February 1, 1929.
THE MILITANT Page Page THE MILITANT February 1, 1929.
The Struggle in the Coal Fields the Eve of the Party Convention meetings showed wholesale be listed in Worker reports and The conven: the memberof The extent of crisis in past are чак it a general line Comintern.
το were seething with the dual to the On THE Partyicer vention, which had been scheduled with that. who asks questions and demands, infora actual relation of forces in the Party: The gerry: for the first of February, has been postponed mation is forthwith expelled. Then he becomes a mandering, packing, colonizing and manipulating for another month by the cabled instructions of the renegade too.
Executive Committee of the Communist InternaBy expulsion and terror they sought to prevent Pepper have become an art from which Lewis and tional, in the vain expectation that some secretarial discussion even during the fraudulent discussion Green could learn. The votes at the membership machination or other can be devised to avoid the period.
But they failed. They only succeeded in solid one third of the Party chaotic consequences of its policy which is plunging making it Illegal. They drove it underground.
Votsions the regime the face of all the Parties of the Comintern into the deepest It has a lively existence there. The Party members the Opposition, the support of the crises and splits. Such attempts will no doubt made but they are doomed to defeat in advance.
The more the present leadership of the proThese questions dominate the Party thoughie Felpa con barthe campaign of terrorism and the miserable. damental principle questions are occupying the ate figures, the Daily nese remar claims that the faction struggle has no basis in tention of the comrades to a greater extent than at of the principle the sharper grows the struggle in our any time since 1919. More than 100 Party mem the lie to Convention unanimity membership mer in eine Party no less than in the other sections of the Interbers have openly proclaimed their allegiance to the strate the failure of the bureaucracy to national platform of the Opposition at the cost of expulsion. gain a decisive hold of the membership forIt is just these leaders who are chiefly shadow the collapse of the FACTIONAL EXCRESCENCE regime.
responsible for the chaos and factional deterioration tion which will meet under the sign of unity will The tactic of Lovestone and Pepper in the pre confront against which they complain. The determining divided Party with the most conscious factor in the factional struggles which rend the Par convention struggle was ordained by all the circum and militant fighters against the Lovestone leaderties of the Comintern is the unbridled factional the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. cadership rests upon an exclusive preoccupationship in irreconcilable opposition to This factional struggle is the fountain head of all. withanterinterestiona lacriwnipulatihing mubordiwari, What does this opposition vote of a third of the with Party, after our expulsion, represent? Nominally assiduous wire pulling in prisonment, and exile and, now banishment and against their Leninist opponents cannot show our be at the head of a Moscow thing This faction is an excrescence which could it would be absolutely false and superficial to count or any as the strength of the Foster group. This vote by normal political means. Their intervention party under normal conditions. It is a product of by cable or plenipotentiary will only make matters the times. The political and ideological life of the represents primarily and above all opposition to the Lovestone Pepper leadership.
worse. Those who hope for help from this source Con recent years has been the fight cum during Under hope in vain. An understanding of these facts is against The leaders for the various in the Party and forcing a discussion of situation in our Party on the eve of the convention selected from above on that basis. The readiness the principle questions, this minority would expand the starting point for any sensible analysis of the Parties have been artificially and mechanically mainin er normal conditions, with the Opposition reThose who do not understand this are hopelessly at of the Pepper Lovestone clique to support any in anal become a majority: real discussion would shatter the bureaucratic strangle hold of the Loveagainst mand harsher In our declaration of October 27, we predicted from the to control the Party.
conditions, with has been their charter the discussion prohibited, without a clear compremeasures, the whole course of developments and this predichension of the inseparable connection of the Construing leadership solely in terms of control of o pre conventionc o period. 10 here are in discussion of the Party apparatus. and not at all from the an International scate, and with the clupost expurwhich has been going on will surely be an interest standpoint of the larger aspects of this function. sion swinging over their heads, the proletarian eleing object for the detailed study of the Party historian with lots of time at his disposal to study the maintain and strengthen that control. To expel stand. The Foster faction, in the abnormal circumreams of theses, proclamations, resolutions, confes the Opposition; to prevent a discussion of funda stances, became the temporary concentration point sions, etc. which have been issued. However, one mental questions shaking the Party to again estab of the proletarian opposition on its road to further who lives in the work a day world is sheer demands of time to confine himelged by lish their prior claims in Moscow in the fight against development and clarification.
the Trotskyism. to terrorize the Fosterites with the THE ROLE OF THE FOSTER GROUP must Trotsky scare and make them do the scavenger There is a danger in this which must be clearly reached the saturation point dy proclamations work in the campaign; and to encroach still further understood and fought in the most uncompromising a monopoly of the Party apparatus such some time ago. The toward a way. Like all centrists, the Foster Bittleman group discussion has had three main aspects. was the strategy of the ruling faction.
