The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-12-19
BY S. A. DARCY.
Article l.

COMMUNISTS participate in parliamentary
elections with only one central view-to
destroy the illusions of the workers in bour-
geois parliaments and using parliamentary
tribunes and elections campaigns to win them
for revolutionary struggle. The utility of
parliaments to the bourgeoisie lies In this very
thing; namely, that it is the screen with which
1t tries to cover its class rule. Because of this
very fact an opposition" necessarily harm
less one for the bourgeoisie) within parliament
is always necessary, that is, an Opposition"
which has the appearance of representing the
protest of the masses. The bourgeoisie use
the Opposition" in order to turn the masses
away from revolutionary action and towards
the harmless safety gauge which lets off
steam in loud speeches and keeps the machine
from blowing up.
In period of sharpening struggle of the
oppressed masses the parliamentary opposi-
ton" therefore becomes most useful-and in
versely exactly at such a time the sharpest
attack of our Party must be against parlia-
nents in general and this so-called opposition
in particular. In the United States the So
cialist party is being groomed by the bour-
geosie to play the role of the safety gauge.
If we examine our election campaign we must
do so from this basic consideration.
The election campaign showed that the
Comintern line is not being fully applied in
our work. What were the evidences of this :?
The outstanding evidence was that in the
final note, the candidate for mayor on the
Communist ticket ran behind all other can
didates. This can be attributed chiefly to the
fact that many close sympathizers voted for
Thomas, thereby evidencing unclarity as to
the counter-revolutionary role of Thomas. 1t
would be of little use to us to approach the
question in the manner of the Lovestoneites,
namely, that the strength of capitalism makes
the masses of workers reformist, that we are
"stalwart leaders" and shut our eyes to every
thing else. 1t is true that Thomas vote was
silk stocking" vote but no one can deny that
many workers voted for him. Only the frank
est and sharpest self-criticism can expose the
cause for this situation and overcome the diff
ficuties with which we are faced. OF course
we had additional enemies to fight in this cam
paign. The attempts of the Lovestoneites to
undermine the Party among the workers had
to be counteracted. But thorough feminist
self-criticism is very necessary in order to
strengthen the Party in its future campaigns.
Some Characteristics of the Present Period.
Under what circumstances did this CAM
paign occur? 1t took place at time when
the new role of the socialist party was be-
ginning to find organizational expression in
that certain left bourgeois papers took up the
struggle for Thomas; that Lamont of the
House Of Morgan established connections with
Norman Thomas through the endorsement of
the socialist candidate by his son; that Fos-
dick endorsed Thomas, thereby establishing
connections for the House of Rockefeller; that
the public schools, the Movetone and all the
other facilities of bourgeoisie propaganda
were turned over to Thomas in order that he
might properly perform his role which was