The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-01-17
Chicago Program
f ollous Line of
Amsterdam Meet

Young Peoples Socialist League and
the Socialist Party In this they
followed the example set for them
by the leadership of the Second
International in its attitude to-
wards the Amsterdam World Con-
gress.
In order to detract the student
masses from support of the Chi
cago congress, they hurriedly cal
led their own conference in New
York. The T. L. D. also warned all
their college chapters against sup
porting the Chicago congress be-
cause of It's Communist character.
The leadership of the Y. P. S. L.
also tried to influence their fol-
lowers against participation. De-
spite the position of the leaders
however, a number of Y. P. S. L.
branches elected fraternal dele
gates, and many members of the
L. I. D., Y. P. S. L. and Socialist
Party supported the congress and
were elected as delegates.
MIsLEADERs FORCED
TO SHIFT TACTICS.
The tremendous mass response
to the congress, plus the rank and
file revolt inside the ranks of the
socialist organizations, forced the
leadership to make an eleven. hour
about-face. A number of socialist
leaders (Sweetland, Luxumburg)
came as delegates to the congress
and others (Most, Porter were
there to try to control the social
list delegates and to give the APP
pearance of being in favor Of unity.
The National Executive Committee
of the Y P. S. L. also sent a some
what belated wire of support to
the congress. Those students who
hell any naive illusions as to the
sincerity OF these last minute
changes of heart soon learned bet
ter.
The real reason for their partici-
patton became obvious. They we're
there to hinder in every way the,
adoption of a united program based
on militant action. They were
there to give objective aid to paci-
fism-to the conception that peace
is possible under capitalism. To
crown their work, they were there
to split the congress and demoralize
the honest elements seeking unity
in the struggle against war.
THEIR first fight in the congress
i was against the adoption Of the
pledge of the Amsterdam Congress
and against cooperation with its
American committee. On this QueS-
ton they were in such a hopeless
minority that they were forced to
give up the fight.
TRIED TO DEFEND
LEAGUE OF NATIONS.
They next fought against the
paragraph in the proposed program
which rejected the League of Ma
tions, Disarmament Conference and
Kellogg Pact as instruments in
fighting war These so-called
"Marxists" could not accept the
conclusion of the paragraph that:
1T is absurd to expect these powers
Gnlperialist) to establish peace
among themselves" When In the
ensuing debate their position was
exposed their final defense was:
Even If it cannot stop war, it was
the League of Nations that gave
Litvinoff the opportunity to present
his proposals for complete disarma-
ment."
AS opposed to the stand of the
congress for support of the revofu
tionary struggles of the colonial
peoples for national liberation from
imperialism, they proposed the en-
dorsement of the program of the
Indian National Congress and
Gandhis theory Of passive resist
ance.
When a delegate, member of the
Young Communist League proposed
an amendment to the program
warning the students against
repetition of the betrayal of the
Second International and other
corrupted working class leaders in
August 1914, the socialist leaders
we're furious 1t was on this issue
that they tried to muster their
forces for split.
The mass of student delegates,
including the rank and file social