THE the proletariat and the development of pro.
letarian organs of state power.
The proletarian revolution is a process, C appropriWM UNI1 Boycott the Elections!
Page Thres HE Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party of New York City, in acArbitration cord with the plan to capture the and requiring the application of each phang developing its own problema OMPROMISE, miserable and deadenold party, recently made contests in the ing compromise, is bred in the bone ate tactics in accord with Communist funprimary elections for its own candidates darentals and life itself. It is the charof of officials. They can on the Socialist Party ticket. In a number acteristic of the Socialist betrayer of so vreunive action: always in the crisis they never pursue the policy of consistent, ag.
feated the old Socialist Party nominees. revolution. The proletarian revolution is cialism to evade all actual problems of the weaken, and betray.
The Left Wing Section having now almont unanimously become the Communist Party lems at particular stages of its develop great shape, the workere determined and a procesu; it has its own peculiar prob The General Strike in Seattle was in nees resigned as candidates from the So pliable, living, in accord with the problems with threats of drastic action; union of cialist Party ticket. But the election law prevents the acceptance of these resigna inary stages, we shall find it necessary to compromise, and contributed directly to of each phase of development. In prelim cials weakened, spoke of agreement and tions. Therefore, Communist Party comrades will appear as candidates on the soboycott the elections while participating the strike collapse.
in the campaign; in the final stage it may cialist Party ticket.
become necessary to boycott parliamentarNow again, apparently, in the steel This apparently complicated situation munista in Germany during the elections proportions. Capitalism is aghast at this is being solved very easily. The Commun.
ism completely, as did the Spartacan Com strike. This strike han anaumed gigantic ist Party comrades appearing on the So to the Constituent Assembly.
cíalist Party ticket will make a campaign terrific portent of what may come, Unions urging the workere NOT to vote for them, the workers are instinctively adopting the ticipating in the strike, such as the Great At this moment, in the United States, not directly affiliated with the unions parbut to abstain from voting for any candid tactic of mass action. They realize vague Lakes Marine Unions, are deciding for a ates. These comrades, accordingly, will ly the futility of parliamentariem solving general strike. This steel strike may mark campaign against their own elections, but this will mean an uncompromising camtheir problems: even the conservative railpaign for revolutionary Communist prin Plan feel that they may have to use the if the spirit of the workers is mobilized way workers responsible for the Plumb a new epoch in American labor history, ciples.
The elections this year are a test. They to accept their plan. The giant steel strike strike in order to coerce the government for definite, uncompromising action, are a text of the Communist claims of ele. is the most vivid portent in the struggles But even prior to the strike the of ments formerly affiliated with the Left of the American proletariat, a strike poL. officials in control were bent upon comWing. Wagenknecht, the Executive tential of revolutionary action against promise. They asked a conference with Secretary of the Communist Labor Party, Capitalism. These mass utrikes of the Gary of the Steel Corporation; urges Socialist Party locals in Ohio afil workers are of the utmost importance, the and when this was refused the order for a ating with his Party to participate in the development that must determine the tacelections under the name Socialist Party. tics of the Communist Party in the immestrike was issued, in spite of Wilson plea This is a characteristic expression of vi diate days to come. The United States, and because of the determined spirit of the cious Centriem, of wavering between the apparently, is on the verge of a revolution men.
old and the new, of compromise and in ary crisis, as in England, where the Comconsistency. Still clinging to the discred munist Party boycotts the elections to ParNow the strike is a great fact. But still the of speaks compromise this ited name, Socialist Party! Still playing liament. The Communist Party task is to the old game of votes, votes, votes! And unify these strikes, to make them adopt ate Committee on Labor, investigating the time arbitration. At a session of the SenTHIS is the Party that claims to represent larger means and purposes, to develop the Communist fundamentals. consciousness and action of the general steel strike, John Fitzpatrick, chairman of political strike. Out of these mass industhe Strike Committee, pledged the end of The decision of the Communist Party to trial struggles must issue the means and the strike in the event that the steel conboycott the coming elections while parti. the inspiration for the conquest of power cerns submit to arbitration. This is the cipating in the campaign is in accord not by the proletariat.
record: only with the temporary necessity of absolutely severing all relations with the old These mass strikes are still directed Will the men go back to work if the Socialist Party, but with the general char against the employers, although often steel company will agree to submit the case acter of Communist parliamentarism and equally a challenge to the state. The Com to arbitration? asked Senator Kenyon of Iowa.
the prevailing conditions in the proletarian munist Party must develop the conscious class struggle.
ness of action against the state, of the Yes, promptly replied Mr. Fitzpatrick.
