The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-12
decisive leadership without isolating
these radical phrasemongers.
Mistakes in the Struggle Against 4
RefOrmists

Reformists ~
There was hesitancy on the PAT /
of the Party leadership in the coal
fields to concretely expose the man
euvers of the social-fascists. This
opportunisrn in practice led many
miners to be under the illusion that
Agnes Burns Week was a real red
and even contaminated some Party
members to believe that ''if we don't
attack her, she might come over to
u.s."
For example, at the time Of the
Springfield march last October,
when these elements (Allard, Week,
etc. seized again upon our correct
slogans, but were unwilling to carry
out the tasks of the united front
with the Communists, the Party was
heSitant to criticize; then again,
after the Cleveland Trade Union
Conference when Musteites signed
the program for action in the min
ing fields but did nothing DO carry
it out. In fact, AHard broke 1t as
soon as he returned to Illinois. Still
the Party was slow in exposing these
acts. Only after the WomeniS aux
iliary Convention in November, did
the Party in the coal fields take a
firm hand-and since then 1t can
register definite progress, orgenfza-
tionally and politically as a result of
this irmness and clarity.
Only after we opened fire against
the main danger, the Musteites and
other social fascists and reformists,
only by presenting to the miners
clearly the difference between the
Communist Party and all these
other elements, were we able to
make Roadway in building the Party
on the one hand and in laying the
base for the isolation of the Music
ties from the decisive sections of
the miners.
Three Illusions
In our daily work among the fol-
lowers and members OF the SIP.
and Musteites we found three main
illusions keeping these workers away
from us, (a) That both the Socialist
and Communist Parties are work
ingclass parties and from this flows
expectation that leaders must first
unite, etc., etc. (b) That the work
ers must first go through the S.P.
and then into the Communist Party
because socialism comes before Com
munism. (c) That the Communist
Party has a rule or ruin" policy. II
These illusions, in reality thdl
! poisonous propaganda of socialis9
leaders and renegades, is rampant
among the miners. This has led
for example, in Macoupin County,
to a situation where sincere rank
and file miners organized So
cialist branches which were to act
as the bridge to the Communist
Party" Even SIP. organizers down
state, though they knew better,
chime in to this policy. And when
ever S.P. members want to Join the
Communist Party, these organizers /.
tell them: Let us reform the s. P.
first, If it fails, then we'll join theI
Communist Party" Rasmussen, 8.
P. organizer.)
Amidst all these groupings and re-
groupings how did we approach the
miners to join the ranks of the
Communist Party?
u We concretely pointed to the
experiences in PIMA. and U.MW.A.,
to show that no matter how radical
resolutions and talks, there can be
no militant class struggle union
without Communist leadership. We
showed concrete illustrations of rad
zeal words and deeds to convince
the miner that only strong Com
munlst organization In every union
can guarantee it representing the
interests of the miners, by placing
tried and tested workers into the
leaderships.
S. P, Members Joined Party
. We dramatized the experiences
in the unemployed struggles, sue
cesSes and failures and the REASONS
for it. Example, Macoupin County,
where splendid mass movement of
the unemployed was split and weak
ened by the refornists together with
the sheriffs, because we failed to
simultaneously build the Party and
substituted outside organizers for
local leadership.
- We proved by concrete IN
stances Continental Congress,
Mooney and Anti-war Congress, also
Borders Alliance) that only by
building Communist Party units and
taking initiative will we be able to
force SIP. into United Front.
~ That the revolutionary way out
OF the crisis cannot be achieved
without having at least lower Or
gans OF the unions in the decisive
sections in the hands of the reyo-
lutionary workers. This means that
key positions, such as pit commit
tee, secretary, etc, must be won
from the reactionaries and their lit
tie brothers, the social-fascists.
In addition to this, giving atten-
ton to qualitative strengthening of
the Party in every unit, developing
one or two comrades to speak on the
moor and be politically prepared to
take independent action, without
waiting for organizers or direction
IN given event. This is of special
Importance in widely separated min
ing towns.
Much improvement can be made;
IN our approach to rank and file
S.P members, that is, most com
radely approach side by side with
systematic exposure of the leaders.
Wherever this was done (Nokomis.
Taylor Springs Hillsboro), ma