The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-01-06
~ SAM DON

sheYik party. It was this dream of
Lenin which was realized In the
founding Of the Union of Socialist
Soviet Republics.
If one takes only q superficial
glance at American imperialism he
might find it strong" and Irwin
chile" American imperialism is
well armed. The masses have many
illusions. But in spite of all this
where do We, Rs Communists, get
Our absolute conviction that, we
American Communists viii realize
Lenin's dream?
Where do we get our faith In the
American masses who are already
moying2 Where do we get our faith
in the proletarian revolution?
We get our faith because as pupils
OF Marx, Lenin and Stain, we
understand the laws Of capitalism.
It is because we know that cap
italism itself created its own grave
6-gg2r. the working class, the most
revolutionary class in society.
To know this, however, is not suf-
ficient. Nor is it enough to know
that history is on our side. Lenin
taught us that without organization
the working-claSs can never fulfill
its historical mission and gain
power. Lenin taught us that we
must build q revolutionary proletar-
ion organization that will, through
its daily struggles against capital
ism, Undue the majority Of the
working class with the conscious
ness Of its historical revolutionary
-.ca e-3d instill in it the will for
the overthrow Of capitalism and the
seizure Of power.
Organization is the proletariat's
weapon of struggle for power.
Lenin said that "the proIetariat has
no other weapon in the struggle for
power except organization"
And Lenin considered the revolu-
tionary proletarian newspaper as
the best means for the building CT
THE organization-the weapon Of
struggle for power"
In his famous book, What Is To
Pc Ionc?" W ittep in 1902 on
the fight for the establishment of
a revolutionary newspaper, Lenin
wrote with the revolutionary enthu-
II and vision characteristic OF
all great revolltionistS that:
"this newspaper wOuId become
part of an enormous pair Of
smiths bellows that would blow
c5,y g IL CO class struggle and
popular Indignation into general
conflagration."
AID the sparks of class struggle"
which eliminated i'll the October
general conflsgration has established
the land of socialism on one sixth
Of the. earth's surface
THE United States is the classical
l lard OF the fraud that there Is
freedom Of the press under cap
itGlism Leuins biting criticisms of
the freedom of the press" apply
with special force to the United
States. In 1921 he wrote:
''Tke freedom of the press
throughout the world where the
capitalists rule, is the freedom to
buy up papers, the freedom to
by writer's, to buy and manufac-
tuTe public opinion in the interests
Of the capitalists"
Wherein lies the greatness" of
cur press? What is this power of
the press? Who are these gentle
men of the press? It's power lies in
its great journalist" ability to buy
everything and everybody. News
RAJ Is ale big business today. We
have various, chains of newspapers.
Newspapers continually merge as
1s3 IS il is done in various other
branches Of industry and manu-
factace.
= Kew York recently the Evening
Pest changed ownership. The new
management which owns papers in
other parts Of the country an
ncunced that it is changing the
policy Of the paper, that it will be-
come more democratic and liberal
But, in the main, the same editorial
writer's remained. They write as
ordered, and as dictated by the
money bags who own the news
papers.
Lenin's respect for the capitalist
press can be seen in his description
q lie press in old Czarist landlord
capitalist Russia. There is undying
hatred and contempt for the cap
itaGst press in the following lines:
Thieves, prostitutes, writer's
WHO sell themselves papers that