This defense of the Communist Labor Party position was produced in the weeks following its founding during the fracturing of the Socialist Party, and larger workers movement, occurring in early September of that year. The smallest of the three large parties, the C.L.P. was most closely associated with John Reed and largely drew its strength from English-speaking syndicalists and industrial unionists of the I.W.W.. the S.P. the Workingman’s Party, and others. While the vast majority of the Language Federations and their members, many of whom were members of A.F.L. unions, went to the Communist Party, the German Federation, under the leadership of Ludwig Lore, sided with the C.L.P. in its majority. Here Jack Carney introduction and the C.L.P.’s official account of those early events for the Duluth ‘Truth.’

‘On The Communist Party’ by The Communist Labor Party from Truth (Duluth). Vol. 3 No. 37. September 19, 1919.

The State Secretary has taken exception to our statement of last week, “The majority of the English-speaking membership it had, (The Communist party) is withdrawing from it.” He is of the opinion that “common decency and honesty demands that you retract this misstatement.”

Comrade Dirba writing to a local comrade, whose letter we have before us, stated, “The Michigan manifesto and platform was entirely rejected by a vote of 73 to 37.” Now place both statements alongside of each other and allow calm judgment to decide as to whether our statement needs to be retracted. Can you imagine for one moment, a group of comrades who have carried on a certain line of propaganda, remaining within a party that repudiates that line of propaganda? Especially the Michigan comrades!

Comrades do not let us fool ourselves. If you want to judge the membership of any party, just judge them by their actions, not their TALK. There has been more work done in the city of Duluth, than in both of the Twin Cities. We have sold more literature than the State Office, which has the whole membership to serve. The Scandinavian Local has practically kept the State Office above water.

This has been made possible, because within the Socialist Party of Duluth there has been unity of purpose and unity of action. We have not engaged in talk so much as action. True it is that we have not used many revolutionary phrases, but we have gone to the place where the worker was reached and that was on the job. Against the most formidable opposition the Socialist Party of Duluth has made headway and will continue to do so. We shall work with that party that can function in the field of propaganda and action. We shall not prate about our revolutionary fervor, but we shall act and convince the powers that be that we are in earnest in our endeavors to bring about the freedom of the working class. If you decide to go with the Communist Party we have nothing to say against you, better by far to be inside of the Communist Party, than to be outside of them all. One thing we wish to say to you, that in this State there will be at least one thousand comrades who will go with the Communist Labor Party. There will be two Communist Parties. If you are in earnest comrades and if through the present clouds of oppression you can see the sun attempting to burst through, you will work for unity. There is no Communist Party that has a right to say that WE are the only party. The times call for more tolerance and they call for the exercising of our common sense in these matters. We must come together. If you are prepared to stay in your own little party, then you are lost to all sense of a conscious realization of the task that is set before you.

We have nothing to retract, “common decency and honesty demands” that we tell the comrades of Minnesota the facts. We have done this. Childish letters and hysterical ravings of “responsible” comrades will not be allowed to stampede us. We are prepared to allow all comrades who know us, to judge us by what we have DONE and not by what we say we are GOING TO DO.

In the meantime read over the following statement of facts and then elect your delegate to the State Convention, fully instructed as to what you desire him or her to do. Jack Carney.

1. The reactionary officialdom of the Socialist Party, sensing that the party membership had turned revolutionary and that the party referendum had ousted them from office, declared the referendum illegal and fraudulent and ousted from the party seven Language Federations and the Socialist Party of Michigan.

2. A conference between representatives of the ousted Federations, Michigan, and others in sympathy with them, was immediately held in Chicago, and it was there agreed to carry on the fight within the Socialist Party for Left Wing control of the Socialist Party.

3. Shortly thereafter a National Left Wing Conference was held in New York, attended by delegates from all parts of the United States. At this conference it was again decided to carry on the fight within the Socialist Party for revolutionary or Left Wing control of the party, up to the called National Emergency Convention of the party. At this Conference the Russian Federation and Michigan delegates withdrew because the Conference would not agree to the immediate organization of a new party.

4. The Russian Federation and Michigan groups then issued a call for the organization of a new party, setting September 1st as the date for the national convention for this purpose, and Chicago as the place. After the Russian group had bolted, the majority of delegates present also called for a convention for September 1st, to organize a new party should Left Wing delegates who attended the Emergency National Convention of the Socialist Party have to leave that convention because of its control by reactionaries. There were then two conventions for the organization of new parties called, one by the bolting Russian group and one by the majority of delegates attending the National Left Wing Conference. The latter, however, was the majority call and the one which all Left Wing delegates to the Emergency National Convention were bound to obey.

5. A meeting of the newly-elected National Executive Committee of the Socialist Party was subsequently called to meet in Chicago on July 26. At this meeting it was again decided to carry on the fight within the Socialist Party for Left Wing control of the party up to the called National Emergency Convention of the party.

6. Shortly after the meeting of the newly elected and revolutionary National Executive Committee, the National Left Wing Council, a body elected by and responsible to the National Left Wing Conference and the entire Left Wing membership of the Socialist Party, violated the edicts of the preliminary conference in Chicago of ousted Federation representatives, the National Left Wing Conference held in New York, and the newly-elected National Executive Committee, which edicts demanded the carrying on of the fight within the party for control of the party by the revolutionary membership. This National Left Wing Council surrendered to the Russian Federation- Michigan group and joined this group in calling for its convention for a new party, at Chicago, September 1st.

7. Many members of the Left Wing faction in the party resented this manipulation, this unauthorized change of position, remained true to the edicts of the National Left Wing Conference and the new National Executive Committee, and decided to carry on the fight within the party and go to the Emergency National Convention of the Socialist Party to make a last earnest attempt to win the party for its revolutionary membership. If unsuccessful then it was pledged to go to the Sept. 1st convention called by the National Left Wing Conference and not that called by the seceding minority, the bolting Russian group.

