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2 SOCIALIST APPEAL A Manifesto to the Members of the Socialist Party The Background of the Crisis The Socialist Party is now en Moreover, it is perfectly clear tion and join the expulsion cam Right wing failed in its major The Spanish events and the Sogulfed in a crisis of the most that the Right wing anti revolu paign openly.
objective at Chicago was, at bot viet persecutions, together with profound depth and intensity. tionary clique, having taken cour It is only political realism to tom, because the vast majority the threatening approach of the Any idea that this crisis is local age from the capitulation of the expect that at the next stage of the active membership of the new war, were posing as an imor temporary, that it is confined Centrists to launch their expuls of the struggle, and in the near Party is opposed to the Right mediate issue the international to a few weak sections of the sion campaign, cannot and will future, the Centrists will be wing; and because, in spite of question. Nearer home, the deParty capable of being ironed not draw back. The Altman come the most rabid advocates padded Right wing membership mands of the coming autumn out peacefully within a few weeks Thomas Central Committee in of the expulsion of the revolu lists and outworn eligibility re elections were requiring of the or months, an illusion. The New York will complete the ex tionists the main executors quirements, the Chicago Conven Right wing a thorough liquidacrisis is national in scope, and af pulsion of several hundred Left of the expulsion program. Indeed tion was sufficiently representation of any independent socialist fects every single unit of the wingers within a week or two. this is already occurring. The tive to enable the voice of the ac politics into the Popular FrontParty.
The Party nationally will there Clarityite majority of the New tive membership to be heard ist farmer labor set ups of la By the mass expulsion of more by be put before an irremedi. York YPSL District Committee firmly on the Convention floor. Follette and La Guardia. Wisthan 100 supporters of the Left able split, for it goes without on July 23rd dropped four com The Right wing could not, and consin was becoming impatient, wing in New York on transpar saying that every serious revolu rades from YPSL membership at cannot, cope with a Convention and showing its seriousness by ently fraudulent charges and tionist in the party will solidarize Altman demand. The Clarityi representative to any considerable its overtures to the Pittsburgh the announced plans to expel the himself with the expelled com tes act thus, and will continue degree of the Party member Convention of the Social Demoentire New York left wing en rades in New York.
to act, as the direct agents of ship. Indeed, the Left not mere cratic Federation. The Right bloc immediately, the Right wing The political aims of the Right the splitters. The Left wing is ly defeated the major plan of wing had no time to lose. On clique has taken the initiative to wing combination (Altman Tho obliged to see the party situation the Right wing, but was even the very morrow of the convensplit the Socialist Party.
mas. Wisconsin. Massachusetts) as it is in reality, to arm itself. ble to make some positive head. tion, it began its ruthless and Experience has already shown imperatively require this split for the struggle and to prepare way, as shown especially in the brutal campaign for the splitting that the gag resolution in the immediate future and they itself for the inevitable conse lecisions on the questions of war, of the Party, and the expulsion has served as the springboard of are manifestly determined to quences.
the People Front, and the trade of the revolutionary left.
the expulsion campaign. The ex carry it through at all costs. Any Confronted by such a crisis, union question.
In the face of this campaign, pulsions, coming immediately on idea that the demands or senti therefore, we address ourselves Once again, however, the fun the nominally under the heels of the adoption of the ments of the Party militants to the only proper court of ap damental issue was left undeci the control of the Zam Tylergag resolution, are sufficient in throughout the country can check peal: to the militant and active ded. The victory, such as it was, Delson. Clarity. group, soon themselves to refute the hypo or alter their course is sheer il members of the Party. We wish was only partial; and the partial crumpled up. Trying to shut critical pretense of the authors lusion. Likewise it is naive to to make clear our analysis of the victory was counter balanced by its eyes and to raise itself above (Zam Tyler Delson) that the gag imagine that the Centrist lead nature and causes of the crisis, defeats. The decisions of the Con the shattering internal conflicts, law would preserve unity in ers of the Clarity group, who and our answer to it. We wish vention on the internal group or and to ignore the campaign of the Centrist Clarity group allies Right wing, will offer any seri tive members of the Party to from the the failure of to perform even the party. These protestations of have already capitulated to the to call upon the militant and ac gans, the exclusion of represen the Right wing, the and tatives of the Appeal tendency the National Office were unable of the right wing splitter s, de ous resistance to their expulsionthe simpleat signed only to deceive the party split campaign. On the contrary, stand four square with us. We the Convention to act on the technical tasks. The Call stagmembership, are empty words. they are already searching for have no fear or hesitation about Moscow Trials or on Spain, show gered along from week to week, The expulsions are a fact. pretexts to drop their opposi the outcome.
