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Page THE MILITANT December 1, 1928.
December 1, 1928.
THE MILITANT Page Spector Statement to Canadian Party The Right Danger in the American Party the America for to Russia in 1917. Trotsky Russian Party that in all China on Party was a clear ing of the depends great The old upon Toronto, November 6th, 1928. We print herewith in part the statement of Comrade olution is of course by no means isolated. have dwelt To The Political Committee, Spector to the Political Committee of the Communist Party at its meeting on Nov. 6th, 1928 in respor:se to the at some length on the opportunist line followed in Communist Party of Canada, demand that he state his position on the expulsion of Canthe refusal to break with the traitorous British GenFollowing upon the motion at yesterday session non, Abern and Shachtman from the Workers (Com. eral Council in the e Anglo Russian Committee. The of the Polcom to endorse the expulsion of the three munist Party of America and on the issues connected with the expulsion. As reported in the last number of Anglo Russian Committee was a political block be comrades Cannon, Max Shachtman, and Martween two tra The Militant Comrade Spector was forthwith suspended Party tin Abern, from the Workers of their stand on behalf of the opening of prints discussion of the fundamental problems of the Com refusing to retract his stand.
refinition date was deciared especie esponsible posisjonert the composition demonstratively to break with the represented as as being a allel to leaving the old unions.
Communist In view of the great prominence and popularity of motion which was unable Any munist who reads the resolutions adopted by the Anglo RusComrade Spector as iho tanding Communist leader in to support, certain questions have been directed to as to my waven position. These song ini diberikan kepada anda bera la genteng indle August 1926 and finally of the Berlin. conference may be boiled down to the following: First whether believe that the ideological line tor was elected to the Executive Committee of the Com. themselves that an absolutely impermissable capitu. munist International at the Sixth World Congress. He Trotskyism is correct of and whether am pre has been for years the Chairman of the Party and editor lation line was followed. At the latter meeting the pared to carry on an aggressive campaign against of its organs, the Canadian Worker and the Canadian Soviet representatives went on record recognizing Labor Monthly. He represented the Communist Party of the General Council, as the sole represent ovement Trotskyism and the comrades who have been exand Canada at the Fourth and Sixth World Congresses of pelled from the for their solidarity with the the Communist International. Editor.
spokesman of the British Trade platform of the Russian Opposition.
prepared at a time when the traitors of the General Council te vermeld in the elemente campaign against porutsk sa and the experiences of the Anglo Russian the Enlarged Executive of May 1927, Comrade isin. can assure the Polcom that am prepared Committee bear cloquent witness.
Bucharin to wage an. Ilistcampaign with For these latter are the real issues. Ia retrospect by the theory of exceptional circumstances, that is, the enti it is clear that the Sixth Congress, meeting after a that it was in the diplomatic interests of the Soviet of Trotsky into the Communist Party and his delay of four years, nevertheless failed to measure Union which was under threat of war danger from collaboration with Lenin following his return to has declared before the up to its great tasks. Eclecticism and a zig zag line the provocation of the British Government.
real analysis of the rich treasures of Such an attitude has little in common with the inseriala questions bearing any experience of the past four years. The dis structions of Lenin to the Soviet delegation that character of principle at all. in he had differ is of the Chinese revolution, the greateseriy mask the Pacifists and Reformists. By the policy upwent to the Hague Conference, to ruthlessly unences with Lenin prior to 1917, Lenin was correct. leaval since the November revolution, was The revival of the issue of so called Trotskyismiinadequate. As in the case of discussion of the pursued in the Anglo Russian Committee the Brit obscure the real issues by an artificial issue. Zinu to throw major responsibility for what happened in opportunisin that it was at first even opposed to on the leadership of Communist the Soviet Trade Union manifesto fight against Trotsky has not only admitted since will not down. The responsibility for the treachery of the Left as well as the Right Labor that the latter was correct in his fight for internal opp ternal opportunist policy of our Party in China lies in the Party democracy in 1923 24, but also that the issue of the General Council and wanted to confirst place with the Ex. Committee of the Comintern of Trotskyism tinue a fight for the re establishment of the morithen invented by himself and a and with formulations of the few other comrades for strategical purposes, to link at the Ii Congress proposed rin, Martynov.
