The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-05
BY Milton Howard

rather CCugnlln, is steady dSSum-
ing growing political Importance.
Within the last three weeks,
COughlins name has appeared on
the front cover Of one Of the coun-
try's most widely read popular"
magazines, Liberty, on the cover Of
the administration public organ,
To-day. and on the cover Of a lead
ing liberal magazine, the Nation.
All this, of course, in addition to
the writings about him in the revo-
luticnary press,
Coughlin is becoming undeniably
an important political mass figure.
The reason is that his promises and
his radical talk are increasing as
the hunger and misery Of the mass
es grows, and the failure Of the New
Deal becomes more apparent.
War lGgainst Communism
The most important development
in Coughln's recent activity is his
open declaration of war against
Communism as his main enemy.
This is not mere chance. Cough
Inns declaration of war against the
Communist Party takes place when
the capitalist class is deliberately
organizing new attacks against this
revolutionary vanguard of the whole
working class, with the Congress
sional Committee (the Dickstein
Committee) for the investigation
Of un-American activities laying
the basis for a drive to outlaw the
Communist Party as soon as they
can.
Coughlin's most important utter
ance in the past weeks has been his
article featured in Moley's magazine
Today.
Here We see Coughlin, in his own
characteristic way, dispensing the
kind of propaganda which is now
necessary for the fulfillment of Wall
Streets immediate war preparations
program and the organization of
fascist reaction against the Com
munist Party.
Coughlin writes in Liberty of
Dec. %:
:" there are many signs to
indicate that the next war will be
fought to make the world safe
either for Fascism, Socialism,
Communism. or social justice"
When will this war take place?
Coughlin makes no bones about the
answer;
s., there Will be another war
before the present generation
passes out of existence"
And the lineup of forces in this
war? Coughlin again gives us sd-
vance information on the war-slo-
gan to be used:
g. perhaps only England and
the United States viii even whis-
per the slogan Save Democracy
One more quotation, and we have
The key to Coughlins entire activity
now, the key to what he is trying
to accomplish. He writes in Lib
erty:
By no means do subscribe to
the opinion that if capitalism is
worn out beyond repair, we then
must adopt Communism or So
cialism or even Fascism capt.
talisn which is privately con-
tTclled and privately used
cannot solve the problem of dis
tribution, because its nature has
become identified with its abuses"
To Save Capitalism
Coughlin knows that capitalism
as system is doomed. He also
knows that the Communist Party
Is the only party which has pro-
gram capable Of solving the prob
lem of getting rid of capitalism and
setting up new form OF govern
ment. a Soviet government, which
will be able to organize the coun-
try's economic life so as to end the
crisis. to release the immense pro-
ductiye forces now being s5rangled
by capitalist private property rela-
tion-.
Eu. Coughlir's main job is 10 save
earltaHSn1, TO preserve the whole
structure Of private property upon
which is based the wage ezploita-
tion Of the working class, and whose
bzgic contradictions are responsible
fc- the horrors Of the present capt.
taiiet c~.si5.
Cougillin, therefore, in his article
manufactures a formula by which
he attempts to abolish" capitalism,
Only to restore it once again!
Coughlin rea5ons-eithc-' Commu-
ri5nl or social justice.
But what is social justice" as
Cougflin conccive5 it?
It is the same cid capitalism, only
made more vicious and oppressive
by the open, brutal dictatorship Of
the capitalist stated It is fascism!
Proof? Listen to Coughlin define
the system which he is preparing
to wage war fo-:
.. it will not be that type Of
socialism which desires to nation
alize, not only natural resources,
but also all productive industry.
No will it be a capitalism welded
to the theory Of private financial
ism md production for profit. 1t
will be a system based on the be-
lief that wealth is created by the
union Of capital and labor; and
that this wealth must be distYib-
uted even through the interven-
ton Of the government, in such
way that every laborer who CO.
operates in producing this wealth
shall have a share Of it.
Is not this tricky and shrewd
trap for the workers?
Private Ownership Remains
This new system Of Social JUS
tics does it not contain all the
most brutal essentials of present
capitalism. all the features which
the workers hate in the present
set-up?
What is this diyire union Of cap
ital and labor? How can there be
a Junior" between thee two mortal
and deadly enemies? Coughlin is
trying to throw dust into the ewes