The Daily Worker Newspaper, November 22, 1924, Page 5

fATIT “The idea becomes power when it pene- trates the masses.” Karl Marx. THE BRITI The first labor government of Great Britain fell because it could not recon- cile its actual devotion to the cause of capitalism with its. pretended de- votion to that of the working class. Why MacDonald Came to Power. Ten months ago capitalism in Eu- rope was facing problems that had be- come desperate, The whole economic situation of Central Europe was only hanging by a thread, and that thread was the faint hope that American finance would come in and take con- trol before the renten-mark collapsed. Ruhr industry lay in ruins. Yet France was no nearer to a working agreement with the German capital- ists, and every one realized that if the position of January, 1924, continued, both French and German capitalism were in danger of an economic dis- aster. SPECIAL MAGAZINE SUPPLEMENT THE DAILY WORKER. NOVEMBER 22, 1924. enough and fed well on the sweets of office. The labor government was there- fore put into power largely in order to check the movement of the masses, to divide the political labor movement, sift out from it those who could in no circumstances be useful to capitalism, and educate those of the leaders who are willing to work for capitalism in the art and craft of “democratic” rule. One other reason is also obvious. There was the need fora government of democratic phrases to fight the growing revolt among the colonial peoples. A_ capitalist government which shot Indian workers or bombed peasants in Mesopotamia ran the risk of rousing a wave. of antagonism in Britain that would make it difficult to carry out the necessary—but of course unpleasant duties of a great civilized power. As yet there has been no mass revolt in any of the colonies, but such America did come in. As the labor|a revolt might develop within a few government was preparing to take of- fice, and the new ministers of King George V. were buying the silken kneebreeches needed at court, a cer- tain “General” Dawes, closely con- nected with J. P. Morgan and the or- ganizer of the Minute Men of the Con- stitution (the Fascisti of America) was dictating to a committee of ex- perts the terms on which American finance capital would intervene to “stabilize” Europe. America’s terms included provisions which made certain a very drastic lowering of the standard of living of the German workers, and therefore of all the workers of Europe. America’s terms had been known in outline for months and even for years. British imperialism had been unwill- ing to accept them, but there was no alternative. The conservative party had thought at one time that it was possible to withdraw from Europe, to concentrate on the exploitation of the colonies, and to guard British economy from European competition by means of tariffs. The coniplete unreality of this program was so thoroly shown up at the general election of 1923, that the British bourgeoisie discarded Bald- win and refused to consider his “alter- ative.” The majority that resulted from this election was a majority for the accept-: ance by British capitalism of Ameri- ca’s terms. There was no other bond between the diverse elements contain- ed in it. Lloyd George, who returned directly from America to make peace with the official liberal party and. fight’ with them in the election, could not have been got to support a labor-liber- al alliance by anything except the pressure of the real rulers of modern civilization—Morgan and his associ- ates. ; “The labor government was put in- to power in order to carry thru the Dawes’ plan, Used MacDonald Against. Labor. There were other. reasons which made the capitalist classes of Britain willing to use these agents. The most important reason was the steady movement of the masses of the Brit- ish workers towards an industrial at- tack. . Strikes were steadily increasing; SH ELECTIONS - concessions that have been gained in certain cases, of a very minor sort allowed the MacDonald government to avoid, “by the skin of its teeth,” hav- ing to use troops and police against the strikers, The government has done its job of breaking strikes but it has failed in its other task—that of ending strikes. It has not .ushered in an era of industrial peace: These ‘two facts are among the reasons why ‘MacDonald ‘goes out of office now, and almost certainly will not be in office after the election. Served Imperialism. With regard to the British Empire no government has ever been so suc- cessful from the capitalist point of view as that of MacDonald. But since there has been no colonial revolt of importance during 1924 the capitalist class feels that after all there is no great need to keep MacDonald in power on this score, as any govern- ment that follows it can justly claim The Conservatives in Power. months in any of them, and the labor government would have been in a bet- ter position than any other te rouse the righteous and democratic wrath of the British people against any race of “niggers” who dared to rise against the benefits of British rule. The labor. government was put into power to see the British Empire thru a period of uncertainty in regard to the colonies. , Why MacDonald Fell. The labor government. has fallen because it has either carried thru these tasks or has proved itself in- capable of carrying them