The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-12-11

NlCaliS4lis StSs
No one can doubt that the present struggles
could have developed only through determined
attempt on the part of the Tampa comrades to
overcome these opportunist tendencies. The
more organized character OF the work and the
orientation towards the shops led In the last
couple of months to the launching OF the Tampa
Tobacco Workers Industrial Union and Is I'M
doubleday responsible for the firrnneSS of the
present struggle The Importance and value OF
the unemployed work can be gathered from the
fact that when the workers committee went TO
the mayor for permit for the Nov. meeting,
he demanded that above all they stop these
unemployed demonstrations"
1t would be foolish to claim however that in
such short time all these deviatons have besn
overcome 1t is precisely in the course Of strug-
gle, however that opportunist tendencies can be
deciSively overcome, and. 1t is also precisely In
the course of struggle that opportunist tenden-
cieS constitute the greatest danger and must be
fought with the utmost ruthleSsness.
1t is in this connection that 1t might be well to
mention the letter sent by leading comrades In
Tampa to the Havana (bourgeoS) Diario del
Matino. we need not quarrel about whether 1t
is fitting to use such phrases as your esteemed
journal" since they are after all more or less
conventional, but it is unquestionabIy incorrect
that we are only fighting for our constitutional
rights" statement which might be made by
any bourgeois liberal. The Communist Party
fights for all the basic rights of the workers
some OF which--the right OF free speech of free
asSemblage ,etc-are contained in the constitu-
ton, but it knows what nlockery such CON
st1tutonal rights" are under capitalism, and 1t is
necessary to bring out the class position; to show
that the Party fights for much more than ecoa1-
Stitutional rights"-that it fights against wage
cuts, for Unemployment insurance and for i'm
mediate relief, for defense of the Soviet Union
1t was for these demands that the Nov meet
ing was organized 1t is when the workers want
to use their Constitutional rights for their cIzss
aims that the bosses reply with fascist attacks
stsootings, fran1e-ups and raids and this should
have been brought out in the Letter. To say less
than this is unquestionably opportunist-
less OF whether the bourgeois journal would print
our letter or not
The lying provocation OF the Tampa police
and the false charges of assault with intent to
Kill" on which they holding II workers In
prison as a result of the police and fascist at
tack on the Nov. demonstration, should draw
the special attention OF the Tampa comrades to
leftiSt" errors Of individualsn1 and playing with
revolutionary phrases. The position OF the Com
munist Party on armed demonstrations is well
known To quote from an article by Comrade
Alfred In the September Communist IritefnA-
tional: "The slogan OF an armed demonstration
means the same thing as the general slogan OF
the arming Of the proletariat To raise the
slogan of an armed demonstration without any
anticipation Of a speedy transformation into Al,
armed revolt and before the pre-conditiors for |.
successful revolt exist is to be guilty OF playing
with revolution (our bold face-N. 81. II GER
tain Impatient elements demand the arrirz OF
demonstrators, it is necessary to look carefully
TO see whether there Is not an attitude Of panic
behind the demand" FL ~ cc-,-9rc q.
What Is the role of the present political pro.
test strike movement in Tampa7 The political
protest strike was undoubtedly the correct tactic
to use to mobilize the masses against the frame
up. Owing to certain historical conditions and
the close association OF the Spanish speaking
workers with the anti-imperialist revolutionary
movement of Latln-America, they are more con-
Sc1ous politically, more familiar with forms of
political action than most American workers
But can we say, since a political protest strike
Is more advanced stage than purely economic
strike, that the movement is more advanced Is
more revolutionary in Tampa than in the rest
OF the country, that it has advanced beyond the
stage Of economic strikes? No, it would be i'm
possible to say this This would be a "leftist"
error of the worst kind. The movement In
Tampa cannot be carried forward indefinitely
on the basis of a series of protest strikes. It
has not yet rooted itself sufficiently in the every
day life Of the workers The workers have not
yet learned from experience that even the small
est struggle against the boss or for crumb of
unemployment relief can only be won through
revolutionary organization under the leadership
OF the Trade Union Unity League and the Com
murist Party. Above ALL the movement Is still
limited largely to the Spanish speaking workers
and has not yet drawn in the native American
workers and the Negroes
To nave refused TO utilize the tactic of the
political protest strike would have been the
height OF dogmatic stupidity. But the key TO
the entire situation now, the point by which the
mass movement Will either grow or die down,
Is the linking up OF the struggle with the econ
ornic demands the bringing Of tbs eoonorais
demands to the fosefront and developing a
broad nass-strthe movement, against wage
cuts and speed-up In the shops, uniting 1t with
the militant struggle OF the unemployed work
ers for unemployment insurance and immediate
relief and embracing the native Americas white
and Negro workers This is the only way In
which the struggle can attain secure and psr-
nanent base in Tampa and defeat the terror Of
the bosses and the government
The Tampa factories are now about to close
down Tor month or so for their customary
yearly stocktaking. The workers of Tampa must
prepare now TO find the factories re-opening with
hand-work replaced by machinery, with the
bosses attempting to replace the spanish-speak-
ing workers by American white and Negro and
women workers at lower wages, with general
vage-cut--in other words with . sharp inten-
sficatob Of the wr,njs y,Sxcoxr xt,X.,. xx,~ H-.~