The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-14
Problems Of the Struggle for the United Front

The increasingly sharp attacks against the
workers raise more insistently than ever the
necessity of establishment of the working class
fighting front to resist these attacks and to
win the demands Of the workers The work
ing class in the United States is still largely
unorganized That part which is organized is
largely under the influence of the A. F. of L.
bureaucracy, which keeps it split up in innum-
cradle ways by craft divisions, by discrimina-
tons against the Negroes and foreign-born.
by divisions between the skilled and unskilled
etc. That smaller section which has begun to
question the capitalist system Is further divided
between the leadership of the Socialist Party
and the Communist Party while a considerable
section stands aside, still beWildered by these
divisions and the problems it does not yet under
stand, and further confused by the shouts of
those small but active groups, the renegades
from Communism, the Musteites, etc.
What is the road to working class unity in
the midst of all this disorganization and con-
fusion? The A. p. of L. and Socialist leaders
shout that the Communists are spltters and
disrupters This charge is repeated by the
renegades and the Musteites The capitalist
press is especially active in spreading this ex-
PLANTATION of the divisions among the workers
According to them, if the Communist Party
could only suddenly be abolished, the working
class would find itself miraculousy united and
happily on the road to the solution of Its
problems.
These gentlemen will excuse us If we cannot
accept their version of the problem of work.
ing class unity. We cannot achieve the united
'front.' OF the auto workers under the leadership
OF William Green and the A. F. of L., for ex-
ample IN the fight against the recent sell-out
ana legallzation of company unions, because il
was precisely William Green who signed his
name to that sell-out, and who is using all his
eHofts 10 prevent the workers struggle agains
1t. We cannot get the United Front of the
steel workers to fight against the monstrous
steel code under the leadership of William Green
and the other A. F. of L. bureaucrats, because
Green is one of the sponsors of this code. We
can't build the united front under the A. F
OF L. and s. P. leaders in the fight for I'M
employment insurance, the Workers Bill Oh r
1898, and give their support to the Wagner
Bill, which is refusal OF unemployment in
surance. We can't have the united front led
by these gentlemen and the Negro reformists
for Negro rights because it is precisely thew
who deny the rights to the Negroes in the trade
unions, who declare the Negroes themselves pro
A united front with Norman Thomas and S. p
leaders to develop strike struggles of the work.
ers would be Immediately wrecked by the state
ment of Norman Thomas Nov is not the time
to strike" No, it is clear, unity behind these
gentlemen means united surrender to the
capitalist attacks. That is not the kind OF
unity the workers need We need a united
lighting front of the workers against the capi-
talists and all their agents But that means
that unity must be built up, not with these lead
ers, but against them. That means not a united
'front.' from the top but united front built uE
by the workers from below in the organization
and struggle for their immediate needs.
The Communists set no conditions 70 thf
united front except that the unity shall be
one OF struggle for the particular demand,
agreed upon. But on this condition we must
% sternly insistent. Sometimes we find people
VINO want to make united front with us ir
WORDS but who seriously hesitate to carry il