The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-05-26

The Republican Party, which in the
interests Of the then revolutionary
capitalism conducted a war against
chattel slavery, is today working II
the interests of the new counter-re-
evolutionary capitalism for the per-
petuation of wage slavery. The Re-
publican Party of today is nothing
but the party of trusts, of finance
capital, of the biggest business inter
ests Of the country.
The Democratic Party was in the
early stages of it's history the party
of slavery, against Northern capital
ism and in the interests of the South
ern plantation owners. Today, though
many times masked with phrases of
liberalism, it stands for the perpetu-
alton of the peonage of Negroes in
the South and for the maintenance of
wage slavery throughout the country.
There are no real political differ
ences between the two big political
parties. Both are parties of capital
ism; both are the enemies of the
working class. The very existence of
the two-party system is the most re-
dictionary factor in American politics,
is one Of the factors which is re-
sponsible for the lack of an indepen-
dent mass political party of the work.
ing class. Both capitalist parties try
to put up the semblance of being de-
tenders of the farmers, vying with
each other in putting forward fake
farm relief" measures. The "strug-
gle" between the Republican and De-
mocratic parties is a staged fight, a
mock struggle. There are no politi-
cal issues between these two parties.
On the question of tariff, prohibition,
taxation, imperialist war, farm relief,
League Of Nations, and all other dis
cussed political issues there is much
more division within each party than
between the two parties.
The main slogan of the Republican
Party today is Prosperity" But
reality shows depression and unem-
ployment. The main slogan of the
Democratic Party is: Honesty in
Government" But reality shows at
least as much corruption on the party
of Democrats as on that of the Re-
publicans. Tammany Hall can sue
cessfully compete in corruption with
Teapot Dome.
There are several classes combined
in each of these parties. Both still
mirror in many respects the old sec
tional and regional groupings of the
country, but in both there is an out
spoken, decisive dominance of finance
capital. Both are one of the basic
issues: the oppression of the working
class, the maintenance of the exploit
tatiOn of the workers and working
farmers, and the robber policies
against the colonies and semi-colonies
of American Imperialism.
The group of so-called Progressives
is by-no means better than the Re-
publican "Old Guard" of the Demo
cratic heroes of Tammany Hall and
the "solid" South. In 1924 the bulk
of the so-called progressive group
supported the LaFollette movement,
which betrayed the interests of the
working class and the working far
mers and helped to lead into peace
full channels the discomfort of the
masses. In 1926 the attitude of the
so-called Progressives is still more
cowardly. They have even deserted
the idea of third party, and have
gone back meekly into the old capt.
talist parties. Senator Wheeler came
out openly in support of AL Smith
who is the embodiment of the new
Tammany Hall, who is the hero of the
labor-smashing policies in the needle
trades. Senators Borah and Norris
and their Republican colleagues are
equally untrustworthy. Borah's emp
ty gesture of "outlawing" war serves
only as a cover for Kellogg's imperi-
alist wars and war preparations. SEN
ator Shipstead, who still usurps the
name of Farmer-Laborite, is betray-
ing the interests of the workers and
exploited farmers in the most shame
less way, is supporting the anti-labor
injunction policies of the courts and
the Nicaraguan war. These "progres
sive" Senators and Congressman are
in many respects more dangerous en-
emies of the workers and working
farmers than the official Spokesman
of big business, because they hide
their capitalist face and create illu-
sions in the minds of the masses. All
these PrOgressives and semi-Progres-
sives serve as group of the pesent
capitalist society and must be COM
batted by all honest workers and far
mers.
The official leadership of the trade
unions, the whole bureaucracy of the
American Federation OF Labor, is to-
day part and parcel of American i'm
perialism. Under the leadership of
the most corrupt trade-union bureau
cracy in the world the A. f. of L. has
become a mere organization of the la
Dor aristocracy, an instrument of
class collaboration with the bosses in
stead of means of struggle against