The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-28
One Class the World
Over: theInternatiOnal
Unity of the Workers

terminate the war-and that is by
turning their weapons against their
eXploiters and doing away with
capitalism in every behgerent
country. He reminds the enthusi-
astic workers that similar demon
STATIONS are taking place in other
countries under the leadership Of
those workers-clsss fighters Who
have remained loyal to the ideal
of Socialism, to the interests Of the
working class.
MAY FIRST. 1917. Cleveland.
III The United States has joined
the bloody mess Of the warrior
the sake Of Morgan's profits. Work
ing class demonstrations are taboo.
Yet within the Socialist Party,
which is In its main supporting the
war, there has grown a Left Wing,
the nucleus of the future Com
munist Party. The secretary of
the Cleveland local of the Socialist
Party is Charles Ruthenberg, later
one of the founders and leaders Of
the Communist Party. Charles
Ruthenberg leads a demonstration
of 10000 through the streets OF
Cleveland to Public Square. The
government strikes a blow to the
demonstrators through a police at
tack. One worker is killed But
the ardour of the revolutionists is
not dimmed. The revolutionary
workers march ahead to the forma-
ton of the Communist Party in
1919.
WHAT is it that makes it possible
" for workers in every country to
respond to the call for May First
demonstrations? How could 1t
happen that May First should have
become the day of international
struggle of the working class? 1t
is because the working class is one
the world over, and its interests
are the same. The working class
is fighting the same enemy every
where, and the most courageous
and sighted among the work
ers have before their minds eye
the ultimate aim Of the class strug-
gls--the overthrow of the capitalist
system and the introduction of
Socialism. 1t is TO achieve this aim
that they direct all their struggles
under the leadership of the Com
munist Parties headed by the Cen
eral staff of the World Revolution,
the Communist International, and
it is this common struggle and
common aim that finds its clear
expression in revolutionary May
Day action.
Today the overthrow of the capt.
talist system has been definitely
placed on the order of the day by
historic events. Capitalism has
outlived itself. In its present stage
it can produce nothing but mass
misery. 1t has proven by five years
of crisis that it is unable to secure
humanity human existence. It
can create only starvation, fascism,
war On the other hand, the fight
ing spirit Of the great masses of
workers has surged higher and
higher. The workers are march
ing ahead in class battles that are
becoming more determined with
every year. The workers have be-
fore their eyes the magnificent eX-
ample of the Russian workers who
rose with arms in hand in Novem-
Der 1917, smashed the old govern
ment Of capitalism, established
their own government, the Soviets
of Workers, Soldiers and Peasants
Deputies and have by now nearly
completed the structure Of Social
ism. The Soviet Union points the
way to all the workers of the world.
WHEN we march into the streets
" this May First, we do so with
the consciousness that the world
is ripe for the Social Revolution,
that in the United States the
material basis for the Social Revo-
luton is ready, that the class forces
of the workers are increasing both
here and in other countries, that
the struggle of the workers in one
country is aiding and strengthen
ing the forces of the workers in
every other country, that the tasks
of the workers the world over are
the same, and that we must use
this international DAY to increase
our fighting power.
The best way to increase fight
ing power is-to fight.
May Day of 1884 will forge new
links in the chain of international
solidarity of the toilers May First
will bring us all one step closer to
the world revolution. Long live
our Red May First!