of policy of Stalin, Buchar band Anglo Russian Committee. The whole line up the current differences with diiferences that had line in the Colonial that in the Chinese Revolution, based on manoevers long passed into history.
of the Communist Parties and the working with the reformists at the top instead of regard for The comrades in the vanguard of the fight against class movement even in embryonic form; against the the unleashing of the mass movement below. Trotskyism, were most of them furtiver removed National bourgeoisie, struggle for proletarian hege The economic analysis of the opposition on the situation within the on the danger of the and his presentation of the April Theses of 1917, than Trotsky. Zinoviev and Kamenev, Rygeois democratic tasks to solve; constant propa crat has been swiftly vindicated. Undoubtedly even when the National Revolution has only bour growth of the Kulak, the Nep man, and the bureaukov, Losovsky, etc. were opposed to the insurrection ganda of the Soviet idea and creation of Soviets at there are Thermidorean elements in the country the by which the Bolsheviks co power and were sible; possibility of which are striving to bring their class pressure to Parties. Comrade the nonfor a coalition of all the Stalin, prior to Lenin return had written articles and semi colonial countries on condition much for co operation with Tseretelli. When receive support from the web. condition the proberen tionist is to warn of these dangers and to propose proleis made of the differences between the advanced capitalist countries.
the necessary measures to combat them. That was always the case while Lenin was alive. The crisis Otherwise, Leriin point enin during the course of the revolution itself, it out, the differences should be borne in mind that all these collecthe national bourgeoisie o por Ciles, and that silence is maintained for factional revolution. This alliance could only be affected on are being exaggerated and distorted on the differs the basis that the bourgeoisie carried on an events in Smolensk, the Don Basin, the Ukraine, exees eluat other comrades, Bucharin for instance; struggle against imperialism and did not preetfetime etc. proved the absolute necessity not only for such as one hundred personicte Comrade Bucharin Communist Party from organizing the revolutionary the need to initiate but for effective internal Party and peasants.
democracy. One of the first guarantees of such on the Brest Litovsk question not only fought real Party democracy would be the return of the but also on Trade Union question, and on the Kemalism of the Turkish national struggle exiled revolutionary oppositionists and their reinPeasant em question of State Capitalism. On the has made its peace with Imperialism. Nearly statement with full rights to their former positions tion he was the author of one of the most dangerous of Lenin in the Party.
slogans ever put out by a leading comrade, tlie, ary colonial policies was violated in China. Ву have been a foundation member of the Comout the smoke screen that the creation of munist Party of Canada since its organization in icance of which meant a call on the Kulaks to in Soviets would be tantamount to the dictatorship of which took a joint part. have also been a memtensify their exploitation of the poor peasantry. The the present leader of the Bucharin, had to be the roletariat, despite the fact that Lenin proposed ber of the practically all the time since. ReSoviets already as a form of the democratic dic gardless of the immediate organizational consequencoverruled on the question of the validity of partial tatorship of workers and peasants in the 1905 reves, find myself compelled to make the above statedemands in the Conmunist Program by the inter olution, the leadership of the Comintern misrepre to further register the fact that nothing on ment and vention of Lenin, Trotsky and others at the Fourth sented the criticism and theses of the opposition and Congress.
covered up their own opportunist mistakes.
can separate me from the Revolutionary Communist movement. Everything that have stated to the Naslanderous rumors of any differences between him. tional bourgeoisie in the Kuomintang under cover Leninism in the Col. can and must be corrected by nov policy of the Block a struggle within the International to his last days he considered Trotsky his of Four Classes (renunciation of right to criticize and its sections.
Long live the Communist International!
closest collaborator as may be seen by the correOtros. Yat se renunciation of the Long live the Proletarian Revolution!
spondence which passed between these two leaders of the revolution in the letter to the Institute of Party an fighting apparatus, and of the creation of MAURICE SPECTOR.
