THE COMMUNIST Page Three August 9, 1919 An Open Letter to Workingmen Comrades: By Sylvia Pankhurst Government succeed in crushing the The evidence that comes to us from Workers Republics, and if we fail to Russia cannot be disregarded. Reports British workers hold, the key to the sit take the direct action which could save of all unbiased witnesses agree, Arthur uation. They already have made it im them, we shall share the responsibility Ransom and Phillips Rice, who went to possible for their Governments to do any for the murder of Lenin and Trotzky, Russia as liberal correspondents for cathing effective to aid the counter revoluKameneff, Lunacharsky, Alexandra Kolpitalist newspapers, Albert Rhys Wil tionaries, but munitions of war are pour lontay, Bela Kun and hundreds of thouliams, the American war correspondents, ing out of this country to the counter re sands nay, millions of comrades who Col. Raymond Robbins and other reprevolutionaries; and our Naval Blockade are unknown to us; for the massacre will sentatives of the American Red Cross, has its strangle hold on Russia.
be very great; the streets of Russian Jacques Ladoul of the Society of The French and Italian comrades havo towns and villages ran red with the Friends: these men all tell us that Rus arranged demonstrations to take place blood of popular martyrs when the 1905 sia is now the paradise of the workers, on Sunday, July 20th and Monday, July Revolution was destroyed; but the venthat the land and the industries and the 21st, the first day to be a day of meet geance of the reactionaries will be inhouses are socialized; that prostitution ings; the second a day of strike. Our finitely greater and more terrible should and poverty are abolished; that titles Norwegian comrades have formed a the Workers Republics be overthrown.
and class distinctions are no more; that blockade committee of their own, which Should our Government succeed in education is free to all, right up to the they hope to make more thorough and crushing the Workers Repubics, and universities; that peoples schools of sci efficient than the capitalist blockade, should we take no action to stop them, ence, drawing, painting, sculpture and and Norwegian seamen are refusing to we shall share their guilt, and our own so on are springing up everywhere. Rus sail on ships bound for the counter re hope of Socialism will be wrecked for sians who come to this country regard volutionaries of Russia. They appeal to many a long year to come.
with pity the children of our slums, comBritish seamen and dockers and all other But this must not and will not happen, paring them with the children of Soviet workers to join them in this blockade. and already the London District ComRussia.
The Labour Party Congress, by a twomittee of the Docker Union has advised What is actualy being accompished in to one majority, declared for the prin its members to abstain from working on Russia is what the workers and idealists ciple of direct action to stop the interven any ships bound for Russia, or assisting have dreamed of for generations. The tion against the Workers Republics of in any way the overthrow of the Russian Golden Age of the workers is establishRussia and Hungary.
Proletariat. Moreover, it demands that ed, and the rule of the master class is The first exhibition of direct action the money invested by the Union in War abolished. From Russia, socialism has should be given on July 20th and 21st.
Loan be immediately withdrawn and spread to Hungary, and now to the new To do that successfully means hard and that its members shall join the General socialist republic of Slovakia. The cadetermined work NOW, in the work Strike on July 20th and 21st.
pitalist attack has been extended to Hun shop, in the trade union branch and on This is but one of the many indications gary and soon it will be directed against the Trades Council. There is not a mothat the workers are awaking; that the Slovakia ment to be lost; the time to work is now.
tide of reaction has turned and that the The employing classes publish lies If the Demonstration Strike should workers of the world are about to act about the Workers Republies in order fail to warn our Government te with together.
that they may crush them unhindered. draw from Russia, then steps must be Comrades, let us realize the importBut remember that the Workers Reputaken for a stronger and longer protest. ance of the struggle. Let us spend ourblies can never be crushed by the capiThe Labour Party Congress, by a twoselves in our efforts to rouse the worktalist class without the help of the work to one majority instructed its Executive ers of this country in this tremendous ers in this and other countries! An apto arrange with the Parliamentary Com fight.
peal has come from our French and mittee of the Trade Union Congress to Remember the strike of July 21st.
Italian comrades to join with them in call a special Conference to decide on The Conference to decide on furstriking against capitalist intervention.
the unrestricted use of Labour indus ther industrial action which must be The sailors, seamen and dockers of trial power to stop the intervention. held as soon as possible.
Italy refuse to allow troops, munitions or The capitalist press is already saying The blockade of the Counter Reany supplies whatever to be carried from that nothing will come of that resolu volutionaries who are fighting against the Soviets.
Italian ports or in Italian ships to Kol tion; that it was merely a pious expreschak, Denikine or other counter revolu sion of opinion and that the Executives Let us act together for the internationists who are fighting the Soviets. will let the matter drop now the Confer tional solidarity of the workers, rememThe French soldiers are refusing en ence is over.
bering that we have nothing to lose but masse to go to Russia. French soldiers If that should happen, and should our our chains. in the Ukraine fraternized with the Red Army, and French sailors mutinied in the Crimea and compelled to return to The Arrogance of Michigan the French battleships to France. As a OAKLEY CALVIN JOHNSON, result of their action the revolution triState Sec y, of Michigan.
umphed in South Russia and the rich food reserves of the Ukraine were restor When the delegates from Michigan at Emergency Convention of the expelled ed to the Workers Republic, and the the Left Wing Conference presented the State, asked the Left Wing Conference people of Russia rescued from starva Manifesto of their Emergency State Con to endorse the Michigan Call for a contion.
vention, calling for the organization of vention in Chicago on Sept. 1, as a tenBut aided by troops of all nations, and a real Socialist Party, they were met by tative basis for the formation of a Comby British ammunition, guns, aeroplares, a peculiar situation. The demand of the munist Party, PROVIDED the Left Wing tanks and all the most terrible imple Russian delegates for the immediate for failed in its capture the old party conments of warfare, the counter revolu mation of a Communist Party had been vention on August 30. The reply to this tionary General Denikine is again ad turned down, the argument of the Ma by the leaders of the Majority was, the vancing in the Ukraine and striking jority being that there still remained a Michigan delegates are arrogant. And northward towards Moscow, whilst possibility, at least, of capturing the Na so again the Majority, flippantly shoutBritish, Canadian, Australian and New tional Convention of the Socialist Party ing menshevik, turned down a second Zeeland soldiers are menacing the Sovi of America. Moreover, signs had aready proposal for constructive party organizaets in the North; and, under the orders appeared of irreconcilable differences tion.
of the Big Four, and compelled by the between factions whose existence in the Now this charge of arrogance made dread of the British Naval Blockade, Left Wing had scarcely been suspected against the Michigan delegates is enFinns, Esthonians, Germans and Poles by the membership at large. But the del tirely baseless. The facts prove just the are also attacking Russia.
egates from Michigan, still hoping that reverse. Considering seriatim the allegThe French and Italian workers right a working basis might be agreed upon, ed evidences of this arrogance, the Continued on Page ly tell us that Britain holds, that we and acting under instructions from the