ed the strength and the determin and soon began to omit pages.
ation of the Right wing. The American Socialist Monthly Nevertheless, the Left was pre appeared in one apologetie issue, pared to accept the decisions of and was heard from no more.
the convention. The Socialist The inner party organ, solemnly This is not, of course, the first class; or whether the non revolu jists, and an entire revolutionary ance with the convention desi peared altogether. The ConvenAppeal was suspended in accord voted by the Convention, disapcrisis in the Socialist Party. We tionary currents would consoli group (the former Workers do not refer to the great crises date their grip on the apparatus Party. for the first time since solved. The adherents of the Ap to wait three months for publision. The Appeal caucus was dis tion resolutions themselves had of past days, to the split with De of Party, condemn the Party 1919, joined Leonism, or the crisis of the war. thereby to disintegration and in order to remove the organiza peal tendency, to the extent that cation!
time or during the founding of sterility, and compel the revolutional barriers which separated into the positive job of building dismayed by the demand of the The timid, fearful, the Communist International. tionary current to These belong to past cycles of where for a suitable organiza left wing militants within the the Party in the mass movement. swift succession of mighty hisdevelopment, and are related to tional instrument. What the out Party, to fuse with them, and to The Right wing, on its side, torical occurrences, frightened by the present struggle so indirectly come would be, no one could fore join them in a common struggle was unable to accept he results the determination of the active of the convention.
as not to bear directly upon the tell with certainty in advance for revolutionary ideas and The conven membership respond to those represent period of the Party his. But what could be known was volutionary party.
tion demonstrated to the Right events with revolutionary courtory. But the present crisis is that the Socialist Party could Following the Cleveland Con Wing that, given a normal dev age, was unable to stand up directly related to, is in fact the not resume for any length of vention, and still continuing, a elopment of the Party, within a against the relentless campaign climax of, that cycle of the Par time a normal life until the out new regroupment of forces has comparatively short time cer of the Right wing. At Philadelty evolution which began in come was irrevocably determined. taken place within the Party. The tainly before the next convention phia, in May, faced by the Bar1933 1934. It was during this time remnant of the Old Guard, and would be in a decided majority, the political basis for its capitutendency celona events, the laid that Hitler consolidation of The Fight Against the Old Guard those whose opposition to power in Germany, together with The first phase of the task, Old Guard was non revolutionary and would take over the leader lation to the Right wing hy vote the role that the workingclass dictated by the nature her the in character, all that is reaction ship of the Party. Therefore, the ing the shameful Spanish resoluence to Hitler, proved finally and Party itself, was the struggle ary and conservative and passive Right wing decided to prevent, tion. Thomas returned from seu at any cost, the normal develop rope, and took his unambiguous against the ideas and the organ in the Party, together with conclusively that there was no izational control of the Old Guard. agents open and disguised of the ment of the Party. Unable to place in the ranks of the Right existing revolutionary party, cap: This first phase resulted in two banded together in a new Right egates expressing the will of the the Esofa to the Right wine achieve its ends at convention, wing.
