The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 12, 1925, Page 6

| | Page Six THE DAILY WORKER Published by the DAILY WORKER PUBLISHING CO. 1113 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, Il, Phone Monroe 4712 SUBSCRIPTION RATES By mail (in Chicago only): By mail (outside of Chicago): $8.00 per year $4.50 six montha $6.00 per vear $3.50 six months $2.50 three months $2.00 three months ‘Address all mail and make out checks to THE DAILY WORKER, 1113 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, Iilinois J. LOUIS ENGDAHL WILLIAM F, DUNNE MORITZ J, LOEB... Business Manager Entered as second-class mail September 21, 1 at the post-office at Chi- cago, lil, under the act of March 3, 1879. Advertising rates on application. The K. K. K. in Washington Several thousand robed members of the ku klux klan marched thru Washington last Saturday. It was one of the greatest collec- tions of morons that ever strode thru the capitol. But morons have votes and the main object of the exhibition was to impress the po- liticians with the usefulness of the voting cattle who are enrolled in the bed sheet order. The imperial wizards, klaliphs, goblnis and bootleggers who von the K. K. K. feel their political prestige slipping from them. Morons may not have any objection to be directed by religious lunaties, but they do not, like to stand in constant danger of murder and sodomy. Their minds may be somewhat easier by now, sinc: most of the prominent leaders of the hooded order have already tasted the bitterness of prison life for giving reign to their per- versity, sexual and otherwise. But as/the old Irish patriotic hymn boasted: “There are others yet remaining, good battle still to do.” The klan suffered several defeats during the past year, moral and immoral, and not the t of those was the departure of the most perfect type of kluxer, William Jennings Bryan. But Bryan’s con- tribution to fundamental ignorance at his last Chatauqua in Dayton a left handed one, and the interest that the Scopes trial injected into the subject of biology, will lose many ten dollar bills in initia- tion fees for the K. K. K. The kian had another object in parading thru Washington. It was intended to offset the Holy Name Society parade of the catholic chureh which took place several months ago. The sting of that hibition of catholie power w unkling in the bosom of the kluxe! Their counter blast was rather feeble. <> 290 ——— Perhaps an organization like the K. K. K. that openly brags of its ignorance could not exist in any other country in the world. Despite the fact that it has been convicted of every crime in the calendar, it still lives tho it is fast losing the strength of a few years ago.- It is mainly anti-eatholic, but usually lines up with the cap- italists against labor. Its high leaders are bidding against the cath- | Party was facing a most serious crisis. | The majority and minority groups had THE DAILY WORKER By JAMES P. CANNON. HE Parity Commission commenced its work at a moment when the crystallized themselves into the most rigid formation thruout the party. The positive aspects of the factional fight had exhausted themselves and disint gration was setting in. Party activity was paralyzed. The authority of part: leadership was becoming undermine: and was being replaced by factional leadership. In this favorable soil the right wing danger was growing, and the struggle against it was being sub- ordinated to the struggle-between the majority and minority. The situation in Cleveland was warning the party like an alarm bell of the danger of a split. this desperate crisis the Parity Sommission was constituted and commenced its sessions. The party members, wearied of the ~factional fight and fearful of its possible con- sequences, turned their attention to- ward the Parity Commission. Six years. of party experience had taught the most responsible comrades in the par- to fear splits and to guard the unity of the party at all costs. They looked with hope to the Parity. Com- mission to find a solution which would turn the party back from the danger of a split, consolidate the Communist forces in the fight against Loreism and put the party on the road to unity. The most urgent tasks of the Parity Commission were to save the party from the danger of a split, to unite all Communist elements in the fight against Loreism, to lay the foundation for the liquidation of factionalism, and to prepare the party to direct its en- ergy, which is now being consumed by factionalism, into constructive work in all fields. OW did the Parity Commission deal with these tasks and to what extent did it accomplish them? The best way to answer this question is to review its proceedings and their re- sults. . It was to be expected, in view of the general situation in the party, that a somewhat factional atmosphere should characterize thet first sessions. This was accentuated by the fact that olic church for the support of big business, but the vatican’s lienten- ants are betfer educated than the sheet knights and stand closer to the ruling class. The question might be asked: Why was an organization with such a record of violence and murder given permission to march thru the streets of the nation’s capital? The answer is obvious: Be- cause the K. K. K.’s violence is not directed against capitalism, but may be useful to it later on. Bethlehem Steal Three prominent vice-presidents of the Bethlehem Steel Corpo- ration were dropped from the pay roll rather than put the company to the necessity of cutting the wages of ten thousand workers. Do you get that? Three alleged employes were taken off the payroll in order ot save enuf money to enable the corporation to keep ten thousand workers