The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-11-29
The Opposition and the Rank and File

of the opposition responsible for
them! 1t would seem that the policy
of the Patty and the construction of
the Party apparatus have become
worthless from the day when the
group of opposition members dis
agreed with the Party.
"This is suspicious" say the work
ers, they attack the apparatus and
the policy of the Party but in reality
it is question of who should
lead. g." And the masses turn away
in disgust
Opposition Lacks Principle.
ANOTHER reason for the rank and
"A file not believing the Opposition is:
that the rank and file have always a
profound disgust for lack of principle.
First of all, the bloc of opponents of
yesterday, utterly incomprehensible
for people not versed in political in
trigue. Then a still less comprehen-
sible solemn promise in writing on
the part of the Opposition to submit
to the will of the Party, a Commun-
ist word of honor of a peculiar kind,
broken almost the very next day.
The jesuit rule: the end iustifies
the means, cannot be rule for mem
bers of one and the same collective
body One cannot build up collec-
tive body if there is no confidence
in the work of its members, if one
cannot rely on promises.
Trickery Not Liked
Such acts tell the masses more elo-
quently than words: those who have
broken their word to the collective
body of which they are members are
no longer with us. The rank and
file cannot forgive this game which
is being played with the collective
body, they cannot forgive these
roundabout" ways. The rank and
file who. by such labor and such eff
forts, is gradually overcoming the
principles of petty-bourgeois individ-
ualfsm will never understand nor toll
crate and forgive those who infringe
the obligations which they have taken
upon themselves in regard to the col
lective body.
The rank and file will have nothing
to do with the disorganizing infringe
ment of discipline and unity on the
party of the Opposition. The rank
and file does not believe in the Oppo-
sition and will never forgive it's jes-
uitical intriguing with the Party.
The rank and file disassociates it.
self Indignantly from the criticism
and the statements of the Opposition
they are not in harmony with the
moods predonlinating in the rank and
file Of the Party.
Nisjudging Temper Of Masses.
If the Opposition has no ear for
the moods and temper Of the rank and
file Git was Lenin's strong point that
he always could feel what the masses
are demanding and aiming at) how
can it be victorious?
b One cannot with impunity endeavor
70 set ones GROUP will" against the
Will OF the collective BODY. Those who
endeavor to do this, cease to be "one"
with the masses.
The rank and file think that the
live spirit of "collectivist democracy"
which clashes with the petty-bour-
geois Interpretation of democracy,
will not be awake in the Opposition
until it is willing to understand that
,he decision of the Plenum of the
Central Committee is the reflection
Of the will of the rank and file of the
Party. J
When the Opposition will have
understood this, it will cease to sabo-
tage the unity of the Party and to
go against the mood and will of the
million strong Party membership.