The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-09-12
The Most Burning Question -
Unity Of action

By Burck
BY Bella KUN

whose leaders Gottwald and Kopetzki we're perse-
cuted by the SocialDemocratic Minister Of Justice,
nevertheless in spite Of everything offers unity Of
action together with the Social-Democratic Party
against the bourgeoisie If the dead bodies of Rosa
Luxembourg and Karl Lebknecht and so many tens
Of thousands of proletarians who were the victims
of Noske and similar Social-D Democratic leaders, do
not keep the Communists from joint action to-
gether with US when it is question of warding
off the fascist danger of the struggle against fas
cism why then should the hard words once spoken
against our leaders keep us from common struggle
together with the Communists"
This is the least which would have answered
my leaders had been Social-Democratic worker.
"THE SECOND INTERNATIONAL DOES NOT
PERMIT. -"
In It's letter of July 10 published in LIE PeupIe)
the Central Committee of the Belgian Labor Party
rejected the united front proposal of the Commu-
mist Party with the following argument:
ut is, however impossible to contemplate the
formation of the united front which you have
proposed to us. The Socialist and Labor Inter
national has made distinct proposals to the Com
munist International. We are therefore of the
opinion that is the business of these two author
tiles, upon which dependent to bring about
the agreement which is required"
In answer to this al-Democratic worker
should say to his party comrades:
Have you ever noticed that our party was de-
pendent in its decisions upon the Second Interna-
tional? In all articles by Vandervelde in party
newspaper have always read that it is only the
Communist Parties which are dependent upon their
International in Moscow. I cannot even now I'M
derstand why it is that Social-Democratic Party
friends in France are able to enter into common
struggle with the French Communists against fas-
cism, against the dangers of the day, whereas we
in Relp1lrn not tn do co oil
have heard is that we Social-Democrats, in
contrast 10 the Communists do not let our tactics
be dictated to us from outside, but decide them
ourselves in accordance with the conditions in
own country. I even read article in LIE Peuple
of July 49, translated from the central organ of
Dutch social-Democracy, Het voIk, in which the
same idea is expressed
eve suppose that there is single Socialist
in the world who would not be ready most cor
daily to welcome the unity of all Socialist Parties
But that is not the point. We must face reality
and seek for of changing the present
situation in which the working class is split and
of forging the unity of the working class. These
differ in every country"
THE Communist International also said in its
appeal that the question of unity of action should
be solved in accordance with the eeculiarities of
the various countries and parties.
DIPLOMATIC sUBTERFUGE"
when then does my party invoke the decision
of the Socialist and Labor International, which
forbds all sections of the SocialDemocratic Inter-
national to negotiate with the Communist Parties?
They should not play diplomatic tricks with us So
cial-Democratic workers. In France it is permitted,
but in Belgium it is forbidden could have I'M
derstood it if our Belgian party leaders had de-
manded other conditions, other slogans than in
France; but cannot understand why they should
reject the offer of the Communists Internationally.
It ought to be openly stated whether party lead
want unity of action against the bourgeosie with
the Communists with all workers. or whether they
do not Diplomatic subterfuge, however, should be
used by them against the class enemy and not
against members of their own party.
81 am heart and soul on the side of proletarian
internatonalsm I am an enemy of nationslism,
for during the imperiast war I have learned, from
my own personal experience that the defense of
the nation in capitalist state is the defense of the
interests of the ruling class. But it is fine sort
of proletarian internationalism' if it means that
unity of action for combating the international
danger of fascism and imperialist war is interna-
tionally forbidden"
ITO Be Continued