History by Trotsky. Lenin called upon the cells in the National Army. The latter to defend his views for him on the following movement was subordinated to the Government of In The Next Issue THE JULY PLENUM AND THE RIGHT DANGER Workers and Peasants Control, the Monopoly of of picketing and strikes, disarmament of the workBy Trotsky ade the struggle against Burcalification etc. ers, etc. This Leninist analysis of the present conflict in It is high time that a stop be put to the of Party history that has accompanied the unscru Chiang Kai Shek etc. seguently straighten out the lication in the next issue of the Militant. The wild the repression period (coup etat of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union has just The enlarged Executive of been received and is now being translated for pubainst the the did not tionist who next to Lenin was the most authentic line. The slogan of Soviets was issued not when the rumors in the Capitalist Press and the silence of the leader and organ party organs throw no light and was so recognized by Lenin himself. Trotsky the bourgeoisie had already betrayed and the work the swiftly moving and momentous developments Principles of for the maintenance of Communist Party there. Trotsky article throws a požtunist deviations that have been smugеled into revolutionary warrior only a few days clear searching light on the entire situation, was criti analyzes class forces Rykov Stalin Bucharin regime and to which the less. cized at the time by Comrade Radek, and which was at work, explains the position and role of the conflicting groups in the party sons of the Chinese revolution, the economic situa of course suppressed to avoid compromising himself. and indicates the revolutionary bolshevik policy for tion in the the situation within the The opportunist line followed in the Chinese rev the solution of the problems.
CONTINUED FROM LAST ISSUE The following is the second installment The perspective of the Lovestone group is in impact of the attacks of the employers and the document submitted by the delegation of the Op; treachery of Lewis, our Party orientation should opposition to that outlined above. Its perspective position in the American Party to the Sixth World have been definitely in the direction of an open Congress of the Communist International, in July is based upon an overestimation of the reserve power of American capitalism and an underestima.
1928 and signed by James Cannon, William struggle against the Lewis machine and for the Foster, William Dunne, Alex Bittleman, formation of a new union.
tion of the leftward drift of the masses. It is Johnstone, Manuel Gomez and George Siskind.
The policy of the characterized by: Lovestone majority placed many obstacles in The Lovestone Pepper majority has voted to prohibit the publication or circularization of this document in the the way of developing and executing such a polie Overestimation of objective difficulties and ranks. We will print it consecutively in The Militant.
cy. Among these are: underestimation of the growing favorable opportuni EDITORS.
ties for the proletarian class struggle. Rejection of the open conference proposed by the CEĆ minority. This action checked the Party Overemphasis of the weakness and smallness of the Party and underemphasis of its great task for skilled workers rather than upon the unorganized orientation towards a new union and confused and leadership in the developing class struggles and its demoralized the miners left wing and left the miners semi skilled and unskilled workers.
movement without a definite perspective and discon ability to undertake the solution of these tasks. Underestimation of the diminishing influence nected our Party from the discontented masses of Failure to realize the seriousness of the war of the skilled workers due to the mechanization of miners who wanted to struggle against Lewis. Re.
danger and the coming of serious struggles as is industry and the growing gulf between the skilled newal of the motion several months later by the CEC seen in the failure to build an underground apparatus. and unskilled minority for an open conference and a direct struggle Playing down the symptomatic significance of Tendency to orientate upon alleged differences against Lewis, its acceptance by the Polcom, reestab such sporadic struggles among the unorganized as in the upper strata of the labor bureaucracy.
lished our leadership over the masses who were in the oil strike in Bayonne, automobile strike in Oshawa, etc.
