The Daily Worker Newspaper, September 13, 1924, Page 8

— T is true that what we are witness- ing at present in the trade union movement of Great Britain is only the beginning of a Left Wing, the first move in the right direction. But because it is based on the awakening rank and file, and is prompted to ac- tion by the ever-sharpening critical position of British Imperialism, and because it is inspired by the ideals of the revolutionary class struggle, this British Left Wing is headed directly towards victory all along the line in the not very distant future. We refer here to the National Conference of the revolutionary minorities in ‘the British trade unions recently held in England. The Illusions of “Progressivism.” Many have been wondering at this side of the ocean, as to why this Brit- ish left wing was so terribly slow in crystallizing, so late in coming. In our own party, many have been ask- ing the question: How is it that the British militants and Communists do not make themselves felt in the trade unions? Why don’t they or- ganize? -Why don’t they fight. Aren’t conditions ripe for a successful mili- tant Left Wing? The answer was, it is hard to tell. On the one hand, conditions in Eng- land seemed to be over-ripe; rotten- ripe for such a left-wing to come into existence. For didn’t we see the Brit- ish trade unions actually going back- wards, losing membership, prestige and power? Didn't we see a, whole series of strikes broken and the workers driven back to the shops in defeat because of lack of centralized organization and militant leadership? And, lastly, did we not hear of a wave of “unofficial” (we call them outlaw) strikes having taken place in England in recent months in opposi- tion to and in defiance of the ex- presse will of the official leadership? All of which would seem to indicate to us that the conditions were all there for a left wing to make its ap- pearance and, by organized effort, to attempt to bring back to life the British trade union movement. But then, on the other hand, there Political Horse Thief Confesses To call a man a-horse thief is a serious charge. To accuse a man of being a horse thief without sufficient evidence to back up the accusation is a foolhardy venture. But when the horse thief admits his guilt, no fur- ther prof is necessary and the only thing left is to pronounce sentence. The Communists have repeatedly accused the socialists of the world and those of Europe in particular of being the agents of capitalism. Since the Dawes plan was framed and the leadership of the capitalist forces that urged its adoption was handed over to the socialists, the Communists charg- es were supported by overwhelming evidence. But yet, there was some- thing lacking. That was a confession of guilt. Well, it has come at last. In two editorials unsurpassed for in- coherence and crazy logic, by any plece of journalism seen by the writer since the notorious Harry K. Thaw gave his famous “rabbit” interview to the newspapers after his success- ful fight to dodge the insane asylum, Victor Berger’s Milwaukee Leader in its issue of Sept. 3, admits that but for the socialists of Europe the Dawes Plan would now be as dead as the shin bone of Saint Anne, yet attempts to justify this act of treason to the working class. Berger has bitterly atacked the Dawes plan since it was first broach- ed. So have many of LaFollette’s supporters. Denunciation of the Dawes plan was usually mixed with euloiges of James Ramsay MacDonald, the plan’s chief midwife. Suddenly it dawned on Victor Berger and_ the LaFollette crowd that in denouncing Dawes for giving birth to his plan, they were inconsistent in showering The British Left Wing were in the British trade-unions (and still are) the so-called “progressives,” many of them holding very responsi- ble positions of leadership, men of the type of A. A. Purcell, Will Law- ther, Robert. Williams, who refuse to be classified in the same category with the reactionaries of the Hender- son type and who are accepted by the rank ahd file as something different and better than these reactionaries. Now, it stands to reason, particu- larly if we add to our reasoning a little of our actual experience in build- ing the left wing in the American trade-unions, that the presence of such a group of “progressive” leaders would, as a rule, tend to deter and to hamper the crystallization and devel- opment of a militant Left Wing. Just one little illustration. If we ask ourselves, where was it, in what particular union did it happen that we found the most difficulties in crys- tallizing and organizing a definite left wing? the answer will be; in those unions that are being led by a so- called “progressive” leadership. Take, for example, the Amalgamated Cloth- ing Workers of America (A. C. W. A.). Its president is Sidney Hillman, a “progressive.” Its secretary is Joseph Schlossberg, a man of still more pro- rounced “progressive” tendencies. This “progressive” leadership, what- ever its real nature, doeg one thing effectively, it breeds illusions in the rank and file, it makes the workers believe (for a time, at least) in its sincerity and ability to do things for them, to move ahead, and to meet suc- cessfully the new problems of the class struggle. What happens, under such conditions, is: this, that before a left wing can begin making real head- way in an organization which is led by “progressives,” the rank and file must pass thru a period of at least partial disillusionment in the suffici- ency of “progressivism.” When the rank and file has had a chance to learn the true Value of its “progres- sive” leadership, it is then that the rank and file becomes ripe for the acceptance of the militant policies of the left wing. And it is then also ize its ideology and organization. That’s what is happening in the Amalgamated Clothing Workers, and in the Chicago Federation of Labor which has the “progressive” Fitzpat- rick at its head, and in many other similar organizations. The same thing is beginning to happen in the trade unions of Great Britain. The Illusions of MacDonaldism. Another factor that undoubtedly ex- erted a powerful deterent influence upon this crystallization of a definite left wing in the British trade unions was the illusion of MacDonaldism. What was it? It was the belief in the second com- ing of Christ. It was the ardent hope of the masses that when the Labor Party comes into power it will do something to make life better, easier and more secure. That’s what it was. That's what we call the illusion of MacDonaldism. Now, one has got to realize what this state of mind of the British masses meant for the development of a Left Wing. It meant a state of comparative tolerance and patience with the evils of the official trade un- ion leadership. Why? Because, well. because whatever is wrong with the trade unions will surely be corrected when we get a Labor government; be cause whatever we fail to get thru the trade unions will certainly be given to us by a Labor government, and because the Labor government, being our government, will surely stand by the unions with all the tre- mendous powers of the state in any conflict between ourselves and the capitalists.. Just wait till the Labor government gets into power! And don't do anything to spoil its chances! With such a state of mind it should be very difficult, indeed, to arouse the masses to militant action of any kind, But now the Labor govern- ment is here. MacDonald has been in power for quite some time. His government has begun to show itself up for allyit is worth. Hence, the be- ginning of disillusionment in MacDon- aldism. Hence, a gradual change of mind and spirit of the rank and file, that a left wing can definitely crystal-'a strong urge to move, to organize and praise on the socialist midwife. The political horse thief, at his wit’s end to get out of a nasty mess, prepares a careful confession. After beating around the bush ,and indulg- ing in windy threats against the fer- ocious Dawes, for his Slam at the so- cialists, the Leader in a “don’t bite the hand that feeds you” spirit pens the following: “We call the general’s attention right at the start to the important fact, that the experts’ plan would never have been adopted by the gov- ernments of Europe, if it had not been for the socialists.’ (Bold face ours. Communist villians that we are, this catching of a yellow socialist, politic- ally shirtless in the market place gives us joy.) The editor proceeds with the con- fession: “Every European reactionary fought the plan to the last ditch. It would never have become the basic law of European economy with Poin- care, Lloyd George or Ludendorf in power. It was adopted after French and British democracy with socialist help had overthrown the reactionaries and after German socialists had forced the Marx government to disavow the nationalists.” At this stage of the confession His Honor the infuriated and betrayed proletariat turns down’ his thumbs and mutters “To the lions with the vile caitiff’, but thie People’s Com- missar of Justice, stop the wrath of the mass jury. He allows the culprit to proceed, and asks if he has any- thing to say in mitigation of his crime. The culprit says: , “But European socialists did not ac cept the Dawes Plan because they They accepted loved it for itself. By Alexander Bittelman to act. And as a result of all this, the beginning of a definite, militant Left Wing in the British trade-unions. Symptoms of Awakening. That we are dealing here with a new spirit in the ranks of British La- bor