on, at the present seale. The newspaper story doesnot tell us how many thousands of dollars these gentlemen who were laid off receive each year. But it must be a goodly sum. A reduction of one dollar a week in the wages of ten thousand workers would amount to over half a million dollars a year. The reasons given for the resignations of the three vice-presi- dents are not plausible. One hundred thousand dollar a year cor- poration heads would not even dream of resigning in order to pre-| mission is proof of the correctness of vent the lowering of the living standards of the employes under their | ‘248 view. - jurisdiction. They would not even resign to save the company from going into bankruptcy. There must be some other cause for the resignations or dismissals. It is quite likely that Bethlehem Steel is in financial trouble. It is the second largest steel company in the world. as Standard Oil, whiles away monotonous moments by fixing up hot griddies for Harry Sinclair and Ed. Doheny and making them dance to Standard’s music. . Bethlehem Steel gobbled up a few lesser companies during the| length of time,.the consideration of past few years. Perhaps it is now Bethlehem’s turn to get swallowed. | ‘2 Political resolutions of the two The process is inevitable anyhow, whether it takes place now or later on. It is just as inevitable as the amalgamation of the exist- “ing eraft unions into industrial unions. opposed to consolidation, while the most farsighted of the capitalists take a-leading part in unifying the industries to the greater profit of the owners. . United States] be considered. Serious differences on Steel comes first. Perhaps the genial Judge Gary is amusing himself| these resolutions would have made in his spare time by squeezing his friend Charlie Schwab a little, just | ""@2imity impossible and would hav Unfortunately the official |for the liquidation of the factional leaders of the Ameriean Federation of Labor for obvious reasons are | ight between the majority and minor- disputes over organizational and fac- tional questions were taken up for consideration first. These conflicts brot many sharp clashes which made mutual agreement impossible. It was impossible for the two groups which had been engaged in the struggle for such a long period to see urganization- al and factional question. from the same standpoint. Th¢ factional situa- tion made a solution of these problems. very difficult. OWEVER, consciousness of the seriousness in the party and of the grave responsibility resting upon us finally made concessions possible. Unanimity on the disputed factional and organizational questions was final- ly reached by means of compromises and concessions when mutual agree- | ment was lacking. We believe this | Was the best course to follow under the circumstances. Factional interests were injured by some of these deci- sions, but the advantage to the party of a settlement of all disputes with the authority of unanimous decisions out- weighed these considerations. The stabilizing effect on the party of the organizational decisions of the com- A, pied the settlement of the organi- zational questions marked a cer- tain progress in the work of the Par- ity Commission, the crucial test came when the political resolutions were to cancelled much of the practical valu of the other decisions. Since political’ platforms are the only basis on which factional groupings can stand for any groups in the Central Executive Com- mittee had to-determine the question whether the foundation could be laid ity and their unification on a common platform in the fight against Loreigm, The political resolutions, which were all unanimously adopted, are the an- swer to this question, Socialists make good wage slaves, says Iscar “Hummerdinger,” |/ THE discussion over the political res- in an invitation to capitalists to patronize Wisconsin labor. Corpora- tions make good profits in Wisconsin, says Oscar, which proves that socialists are not what they were cracked up to be. Quite true, they are only cracked. The alien property eustodian’s office is about to be “quizzed.” Unlike his policy during olutions was conducted in an at- mosphere considerably. moderated. Each group brot forward its own reso- lutions on all the questions. A study of the resolutions showed differences only in construction and phrasing, but no serious differences in policy. There- fore it became possible in each case, the Teapot Dome scandal, Coolidge is said| either by taking one resolution as the to be taking the initiative this time. The G. O. P. has learned that] >@sis and amending it, or by combin- he who raises the cry of “stop thief!” is liable to get away with the swag. William Green finds time to denounce the Communists for help- ing to Organize the Negroes, but he has no time to comment on the lynching of Negroes by his ku klux friends. Another archbishop is on trial in Russia for treason to the workers’ and peasants’ government. He may find consolation in read- ing about Daniel in the lion’s den, Get a member for the Workers Party and a new subscription - tor the DAILY WORKER. ' ing the two resolutions, to reach unan- imous agreement. Serious controversy did not arise over a single point of principle or tactics. It became obvi- ous that the two groups in the Cen- tral Executive Committee, which have been fighting over political questions with more or less intensity for the past two years, would be able to go to the convention with a common plat- form. FTER the long factional fight, which had virtually developed to the point of two parties within the party, and, consequently, to the dan- ger of a split, the two groups, with the assistance of the Comintern, were ¢ finally able to adopt a common