The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-09-03
The Birthday of the American
Communist Party

Our American Communist Party is nine
years old today.
On September 1, 1919, at Chicago, the con-
ventions of the revolutionary former mem
bers of the socialist party brought into exist
ence the two Communist organizations which
by a process of struggle and consolidation
constituted our American section of the Com
munist international.
The World War had revealed the rotten
ness of the Second international, the treach-
erous role of its leadership through which
each national section had been made an in
strument of ''its own" capitalist government
in support of the rival imperialist aims.
Small indeed was the number Of leaders that
remained true to the revolutionary views of
Marx and Engels. At the head of these few
was the leader of the Bolshevik wing Of the
Russian social-democratic movement, Vladi-
mir Iych Lenin Only the Bolshevik Party
of the Russian Czarist Empire had at that
time the revolutionary MARKHAM character
necessary to meet the situation. Lenin's slo-
gan, Transform the Imperialist War into
Civil War against the Capitalist Class his
slogan which undertook to rally the working
class of each capitalist country for the defeat
of its own capitalist government-had sue
~cessful results at the time only in one imper-
alist land. But the founding of the first
socialist republic followed.
In all countries including the United
On oJ,14io
had the effect which Lenin knew it would
have. The general exposure of the oppor-
tunism long cultivated in all social-democratlc
parties by corrupted, careerist leaders to
whom the revolutionary teachings of Marx
and Engels had become nothing more than
'indiscretions, this exposure together with
the living example of revolutionary MarXism
in action really overthrowing the capitalist
state and forming the Soviet Republic-could
only result in the Qualification and solidifi
cation of Revolutionary Marxism throughout
the world
From the first news of the treason of the
Second International leaders on August 4,
1914, Lenin raised the slogan of the found
ing of the new international of the revolu-
tionary proletariat, and the founding of the
Communist International quickened the proc
ess of qualification of the left wing of the
social-democratic parties in all countries.
At first taking advantage of conditions in
the United States which delayed the entry of
the Wall Street government into the War,
and later with empty words of pretended
friendliness to the Communist international,
for the joining of which they were going to
negotiate" the Hillquits and Bergers of the
American socialist party were driven soon to
open alliance with the police and the capital
ist class which is now so clearly visible
A fact often lost sight Of is that the great
bulk of the socialist party of this country left
or was thrown out of that party in the strug-
gle of the treacherous leaders to hold their
positions and to crush all revolutionary tend
encies. The American capitalist government
was able by a wave Of police terror to drive
the newly formed Communist parties out of
open existence, and thus out of mass contact
since the Communists could not then master
the art of mass contact despite illegality.
Thus the two Communist parties were re-
duced to small proportions after the mass of
the socialist party membership had quit the
opportunist leaders.
Under the influence of the Communist
international the extreme sectarian tenden-
cies were slowly eradicated and the two