The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-06-07
The S. P. Revolutionary
Declaration"

THROUGH the Socialist Party Conven-
ton, just ended, there jutted one huge,
dominating factor-the real, rapidly grow
ing, revolutionary consciousness of the
masses, and a growing inpatience of the
rank and file in the Socialist Party with
the policies of the leadership.
A frantic recognition chat the idea of
stormng the citadel of capitalism is rapidly matur-
ing in the minds OF the masses" tstaln), and
frantic effort not to be swept aside by the rising
movement Of the Masses desperate effort to fort-
fly its waning prestige and to maintain its position
at the head of those workers who follow i-this is
what distinguishes the discussions and decisions of
the S. P. convention.
The adoption of the new radical" Declaration
of Principles by the militant group and the "Revo-
lutionary Policy Committee" does not mean that the
Socialist Party has become a revolutionary party.
It means that the Socialist leadership has decided
that the time has come when, in order to execute
the old policies, the typical policies of Social-Fas-
csm it is necessary to season these policies with
more revolutionary" phraseology if the ear of the
masses is not to be lost altogether.
WE WILL not shrink" declare the new "revolu-
tionary leaders" of the s. P, in almost mock
heroic buster from the responsibility of organic
ing government under workers rule"
But when will these redoubtable revolution
aries do tE1is daring thing? Only eff the capital
list system should collapse in general chaos and
confusion which cannot permit of orderly pro-
cedure."
Naturally as Lenln pointed out long ago, the
capitalist system will collapse" of its own
weight 1t will have to be overthrown. To pre-
serve it, the ruling class will attempt in every case
IN Nora
dictatorship. While the new s. P "revolutionarieso
patiently waiting for capitalism to strange it.
self in chaos and confusion" Fascism will try to
restore the orderly processes" through its Open
military dictatorship.
IF the capitalist system should collapse" in chaos
and confusion" that is to say, IF the capitalists
suddenly become angels and decide not to strengthen
their rule with Fascist suppression and IF order
ly processes fall then our dangerous S. P r-r-revo-
lutionaries will come forward and mot shrink"
from doing something or other not very clearly
defined.
Very coolly and contemptuously, the New York
Times, organ Of Wall Street capitalism, whose in
stinct for detecting its friends and enemies has
reached high degree of sensitivty, states of
Norman Thomas new declarations
There is always much virtue in your if and
there may be good deal in this particular one.
Doubtless the resolution will undergo lot of
metaphysical explanation until II seems not to
amount to much"
So American capitalism is not exactly terrified
by the S. P. "revolutionaries."
THE infallihle revolutionary touchstone of all par
ties policies and leaders, is the question of the
seizure of power, and the dictatorship of the PRO-
letariat, the question of Soviet Power
And on these two questions the program of the
new SP. "miltants" stands markedly exposed despite
all the clustering verbiage Of the Thomases Kreu-
gers, Hapgoods etc. as typical Social-Fascist re-
fornism.
They will, after all their IFS are satisfied mot
shrink from setting up"-what? government
under workers rule" What kind of government is
this? Will the working class ever forget that the
German Socialist Party crushed the proletaran
revolution in 1913 also to set up the Wemar Repub-
lie, which they also described as "a government
under workers ruler"
From this vague form of government which can
easily conceal typical bourgeois government lcav-
ing the capitalist state intact they will not Shrink
But from the proletaran dictatorship they Shrink"
in utter fright.
In this revolutionary" declaration of the new
S. P. leaders have all the requisites for theo-
retcal defense for the support of advancing Amer
lean Fascism.
6IlS INCREASING interest OF masses IN the
question Of the seizure of power that determines
these new revolutionary" phrases of the S. P lead
ers. This, too, is thoroughly appreciated by the
capitalist press, the New York Times stating:
"One understands the pressure to which Mr.
Thomas subjected. There has been steady
push of the younger and radical elements
in the Socialist Party against what they think
to be an obsolete ideology' . Mr. Thomas ap-
parently felt compelled to go along with them :"
This is both sympathetic and accurate.
THE Convention revealed how close are the ties
of the Right Wing leaders with the apparatus
of the capitalist State through its connections with
the reactionary A. F. of L. bureaucracy The speeches
Of Waldman and others revealed desire to be-
come even more openly part of the bourgeois state
apparatus through the Labor Boards etc And it
is revealing to the character Of the new "revo-
utionary" leadership that it uttered not one word
OF criticism of these opinions
The Fascist speech of sharts of Ohio did not
shock the leadership, But it pointed the path on
which the leaders are all travelling from the Wald-
mans, to the Centrist Thomas and the cleft wing
Kreugers and Matthews-the road already trod-
Den by the Wells, the Leiparts, the Severings the
Bsuers and the Aders
The working class of the United States faces
the question of the revolutionary way out of the
crisis, Of preparation for the seizure Of power of