8. The Emergency convention met in Chicago, August 30th. Left Wing delegates were thrown out of the convention hall by the Chicago Police, under the direction of Adolph Germer and the outlawed National Executive Committee composed of moderate socialists. These Left Wing delegates then organized the legal Emergency National Convention of the Socialist Party in another hall in the same building, under the auspices of the newly-elected National Executive Committee.

9. This legal convention accepted and concurred in the report of the new National Executive Committee, reinstating in the party the ousted federations of the expelled states, Michigan and Massachusetts. The very next act was to elect a committee of five to confer with the convention of the Russian Federations-Michigan group to secure a basis for uniting the two conventions.

10. The Russian Federation delegates who controlled the convention which they had called refused to elect a committee on unity to confer with the committee elected by the Left Wing delegate convention. About forty delegates withdrew from the Russian Federation-controlled convention as a result, and only then returned when the Russian Federation delegates agreed to elect such a committee. In the long wait that ensued because of the dictatorial methods of the Russian Federation delegates, the convention of the Left Wing delegates, the legal Emergency National Convention of the Socialist Party, continued its labors at convention duties and, among other things, adopted the name Communist Labor Party as the name for the revolutionary workers’ party in this country, carrying out the call for the organization of a new party as commanded by the majority delegates at the National Left Wing Conference.

12. The Committee on Unity from the Russian Federation-Michigan-called convention, known as the Communist Party Convention, eventually sent a document to the convention of the Communist Labor Party delegates agreeing to seat some of the latter party as delegates, to recognize others as “fraternal” delegates, and others as “special guests.”

13. To this the Communist Labor Party Convention replied that unity, in all fairness, should be arrived at upon a basis of equality, and suggested that the two Unity Committees act as the joint Credentials Committee to pass upon the credentials from both bodies.

14. This offer was ignored by the Russian Federation-controlled Communist Party Convention. Subsequently another committee was elected by the Communist Labor Party Convention which appeared before the Communist Party Convention inviting the latter to a joint meeting of the two conventions to attempt to arrive at a basis for unity through a joint discussion. This offer was also refused by the Communist Party Convention.

15. The Communist Labor Party Convention then passed a resolution to the effect that a standing invitation for unity be sent to the Communist Party Convention and its national officials, and that the national officials of the Communist Labor Party be instructed to accept every offer of unity upon a basis of equality.

16. The National Executive Committee of the Communist Labor Party held a meeting immediately after the close of the convention of that party and sent a communication to the Communist Party, then still in session, offering to meet its national officials in an attempt to arrive at an agreement for a basis of unity. This communication has not yet been answered.

17. The claim is made by prejudiced leaders of the Communist Party that the Communist Labor Party represents no membership and that the Communist Party has 55,000 members. The average membership of the Federations which were ousted from the Socialist Party and which form the backbone of the Communist Party is: Russian Federation, 6500; Ukrainian Federation, 3500; South Slavic Federation, 300; Lithuanian Federation, 2000 — Total 24,900. Add to this figure two or three thousand English-speaking members and you have the total strength of the Communist Party.

18. Upon the second last day of the Communist Party Convention, controlled by the Russian Federation, 22 delegates, mostly from English- speaking organizations, refused to take further part in the convention, refused committee duty and official positions in the Communist Party because of the dictatorial methods of the Russian Federation.

19. The Communist Labor Party Convention was made up of representatives — regularly elected delegates — from 23 states. All of them were elected by the rank and file of the Left Wing membership of the Socialist Party. The entire delegations from California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Washington, Virginia, and West Virginia; 15 of the Illinois delegates; 3 of the 6 Indiana delegates; 2 of the 3 Kansas delegates; 1 Michigan delegate; 2 Missouri delegates; 3 out of 7 New Jersey delegates; 10 New York delegates; 14 of the 16 Ohio delegates; — all these regularly elected delegates took part in the convention of the Communist Labor Party, and fraternal delegates were present from the German Federation, Scandinavian Federation, and an Executive Committeeman from the Italian Federation. Total membership represented — 30,800.

20. National Headquarters of the Communist Labor Party is at 3207 Clark Ave., Cleveland, Ohio. A. Wagenknecht is National Secretary. Members of the National Executive Committee are Max Bedacht, Alexander Bilan, Jack Carney, Edward Lindgren, L.E. Katterfeld.

Our demand for unity will continue, determined and sincere. We do not maintain a “holier than thou” attitude toward the Communist Party. We stand for a consolidation of all Left Wing forces into one strong party. We call upon all locals and branches affiliated with the Communist Party to demand that their national officials enter into negotiations for unity with the Communist Labor Party. In the meantime all locals, branches, and members should affiliate with the Communist Labor Party, for by so doing they will strengthen the demand for unity.

THE COMMUNIST LABOR PARTY

Truth emerged from the The Duluth Labor Leader, a weekly English language publication of the Scandinavian local of the Socialist Party in Duluth, Minnesota and began on May Day, 1917 as a Left Wing alternative to the Duluth Labor World. The paper was aligned to both the SP and the I.W.W. leading to the paper being closed down in the first big anti-I.W.W. raids in September, 1917. The paper was reborn as Truth, with the Duluth Scandinavian Socialists joining the Communist Labor Party of America in 1919. Shortly after the editor, Jack Carney, was arrested and convicted of espionage in 1920. Truth continued to publish with a new editor J.O. Bentall until 1923 as an unofficial paper of the C.P.

Access to full paper: https://www.mnhs.org/newspapers/lccn/sn89081142/1919-09-19/ed-1/seq-1