The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-11-08

rouse the suspicion OF even those
workers who are politically only
half-conscious. From Portland,
Maine, to Portland, oregon, and
from the Great Lakes to the Gulf,
the capitalist newspapers have
been singing the virtues Of Norman
Thomas. He has been hailed as
the peer" of the greatest living
statesmen of the Republican and
Democratic parties. The ruling
classes have been assured that he
is a perfect type of the "well-born,
well-bred ariStocrat" who can be
absolutely depended upon to be
safe and sane"
If Norman Thomas is not yet
full-fledged member Of that secret
coalition which is the real ruling
power in America, he is at least
one of its most prominent candi-
dates for membership. BY birth,
training, political convictions and
activities, he is destined to that
end. In England, he would inevi-
tably be one of the Kings Privy
Councillors. In America, he be-
comes the leader Of the third party
Of capitalism.
What is the role Of Norman
Thomas that makes him SO valu-
able to the capitalist class? 2
1t is to persuade the rebelling
workers, in the name of socialism,
to accept capitalist policy as the
lesser evil"
1t is to secure submission to
capitalist violence, in the name of
peaceful transition to socialism.
1t is to absolve the capitalists
from responsibility for the devel-
opment of fascism and to throw
this responsibility over on to the
workers, who. by resisting the cap
italist attacks, are charged with
provoking the development Of fas-
cism."
1t is to prepare the workers for
participation in the coming i'm
perialist war, under the mask of a
treacherous pacifism.
1t is to mask the capitalist die
tatorship by a Qualification of the
thoroughly corrupt American dem
ocracy.
1t is to head off the mass sup
port of the workers for the Soviet
Union by repeating the vilest CAPT
talist ISLANDERS, cunningly concealed
in hypocritical declarations of SYM
pathy.
It is to prevent the workers who
are disillusioned with capitalism
and its two open parties from 60
ing over to the Communist Party.
1t is to prevent the revolution
airy overthrow of capitalism which
is the necessary pre-condition to
the establishment of socialist So
ciety in America.
CAPITALISM OR COMMUNISM
ONLY REAL ISSUE
In this campaign the only prin-
cipled political struggle has been
that between the Communist Party
on the one side and the Repub-
lican, Democratic and Socialist
parties on the other side.
The unity of the three capitalist
parties is most sharply brought
out in their common struggle
against the Communist Party.
Their division of labor is best ex-
pressed in the fact that the main
work Of combating Communism is
assigned to the Socialist Party.
The only issue of principle in
this campaign is the issue of CAPT
taliSm versus socialism.
Tht Socialist Party speaks Of
socialism only in order to betray
it. 1t enters the struggles of the
workers and oppressed peoples
only in order to break up these
struggles and betray them to the
enemy.
History has sufficiently proved
who it is that really fights for So
cialism and who fights against it.
Fifteen years ago the Communist
Party came into power in Russia.
Fourteen years ago the Socialist
Party came into power in Ger
many. Compare the results COM
ing out Of these two almost sim
Infamous tests of the two lines of
policy.
In Germany the socialists de-
clared, with the support of Norman
Thomas and the entire Second In
ternational that it was impossible
to establish socialism on the basis
OF a ruined capitalist industry.
Upon the basis of this theory, they
proceeded to re-establish capital
ism in Germany, step by step to
hand back to the capitalist class
all the gains that had been made
through the revolution by the
workers, and finally to hand over
to German capitalism the last yes
tiges of the democratic achieve
ments OF the revolution. When,
last spring, German Social-Democ-
racy threw all of its strength be-
hind the presidential candidates OF
the most reactionary sections OF
the German bo3useoiMs. Won Hp-,