Critical and Constructive Program Intended to Advancthe Interests of the Socialist Party in America
Daniel, Franz E.
Critical and Constructive Program Intended to Advancthe Interests of the Socialist Party in America By Franz E. Daniel BEFORE me is the fifteen-pagepamphlet called "A MilitantProgram for the...
...Allof us have made and are makingmistakes, none of us is beyondcriticism...
...o this end, I feel that the Miliants In their program have made moat stimulating contribution...
...The document before meis by no means a flawless gem.It is a frank exploration Into fieldsof activity which many of us feelhave been sorely neglected of late and as such it deserves the seriousconsideration of those who realizethe stem teats which lie ahead ofus...
...This trade unioprogram Is not De Leonlsm...
...Finally I return to my original contention, that there are matterscontr orth our whole-hearted and i houghtful consideration, in ritical time in our party hlstc nything that will tend to cla ur thinking and translate thinking Into effective actio*hould be welcome...
...To those of utside of New York, it a« heir program comes at an op une time...
...They urge us to "do allIn our power to guard against capitalist attacks upon a governmentengaged In creating Socialism" and to "oppose with all our strengththose who lend aid and comfortto the enemies of Socialism by Indulging in anti-Soviet propaganda...
...Again it Is strange that suca pother should be raised over thproposal that delegates to thLabor and Socialist Internationabe elected in the future, rathethan picked at random from thosfortunate comrades who have thboat-fare to Europe, as at presentJust why defenders of democracshould be so griped over the Idethat representatives of the Socialist party of America abroashould be chosen by the rank anfile for whom they supposedlspeak, passes my feeble Philadelphia comprehension...
...Is this program onethat should be adopted at this particular Juncture in our affairs?Will the acceptance of all or partof the Militant program tend tweaken us or strengthen us In thebitter hut tie that is ahead...
...the urging of our youtto participate directly In the struggles of the workers...
...Dr.Nerwcomb of Cleveland Collegeand Edward Newman of the YoungPeople's Socialist League werechosen to call together an .executive group at a luncheon meetingto work out definite organizationplans...
...the setting up of an information department to keep oumembers informed as to industriasituations...
...L, I. D. Croup in ClevelandCLEVELAND, Ohio-After aninteresting and inspiring talk byMary Fox, national secretary ofthe League for Industrial Democracy, a group of Cleveland members meeting at the Goodrich Settlement House on May 6 decidedto form a Cleveland chapter...
...At all events It Is not ng to be treated with the empt shown by some of Its comentators who either do not unerstand or who fear its implicaions...
...I dnot believe that Socialism can bsneaked over on the electorate...
...ict board...
...What anuproar has been caused by thepublication of this innocent-seeming document...
...At once the questionarise: Are these ideas of the sortthat will further the growth ofour party...
...It inot Communism...
...greater activity on the part of Socialists itheir trade unions...
...Indeed the authors and endorsers ofthis program take it for grantedthroughout that the fundamentalsof Socialism will be understood bytheir readers...
...Doenot every contact with rank andfile workers in America persuadeus that what is needed here is anaggressive 'Socialist party, definitely moving to the Left...
...They point outhe dangers of the pursuit of political power and parliamentarprestige as exemplified in bothGreat Britain and Germany...
...the rendering of aid by such organizers tthe organization of the unorganized...
...In regard" to the conduct of thcoming campaigns, the Militantagain go back to fundamentals andecry mere "reformism" which hacharacterized so many of our municipal campaigns of late...
...In a mock state political onvention, they nominated Noran Thomas for President and erbert A. Miller, sociology proessor dismissed by Ohio State last ear, for Vice-President...
...Or isit true that the bitterness engendered by the Communist-Socialistbickerings^ particularly in NewYork City, has blinded many ofthe critics of the Militants to thevery genuine yearning for an indigenous radical party that willmake articulate the desire of themasses for sweeping socialchange...
...Taken togethewith the recommendation of thMilitants for a disciplining of oucard-carriers who are at the samtime union members, yet whabandon all their Socialism thmoment they enter their uniomeetings, these suggestions seeto me to be most pertinent to oupresent situation...
...It is a fundamental principle of Marxism that Socialiscannot be achieved as a result oa series of reforms within thframe-work of the capitalisstate...
...On the answers to these questions, rather than on matters ofthe personalities of the Militantor their opponents, depends, itseems to me, the real significanceof this program...
...adequate ancontinuous machinery of reliefmore vigorous efforts in the linof workers' education...
...Those of us whwork for Socialism outside of NewYork and, happily or otherwiseare removed from the tempestwhich whirl around 15th streetare frankly not interested in theexchange of personalities whichhave filled The New Leader oflate since the appearance of theMilitant program...
...In the coming campaign we hall need all of our Socialist Inegrity, energy and intelligence...
