The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-07-22
BY NATHANIEL BUCHwALD.

y italist party conventions are ira
ditionally bombastic and dull, but
this years crop make good read
ing, particularly if you read be-
tween the lines. Despite their at
tempts at composure, the keynoters,
spell-binders and platform makers
of the capitalist conventions of
1882 betray much nervousness and
anxiety over the outcome of the
present crisis of capitalism.
Over and above the details of
shifting the burden of the crisis
upon the masses looms the ques-
ton of the survival of the capital
list system and-the spectre of it's
revolutionary alternative. Bourg-
geois and social-fascist politicians
alike are fully aware of the basic
crisis in the history of the world
today: the system of capitalism at
grips with the system of socialism.
which of the two ssytems will pre-
vail? This is the question upper
most in the minds of these political
spokesman of capitalism. All their
talk about fighting and overcoming
the depression" rings with over
tones of anguish-the anguish of
the doomed. The fear of socialism
has become the nightmare of the
political seers of capitalism.
ONE FEAR WITH MANY
NAMES
just as pious folk fear the men,
ton Of the devils name, so these
devotees Of the profit system use
various round about ways to de-
scribe the forces of revolt against
capitalism. But whether they can
1t "radicalism" or wild radical
ISM (Roosevelt) or emotional in
stability" (Dickinson) or "ugly
class struggles" (Hillquit), they all
mean the same thing: the revolu-
tionary way out of the capitalist
crisis, worldwide struggle for the
abolition of capitalism and the es-
tablishment of the dictatorship of
the proletariat as the way toward
socialism. They have a choice col
lection Of cuSs words to designate
the revolutionary movement and
the spontaneous struggles against
the system Of plumber and oppres-
sion. They call it "riots" and
"bloodshed" and violence" but in
their own minds the spokesman of
capitalism are quite clear about the
nature of the struggle, even if
some of them may pretend to be
over-optimistic about its outcome.
The Republican keynoter Dickin-
son sums up this alignment of
class forces in the following words:
., With courage and confidence
in ultimate success we will strike
at the forces that strike at our
social and economic ideals, our
political institutions"
Bearing in mind that capitalism
Is generally called by it's servants
all kinds Of nice and caressing
names, such as "our social and
economic ideals" american cher
ished ideals and principles" we
can see that the keynote speech
of Mr.. Dickinson poses the quest
ion quite bluntly: class against
class, capitalism against the for ii
ces that strike at its ideals"
Senator Walsh, permanent chair
man of the Democratic conven-
ton, went straight to the heart
of the crisis in his notification
speech:
THE QUESTION THAT HAUNTS
THE CAPITALISTS
can eminent American journal
list, returning from Europe some
months ago, said that while in
America the question is asked:
when will the depression end?,
in Europe the question is asked:
can capitalism survivor, mean
ing the prevailing economic sys-
tenn. If it can or does, it will
be only by its more complete de-
mocratization. If it totters now,
it will be because of the abuses
which have been developed in it,"
Notice the uncertainty in the
mind of the Democratic spokes-
man: "if it can or does" eff it
totters." The question tormenting
the capitalists and their social
fascist hangers-on in Europe is
also haunting the class for which
Mr.. Walsh speaks: can and will
capitalism survive?
Even the Republicans who at the
risk of appearing ludicrous praised
Hoover's success" in fighting the
depression, were forced to admit
the widespread misery OF the I'M
employed, the farmers and the pet
ty bourgeoisie.
Their assertion that it might
have been worse If not for Hoover
may be intended as a publicity for
the Republican candidate, but it
certainly is a poor argument for
capitalism, for those ideals" that
Hoover promulgated in his policy
of starvation. Nor can the defend
ers of capitalism derive much COM
fort from blaming the crisis in
America upon world conditions"
for those world conditions are also
part and parcel of the capitalist
system Of which American capit-
alism has been one of the MAIN