of ders act as an aid to the right. Their funcmutual accusations of the two official factions The cowardice and characterlessness of the Foster tion is to give expression to the proletarian tenagainst each other, their joint ideological campaign faction facilitated this strategy all along the line and dencies, to confuse and muddle them, to halt their against the Opposition and the Illegal discussion assured in advance the victory it has already record progress in the direction of an understanding of the carried on by the expelled Opposition. ed in the District Conventions. The pitiful attempt principle questions and eventually to dissolve them If one were naive enough to take the declarations of the under the hegemony of the opof the two factions seriously, where they give their ship in the ideological campaign against us only portunist adventurers.
estimates of each other, he would have to conclude undermined its own position. In the boots of fighters in the Party with all kinds of rumors, illuwere ahead Foster and Bittleman are fooling the proletarian that Lovestone and Pepper are preparing for the of Lovestone only in the ser sense that expulsion of the Foster group, while Foster and the latter were behind them, driving them forward sions. and false hopes. They are waiting for a for a split. If the words do not mean this they statements of their leaders to the effect that our şion from Moscow. This concession will come Bittelman on the other hand are laying the ground as captives. The Fosterites who really believed have no meaning whatever. The generals on both stand is counter revolutionary naturally and log. but its whole import will be to furt to further entrench the sides of the sham battle, of course, utter them in the ically decided to subordinate the majority. present leadership of the is primarily rethe fight Lovestone faction and disarm its against it and passed over its opponents. The Those who did not believe it passed over to us. sponsible for the chaos of disruption in our Party.
THE FAKE DISCUSSION This process of disintegration which flows inevitably It is responsible for the domination of the faction On the most important principle questions raised from the untenable position of the Foster group, of callous adventurers which ruins and discredits by the Opposition the two factions stand together will develop with cyclonic speed after the conven the Party. Help from Moscow for the proleand conduct a joint campaign against Trotskyism.
tarian tendency in our Party will come only when This campaign consists exclusively of denunciation On the surface the ruling faction of Lovestone the purifying principle struggle of the Opposition without a single attempt to elucidate any of the disand Pepper has an overwhelming victory. In the against the present leadership of the and questions. The readers of the Party press New York District, for example, it registered, the Comintern has been crowned with success.
are solemnly assured by all the stat majority one in the District elements whom cles that the expelled Oppositionists, without convention. The Fosterites were allowed only Foster and Bittleman are exploiting must undertion, 32 are traitors, etc. etc. Just what this treason against stand this and begin a consists of is not is made of wiped for Lovestone and it is almost compative Comthe prohibited world questions which are the key to prove the accusation to our own Party problems. To the extent they out of the newly elected District at hand.
aside the yellow journalistic mitte all its effective representation being elimwill do this they will safeguard again principled unity we leave asilon documents which noposures based inated. On one pretext or another the Fosterites betrayals and capitulation which the least of all the authors, took seriously, it apare being squeezed out of organizational positions leaders are already attempting to prepare.
pears that the expelled comrades have become coun and practically all the posts vacated by the expelled The Convention will not and cannot end the facter revolutionaries overnight because they adopted Oppositionists are taken over by the faction agents tion struggle. It will only clear the ground for its platform of Trotsky and the Russian Opposition of Lovestone.
higher development into a struggle for the reconBut what is the platform of Trotsky? How and On Oct. 27 we said the whole course of the Love stitution of the unity of the Party on the basis of counter revolutionary? To such questions, priciple. The stone group, which has no roots in the labor moveof the fake discussion which which immediately arise in the minds of grown up ment, is toward a monopoly of the Party apparatus of a new and broader wave of discussion of precisely prohibits the real issues will mark the beginning people, the caucus politicians have no answer.
and cannot be otherwise. This is what is taking these issues inside and outside the Party ranks. In When we were expelled they promised a broad place. This is what they mean when they issue prothis discussion the Communist vagnuard of the ideological campaign to clarify the Party on the clamations for Unity.
questions raised in our declaration of October 27 in The aim of the Lovestone faction is to split the future will be consolidated.
support of the Russian Opposition. This campaign Party. Their expulsion of the Opposition and their OPPOSITION MEETING IN BOSTON still waits. Not a single one of the Trotsky killers whole approach to the convention signifies this and mass meeting on the subject, The Truth About has ventured to take issue with the Trotsky plat nothing else. One must be completely and hope. Trotsky and the Platform of the Russian Opposition form on a single point. It is simpler and easier to lessly blind to be unable to see this and to draw will be held in Boston on Friday, February 15th, 1929, pass the whole thing by with denunciation and the bolshevik conclusions from it. P. at the Credit Union Hall, 62 Chambers St. Bos.
epithet. So reason the petty bureaucrats of the two The District Conventions, which show a ten to ton, Mass. Comrade James Cannon will be the speak.