...Now I believe that from thivery practical point of view, thereis in the Militant program a wealthof material that may be used toadvantage by all of us concernedwith everyday Socialist propaganda and organisation, and Ifurthermore believe that to dismiss this program as a mere aberration of impetuous youth or themore sinister foreshadowing of abolt from the party as so many ofits critics have done, is simply toadopt an ostrich-like attitude...
...Six hundred students taking art in the convention denounced he Republican and Democratic arties as "empty, meaningless and nable to meet the problem of the ay...
...It is plain Socialist sense...
...All across SocialistAmerica, wherever alert-mindedmembers come together, there idiscussion of Its contents pro andcon, end now down here In Philadelphia, as one of the endorsersof the program and as a delegateto the Milwaukee convention, I amtrying to test out the worth of theideas set forth by the Militants, inthe light of my experience aa anorganizer...
...think it is true as the Militantcontend that "Socialist majoritiemean very little unless those majorities are animated with a revolutlonary determination to presfor power for the transition to Socialism...
...Herevery evidently is the attempt tolay the groundwork for discussionsof issues which are pressing today,rather than the finished statementof a well-rounded philosophy...
...The Militants ho represent no small body of pinion in the party must and hould be heard...
...At the outset, it Is stated bythe program committee whichsigns the pamphlet that the program was "drawn up for the...
...WhilSocialists In those countries maymaintain, says the program, thatpeculiarly perplexing situationhave driven them to "gradualismand all sorts of unholy alliancesno such conditions obtain m thUnited States today...
...William T. Kirk of the Liberal Club urged students to "quit voting for horse and buggy parties In the day of syncro-mesh transmission...
...00 Ohio Students Nam« Thomas lor President" OLUMBUS, O. (FP).- Standpatters will have plenty to orry about when the present ooic ege generation comes out to seise he "leadership" they have been xhorted to take, if Ohio Stat* niversity students are a fair ample...
...consideration of the rank and file ofthe members of the Socialist partyand the delegates to the nationalconvention at Milwaukee...
...Trade Union Policies Naturally then, in view of thchallenge of our times, they reassert the Marxian conception of thclass struggle and say that whenthat conception is abandoned, "noony In theory but In practice, awell, that moment Socialism loseits significance...
...It is a matter of theunderscoring of certain of thesefundamentals in the crucial year of1932 with which they are concerned...
...Pres...
...We are lookingfor an instrument, a weapon, ifyou will, whereby to destroy capitalism and bring in Socialism inour time...
...Principles, Not Personalities If the program provides such aworkable instrument or In any wayhelp to bring about a rebirth ofSocialism in America, we are notvastly concerned with the careerof either the authors of the program or their opponents...
...Russia and Socialists *,Our attitude toward Soviet Rusia has been thrashed and rethrashed so often in these columnthat there is no need in dwellingupon the Militant stand againSuffice it to say that while opposing the dictatorship of the proletariat in this country where democratic Instruments are still ahand for the emancipation of thworkers, the Militants state tha"a setback to the workers of Russia would mean a terrible blow tInternational Socialist hopes, whiltheir victory spells the hasteninof the universal triumph of So cialism...
...The convention favored unemployment insurance, government ownership of railroads, and public utilities, recognition of the Soviet Union, lowered tariff, two more years moratorium and bolition of military training In...
...The tragic featurof this whole business is that sucobvious Socialist activities shoulhave to be advocated by partmembers at this time and that sucadvocacy should be so bitterlcriticized by those inside thhigher councils of the party...
...Critical and Constructive Program Intended to Advancthe Interests of the Socialist Party in America By Franz E. Daniel BEFORE me is the fifteen-pagepamphlet called "A MilitantProgram for the Socialist Partyof America," with the sub-title"Socialism In Our Time...
...This brings us directly to therelations of the party to tradeunionism and the definite proposals made by the Militants forending our present quiescent attitude toward this entire problem.They suggest, among other things,the appointment of a nationallabor committee of the Socialistparty to be charged with the coordination of our labor activities;the employment of competent fieldorganizers "whose duty It shall beto seek out situations In the Indus-trial field where their services canbe most useful to the workers,whether they are organized or areseeking to organize...
...May I simply add that, In my experience at any rate, I havefound this to be the attitude of the majority of the workers whoare entirely out of sympathy withthe fantastic tactics of the American Communists, but who nevertheless look to Russia as the onehopeful spot in a dark world...
...No Militant contends thathis Implies that we should nodiscuss such immediate demandas unemployment Insurance, etMilitants are not interested in thdebating society Into which thSocialist Labor party has beeturned because of its contempt fothe realities of the American sceneThey do Insist that discussions oimmediate issues must be carrieby Socialist campaigners to theilogical Socialist conclusions anthey feel that In the past all tooften this has been neglected...
...a larger coverage of labor news by our pressThe Coming Campaign Here is a concrete program fore-establishing our party upon firm labor base...
...Do any ofour Socialists doubt this...
Vol. 13 • May 1932 • No. 20
