The daily worker., 1930-10-18
By vERN SMITH

IN Cnose last phases o. CO. .cy
before the mask is thrown off and the real
rulers appear in black shirts of fascism, it
becomes increasingly difficult to fool an
awakening proletariat. The regular capitalist
parties are found out and the company union
lied trade unions are no longer as influential.
In all countries then there is place for
progressive opposition" for social democracy,
even left wing social democracy, to carry on
the fake little longer, and put off the day
when all pretense has to be dropped and open
capitalist dictatorship established, if it can be
established, on the eve of a proletarian insur-
recton.
In America this particular function of a
cleft opposition" pretending hostility on the
one hand to capitalism but never doing any
thing against it, and on the other hand, pre-
tending fairness to the real revolutionary
movement of Communism, but waging a cease
less and treacherous war on it, is taken by the
Music movement. In the political field it is
socialist, and there is even, closely hooked up
with the Music union movement, new cleft"
socialism.
States It's Program.
The Music movement in its present self
conscious and organized forms got under way
about two years ago, and now, because the Oc-
tober issue of its official organ, the Labor
Age, contains general review of its national
conference ("Conference for Progressive La
Dor Action") just held, and because the same
magazine contains authoritative articles on the
occasion of the "golden jubilee" convention
Oct. of the A. F. of L., giving the Musteite
formal philosophy in detail, it is time to take
some notice of it again.
The Musteites, like the liberal capitalist
press, recognize that the A. F. Of L. official
policy of lying about increased membership
when membership is falling, and claiming vic
tories when there are only defeats, is about
played out. 1t doesn't fool any longer. So
they bid for confidence of the masses by ad-
mtting the obvious. They go even so far as
to admit editorially that the Music union, the
United Textile Workers, made dubious set
tlement' at Elizabethton, where the way was
opened for the rayon company to build COM
pany union under the very nose of the U. T.
w." Editorial, Page y.
Betrayal of Confidence.
But they use this confidence to claim sup
port OF workers for continued u. T. w. in
trigue in the South including the misleader-
ship of the rank and file strike at Danville
William L. Num-, liberal college professor,
proves clearly and ably the crushing effect of
the crisis and uses the confidence won by this
to propose "third political party to head
off revolutionary organization or action He
ends his article: f
"The issue is clear cut one. AS to whether
this opposition rehabilitation due to the
crisis) will be revolutionary or evolutionary
depends on the ability of us who favor evolu-
tionary reform to mobilize. If we wish it to
be evolutionary change, by means of a third
political party, the opportunity must be
seized" ~
More Evolution.
David j. Saposs does the same for the A. F.
L. He tells of its" decline and loss of infu-
ence and he proposes, not the militant unions
OF the 7. U. U. L., but "a completely round
out labor movement. That means, trade union,
political cooperation, fratsrnal, sport, educa-
tional, dramatic organization" /. e., evolution
ary reform to stave off radical organization
The magazine prints symposium on the
past and future of the A. F. l.. in which John
r. Commons tells you that the A. F. L. is
fitted to American conditions and that no
labor movement can cure unemployment In
this symposium B. G. Vladeck. manager of the