thru. There are other reasons for its fall which arise from the pressure upon it of the masses of the British workers. The Dawes’ report is being put into operation with the tacit consent of | the majority of the British working class movement. That is an achieve- ment for which capitalism might well be grateful, and in the capitalist at- tack on MacDogald during the election campaign the question of the Dawes’: plan has been avoided, The that labor cannot attack it for its colonial policy, since it is only carry- ing on that of the labor cabinet. These are the underlying reasons why MacDonald is no longer needed’ by the bourgeoisie. The actual issues on which he was overthrown are also important, but the capitalist class would not have attributed much im- portance to the question of whether a certain Communist leader ‘was sent’ to prison or not, or whether a treaty with Soviet Russia (in which British capitalist interests were carefully guarded) was signed or not, if there had not been deeper underlying rea- sons for putting one of its most skill- ful craftsmen temporarily among the ‘ranks of the unemployed. The British Elections. to power and why he fell. The man- euvers of the election are of no real importance in comparison with the causes which brought about the elec- tion or the results which it will have on the balance of class forces in this country and on a world scale. At the same time they are of interest as showing very plainly the policies and programs of the contending parties. . In the first place the whole of the events of the last session of parlia- ment must be counted as electioneer- ing strategy, The two capitalist par- ties had indicated clearly to MacDon- ald that on the Russian Treaty they were determined to take a firm stand. It was not as they pretended simply SECOND SECTION This magazine supple- ment will appear every Saturday in The Daily Worker. By T.H. Wintringham a question of some thirty million pounds being lent without guarantees. There was actually no question of prineiple involved: the recognition of the right to nationalize property, or repudiate debts. The reason for the frantic opposition to the Russian Treaty was mainly a realization that the treaty and the loan, and the cre- dits that Russia could raise if the treaty went thru, would represent a very real strengthening of the pow- er of the working class in Europe, since it would mean more rapid eco- nomic recovery of the Workers’ Re- publics. Defeat Inevitable. In view of this threat which would certainly have led to his fall at the end of Octg@ber, MacDonald decided to force an immediate election on the question of whether the government had acted rightly in withdrawing the charge of “incitement to mutiny” made against Comrade Campbell, the editor of the Workers’ Weekly. He went to the country after defeat on this issue, saying that the question was an unimportant one. Noel Brails- ford struck the keynote of the labor party election attitude on this issue in an article in which he seven times repeats the assertion that Campbell had been injured “while fighting for King and Country,” refering to Camp- bell as “A man with fragmerts of two feet,” and “a young man win no feet.” 33 Another sefies of events which must be taken as part of the labor party election strategy center around the annual conference of the labor party, which’ began in London two days before the labor government was defeated. It has been at all times MacDonald’s ideal that the labor party should consist of sane, smooth, and prudent “workers by hand and brain,” free from any taint of revolutionary impulse and carrying on “the great traditions of liberalism” which Mac- Donald often- invokes. - MacDonaid’s swift action in pressing thé Campbell case to a crisis on Oct. 8 enabled him to meet the labor *party conference with the obvious threat of capitalist combination and defeat: hanging over him. Haloed with righteousness in his indignation against the capitalists for daring to combine against him, and speaking to an audience excited by the prospects of a hard election, he was able to begin the conference with a vigorous attack on Communism and the Communist Party, and even- tually to secure a resolution from the conference excluding Communists from all membership of the labor party. This was not so real a defeat for the Communists as it may seem. At the moment when this. resolution was passed MacDonald was actually leading the labor movement altho in a hesitating and unreal fashion into a fight on issues of importance to the working class. Good workers who had come to the labor party confer- ence determined to show clearly their {disgust with’ the policy of treachery We have seen why MacDonald came. and timidity hitherto pursued by the labor government refused to criticize MacDonald or his. ministers in view of the fight into which the movement was entering. There was a general feeling that there must pe no opposi- tion to the leaders when these leaders were bearing the brunt of the capi- talist offensive. Soft Pedal Russian Treaty. “It was a useful piece of elettion strategy for MacDonald since he was being attacked on two issues directly rela to Communism. All thru the electi the labor party has been using this resolution to show that it has no connection with Communism, and thereby to win votes of workers (Continued on page 8) “ees