Tickets in advance at 25 cents can be obtained at factions. The Party member who is not satisfied one majority for Lovestone, do not reflect the Shapiro Book Store, Leverett St.
The most momentous struggle on a mass scale, By Arne Swabeck militant struggle and real organization is the great of the recent period in American labor history, is task of the National Miners Union. To accomundoubtedly the battle of the mine fields.
plish this it must have the full support of the left Here was a crucial situation with splendid pos look, opposed the calling for a new union.
sibilities demanding a clear policy and decisive ac The Pepper Lovestone Party leadership gave its wing everywhere and that support must be mobiltion. Despite the formidable obstacles in the way major attention to gaining factional positions in theized by the Party.
and our limited forces, the opportunities have never new union to the detriment of its future success. THE NEW UNION MUST LEAD been better building a new union of a militant Utterly unfit to lead a serious battle in the class STRUGGLES and with it extend the mass influence and leader lems, so often bound up in small sordid details, this record set by the left wing this union cannot grow type, for devolping a broad left wing movement struggle, incapable of grappling with its real probWhile a beginning has been made and a splendid ship of the Workers (Communist) Party. The group turned its attention to uring factional conleadership of the Party in this fight increased mani trol which resulted in seriously in a vacum of secret existence or semi legality. It Sparrowing the leaderfold its responsibility to the miners in particular ship of the new unions. Highly qualified and ent with the proper Party support and active preparaand to the working class in general.
tions conditions are favorable for a campaign of the miners movement, were deliberately isolated for How has this responsibility been met. organization in the unorganized fields of West The Party leadership, represented by the Pepper no other reason than factional group interests.
Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky. Conditions Lovestone group, has failed criminally, and still is GAMBLING WITH THE WORKERS are favorable for its leadership in re establishing failing to respond to the imperative needs of the INTERESTS situation and to take advantage of the existing posunion activities and union conditions in the former strike In this real test of mass struggle the Party leadthe failures of the sibilities.
area already brought out in bold relief by subsequent ership has shown its impotency and unscrupulous struggles are impending in the Anthracite. The nown course of the Party leadership gambling with workers interests. Even toward has been sharply characterized by ich es upon the Party union fraction a factional policy was discontent and rebellion against the company great maintained throughout. Following a correct atti union conditions imposed by the fakers who still tude the Party leadership would have decided upon National Miners Union to give leadership. It must workers in mass struggles only as objects of manoeuvre, not class brothers in arms. Coupled that went its conservative, opportunist outout in the convention. In addition it would have look, the greatest menace to the vigor and vitality clected a qualified and experienced commit emancipation of the workers from capitalist explor tation.
of tee to constantly advise with the fraction. Such, such movements.
The however, was by no means the case.
On the conThis is an imperative task of the Party for which organized expression at the beginning of the national communities to the majority of its faction agents en the objective possibilities are favorable. The obstrike, April 1927. But the miners went out de tirely devoid of experience and authority in trade decisive change in the attitude of the Party and a solute prerequisites for success in this task are a undercurrents of revolt against union work, the whole treacherous policy of the Lewis machine.
authority for all decisions, made all appointments throw aside the adventurist faction mongers. clear duty faced the Party to step for steering committee and candidates for office.
organize the left wing for a militant struerard and Mistakes can be corrected only when properly Its decisions were binding, the members of the fracagainst tion merely taking orders and having no part whatrecognized and fully understood. This becomes policy ever in making decisions.
a much more important maxim when viewing the was proposed by the opposition but shamefully reattitude of the Party leadership towards the orientaThe danger of such proceedure can very well tion upon a general policy of building new unions jected. In May 1927 the opposition brought to the Political Committee a series of motions outlining be visualized. First, it gives no opportunity to various steps to build the left wing, to sharpen the really nd exclogs een deadership of the fraction within demanding ever more concrete action with the furopen conference. Likened to the horrors of cess of American capitalism. One recalls the timely who have been the comrades, the fraction members. unionism and even armed insurrection it was criticism of Comrade Lozovsky last rejected by the majority. The proposals for organly, and most important of all, it destroys any basis failure to see these unorganized masses, Spring, castigatization of relief activities. while accepted on paper. Goly real thermos de neimanere contact het werk highed scathing indictment of the official Party policy of bodies and the rank and file members, utilize the manotentialities. This was met with stubborn THE MINERS FIGHTING SPIRIT experiences and mass contact of the latter through resistance from the majority; also Comrade The evidences of the fighting readiness of the joint deliberations and give them full opportunity Foster made this mistake. But not content with miners piled up everywhere, but not until February for expression and criticism as the best guarantee this the majority by its vote at the May 1928 did the Party leadership give up its resistance for maintaining correct policies. This narrow fac plenum actually and accept the policy of organizing a broad left tional line has not been relinquished to this date.