Campaigns and elections are not neces political character of the class struggle which we accomplish by means of partici Would the men be willing to lay the sarily interwoven: they may be separated, case before a commission appointed by the There is in fact a clear distinction between pation in political campaigns and our general agitation but, simultaneously, the president? asked Senator Kenyon.
campaigns and elections; there are mo Communist Party must emphasize the im Yes, responded Mr. Fitzpatrick.
ments when the Communist Party will possibility of parliamentarism and elecparticipate in the campaign but boycott tions realizing the conquest of power and could be called off if Gary agreed to arbiAnd Fitzpatrick even said the strike the elections, in order to emphasize the this we accomplish by means of a boycott trate, and that the men would abide by the mass character of the proletarian strug of the elections.
decisions of an arbitration commission!
yle. These moments are determined by The American workers are emerging the general considerations of the class This is frightful weakening. It may struggle, by the maturity of development into a period of intense and aggressive of proletarian action against Capitalism, mans struggler. They must not look to break the spirit of the strike. It creates by whether the many action of the workis secured from arbitration, which is aleru at a particular moment may the more against the state. They must not depend cerning arbitration. Nothing permanent ways determined by fundamental capitalist interests. Arbitration invariably befrom the elections, thereby emphasizing liamentarism to the requirements of the trays. The value of the strike is not in the in the minds of the workers the neceunity many struggle. The Communist Party, accordingly, urges: Boycott the elections. for extra parliamentary action.
The Communist Party participates in The accomplishment of the revolution immediate concessions secured, but in the reserves developed for action in the days the political campaigns for purposes of ary tank the conquest of the power of The steel strike is arousing the spirit of propaganda, and in order to emphasize the the stato, the establishment of the dictapolitical character of the class struggle torship of the proletariat and the realizaThe workers must be convinced of the fu tion of the Communist Republic is the proletarian revolt. The steel workers are sciousness of action. Small concessions tility of the inolated strike against the vital problem of the Workers of the World, sensing their power, developing the conemployers and of the necessity of action the conscious elements of whom are or since it destroys the independence and against the state by means of general po ganizing in the international Communist secured from arbitration mean nothing, class spirit of the workers. The victory litical strikes, culminating in the conquest Party, This problem and this task are gigantic, of the steel workers can come only from of the power of the state by the revolutiondetermined action against Capitalism.
ary proletariat. The Communist Party, They mean nothing short of a transformation of the world, an implacable struggle Why arbitration and compromise? The accordingly, vues parliamentarism to emagainst Capitalism representing the most phasize the political character of the claus struggle, but equally to emphasize the im powerful clans of exploiters in history. steel workers control the situation, and strike.
They are developing not alone ponibility of parliamentariam conquering We shall meet temporary victory and de will control still more as other workers the power of the state.
feat, a process out of which will come a weakening of Capitalism and a strengthen power for immediate gains, but for larger This being our general policy, at particular momento the Communist Party will ing of the class power of the proletariat. action in the days to come. Fitzpatrick participate in the political campaign, in In this struggle, programs and words are speaks of the dead and injured among the quent of the power of the state; but will be judged by its deeds, by its application less than the dead and injured from indusboycott the elections in order to empha of program and words. The conception of try itself. Let the steel workers reject conquer, not arbitrate, in the means necessary to attain thin parliamentarism and elections is a test of arbitration and compromise: they must to come, objective the general political strikes of communist understanding and sincerity.