politi- cal platform dealing with all party questions, external and internal. This common platform is not the product of compromise, but of agreement on all fundamental points. In the face of this political agreement, the unifi- cation of the two groups become po: sible and necessary. Anyone wh would now attempt to continue or t aggravate the factional fight woul take upon himself a grave responsibil. ity indeed. HE unanimous resolutions of th Parity Commission have laid th joundations for unity but they hav; t liquidated the struggle betwee; the two groups. It would be utopian HOON the lines of the de- cision of the Communist Interna- tional ‘the thesis on the “Present Situation and the General Tasks of the Party,” submitted to the party con- vention by the Parity Commission, omphasizes the campaign for a labor party as one of the main tasks of our party. In view of-the fact that for a period of eight months our party was on record as opposed to conduct- ing such a campaign, and for a period of two months—November and De- cember of last year—the C, B. C, of the party waged a campaign to con- vince the membership that the labor party campaign was a wrong policy, it is essential that there be a re- statement of the fundamental basis of the labor party policy. It is essen- tial that we undo the harm that was done in convincing: part of our mem- bership that the Iabor party policy was wrong, and that we again mobilize our full party for an energetic cam- paign in support of the formation of a labor party. ‘ Development of the American Workers pee outstanding fact that we must deal with in formulating our Com- munist policy in this country is that the American workers have not yet become sufficiently-conscious of them: selves as a class to create a politica party of their own, and to enter intc a class struggle for political power against their class.enemy. The work- ers of this country are still support- ing the republican and democratic parties, that is, the parties of their class enemy. In: practically every European country; .on the contrary, the workers haye,;some decades ago, déveloped political’ parties of their own thru which they carry on a po- litical struggle againstt Ploiters. The social-democratic par- ties of the continental countries, the labor party of England, represent stages of development of the workers in these countries for conscious class struggle which the American, workers have not yet reached. While these parties were not, and are not, revolu- tionary class parties, the creation of these parties represented a definite stride forward on the part of the working class of these countries. The immediate problem for our party is to give the American workers that push forward which will send them into the Political arena as the opponents of the parties representing the class rule of the. capitalists. American capitalism stands un- shaken; it is more powerful than ever in its history. It is reaching out over the entire world in its imperialist development and harnessing millions of workers outside of the United States to its chariot. ~lt_has succeeded in making the ship of the trade unions. its mcangest “defender, thru the bribes of. the working lass.” 7 cannot think, even;~of "tH8” overturn—of “this powerful-eapitalist order when the working class hasnot. yet developed sufficiently to strike..thefirst. weak blows at the most powerful support Correction | The following | is were omitted from the signatori to the statement printed recently in the DAILY WORK- ER giving the standpoint of the Mi- nority in the h Slavic Federation of the Work rd)(Communis Party: T. Panijan, Hammong, Ind.; F. Japich, Chicago, lil. The address of J. R. Kovac was given Hammond, Ind., instead of Milwaukee, Wis. their ex-}) to expect that the groupings could be dissolved on the eve of the party con- vention or that a pre-convention strug- gle could be entirely eliminated, since the question of leadership is not yet decided. Besides, the complete liqui- dation of the factional fight is beyond the power of the Parity Commission. That can be accomplished only by the party members of both groups, espe- cially the leading members, cooperat- ing in good faith with the Parity Com: mission and striving to put its reso-) lutions into life. HE Parity Commisston has enabled the two groups to take the first real step toward unity. They must take the next step themselves by basing of this capitalist ordér—the capital- government. i {mm labor party represents the first arshalling of the workers for strug- gle against the political rule of the capitalists, and even tho the program of « labor party was purely reformist, the fact that half million workers were mobilized to fight against the capitalist political rule for such a pro- gram, would mark a definite step in advance for the American working class. The experiences of the fight itself would be the greatest factor in developing ever more conscious class struggle and ultimately the revolu- tionary struggle for power. The slo- gan for a labor party gains such im- portance and meaning just because it is the lever thru which the Ameri- can workers can be started on their march against capitalism. The Communist Party and the De- | velopment of Class Conscious: a development of ousness of the mai s is inseparably connected h the development, ai ilding of s weakens . If the of workens»are%still so un, tein clhes interests that evi upport the formation of + lal party, but 4 tinue to support the Anite 3 dem rt ies of tl ass consciois‘enem it is inc®ageivable thatsthey woul support the Communist. Party We cannot Party in the Dn at the same time pi masses, of workers. the r je\is the process of develop- mia fass Communist Party