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_It_argued that it was impossible to “The idea becomes power when it pene- trates the masses.— Karl Marx. emcemcemcemcanc OUR PARTY--THREE TENDENCIE The discussions in the Workers Party before the last vonvention and the alignments in the convention it- self have brought out the fact clear- ly that there are at the present time three tendencies developing within the party. It is important that the members of the party un- derstand what these tendencies are. _It is only thru frank discus- Sion of these tendencies and repu- diation of false policies that the party can be kept on the road, which during the past year, enabled it to make the great progress which was So signally recognized in the greet- ings of the Communist International to the third convention. The First Tendency The majority of the members of our party came into the Communist Movement from the Socialist Party. It is not at all surprising that some of these members carricd with them into the Workers Party some of the ideas which dominated their think- ing while in the Socialist Party. It was from the Left Wing of the Socialist Party that we inherited our membership and this Left Wing sprang up in part from the former “impossibilist” group of the Socialist Party. This group was, quite cor- rectly, opposed to the “immediate demands” of the Socialist Party. a A Rn SE eT aT Se eG achieve anything for the workers under the capitalist system and therefore the role of party should be to carry on propaganda and edu- eation for the revolution. It offered no program of revolutionary strug- gles in opposition to the reformist campaign of the dominant faction of the Socialist Party. Its viewpoint ‘was well characterjzed’ as “impos- sibilist,” for in effect its attitude was: Nothing can be achieved before the revolution, so our task is merely the educational work of preparing as “many workers as possible for the Yevolution thru educational work along the line of Marxian science. Actually this group was afraid of struggle in any form. Even the reformist struggles of the Socialist Party were an indication of life. The “impossibilists” preferred to at- tend branch meetings and discuss the fine points of the theory of sur- plus value or the materialist con- ception of history than to mix’ into the actually fighting. In the worst form this “impossibilist’? viewpoint manifested itself in the “spittoon philosophers” who infested most Socialist headquarters discussing the coming revolution but never turn their hand to help build up the Fed which would bring that revo- ution. It is this same tendency which manifests itself today in our party in the group which argues that we are in the period of educational and propaganda work and that our most important task is to build up our party, not thru participating in the actual class straggles in this country, but by winning workers for our party thru the method of propaganda and education. This group was or is opposed to the united front policy. It was, or is, opposed to the labor party pol- icy of the party. It made up the opposition to the Third Party policy proposed by the C. E. C. It is afraid of policies which mean actual participation in the rough and tum- ble fighting of the class struggle. It is so much nicer to have a party with educational forums and lectures, with stupid papers discussing the fine points of rxian science and branch meetings which are taken up with similar di ons. ehish This group is afraid of venturing out into the stormy sea of reality. On that sea there are great waves dashing here and there. One is apt to get knocked about a bit if one cannot steer a straight course, if one is = i ak = haem: way one is going a oes not have a- firm hand on ‘the rudder, Why venture upon that stormy sea when one og bce a nice ne gree ag society in the form of a pa 0 pr rac and education! It calls policies which take the party out into ee ee . Special Magazine Supplement the stormy seas of the class strug- gle “adventurism”, This is the tendency of the Lore group on the right of our party. This tendency also has its expression in that pseudo leftism which wanted to stay underground. These “leftists” were for the underground for the Same reason that the “right” is for a party or education and propagan- da. They are afraid of actual fight- ing of the class struggle and the underground was the best hiding place from such fighting. It ig there- fore not at all surprising that Wa- genknecht and Lindgren are the allies of Lore in this new group in the party. Salutsky, outside of the party, re- gl resents this same tendency. Saluts- y was expelled from the party for his betrayal in refusing to fight for the party in the Cleveland Confer- ence for Progressive Political Action. We are in the period when our party must be a party of propaganda and education, he argued in his defense. Therefore we had no business to be knocking at the door of the Confer- ence for Progressive Political Action, and why should I fight for the party when it is where it has no business to be? The Second Tendency The members of the party who re- present the second tendency have quite different antecedents, They come into the party from ind organizations, from the trade unions and from the I. W. W. been in the actual fighting of the class struggle on the industrial field and they do not shrink from that fighting. 