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Page THE MILITANT December 15, 1928.
Letters from from the Militants THE EXPELLED KANSAS CITY out showing the program that is in contention, leaves Cctober revolution.
Kansas City, Missouri, Nov. 9, 1928. the Party members, likewise the rank and file masses in In conclusion, for one, unequivocally denounce any Dear Comrade: the dark. As to the writer, he has seen nothing in the act of giving concessions to the Kulaks and Nepmen, Your letter of the 7th reached me about 10 hours after Party press, other than that the Oppositionists were when the withholding of concessions cannot cause any had been expelled from the Party working with the counter revolutionary forces, and that violent eruption to the Party in power. Any Party memNovember 8th, 10 the District Polcom met with they were rejected by the whole Party membership, not ber acting otherwise is not a true Bolshevik most of the members present. Comrade Kassen only this, but were expelled from the Party by a vote of MILLER was not present but had sent in a signed statement as more than 99 percent of the membership. Never a peep You are at liberty to publish this letter or any follows: in our Party press about the Opposition leaders being ex part of it. They say that was the first Communist that consider the action of the National Polcom in remo iled and put behind the bars. What little has leaked out climbed into legislature in the 1925 North Daing Cannon, Abern and Shachtman from the positions from our Party press about the Opposition and their kota Session. and their expulsion from the Party as unjustified. There program was so twisted that many of the Party members fore disapprove of the action of the National Polcom. here thought the platform of Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kam.
Signed. Sam Kassen.
enev and others was that which was adopted by the Rus THE CLEVELAND EXPULSIONS He was expelled from the Party for being a Trot sian Party headed by Stalin.
Cleveland, Ohio, Nov. 29, 1928.
skyite. Kassen was a member of the wish to state that the Militant gave me the first ink Dear Comrade: was also a member of the C. of the Party. ling of what had taken place in the of Russia am in receipt of your statement relative to your exBoth of us, as you know, have belonged to the Party and the American Party. Likewise the Opposition propulsion from the Party. It may interest you to know since it was first organized and to the Left Wing before gram, yet have read everything could get since the that was expelled several weeks ago because dared that.
Well, Jim, hold no hard feelings against my comrades to prefer charges against the District Polcom majority: who expelled Kassen and myself. am sure they were charged them with corruption, material and political, embezzlement of Party funds, and a dozen other charges sincere, but they had become fanatical from the poisonous which they knew were true. demanded a thorough in propaganda the regime had spread in the last four years.
vestigation or would expose them before the member shall avoid all personalities in our differences at this time. The night was expelled an amusing but tragical The following is a partial list of the comrades expelled ship meeting. This they feared and without the form incident occurred. The meeting was adjourned, we got in the present campaign of the Lovestone leaders to ality of charges they railroaded me out of the Party by our hats and coats and all the comrades left in a body a to vote. Beside myself the following comrades were split the Party by the expulsion of all who fight them and went one way and went another way. No time on principle grounds. The expelled comrades have expelled: Margetich, South Slavic District Organizer and taken an open stand for the platform of the Russian Op. alternate to the Matakanovich, Maljevac, Jucich, wasted in even bidding each other good by. look back now and ponder over the hard task had position and opposed the expulsion of Cannon, Abern Grzincich, Gasparac, Svetina, Miller, Slabak. Comrade and Shachtman. Most of the comrades expelled in Lesko was expelled a couple of months ago. He was a to convince myself that Trotsky and the Russian Comrades Cleveland were expelled on trumped up charges, but the member of the and the Polcom charge against of the Opposition were traitors to the Revolution. It real reason was their unyielding opposition to the op. him was never proved. He was expelled for no other reminds me of being a good Catholic and believing all portunist bureaucrats of the Party, and particularly for reason but his sympathy with Trotsky.
and not asking any questions.
The rank and file of the Communists are honest and their refusal to give up their fight against the corrupt All above mentioned comrades are proletarians, fact.
misleaders of the Party in the South Slavic Section and ory workers. was a member of the District Polcom and when they once get the facts they will soon act. Perse in the Cleveland district.
the secretariat prior to my expulsion. Appeal was sent cution will only make us better Communists.
While the opportunists expel the revolutionary Com to Lovestone, two weeks ago against the Polcom deci With greetings to all the comrades in New York from munist workers and the active fighters who have founded. sion, but no reply was received. The attempt to tyran.