con only*be developed as a result of *de- velopment of the class consciousnes: f the whole working mass. It isin he process of developing the clags onsciousness of the working masses hat we will create a mass Commun- it Party. | States without ing forward the the contrary, It was because of this fact that the efforts to place the building of the Workers Party into a’'mass Com- munist Party in opposition to the work of creating a labor party which represents the development of class consciousness of the American work- ers, which manifested itself in- the party discussion last November and december, were so ridiculous to any- one who could grasp the basic prob- Jem of our party in the United States. Why the Labor Party Formed. The question may well be asked, accepting the basic premise that our present problem is the development of the class consciousness of the working masses, why must the meth- od of achieving this end take the form of a campaign for the formation of a labor party? What is there pe- culiar to a labor party that makes it especially suitable to achieve the end we are aiming at? The labor party as it has developed historically is based upon existing or- ganizations of the workers. It de veloped thru a combination of these organizations for a political struggle in the interests of the workers. It comes into existence as a delegated body with representatives from exist- ing organizations of “the workers, coming together to fight their com- mon struggles. These characteristics of the labor’ party make it exactly such a medium as is needed to meet the present state of development of the working class in the United States. The develop- ment of class consciousness is indi- cated in the, workers’ struggles tak- ing on more of the form of general Struggles of the workers, and of be- coming political struggles. The labo party fulfills these specification: combines the existing workers’ o The Daily Worker on Broadway. ce NE iy the Editor:—-Some of your readers may be interes that the DAILY WORKER is W YORK CITY, August 6, 1925, id in knowing making its appearance before the foot lights on Broadway. | nearly rolled off my comfortable seat the other night, when | saw Joe, “the Wobbly,” in the play “They Knew What They Wanted” pull out of his pocket a copy of the only live labor paper in the English language. He flashed it before the audience without blinking an eyelid and commenced reading, even the pious Padre got am earful. | could: hardly believe my ey: es at first and craned my neck to make doubly sure that the reading matter wasn’t some plece of trash | for stage purp They certainly “Knew What They Wanted” when they curried tae DAILY WORKER.—Fraternally, Speck. build a\ mass "Communist, future~work’ than on recriminations over past disputes, ‘barty-must concentrate its en- ergies upon the big tasks confront- ing it. Loreism must be fought against nd liquidated politically and organi- ationally. The party must be reor- anized on a shop and street nuclei asis, its apparatus must. be central- tion—that our party made tne labor party campaign its major campaign in the past and must.in the future make it the central campaign of the party cementing it up will all immedi- party develop from these struggles. The Fight Against the Anti-Labor Party Tendency. | be was because the labor party slogan and the formation of a la- bor party has this basic importance for the Communist movement in the United States that it was necessary for those who understood this to re- sist with all their power the abandon- ment of the labor party slogan and the campaign for the formation of a labor party. It was the greatest error of the C. E. C, majority that they did not see and would not consider these fundamental reasons for our party policy. In the party discussion the he labor party were scoffed at as statements of self-evident facts, but of drawing the logical deduction from the self-evident facts. In remobilizing its forces for the educate its whole membership to a real understanding of the labor party temporary and superficial phenomena. HE situation in the Italian Federa- tion has been considered by the Parity Commission. The Parity Com- mission has studied the submitted ma- terial and has also received a report of Comrade Sormenti. On the basis of the above, the Parity Commission reached the following conclusion: 1. That the most important ques- tions that are connected with the Italian Federation, have no relation to the factional struggle within the par- ty, and 2. The Parity Commission decided to refer these questions to the Cen- tral Exceutive Committee. No other decisions were made by the Parity Commission. The above de- cisions were adopted upon the motions of the chairman of the Parity Com- mission. This definitely disproves all the rumors that began circulating among the Italian comrades after. the sessions of the Parity Commission. These are some of the false rumors:. 1.’ That during the hearings the chairman of the Parity Commission proposed to censure the representa- tives of the majority, for their alleged alliance with Lore. 2. That the chairman of the Parity Commission declared; during the hear- ings that the proceedings of the ma- jority in the Italian Bureau were viola- tions of the principles of Communism. %. That the representatives of the minority proposed to reinstate Com- rades Candela, Presi and others. 