can be seen from the fact that even the so-called “progressives” felt compelled to assume a. somewhat more aggressive and militant posi- tion. When we saw the British dele- gation at the Vienna Conference of the Amsterdam International (held re- cently) demand an _ understanding with the Red Labor Union Interna- tional (R. I. L. U.), we knew the rea- son. It was because of the -restless- ness and demand for action’ by the rank and file. When we. find - that Robert Williams speaks’ in Hamburg, at the Congress of the Transport Workers’ International, in favor of - joining hands with the Russian un- ions, we know where to locate the ° cause: the British rank and file. And when we see the British trade Union Congress, in session at Hull, granting more power to its General Council, au- thorizing it to call general strikes, and framing all kinds of demands upon the capitalists and the govern- ment, we know that the British work- ing class is at last beginning to move. And in order that there be no mis- understanding,-we want to say right ‘here that we have very little trust in the ability of the British “progres- sives” to assume leadership ofa real militant movement. Even if they go along for a while, it will be only as a result of pressure—constant pres- sure by the rank and file. All the im- portant decisions of the Trade Union Congress at Hull will not be worth the paper they were written on, if there is no militant Left Wing, based upon rank and file organization, to compel and to drive to action. Fortunately for the British Labor movement and for the working class the world over such a Left Wing has begun to crys- tallize. The recent Conference of the revolutionary minorities in the British trade unions has laid the basis and has created the machinery for the successful development of such a Left Wing. it because it gave them a chance to force European imperialism under the yoke of American bankers. This was the only available way to prevent the European imperialists from starting another war right away.” This is where the editorial apologist knocks Harry Thaw’s “rabbit” dis- sertation for a head full of ossified brains. The capitalists feared that another war would spell their doom. Therefore they hatched the Dawes plan to prevent a war or at the worst postpone it and the socialists, faith- ful servants of capitalism stepped up and told the workers that the Dawes plan would bring them prosperity and prevent war. The scheme worked. Sending the socialists forward as a smoke screen in order to cloud their intentions, the capitalists succeeded. But what un- grateful wretches they are. While the socialists were serving them so faith- fully, here is what was taking place in Europe according to Berger’s Lead- er:” “We know that Hughes, Mellon and Dawes conspired with the reaction- aries in London, Paris and Berlin to start a grand fight on Socialism after the European socialists should have done Wall Street the favor to have put the Dawes plan over. . , ” ? This is a confession with a ven- geance. But every cloud has a silver lining and even tho the European so- cialists may have acted as the tools of Wall Street, out of evil good will come, because forsooth' Ramsay Mac- Donald is a Christian and well versed in the ways of the Lord. The Leader continuous. It is now in the field of prophecy: 5 “The Dawes Plan will work out as a peace plan, but not in the way that _———— By T. J. O’FLAHERTY nceleiaehetanmmnennemmetientmmeatmneaaaeeae the House of Morgan figures. It will be a peace plan without the House of- Morgan and without Wall Street gen- erals.... Thanks to the Dawes plan, socialism will triumph, first over Eur- ope then over American capitalism.” The culprit began by admitting that the socialists were the tools of Wall Street. The oft-made charge of the Communists is hereby admitted by the daily organ of the. socialist party of America. The socialists are con-— demned out of their own mouths, but the sentence cannot be yet r ndered. The betrayed workers of Europe will deliver it some day and it will not be light. Meanwhile Victor Berger is ham- mering away at the Dawes plan in his daily column on the front page of Milwaukee Leader, blissfully oblivous of the editorial page viewpoint that the Dawes plan, will bring peace and socialism. : European socialists are surely a pack of accomplished traitors. Am- erican socialists, like Barkis in the Dickens novel are also “willin’” but in addition they seem to be candidates for the madhouse. . SOCIALIST PREMIER'S SON PRESENTED 10 STRIKEBREAKER CAL WASHINGTON, Sept. 12.— Mal- colm MacDonald, son of Premier MacDonald, of Great Britain, was presented to President Coolidge to- day by Secretary of State Hughes. Young MacDonaid is in the United —— with the Oxford debating am.