Kassen and myself, remain, the Party and helped to build it up, they continue to BUEHLER nize over the Opposition in the Party has no limit.
draw into the ranks of the Party and into its leading Bureaucracy is increasing daily in the Party. Self cri circles and responsible positions. petty bourgeois dille VINCENT DUNNE ticism is only an empty gesture on the part of our bu.
tants, careerists and second hand intellectuals. The fight reaucrats.
To fight for democracy in the Party today Minneapolis, Minn. Nov. 8, 1928. against this disruptive campaign is the foremost duty of requires courage and determination. This can be sup Dear Comrades: the proletarian Communists.
plied by the development of the revolutionary spirit We were taken completely by surprise as we had no In the forthcoming issues of The Militant we shall within oneself. These are times when we must oppose information before your statement came to the different print the Party and revolutionary records of the expelled the crowd of fanatics even in the face of ridicule and in comrades in the mail last week. This was quickly fol. Communists, which, for lack of space, we are compelled timidation. We would like to have you come here and lowed by a letter from the cleansed minority boasting to omit in this number. They bear proud records of speak at a meeting which we will arrange for you. Please of their part in the shameful expose.
service to the cause of the revolution which are in them inform me if you could come and when.
Almost all of OUR comrades feel that here at last is selves a crushing reply to those dubious individuals who ELMER BOICH.
the key to the riddle that we have been trying to un 50 expertly slander them with the infamous terms of derstand for so many years. That is, we too have come renegades. counter revolutionaries. and the like. YOU ARE WORSE THAN FASCISTS to realize during the time of the Congress that interna.
CENTRAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Under the supervision of the Lovestone commissar, tional politics were being played with us while we were JAMES CANNON, member Polcom of the e. Dr. Markoff, the membership meeting of the Italian fracstill attempting to out smart these bureaucrats within the ARNE SWABECK, member of the tion in New York took place on Wednesday, November confines of our own little Party.
MARTIN ABERN, member of the 28, with about 50 comrades present. The secretary of We have. EVERY important comrade of the old op MAX SHACHTMAN, alternate to the the Bureau, Candela, was given unlimited time for his position with us.
CANADA They have accepted the slogan, report against Trotskyism. The meeting had decided Against the Bureaucrats. as a slogan of action.
MAURICE SPECTOR, member of Polcom, and that each member be given 10 minutes, twice. But after The comrades realize that this is not the ordinary the first series of speakers, Markoff arbitrarily cut off NEW YORK Party fight and that all comrades who take a position the discussion and demanded that the vote be taken.
now of Opposition will in all probability find themselves MAURICE MALKIN, member of Furriers Union. motion was introduced to endorse the position of the confronted with a campaign of the most unjust slander JOSEPH FRIEDMAN, member of and the Foster comrades introduced their reso and villification. Most of us understand that there will PHILADELPHIA lution; but when our comrade attempted to read our be those who cannot understand the pressure and who MORGENSTERN, member of Dist. Bureau.
resolution in support of the Russian Opposition of com LEON GOODMAN, member of Dist. Bureau.
will desert. We also know that with the correct line we rade Trotsky, and the American Opposition, Markoff said will be able to strengthen our forces by bringing over SOL LANKIN, member District Committee. that it could neither be introduced nor read at the CLEVELAND meeting.
to us those elements that are honest and politically alert, JAMES ANTOLOVICH, member of Machinists those with that old fighting heart. All those who support the Opposition, said Mark Union.
VINCENT DUNNE.
off, are not only counter revolutionists, but Fascisti and PETER MARGETICH, Ohio District Organizer of worse than Mussolini. To our comrade who demanded South Slavs.
FROM YOUNG COAL MINER MATT GRZINCICH, nucleus financial secretary.
the right to speak in answer to the stupidities of CanFrederick, Colorado, Nov. 4, 1928.
dela and the vileness of Markoff, the latter said, As a GURMAN, stockyard worker.
member of the remove Refugee from the Ital.
