The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-05
On the
World Front
by HARRY CANNES -
Socialism Via Parliament
Labor Party Schemes


like a pill so that it works
while they sleep, is seriously
proposed by the British La
Dor Party. The ruins of the
so-called Socialist" construction Of
Vienna apartments and cooperatives
within the framework of the capt.
talist state still rest on the corpses
of many workers buried in their
cellars; and the British Labor Party
has the nerve to come before the
workers and offer a still more hypo-
critical scheme.
Socialist construction in the
Soviet Union has won the sympathy
of the majority of the British work.
ers, and for that reason the Labor
Party leaders, in preparation for,
the next parliamentary elections, are
forced to come out with their
scheme pretending to offer the
workers immediate socialism if they
are victorious in the elections.
MANY years ago Lenin analysed
IVA the basis for the brazen hypoc-
risy of the British Labor Party lead
ers. He pointed out that the Mac
Donalds, the Hendersons, and
Thomases were the out-and-out
agents of British imperialism. Mac
Donald has since completely gone
over into the camp of the conserva-
tives. Mosely, for example, has be-
come the Fascist leader. These lead
erS, masquerading as fighters for
labor, while in reality being tied by
thousand threads to the whole
bloody policy of British imperial
ism, are forced to act like the vilest
hypocrites.
The workers want socialism. That
is the only way the British Labor
Party leaders believe they can win
the majority of the workers behind
them in the next elections. Now
the problem for them is how to
preserve the interests of British i'm
perialism of the colonial slave-hold-
ers, of the big landlords, and the
trust owners and bankers, and at
the same time make the workers
believe they will get socialism.
The first thing, of course, is to
keep the worker from organizing
and fighting for socialism.
TWO different views were offered
1 the convention, one a socalled
left" and the other the official view.
The "lefts' proposed outright con-
fiscation, but still within the charm
ed circle of capitalist parliamentary
government The official view, which
was overwhelmingly adopted, pro-
posed guaranteeing to the exploiters
the fruits of the exploitation of la
Dor by paying them for the taking
over Of industry.
Public acquisition will involve the
payment of fair compensation to
the existing owners, but thereafter
they will have no further part in
the control, management, finances
or policy of the publicly owned con-
cern," said the resolution.
THE capitalist state will be left in
tact. The king will remain, the
House of Lords will remain, the
capitalist parliament will remain, all
of the oppressive forces of the cap
itaist class will remain. The state
(the capitalist dictatorship which in
sures their domination) will not be
touched in the slightest. Stocks will
be issued to all of the parasites, and
industry will become state-owned,
with profits paid regularly to the
exploiters.
NOW let us see the lessons of Ger
II many and Austria. There too the
Socialist Parties, very powerful, were
even more radical" in their pursuit
of peaceful socialism. In Austria,
especially, they had armed forces to
protect" their peaceful advent into
socialism. But there was only ono
hitch, and that was the Dictator
ship of the capitalist class, the state.
When the capitalists thought the
threat of socialism" was real, they
organized their fascist hordes, des-
troyed their So-called democratic
parliaments and left the workers
organizations in a mass of ruins
except, of course, the Communist
Party which had forseen the role Of
the capitalist state and had warned
the workers against the treacher-
GUS role of the Socialists, preparing
for continuing the real struggle for
socialism by the overthrow of the
capitalist state and the establish.
ment of the proletarian dictatorship.
|
IN their scheme of socialism, with
out the elimination of capitalist
class, the British Labor Party lead
ers, of course, expect to keep intact
the whole colonial empire of British
imperialism.
With fascism raising its ugly head
everywhere, with the British ma
tional government nuturing the
Mosley fascist movement, the British
Labor Party comes to the rescue Of
the exploiting class by offering to
disarm the working class and pre-
vent any struggle for the actual re-
alization of socialism.
THIS is the class role of the So
cialist leaders expressed more
openly in Britain than in any other
country. They promise the work.
ers immediate socialism on assump-
| ton of posts in his Maiesty's gov
eminent. They tell the workers
| merely tn vote for then, and then