With Marx For Text (1907)

With Marx for text
by
Daniel DeLeon
The Daily People

June 29 1907
Only the economic organization is

capable of setting on foot a true
political party of Labor, and thus raise
a bulwark against the power of Capital.
MARX
I t happens with Marx as with Shakespearetheir sentences are weighted with

meaning. As it does not suffice to read" Shakespeare, neither does it suffice to read
Marx. Their utterances must be STUDIED. There is hardly a sentence-utterance of Marx
that does not contain, compressed, half a dozen separate thoughts which, combined,
present a simple looking sentence enough, heavy, however, with meaning.
The sentence used for text at the head of this article is typically Marxian. It compresses
fully six distinct subjects, running along parallel lines. It condenses the essence of fully six
sociologic topics, which woven together, constitute a mighty thought.
The sentence is a flashlight upon the nature and mission of the economic organization,
upon the nature and mission of political action, upon the relation there is between the two,
and, by inference, upon the theories of Neutrality towards Unions, of the Transitoriness
of the Union, and of Physical Force.
The first sentence of the Marxian text declares: Only the economic organization is
capable of setting on foot a true political party of Laborin other words:
First. A political party of Labor is a necessity. It could not be a true political party of
Labor if not useful and necessary. Incidentally, it follows from this, as the reverse of the
thought, that a bogus party of Labor must, in some way, be the product or reflex of some
bogus economic organization.
Second. A political party of Labor can not ignore the trunk from which it is a shoot.
Neutrality by the shoot towards its trunk is inconceivable.Incidentally there follow from
this, as reverses of the thought, first, that a true political party of Labor is bound to carry
into the political arena the sound principles of the revolutionary economic organization
which it reflects, and feel bold to proclaim the fact; secondly, that a bogus party of Labor is
likewise driven to carry into the political arena the false principles of the bogus economic
organization, and be prompted by the cowardly feeling of striving to deny its parentage.
There is a third conclusion, and one of no little importance to the practical understanding
of the subject only the political reflex of the bogus organization of Labor can set up the
theory of Neutrality in Unionism a theory known by the said political reflex to be at odds
with the law of its own existence and the facts that dominate it.
The closing, or second sentence of the Marxian text, and thus raise a bulwark against
the power of Capital, defines the mission of the true political party of Labor. That
mission is to raise a bulwark against the power of Capital,in other words:
First. It is not the part of political action to take and hold the nations productive
powers; consequently, that the revolutionary ACT of taking and holding is independent
of political action.
Second. The part of political action being the transitory, though necessary, function of
raising a bulwark against Capital, it follows as incidental to the thought, first, that the
revolutionary act of achieving the overthrow of capitalism and the establishment of
Socialism is the function reserved to the economics organization; secondly, that the
Physical Force called for by the revolutionary act, lies inherent in the economic
organization; thirdly, as a corollary of the second conclusion, that the element of Force"
consists, not in military or other organization implying violence, but in the STRUCTURE of
the economic organization, a structure of such nature that it parries violence against itself,
shatters it, and thereby renders the exercise of violence in return unnecessary, at least
secondary, or only incidental; finally, that the economic organization is not transitory, but
is the present embryo of the future Government of the Republic of Labor.
Marxian sentences are like thick racemes of grapes. They yield grape after grape.
Digested, they make the digestor to see as on a map the border lines of the contiguous
territories of the American Federation of Labor and the Socialist Party, and of the
Industrial Union and the Socialist Labor Party. They allow an insight into the theories
regarding Neutrality, the Transitoriness of the Union, and Physical Force in the sense
of organized violence. They explain the appearance, on the political arena, in the shape of
resolutions on inferior races, then on backward races, then in the shape of a string of
words intended to concede the same thoughtof the Craft Union principle of Anti-
Immigration, Race and Craft Conflicts.
Marx has uttered many pregnant sentences. None more so than the text that heads this
article.

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With Marx for text

The Daily People

Only the economic organization is

I t happens with Marx as with Shakespearetheir sentences are weighted with

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