the thesis of the demanding an orientation by our wing, and urge the calling of the April first ference to engage in an open clash with the treach left wing struggle and a movement of splendid po organized masses. In reply to this Comrade CanSuch is the record of gambling with a mighty Party toward building of new unions of the unerous union bureaucracy. It was compelled by sheer force of events. Yet the District Organizersentialities. The Party and the miners movement non wrote in the July Communist on the Trade have paid dearly for it. The crest of the first Union Question. mighty wave has passed. The battle is now less in the two most important coal fields of the Pitts Thematic but demands tenacious, painstaking workers in the basic industries of America are truly burgh and Chicago districts ingrained in the Pep The obstacles in the path of organizing the worper Lovestone right wing ideology, still resisted the building of the new union, so measures for an may begin to conference an open enormous, and the present forces at our disposal to the last. However, the correctness of the poli. assume leadership in local struggles for better conditions for the miners.
The present Party leader are small. There is no need to minimize the diffor which the opposition had fought so long and ship evinces no interest whatever and gives no supficulties, they will multiply and confront us at every bitterly against the resistance of port at all.
While looking for objects for manturn. The state power of capitalism will obstruct ship, was proven by the subsequent events. Once oeuvres it has no faith in the mass struggles of the the new union movement with the fiercest persecuthe first steps were taken they immediately let loose workers. Its attitude is largely determined by its tion; and the workers will soon find that they are the tremendous latent forces which became openly own petty bourgeois social background and concept.
ent not done with the treacheries of the labor fakers crystallized in the gigantic Save the Union moveIt has been and still is on trial before the American when they seek to form new unions.
proletariat, particularly as expressed in this struggle.
The continued resistance to a correct policy had Only a correct revolutionary policy can stand this ized masses and the actual formation and conslida Between the decision to organize the unorgancost the movement dearly and the consequences were judgment.
tion of new unions lies a long and stony road. But serious. Firstly in failure to give any leadership The National Miners Union is based squarely history has laid out that task for the Communist early stage upon recognition of the principles of the class strug Party and the left wing, and we must begin the more decisive assistance to and more effectively union in the present imperialist era. The Party sary organizational preparations; in failure to e to render gle, the only possible orientation for a militant work in earnest.
participate in the Pennsylvania todayis This line was correct then and remains correct and finally in lack of a sufficiently perspective.
The left wing the carly and clear much ado about the failure of some of the commbled rades, including the writer, to adopt the wording along with, in many respects, inadequate preparaBut tions for the tempo of the movement. It thus could one of my proposals for constitution submitted to THE MILITANT not carry the fight fields until the Pentfectively to the unorganized the committee in charge, and contained in Minutes came almost exhausted. When Forced to atri Guide of Aug. 28, reads. The declaration of principle Published twice a month by the Opposition Group in the. center the supera serlike of the unorganized fields clase herungen mal Miners Union has been born out unequivocally based upon recognition of the Address all mail to: Box 120, Madison Square Station, New York, the preparatory organizational measures were entirely lacking. To this must be added the ferocious of the struggle in the coal fields. The operators Publishers address at 340 East 19th Street, New York, Telephone: Gramercy 3411.
persecution and terror against the movement by the are as determined as ever upon their strategy to Lewis machine, the operators and the state authorSubscription rate: 00 per year. Foreign, 50 smash all working class organization. In solid al 5c per copy Bundle rates, 3c per copy.
ities.
The Party leadership did not seem able to grasp machine and the govermental institutions of court Editor Associate Editors a full perspective of an open split with the bureau injunctions, jailings and police terror. Great are Martin Abern James Cannon crats and the building of a new union. While it thus the forces opposing the new union. The last Max Shachtman Maurice Spector acquiesced it never changed its conservative outlook. few years have been marked by the continuous surEven at the time of the convention call leading Pitts render and betrayal policy of the old union bureauFEBRUARY 1, 1929 No.
burgh comrades, steeped in this never changing out cracy. To effect the change from surrender to Entered a second class mail matter November 28, 1928, at the acity to absorb these dust confess that our own capWorld Congress coneverything to and an open latter sense.
to tion.
ment.
of more than ten statements and artiexcepat the of the CS because there is no is no proof If stumbled the why is it end VOL. II.
er post office at New York, under the act of March 3, 1879.