The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-25
Ex-SOcialists
Give Reasons
For Resigning.
Wicks and Bush Assert
Reactoinary Policy
Forced Them Out

NEW YORK.-In a statement to
the Daily Worker denouncing So
cialist leadership for its refusal to
fight the New Deal" for its sup
preston of revolutionary rank and
file activity, and for its sabotage
of Communist united front propo-
sails, Paul Wicks and Carroll Bush
explained today why they left the
Massachusetts Socialist Party to
join the Communist Party. Wicks,
who like Bush was a leading So
cialist until recently, is now run
ming for Senator on the Communist
ticket.
Wicks and Bush left the Social
list Party after fighting within its
ranks for more than a year to bring
about united front activity with
Communists on various issues.
Leaders Completely Exposed
Their statement declared:
"Our recent resignation from
the Socialist Party was the result
of the party's leadership COM
pIetely exposing themselves at
the state convention held in New
Bedford, Mass. We came to the
realization that no honest and
sincere worker who was aware of
this demagogy could remain
within the ranks of the Socialist
Party. This action came on top
of the recent national convention
where the so-called Ieft-wing,'
led by Norman Thomas and Dan
Hoan, secured the adoption of a
resolution calling upon the So
ciaIist Party to take power if the
capitalist system should break
down, and also several other ifs
were placed in this resolution.
Imagine a party having to prom
Use that If the capitalists should
give up the ship of state that they
Socialist Party would then take
it over and establish Socialism.
This was supposed to be a very
militant stand, but Rev. Norman
lhOAudS anu OdJu fiAC PSA
fectIy safe in being in accord with
this stand. 1t does not cost them
anything because such a state of
affairs which presupposes this
action is beyond the realm of
possibility.
with the coming of the new
deal our eyes were opened to the
misleadership of the Socialist
Party. Thomas, hailing the new
deal as "a step toward Socialism
and the favorable attitude taken
by our state leaders brought fore
IDLY to our attention that these
leaders were following the foot
steps of Ramsay Macdonald and
Otto Wells. In a letter to Com
rade Wicks concerning the N. X.
A., Alfred Baker Lewis, State
Secretary of the Massachusetts,
Socialist Party, made the follow
ing statement:
SOCIALIST HEAD BACKS N.R.A
ct would also like to get clearly
from you just what you mean by
being opposed to the N. /. Il. A.
1t has resulted in reducing
the hours of labor and increased
wages for some people. 1t seems
to me that our attitude toward
that should be the same as our
attitude toward other reforms;
namely, we should welcome them
as a step and criticize them as
being only a step in the right di-
rection. But in all this l see
no special attack on nor any
special necessity for attacking
the N. /. r.. A. any more than in
the sense in which we attack any
other capitalist reform, namely,
that it does not go far enough
'What putrid facts to give to
workers suffering from cuts in
wages under the N. r. A. "A
step in the right direction says
Lewis, showing himself as follow
ing the footsteps of Noske,
Scheideman and other prominent
SociaI-Fascists.
"The Socialist Party leaders alb
solutely sabotaged the united
front proposals of the Communist
Party, afraid that the rank and
file of the party would become in
fected with the revolutionary fer
vor of the Communists. Revolu-
tionary fervor is not encouraged
in the Socialist Party; If it were,
the misleaders would be thrown
out.
1--WE appeal to our friends in
! the Socialist Party, and among