for $50 years, with seemingly
disciplined police force today, mighty army and power
full navy; armed forces land air with apparently
smoothly running administrations in villages cities,
counties, states and nation at Washington the prose-
cuor of Ruthenberg could not imagine the time when
the present capitalist government of the United States
Of America would cease to function
The prosecutors questions and Ruthenberg's
thru my mind marched, first along Park
the home Of the great rich, then into Fourth
where the class struggle shows its naked fists IN
trade union headquarters edging on privately owned
shops and factories then into 14h street and along Sec
ond avenue the East Side where the workers live in
dense masses. The questions and answers are to be
found in the court record follows:
20. How does the government break down if strikes
going on? A. Thru its inability to function
20. What do you by its inability to function,
am speaking of the government while strikes going
on inability function? A. Yes; if the industries,
the railroads if the telegraph tied up in this
broken down thru the contradictions of capitalism it
could be well the fact that the existing government
could longer carry its work a government thru
not having the means of doing
90 We still have our army and we have got navy
and have police department thruout the country
how is the government broken down because industry
breaks down? A. 1t would be very conceivable that if
such situation existed that the larger part of the
the in Russia, would support the workers
in their efforts to establish government that could
function.
90 mean by that, that the soldiers would desert
the regular army and over to the support of the
workers. is that what you mean? A. That the army,
individuals and units would go to the support of
the workers councils, yes"
Judge Barlow S. Weeks began feel little uneasy
this point and began asking few questions of his
own, that Ruthenberg answered as follows:
O. If the railroad workers struck, there other
people in this country besides railroad workers, are
there not? A presume
90 Could the citizens who believe in the govern
take the places of the railroad workers, and with
less efficiency, operate the railroads. A. The situation
that have prescribed presupposes that the at
that particular time will have been placed in a position
Of opposition, that they will have been dsgusted that
they will desire change in the situation in the govern
ment otherwise such change could not be brought
about.
"Q If the masses numerically want to change the
form of government why can't they do it with the
else of their vote? A. In the first place. think it has
been figured out that fortyfourth of the people of
the United States of the citizens of the United States
block any change in the form of government, that
is, thru the arrangement of the method of making
amendment to the constitution the fact that threequar
ters of all the states required.
"The various checks and counterbalances which were
inserted in the constitution in order to protect the exist
ing form of government the government of the capital
ists this method is long and tedious process and my
explanation presupposes the existence of crisis when
it matter of life and death, matter of getting food
getting clothing getting homes having society function
for the people to act at once"
Then the prosecutor again took up the questioning.
o. But the men going on strike on the railroads cuts
down the possibility Of transporting the food doesn't it
A. The government would have its
o. Please answer my question. l will come to the
new government later on. A. It would.
90 When the workers go out on STRIKE the railroad
workers. that parayzes the railroads and prevents the
transportation of food unless volunteers take their
places? A That is the very point of my illustration
that the capitalist system brings about the situation"
Mr. Rorke, the prosecutor here yelled "I object" but
the court decreed that Ruhenberg might and he
did follows;
1.-THE capitalist system brings about this situation
where workers compelled to strike in order
enough to live and this paralyzes industry and this
will compel the workers to take steps to change the
system in order to eliminate this paralysis of industry,
this breakdown.
"What steps are the workers going to take at that
point to change the system? They out now. They
have gone out strike What steps the workers
going take to take the railroad and change the sys
tenn? A. have stated that in such crisis there would
very likely be set up workers councils which would
the state power and begin to function a gov
eminent and would take control of the of produc
ton and distribution and operate them for the good of
society
20. Do you mean these workers, proetarian workers.
going to take these railroads and other Of
distribution and production at that point? A. mean
that the working class will take these of dis