3 Because of their origin and their past experiences the members of this group are, however, apt to look at the party policies from a biased viewpoint. They are apt to over- stress the industrial side of the par- ty work and to judge of the correct- ness of party policies from the standpoint exclusively, or if not ex- clusively at least give the greatest weight to effect of those policies upon the standing of the party in the trade unions, e party as a whole has helped to strengthen this tendency because of the emphasis placed upon the work in the trade unions by the par- ty during the last year or two. It required, heroic efforts to induce the members of the party who were in- fected by dual union ideas and al- most completely divorced from the trade unions to go to work in the trade unions, In pounding away so steadily and emphasizing the need of every member becoming a mem- ber of a trade union and carrying on er, work there, we have pounded to the heads of some of our mem- bers the equally wrong idea that the work in the trade unions is the only thing of importance for a Com- munist party, Thru our emphasis upon ‘the industrial work we have actually made some of our members believe THE DAILY WORKER. PS AS NS | that the slogan of “Amalgamation” and~ the formation of industrial unions is an end in itself! As a result of these factors we have the industrial tendency in the party. It was the party members of this tendency who were strongly opposed to the policy of the C. E. C. after the July 8rd convention, in setting down as the party policy that we must aid in the work of the organiz- ing the Federated Farmer-Labor as an actual party. The opposition en- gendered thru the organization of the Federated Farmer-Labor Party made itself felt most strongly on the industrial field. The political strug- e@ for the Federated interferred with the progress of purely indus- trial policies, and for those who overemphasized the industrial poli- cies this was a condemnation of the policy of aiding in the organization of the Federated Farmer-Labor Party. This tendency was expressed by Comrade Foster in his speech in the New York District Convention, in which he said that the main rea- son he was for the Third Party pol- icy of the C. E. C. was not because the formation of a petty bourgeois Third Party would weaken the cen- tralized capitalist power, but be- cause a LaFollette split from the old parties and the formation of a Third Party would split the bu- reaucracy of the American Federa- They have tion of Labor and help to smash the A UNITED EFFORT For a Workers’ and Farmers’ Government. power of Gompers. This tendency is also apt to look askance upon campaigns to win the support of the exploited farmers and to neglect the great mass of unor- ganized workers, The danger of this tendency, un- less it has its counterpoise in the party, is that the party will be- come the instrument for achieving certain transformations in the trade union movement, in place of the trade union movement — becoming, 2) CCE) ES, me a ee nae Oe SECOND SECTION January 19, 1924. This magazine supplement will appear every Saturday in The Daily Worker. 0 *, ae ee ee came "* By C.E. RUTHENBERG Executive Secretary, Workers Party et EAE SRA ART EIS DCN NT strengthening the influence and building up the party. It is free from the tendency of thinking of our program in the unions as a goal in itself, While thus, and for the purpose stated, supporting the industrial work, it lays at least equal stress upon the political campaigns of the party. It sees in political campaigns the means of gaining influence for and building up the party as well as in the industrial policies of the party. It seeks to throw the party into actions which will win for it the support of the wide masses of unorganized as well as the organ- ized workers. It has pressed those policies which would win for the party influence among the masses of exploited farmers. This group is for throwing the party into every political or indus- trial struggle which effects the lives of the workers and farmers of this country. It has no fear of the stormy seas of actual struggles. It has confidence that its fundamental communist principles will enable it to hold the rudder firmly and steer our party ship thru the stormi- est seas. It may make minor er- rors of judgment, but not major errors of policy, To the group which desires to make of our party an organization of education and propaganda and not a party fighting the ectual class struggle, this group says: ~ You will never build up a party through your methods. Your party of propaganda and education will he a _ lifeless, spineless sectarian self-admiration so- ciety, but not a living force in the lives of the workers of this coun- try. To the industrial group this third tendency says: You must sub- ordinate your industrial program to the political struggles of the party. The political policies of the party must dominate over the industrial work. The third tendency, of which I count myself in the matter of pol- icies, which Comrade Pepper has strongly expressed in his work in the party, represents those policies which if put into effect will continue the upbuilding and strengthening of party which we have achieved dur- ing the past year and make it a revolutionary power in this coun- try. The Convention Result The abnormal result of the last convention is in the fact that the alliance between the second and third group, the industrial group and po- litical was broken and a majority formed in the convention by an alli- ance of the first, sectarian group ; and the industrial group. Such an | alliance does not make for the health and progress of the narty. It is an alliance and co-operation between the second and third tendencies which brought the progress of the last year. The renewal of that alliance and co-operation will assure the fu- ture progress of the party. DIGGING COAL. thru the work of the party there,|, its instrument in achieving the po- litieal ends which a connmunist party exists to achieve—that is the con- quering of political power for the workers and farmers. The Third Tendency It is the third tendency which dominated the policies of the party during the py year, and which, with the help and co-operation of the second group, achieved the prog- ress which our party made duting that year. : This p is for the trade union work of the party. It helped to initiate this work and has given the struggle to force our members into the unions and into the work there its complete support. It is whole-heartedly for the party poli- cies in this field and has never wavered in developing the industrial work of the party farther and far- ther. . The trade union work means to the third group the means of