The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-03-17
Ruthenberg Saw Necessity
Of Wiping Out Nationality
Lines Among the Workers
BY ]. LOUIS ENGDAHL.

|
n E. RUTHENBERG recognized from the beginning
~. of his activities in the American revolutionary
that the barriers of nationality had to be over
come in order TO build unified struggle.
1t was accident therefore, that the first speech he
made in a National Socialist Convention indianapolis
1912 on this very subject More than half of the
Socialist membership at that time contained within
foreign-language declarations. These federation mem
bers paid their dues directly to their national
retaries many Of whom had the thnnes relations with
the Socialist Party national headquarters.
The result that little unity existed between the
different sections Of the socialist party.
Ruhenberg as the organizer and the executive of the
Socialist Party, in Cleveland, Ohio, realized this weak
AS organizer of the forces of the American
revolution he fought against this condition.
His first proposal that the members of the foreign
language organizations get their dues stamps directly
from the local Socialist secretary He felt that this
would at least force contact between the parys mem
bership that could result in closer relations.
He pointed out that in Cleveland at that time, the
only propaganda carried by group of foreign
language members the distribution of literature
calling for the separation of church and state. This
propaganda would have been very much in place in the
home country where the church and state practically
Identical But entirely different conditions prevailed in
Cleveland, Ohio, where the revolutionary movement
must necessarily adapt its propaganda to meet the local
situation.
The esociast party never made any real Roadway in
solving the problem of the foreignanguage groupings
The declarations all retained their status practically
changed up to the split in 1919 and the organization
of the Communist Party. It only in the Com
munist Party of which he the first secretary that
Ruthenberg able gradually to blend workers of all
natonalities into a unified movement.
Thus, in a sense Is years ago. seven years before
the break in the socialist party that resulted in the
building of the Communist Party, Ruthenberg beheld
the weaknesses characteristic of the pre-war social
democracy in this country Huge obstacles did not pre-
vent him carrying the ceaseess fight to solve them
It was inevitable that in the spirit Ruthenberg
should seek to develop the struggle for Communism
among all the varying groups of the working class;
among the Negroes, among the women, among the
children among the farmers and in the spirit of Lenin
ism, reaching out and putting emphasis the anti
mperiais work of the party and developing its rela
tions with the oppressed of the subject colonial and
semi-colonial countries.
Thus the New York Times snarls against what it calls
"the sllful efforts of Ruhenberg to fan well
as class hatred"
The writer had just seen Lovett Fort-Whteman, the
champion of the Negro workers. speak glowingly in
memory of Ruthenberg at the Carnegie Hall Memorial
Meeting in New York City. Then there had followed
a speaker for the Chinese workers. But the appear
of these workers of different races was merely
evidence that Ruthenberg had carefully carried on
the struggle for the unity of the workers of all races
well all nationaes, which is true working class
unity.
1t is only natural that American imperialism, all
dominant in the world today, should fear this unity of
the downtrodden.
1t was no accident that "Time" that calls itself The
Weekly News Magazine" but delights in publishing
almost exclusively the pictures of and eulogistc re-
marks about foremost capitalists should point that
Editor Linson of the Chinese Nationalist Daily
organ of the Kuomintang Chinese Nationalist Party)
wrote We very sorry that such able as
c. E. Ruthenberg leaves us so SOON"
To point out that Communist is lauded by spokes-
of the Chinese Masses supposed to create in the
belief Of the editor of "Tme" prejudice against Com
munsm among backward American workers and
farmers But it is the crushing force of capitalism
that is bringing about the unity of labor of all ma
tionaltes, Of all races of all religions. 1t not
Ruthenbergs task to fan the flames of class hatred
1t rather to help organize and direct that hatred
in the right direction.
Ruthenberg thus agitaor educator and organizer
in the growing effort to carry out the appeal of Karl
Marx, workers of the World, Unite You have moth
ing to lose but your chainsl You have world to gan"
Before that growing world capitalism trembles
it behods its doom.