Old Guard was non revolutionary where it felt the pressure of del New York, the capitulation of At the special session in the conquest of power and to so over the Detroit Declaration of Wing, resolved to prevent at any active membership, the Right was completed, and the bloc bere building the revolutionary par New York split and the Cleve tion of the Socialist Party into bureaucratic and administrative the Right wing sealed, by the cialism. The task was posed of Principles, the second over the cost the completion of the evolu: wing determined to proceed by tween the Clarity leadership and ty against both social democratic and Convention. In both of these, feat the revolutionists. On the means, in defiance of the deci unanimous adoption of the ina revolutionary party, and to dereformism and Stalinism, and the Old Guard was defeated, and against the respective Interna the Party was left in a position other side there has been welded all in direct opposition to the will By the terms of this resolution, sions of the convention, and above famous emergency Resolution.
tional organizations which embody the ideas and policies of to continue its development to together into ever firmer unity of the membership. Rather than the abdicates potver to the the Left. The struggle against genuinely revolutionary social democracy and Stalinism. the Old Guard, however, had en forces within the older anti old to permit the revolutionary ten the Right wing, assigning it full In this country, this task was listed combination of Party Guard grouping together with dency to achieve a majority, the freedom to pursue to the end its accepted, with varying degrees members of widely varying points the Right wing was more than ready campaign to eliminate the revolunewer revolutionary rein not merely to split, but to des tionary Left.
of clarity and understanding, by of view, ranging from clear re the Party struggle has thus al troy the party.
Without hesitation, the Right many of the active members of volutionary the Socialist Party. This, in its every shade of centrism to re tered. The fundamental issue, The Right Wing Hands Forced wing has accepted its cue. On July 6th, the Altman adminisissure had been joined within the with the old Guard not at all the two years preceding the Cle sons forced the hand of the Right the first expulsion and suspenAdditional and compelling rea tration of Local New York voted Socialist Party to which the en because of the ideas it held but veland Convention.
wing. During the first week of sions of adherents of the revolutire future course of its develop only because of its organizational The Chicago Convention May, the events in Barcelona tionary tendency. The split siment would be subordinated, and passivity. Consequently, the two drew a line of blood between tuation thus passes from threat which, manifesting itself in pe defeats of the Old Guard (the se The conflict between the re every species of Popular Front to actuality an actuality creatriodic crises, would continue to sond of wich resulted in the se. volutionary and non revolution ist, on the one side, and revolu ed by the Right.
control the evolution of the Party cession of the major portion of ary currents reached a third crisis tionary socialists on the other. It is necessary to understand until the issue itself was finally the Old Guard) were not at the just before the Chicago Conven From the point of view of the with absolute clarity the political settled, one way or the other. same time clean cut victories for tion. The new Right wing, egged Right wing, there was an imper foundation of the crisis in the The issue was, simply, that be the revolutionary current; and on from outside and inside the ious need to suppress the voice Party. This is all the more intween revolutionary Marxism on did not solve and could not have Party by the Stalinist agents, was the revolutionists, to forbid portant, and more difficult, be the one hand and non revolu solved the fundamental issue. eager to utilize the Convention the adherents of the revolutiona cause systematic efforts have tionary politics reformism, Sta They served, in the last analysis, for the achievement of their ry tendency from explaining to been and will be made by the linism, centrism on the other. simply to leave open the ques plans through the expulsion of the Party, and through the Party Right wing and by the The problem was: whether the tion of whether the Socialist the revolutionists. In this aim to the working class, the real obscure and cover over the pati revolutionary current would Party would become the revolu the Right wing failed, and to that meaning of the Barcelona events. tical foundation. There will be triumph, and would transform tionary party of the American negative degree at least, the In the Soviet Union, the unprece much talk of discipline. methe Socialist Party as an organ working class.
Chicago Convention was another dented extent of the persecu thod. tone. Party loyalty.
ization into the revolutionary During the struggle with the victory (however unsatisfying) tions was laying bare the ulti Constitution. disruption. and party of the American working lola Guard, individual revolution for the Left. The reason why the mate significance of Stalinism. what not. It is, however, a uni