Dear Comrades: MALJEVAC, member of Section Exec. Committee. ian Bureau, with no right to speak any more, even at got a copy of the document that you sent to a com MATAKANOVICH, secretary South Slavic Work the meeting. Markoff made the most slanderous atrade here in Frederick and at the beginning was tre ers Club tacks upon our comrades, shouting that we had been mendously surprised. UJCICH, cement worker.
in the Party for only a few months, denying that we The entire matter hits me so hard that don know SVETINA, factory worker.
had ever fought in the movement or struggle in Italy.
whether have come back to earth or not. It is very MILLER, member of Section Executive Committee. But the comrades who supported us have long records difficult to form at an instant an opinion en matters that ELMER BOICH, member of District Bureau and of membership in the Socialist Party, then the Com you briefly touch upon. mean the Trotsky question. Secretariat munist Party of Italy; of persecution by and bitter totally agree with your charges against the Lovestone JOHN FOLEY, member of agit prop depart of struggle against Fascism in Italy; of being the heart and groups incapability, unscrupolousness, bureaucracy, DETROIT muscle of the anti Fascist struggle in this country; of etc. As a vivid example we have your expulsion as BARNEY MASS, member Auto Workers Union. service on the strike picket line, arrests, police slug a verification of the functions of this outfit. It is a RUTH REYNOLDS, editor of Dodge Worker (Nu gings, imprisonment. Only one that has completely lost tragedy to a revolutionary organization to tolerate such cleus No. his honor and integrity, and lacks all contact with the hideous actions as this Lewis machine of our Party CHICAGO ranks, can flaunt his shameless slanders against revolu has perpetrated and they will again endeavor to force ALBERT GLOTZER, member of League tionary workers with such brazenness as did Markoff.
your expulsion down our throats. But as look over the HELEN JUDD, member of District Control Commis. good number of the comrades, sickened by the whole matter now, see that the Lovestone group has sion.
proceedings, left before the vote was taken. Eight voted bitten off more than they can chew, when they begin MIKE ZALISKO, League and Party organizer in to expel the best leaders of our Party merely for their coal fields.
was necessary had been said at the meeting: abstainted, views on political questions.
ROGER COMPTON, agit prop director of nucleus. saying that they did not know enough of the situation; It is the membership of our Party, the masses of work TWIN CITIES (Minneapolis and St. Paul 10 voted for the resolution of the Foster comrades: ers throughout the country that will suffer because of VINCENT DUNNE, member of and Dis voted against everything, including Trotsky; voted for this despicable act of the bureaucracy in our Party. It trict Bureau.
the Zucca. saying that he believed Trotsky was shows once more the necessity of rank and file rule in.
KARL SKOGLUND, member of and District correct on some questions. The rest, a minoritp of the stead of a few leaders who can utilize their position for Bureau.
membership, voted with the majority resolution.
OSCAR COOVER, member of and District personal advantages and machine rule.
Markoff then declared to the eight who had voted Bureau, The slogans must be: for the Opposition: Consider yourselves expelled, and Save the Party! VOTAW, member of and Dist. Bureau. get out of the hall. We did not, of course, leave at HEDLUND. Lovestoneism Must Go! HEDLUND. the command of this cheap bureaucrat. Our comrades MARTIN SODERBERG. SAM LESSIN For a Communist Party of the Workers!
are not new fighters. Under Bordiga and Maffi and other LOUIS ROSELAND. HEDLUND. heroes of the Italian revolution they have fought against GERRY ALLARD SAM ZALMANOFF. ALVA HEDLUND. Fascism and for our cause. Under the banner of Trotsky MAX KAUFMAN. JOE ROSS.
FROM THE FIRST COMMUNIST LEGISLATOR and the Opposition we continue our fight for the victory MRS. SCHWARTZ. SHROGOWITZ. of Bolshevism. JOHN MENELLA.
Williston, Dakota, Nov. 24, 1928. HELEN HEDLUND.
Dear Comrades: CARL COWL, member of the I had just started to write a letter to the Daily Worker SARA AVRIN, member of the SINGING JAILBIRDS when the Militant was laid on the table before me. In FANNIE BARACH, member of the Singing Jailbirds is by far the best production yet this letter to the Daily Worker intended to ask the offered by the New Playwrights and marks a significant SIMON BARACH, member of the editors of that paper why they dia not publish the pro step forward to the development of a Worker Theatre.
KANSAS CITY We regret that unusual urgencies of space prevent The gram of the Opposition (Trotsky, Zinoviev) since they BUEHLER, member of had devoted two pages to the Cannon Lovestone Party SAM KASSEN, member of Militant from printing the extended review which it deserves Friends of The Militant should make it a differences?
NEW HAVEN To accuse each other of being: right wing with GENDELMAN, member of point to attend the performance on Tuesday, Dec. 18 which is for the benefit of our paper.