Underestimation of the crisis in the trade grave danger of being demoralized by the IW.
unions, and a tendency to minimize the necessity for Failure of the CEC to vigorously combat the Seeing in the present political situation no new unions. Illusions regarding possibilities of or deepscated pessimism and systematic resistance against signs or promise for political conflict and mass polit ganizing the masses into the of unions. the application of the policy of open struggle, after ical movements. Articles and speeches by Comrades Pepper and this policy, upon motion of the minority, had been Revising the perspective for struggle outlined Lovestone. formally adopted by the CEC. The task of breaking in the February thesis which was forced upon the Constant practice of placing the interests of down the resistance of the Lovestone District Organ majority by the minority of the Central Committee.
the Lovestone fraction ahead of those of the Party, izers fell chiefly upon the CEC minority who were This revision was made in the policies of the Love. and the sacrifice of mass campaigns for actional sharply criticized by the Lovestone majority stone group since February in articles by Lovestone advantage.
these actions. The right wing tendencies of these and Pepper, and in the May resolution of the organizers, signalized by reluctance to fight the Lewis Tendency to toy with mass organization cam Plenum. Failure to publish the February Thesis.
paigns instead of pushing them through aggressively, burcaucracy and by a general underestimation of the These characteristics of the perspective of the fighting spirit of the miners, were most clearly ex The majority leadership of the which cmplified by the letters of Comrade Bedacht, De Lovestone group lack the outlook for struggle and is an organic part of the Lovestone faction in the trict Organizer of Illinois to the CEC.
orientation towards it.
Party, follows the same opportunist line in its in From December 1926 till December 1927, in IV. Failure to Orientate Towards New Unions dustrial work.
cluding months of the miners strike, the Love stone majority failed to publish a left wing miners Typical examples of these wrong tendencies and and the Organization of the Unorganized.
organ. This was due on the one hand to the under estimation of the struggle and on the other to yield To organize the many millions of unorganized policies are: ing to the demand of the so called progressives Rejected as dual unionisin the proposal made workers is the major task of our Party. The buildby the minority, in May, 1927, for the calling (Brophy, Hapgood, etc. that no criticism of Lewis the Party as the leader of the workers in all of an open conference of the left wing and proshould be made during the strike.
phases of their struggle against American imperial gressives in the coal industry to wage direct struggle For six months no cfforts were put forth to ism largely upon its carrying thru vigor against the Lewis machine.
tablish a left wing miners relief organization and ously this basic task of organization With relief campaign, which offered exceptionally favor Condemned as dual unionism by a campaign able means for the left wing to establish mass con throughout the whole Party the proposal of the masses of workers developing moods and move minority in its thesis of May 1927, that the Party tacts. This relief organization could only have been ments of struggle, under the pressure of the in should unhesitatingly establish new where built by an open fight against the Lewis machine and dustrial depression, rationalization, and the capital the F of bureaucracy.
ever the old unions are decrepit or non existent.
ist offensive, the organization of the unorganized In the February, 1928 thesis, the Lovestone Factional jugglery in the anthracite districts.
now becomes the more urgent and possible.
group simply repeated the year old Comintern de This was based upon the established principle of the cision regarding new unions, although the Comintern Lovestone group of keeping minority comrades frona raft unions, which are chiefly based was then in the process of developing another reso key positions. By placing incompetent organizers in the skilled and privileged workers, are con lution, which on the basis of the industrial depres charge of the Party apparatus and by carrying on a trolled by ultra reactionary leaders, and following. na sion and the deepening crisis in the old unions, laid thracite was gravely injured.
far greater emphasis on the formation of new unions.
a class collaboration policy, and which have been Failure to initiate in time and to prosecute vigo undermined and driven out of the basic industries Resistance to the introduction of the slogan ously the campaign to organize the unorganized in by the employers offensive, will not organize the Organize New Unions in Unorganized Industries into the Party national election platform.
Western Pennsylvania prior to the calling of the great unorganized masses.
April 6th Strike and for the formation of a new Failure to push forward vigorously for new plished only through new unions, militant in union.
TO BE CONTINUED and based upon upon industrial instead of unions in the needle industry. In this industry the Lovestone leadership has a craft union ideology and craft lines. It is fundamentally necessary that our is afflicted with right wing theories that the workers party aggressively take the lead in the formation cannot fight the employers and that the unions must HELP PUBLISH THE SUPPRESSED cooperate in building up associations of employers.
of these new industrial unions. At the same time DOCUMENTS OF THE RUSSIAN Resistance to open struggle against the Lewis machine and building new union in mining industry.
