The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-02-16
History Of Labor Party Ide:

History of Labor Party Idea
Question: Is the idea of the
labor party new development in
Communist work?
Answer: The idea of the labor
party has long been accepted as a
basic part of the activity of the
Communist Party. AS far back as
1921 the Communist Party of the
United States had the most
thorough discussions with the Com
munist International on this ques-
ton. At these discussions, in which
Lenin participated directly, there
was adopted the policy of further
ing a labor party as part of the
work of developing the class strug-
gle in the United States.
The Party carried on agitation
and propaganda for a labor party
from 1921 right up. to 1929. During
the period from 1921 to 1924, the
Party actively participated in the
organization of labor party. At
that time and now the Party had
a clear conception of the kind of
labor party it would support-a labor
party with wide working class
base and class struggle program.
1t would not support a third capt.
talist party disguised as a pro
gressive" movement.
During this period the Party's
activities for a labor party were
carried on at the time of the efforts
OF LaFollette and others to create
third capitalist party. The Party
fought then and tried to win the
workers away from their influence
and bring them into class strug-
gle labor party movement. This
work the Party continued until 1924.
1t was prepared in the presidential
elections Of that year to put for
ward candidates on a labor party
ticket which the Communist Party
could support.
With the nomination of La
Toilette, however, on the Progress
Sive ticket, it became clear that it
would not be possible to give the
labor party broad mass. char
acter. To have run labor party
candidates under such conditions
would merely have served to con-
ceal the face of the Communist
Party The Communist Party with
drew its support of the labor party
candidates and went into the cleo
ton with Communist candidates
who sharply opposed LaFollette
and his progressive" program.
After that election the Commu-
mist Party continued to propagan-
die for a labor party. 1t carried
this slogan into the unions and did
its best to create labor party
movement. But from 1924 to 1929
there was gradual decline in the
workers sentiment for a labor
party movement. At the end of
this period there was no mass sup
port for such a movement, other
than that given by the Commu-
mist Party
At that time the Communist
Party decided to hold in allegiance
the slogan of a labor party. But 1t
stated very definitely under what
conditions it would again be brought
forward. In 1923 the Commu-
mist International in agreement
with the American delegation to
the Sixth World Congress Of the
Comintern stated that:
"The Congress resolves that
the Party concentrate its atten-
ticn on the work in the trade
unions, on organizing the unem-
ployed, ETC., and in this way lay
the basis for the practical realiza-
ton of the slogan of a broad
Labor Party organized from be-
low"
This meant that it was not pos
sible at that time to widen the in
f1uence of the Communist Party and
advance the class struggle in the
United States by playing around
with a slogan that had no broad
appeal for the workers. 1t would
have distracted the workers from
the immediate struggles of the day
to have pushed an abstract slogan
which at that time had no prac-
tical content.
Today the scene has changed
Millions of workers have been dis
illusioned with the old capitalist
parties in the last two years. They
are breaking away from the two
party system and swinging left. BY
building class struggle labor party
now, it will be possible to further
the development of the class strug-
gle as whole, sharpen the class
consciousness of the American work
ing class, and lead these workers &c
the revolutionary program Of the
Communist Party.