THE COMMUNIST Hate Has Its Virtues. 6 Communists declare American democracy an absolute fraud. They say people occasionally chooses its own Therefore, the general strike is unconstitutional way of manifesting that it is adapted by its nature only unnecessary.
for the perpetuation of exploitation.
itself, in spite of the ways carefully Then follows an apology for the chosen for its safe and sane manifestOnly a new form of government.
flourish about a general strike in ation, and this is revolution. But the based directly upon the participation opposition to the war which appears Socialists insist that revolution is a of the workers as workers and in the St. Louis platform, the one peculiar way of talking about natbarring all others. will give us real exception to the rule. But Mr. Hillquit ionalization of industries. The Commdemocracy.
is quoted as favoring, hypothetically unists mean by revolution an actual The Communists are for the sovof course, a general strike, if necescontest for social control between the Constitutional sustain to sary, iet government because it is a work rulers who maintain capitalism and rights.
ers government in form and because Vote instead of striking, even if the workers upon whom devolves the it is Communist in its purposes. They historic mission of inaugurating the three fourths of the workers have no government would be against any new social order of Communism. In vote, and even if the vote could not anywhere, Constituent Assembly or this contest the capitalists insist that affect the desired political change no Constituent Assembly, voting or under American democracy without only their methods of action shall no voting, if that government served complexities which could not be solved prevail, but the workers insist upon to perpetuate the capitalist system.
using the forms of action developed for several generations. Even if a The Brief for the Socialist Assemmajority were determined to vote the out of their special experience as blymen with its express opposmass workers.
change.
ition to soviet government and proletAlbany were The Socialists at But all this is too silly for serious arian class rule in the United Statescomment. The general strike is a vital consistent. They expressed unmitigatto should have been attached the fact of development of working class ed enthusiasm for the American form power. It is not a product of syllogism of government, declaring that it Socialist Party application for membInternatof leric as conceived by Hillquit, but would be the basis for introducing the ership in the Communist The ional.
Commonwealth.
a product of the pressure of capit Co operative alism which forces the proletariat to seek more militant forms of action.
The Communists realize that the class struggle must follow the lines of action which working class experience cive law, policemen clubs, guns and ATE has its virtues no less than develops, and that among these the bayonets. They know that the world love. It is only a question of general strike is of special value and is full of organized force to maintain direction, be it love or hate.
importance, as evidenced all over the the social and economic system which There are many things and persons world today. Far from rejecting. the general strike for political purposes, to be hated. There is nothing wicked gives only a few the chance to live.
the American Communist Party has about hatred: there is nothing more But these gentlemen overlook the truth that everything which sustains conceived its sacred about love It all depends upon whole program as centered upon this tactical concept.
the goal, the substance of what is this system is organized hate directed against the mass life, a hatred imhated or loved. The soviet form of government seems to be good for Russia. The All of which philosophizing is personalized and institutionalized.
parliamentary form of governprompted by the following cover If a new system is needed so that quotation which decorates the March ment seems to be good for the people may become good, the old antiUnited States.
25th number of Unity: social institutions must first be swept Good for what? The brief cites Philosophy has no faith in the aside. These institutions and their copious facts about widespread misefficacy of force in making people conscious defenders must be hated ery among the workers in this good. It teaches that people get and ruthlessly destroyed. Men and country, facts about the extreme better and improve, not by the de women may be ever so kind and concentration of American wealth in structive processes of hatred and gentle as individuals; they are often the hands of a very small percentage wrath, but by the constructive quite the opposite as part of an orof the people. Presumably this is method of love and reason It ganized system of social coercion.
what our form of government is good teaches that goodness comes from Hatred against them merely as for. But let us go on with this within, not from without, that you persons is futile. Hatred against them interesting quotation: cannot beat goodness into people, in their capacity of maintaining a We sympathize with the Russor give them a prescription for social system which hates life this ian workers, the Russian peasant, it, to be taken in doses, like me hatred, organized and directed toward the Russian Socialist, the Russian dicine, but that they must generate a better social system, is the highest Communists, in maintaining their it out of their own hearts and it and most beneficent impulse of the Soviet government. not because believes that if we will only make human mind.
it is a soviet government, but social and economic conditions that because it is a government of will give all men, instead of a few It is organized force, not love and their own choosing. Suppose they men, a charre to live, they will reason, which maintains the present had adopted a different of govnaturally anu inevitably social system. What is needed is become ernment, say one that had sprung good. It teaches that you can not counter organization, whatever forms from the Constituent Assembly, make people good by law, nor by of counter organization can cope in we should not support it any the policemen clubs, nor by guns and combat with organized force as it less.
bayonets, for it sees only hatred now exists, and as it now represses Try again. If the Russian moujiks in these processes, and it knows, life. The methods of action of this had held a plebiscite and voted in the that hatred ceaseth not by hatred; counter organization cannot be deold czar or a new one, and a majority hatred ceaseth but by love.
termined by philosophy. but only was for keeping up pogroms and all by the actuality of the existing organthat went with czardom, that would Brand Whitlock. ized force.
be just as enthusiastically supported Of course philosophy is here used Communism is the theoretical ex2: an alibi for Brand Whitlock. This by our democratic would be the sacred will of the people!
Socialists. It is what Whitlock teaches and believes.
pression of working class organizaThis anti hatred formula is the favortion and action to destroy capitalism.
Never mind what chicaneries involved in recording the will of the ite anaesthetic handed out by gentleThe dynamic power behind Communpeople. Once the ballot box has men like Brand Whitlock against ism is hatred. hate of tyranny, hate revolution.
spoken, that must be the law of social of starvation, mutilation, disease, life.
For it is to be noted that these imprisonments, wars of greed, hate Somehow or other the will of the gentlemen know quite definitely about of cynical ostentation. By hate and the existence of such things as coerwrath of the masses will these things be destroyed.
are