The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-14

is Iatal 20 the success OF a particular campaign,
as well as endangering our future development.
The tendency to bring forward workers tickets
in large industrial cities is generally wrong; 1t
is a tendency to surrender to Farmer-Laborism.
Recently, in South Dakota, our comrades
seized the opportunity of a broad State confer
ence Of farmers and the Unemployed Council
movement to launch campaign Of leading
Communist for Governor Of that State This
was correct under the circumstances, even
though the Communist Party, as such, had not
yet named publicly its candidates. But there
Is a danger that the further development Of
this campaign in South Dakota may have
tendency to develop under the flag Of non-parti-
sanism. If this is permitted, the movement is
in danger of sliding off into the old traditional
path of Farmer-Laborism with disastrous re-
suits to the workers and farmers in South
Dakota. To prevent this the Communist Party
there must come to the front most theoretically.
The candidate for Governor must make this
campaign openly and frankly as the nominee
not only Of the broad united front, but also
of the Communist Party. He must speak as
Communist. The Party must not dissolve its
own activities into the broad movement and
lose itself there. On the contrary, the Com
munist Party must be tremendously strength
ened in the course of this campaign and must
prove in practice its right to the title Of leader
Of the exploited masses of South Dakota.
There are still some tendencies in our move
ment to look upon the United Front as purely
a matter of addressing letters to the top com
mittees of various organizations and conducting
negotiations with these committees. Buc this
is not the essence Of a united front at all.
Letters and negotiations to top committees Of
reforrnist organizations have their place at Ger
tain moments when they serve as instruments
to dramatize issues before the broadest masses
and arouse these masses to action and to .
movement toward unity. But If such letters and
negotiations become an end in themselves; II
they are constantly repeated without any re-
suits, then they serve not to build the move
ment for unity, but on the contrary, to de-
moralize and dissipate it, to discredit the whole
slogan of the united front.
The United Front tactic plays a growingly
important role in the trade union field and
strike movements. This is especially true in
the struggle against company unions, and in
those industries where two or more trade unions
are already being built among the workers. In
every case revolutionary forces must come for
ward as the practical fighters for uniting all
workers against the company unions, for find
ing the forms to unity the struggles Of the
workers in the A. F. of L., T.U.UL. and indie
pendent unions. An excellent example of COR
rect effort in this direction was the proposal
for united action submitted by the delegates of
the Steel and Metal Workers Industrial Union to
the Conference Of the Republic Steel Mill locals
Of the Amalgamated Assn of Iron, Steel &
Tin Workers held recently in Ohio. Another
example of the correct united front tactics in
the trade union struggles was the work in the
western Pennsylvania mine fields during the
big strikes there, in which the National Miners
Union declared its support for the demand for
the recognition of the United Mine Workers,
and in which the SMWIU. successfully began
the establishment of united action of the strik-
ing miners, with the steel workers. Another
example of the correct application of the united
front was the Automobile Workers Conference
held last week in Detroit on the joint call of
the Auto Workers Union and the Mechanics
Educational Society," participated in also by rank
and file delegates from the A. F. of L. auto
unions, with the slogan of joint struggle against
company unions and for the auto workers de-
mands. Many other examples could be brought
forward, should be analysed. Comrade Stachel
in his special report on the trade union ques-
ton is going to go more into detail in analysing
the whole of our trade union problems now.
In all united front activities, the Commu
nists must always grant the right to all other
groups, and reserve the right for themselves,
of mutual criticism. It is permissible and cor
rect to make specific agreements of non-criti-
cisn during the actual carrying through Of
joint actions agreed upon, within the scope Of
the specific agreement, so long as these agree
ments are Loyalty adhered to by all sides But
the Communists can never agree to be silent
to refrain from criticism, on any breaking of
agreements for struggle, on any betrayal or
desertion of the fight Any such agreements
would not be contributions to unity, but rather
to disunity.