ABSTRACT
The decision to shift the basis of the Farmer-Labor united front from the entire labor movement to the relatively small portion represented by the Chicago Federation of Labor was made by the Communists' top leadership in New York. The official organ of the Farmer-Labor party served notice that the Communists were not the kind of folks other kinds of folks could live with in peace and harmony. The Communist case against John Fitzpatrick was based on an alleged agreement with the Farmer-Laborites made two weeks before the convention. Neither the Farmer-Laborites nor the Communists could afford to bring the real issues into the open. The majority of delegates arrived in Chicago expecting to organize a new party without delay. Instead of fighting publicly, Fitzpatrick sulked privately. The Communist case against Fitzpatrick was based on an alleged agreement with the Farmer-Laborites made two weeks before the convention.