OPPOSITION!
trade union fractions, and the TU. its revolu7. Failure to concentrate Party forces for de The Editors of The Militant are undertionary work in the old unions.
termined organizing campaign: example, total lack In the organization of the unorganized, the of preliminary work in New England textile industry taking the task of publishing all the supprior to New Bedford strike.
pressed documents of the Russian Opposiase its Systematic factional discrimination against semi skilled masses in the basic industries, the tion, a treasure of Leninist literature, in comrades capable for trade union work. Placing and most and decisive sections of the workpamphlet form as well as serially in the coldisplacing of field and district organizers and in Trustified Amarican capital, with lass: of The Militant. This material throws dustrial organizers solely with regard to factional all its economic strength and with all the powers interests, with resultant damage to mass organization.
a Marxian search light on the historic events The correctness of this characterization of a of the past five years and draws the necesof governmental repression at its disposal, will violently sist the organization of the workers in perspective of struggle given by the Comintern in sary deductions for the tactics of the Courthe basic industries. The new unionism will be April has been more than justified by developing munists in the great revolutionaiv struggles established, but only by determined struggle. class struggles and increasing foment among the material, Hence the Party in its great task of organizing the hitherto prevented by its suppressioz, is masses since. New Bedford and Fall River strikes unorganized must undertake its work with firm textile, continuation of the desperate miners indispensible for the education of the Party.
Jetermination and with a thoroughgoing mobiliza struggle, Bayonne strike in oil, maturing struggle Your help needed in this revolutionary work. Contribute to the fund for the pubtion of all available forces.
situation in automobile, meat packing, shoe, etc. lication foment among the farmers, the intensifying poliof this material and the maintenance The line of the Lovestone group in this vital work is a right wing line which liquidates the tical situation, etc. of The Militant. Follow the example of a of Communist workers in New York Panty efforts to organize the unorganized. Its Resistance to Orientation of Active Struggle in pledging a regular contribution weekly or Francipal defects are. a) resistance to reorientating Against Lewis Machine and for Building monthly.
the direction of the build the off new unions, and. h) dilettante New Union in Mining Industry.
Use this blank.
ing of to the mass organization campaigns and failure to The most important industrial struggle ever car THE MILITANT, carry them through with the vigor ansced through by our Party and its biggest achieve Box 120, Madison Square Station necessary to success. The whole ment in trade union work is the left wing strug New York City. cncloses for the fund to publish new unions, but the is primarily driving force in the formulation and execution of the suppressed writings of Trotsky, Radek and responsible for this, because it has resisted and is correct policies and mobilization of Party forces in other leaders of the Russian Opposition in pamph.
still resisting despite the pressure of the Comin this campaign was the CEC CEC minority. The poli let form and to sustain The Militant.
tern, the Profintern, and the minority of the CEC cies of the Lovetsone group, dictated by an estimation of the whole fight. definitely militated pledge a regular contribution of Principal causes of wrong Lovestone policies in organizing the unorganized are: against the development of the aggressive action every.
this crucial struggle and prevented Lack of faith in the possibility for effective this work making greater success. With the coal NAME struggle of the masses resulting from the overestima.
tion of the reserve powers of American capitalism and industry in a deep crisis (due to the over develop underestimation of the industrial depression, the ment of the indus of substitute for coal, ADDRESS capitalist offensive and the developing mood of re etc. and with the union, weakened by the heavy sistance among the workers.
unemployment and the shifting of the industry to CITY Tendency to orientate upon the organized the South, being rapidly torn to pieces under the with the grain content the alliance with last February in connection This can be accom to exact Lenin these guarantees would lead to a to a repetition which petition of the quesrevolution exploited amas ing class.
umns of earth 11 group tante approach Foreign trade, the stru of Purto ry was slow in orientating towards organizing ble now being waged in the mining industry. The Wit when officials whatever on today stands ers a speech still hailing Chian Chiang Kai making a Kai Shek was as a uncontaminated by the the and the