4, That the minority representa- a, a ay led the repudiation of the All of the above rumofs are false. To consider the Italian question . E..C. formed a committee cons: mrades Green, Loyestone and rh sania The committee came to the follow- ing conclusions: 1, There exists within the Italian Federation unhealthy tendencies which are directed against the unity of the Party and which attempt to draw the Italian Federation on the road to split- ting away from the party, These ten- dencies found expression first of all in the opposition manifested by the Italian comrades to the decision of the Central Executive. Committee to move Tl Lavoratore to New York. There may be a legitimate difference of opinion as to the location of the I voratore but it was impermissable this issue to carry on a political themselves on its resolutions and by consciously striving for unity. The way to do this is to put the - Srey ino Ne AEME_AGAAL Lal “subordinate factional..interests. to ental points of. than Che wHi6F points of disagree: |, ment; to lay more stress’ on plang for These tasks can be accomplished if the resolutions of the Parity Commis- ized and ‘federations merged into the party. The party must extend its po- litical horizon, broaden its base of ac- tivities and plunge into constructive work, The theoretical level of the party must be raised. by systematic Leninist education. sion are sincerely accepted and carried out and the Communist forces become unified. Enormous achievements are jossible for the party when it unites presentation of the basic argument for | labor party campaign the-party must} against the C. B.C, and ission has laid the foundation for is unity. Now we must build upon it, izations (trade unions, co-operatives,}in the party, but a party membership fraternal organizations, etc.) which| which can see more than surface con- are organized in the interest of spe-| ditions and which bases its policies on cial groups of workers for a general! a Marxist-Leninist analysis. Such a struggle in the imterests. of the work-! leadership will save us in the future ers as a class on the political field. 4 | from such costly errors as were made Because the labor party, contains {the party dropping the slogan and these characteristics which meet ex- actly the needs of the. present situa- the campaign for a labor party in October of last year, During the beriod from October to May our party lost a valuable opportunity to place itself at the head of the movement for a labor party. It adopted the sectarian Policy of telling the workers to stay ate struggles of the workers and mak-| away from the C. P. P. A. confer- ing the actual formation or a labor| ence which stood for the formation of a labor party. Had we gone to the lary conference and fought there ould have regained all that we after the June 17 conference, ‘his one example indicates how tly the lack of fundamental -un- «derstanding of the labor party policy has been to our party, and the neces- sity of an educatiqnal campaign in the party which will vor in the future, DOWNTOWN “ENGLISH BRANCH OF N. Y. TO MEET ON WEDNESDAY. NEW YORK, Aug. 10.—A business meeting of the downtown English branch will be held next’ Wednesda‘, Aug. 12, at the headquarters at 8:3) Dp. m. sharp. All members must. a*- those who thus scoffed were incapable! tend. Urge Joint Trial of Klansmen. NOBLESVILLE, Ind., Aug. 10.—A motion for a joint trial of D. C. Stept- enson, former klan leader in Indiana: | Barl Klinck and Earl Gentry, a! Policy so that in the future no group! in the party will be swept, away by| charged with the murder of Madg> Oberholtzer, was filed with Judge Fred | Hines in Hamilton Circuit Court this It must develop not only a leadership’ afternoon by defense counsel. Statement of the Central Executive Committee on the Italian Section 2. These anti-party tendencies with- in the Italian Federation were more sharply expressed in the appeal of Comrade Sormenti in January, 1925, to the Italian Federation to leave the party and to form a “better” Com- munist Party. Comrade Sormenti did great service in organizing the Italian Federation, but this did not give him the right to put the Federation against the party. Such appeals to splits aro being condemned in all Communist parties. A similar attack made by the Superior Branch of the Finnish Fed- eration was recently condemned by the Central Executive Committee and by the Bureau of the Finnish Federa- tion. Comrade Sormenti was follow- ing a dangerous road. If he had not stopped in time and recognized his mistakes he would have been in dan- ger of*losing completely his influence in the Italian Federation and broken away from. the Party. _ 3. ,An atempt to organize a split in the Italian Federation after the Philadelphia convention was made by Giacomo and Baldizari and several others when they sent an appeal to the Italian branches in March 1925 to form a new federation outside of the party. This is another example of the dangerous forms that anti-party ten- dencies assumed when they are per- mitted to develop unchecked, 4. The anti-party tendencies with- in the Italian Federation manifested themselves during the winter fo 1924- 25 also in the attempt in the circulars | sent out by Comrade Candela in the 5. ‘boere is no doubt that the Ttal- in Feder. tion will be able to emerge m its pre.ent difficult situation and it after the party convention which ll remedy the factional s e Sore the Italian Federation. pearvening the struggle within the talian Federation, the Italian Feder- | ation will find the necessary forces | for harmonious work in the reorgan- imation of the party on the basis of shop nuclei, This will be possible only on condition that both groups (majori- ty and minority) will unite their forces in determined struggle against the an- ti-party tendencies within the Italian Federation, ‘ . The C, ®, ©, endorsed the decision of the special sub-committee, Central Executive r ‘ Workers Party of America, — William Z. Foster, an, C. E. Ruthenberg, ou The Achievements of the Parity Commission a,