September 11, 1937.
SOCIALIST APPEAL SUPPORTING LA GUARDIA BETRAYS SOCIALISM.
So Said Clarity, But Accepts NEC Betrayal and Leads Expulsions (which, Two inter related questions pending successes, for was not By Max Shachtman fused to recognize the authority Fox, Laidler, etc. etc. Not a confronted last week meeting of the theirs. was it not of the City Central Committee single statement could be chalthe National Executive Com a left wing Committee, was it on the grounds that it was illegal. lenged; none was. Burt announced mittee of the Socialist Party, not the mighty rampart of MarxAt the meeting, it dropped that an invitation had been teleupon the answer to which depend ism which the right wing could ing, all bluster and braggadocio its pretense of apposition to our graphed to Lasser to attend the ed nothing less than the existence never scale?
to the contrary notwithstanding. expulsion and led the campaign meeting to discuss his of the organization.
Let us therefore summarize the to extend it nationally, The first was You line and position; Lasser did not the decision results of the meeting. It Clarity Capitulates want to take the Trotskyists out even answer. Expelled. Not at taken by the Thomas Altman can be done, and all the political administration in New York It was, therefore, not surpris of Altman grave and put them all. sub committee is promptly conclusions drawn from it, in the ing to the left wing when, after into the Clarity grave? asked appointed (for the 50th time) to sell out the party to the La space of a few sentences.
Guardia Republican Fusion mathe vote had been cast in favor Lewis. Yies, replied Krueger. visit him in Washington, hat in What did Altman demand? The of La Guardia and the People (By the way, is it not a little hand, to discuss with him.
chine and the American Labor endorsement of the La Guardia Front, the Clarity leaders in the unwise for the dying to speak of Party bureaucracy decision line of the right wing, denounced not excluding the Oh so graves in any connection. Expulsions Are Political the best socialist tradition, but as a betrayal of Socialism by radica and Trager, anThe conclusion is inescapable: the Clarity leaders.
nounced that they would submit Confusion Confounded directly in violation of the specific the left wing was expelled for decision to the decision of the majority.
almost unanimously Altman Line Carries After denying the appeal of purely political reasons. It was adopted by the national party How touchingly noble! What the left wing and voting to expel not expelled for violating discipconvention in Chicago only six What did Altman get? By a divine humility! What a gesture it, the Clarity there line, but for its political opinions, months ago vote of eight to seven, the of restraint! What a model of upon voted to condemn the Alt and above all, because its political The second question was the gave the right wing carte blanche discipline!
manites for having expelled the views were speedily becoming the action taken by the rump City in carrying out their decision left wing illegally, by means of views of the majority of the Central Committee of the New not to auction off the but Never Serious a fake two thirds majority! And if party (the majority of the actives York right wing in expelling to hand it to La Guardia and the The fact of the matter is that this is not sufficiently senseless, party membership is already more than 120 left wingers from for nothing.
the Clarity leaders did not take Krueger introduced his motion with us. just as they have al the party and, in effect, proscrib What did Altman demand? the fight seriously. After the which carried. to condemn the ready become the views of the ing from membership all other the immediate expulsion of the vote for La Guardia left wingers an action involving left wing throughout the country, always remember, they call a nize the illegal Altman Central the conclusion is annihilating and branches which, with Clarity majority of the consent, had refused to recog As for the Clarity leadership, the expulsion of between 400 and one and all.
500 comrades in New York City What did Altman get? By a nothing less. did they demand committee. According to Krueger, irrefutable. When all trifles and alone. Together with this came unanimous vote of the left wing of the a referendum of Altman Committee was illegal, details are brushed aside, these the announcement by the right all the supporters of the the national membership on the but the branches that refused to basic political facts remain: wing combination of its intention, SOCIALIST APPEAL are to be question. Not at all! Did they accept its illegality were no less They are able to remain in one to make a drive for the mass expelled throughout the country, demand of the the calling ilegal! In this such a party and under the discipline expulsion of all the Trotskyists forthwith and summarily.
of a special emergency conven series of motions passes for wis those who are urging the Socialall the supporters of the left tion to allow the membership to dom, forthright leadership and a ist Party to turn traitor to social wing, throughout the party na What This Means express itself against the sell sane sense of balance.
ism (Zam and Delson in the tionally out, as it undoubtedly would?
Clarity Hypocrisy SOCIALIST REVIEW. They Two Questions Are One ing politically, these eight sen allowed this vital question to be For a person capable of think Not at all! The Clarity leaders drive out of the party those The Clarity leaders sought to whom, however sectarian. they No half way intelligent person tences are sufficient to demons settled bureaucratically, at the apologize for themselves by acknowledge to be revolutionarfailed to understand, long before trate the complete victory the top, without demanding that the claring that while we were iste.
the convened, the insepa right wing on the decisive ques membership be given the oppor illegally and wrongly expelled by They denounce the right wing rable conneution belween these tions and to indicate the road tunity to intervene. It is true Altman, we had since violated as capitulators, the New Old two questions and their signifi back to the Old Guard Stalinist that only an irresponsible group discipline sby) publishing the Guard, as people who surrender cance for the future of the Social position which the party is now would demand a referendum on Socialist Appeal and that is why to the trade union bureaucrats, ist Party. The La Guardia pro traveling at a furious pace. Yet, every little disputed question, or we had to be expelled.
as people guilty of a betrayal posal simply meant the complete a few additional comments on demand an emergency convention How lame and hypocritical! Let of socialism. and are ready to abandonment of the class struggle what happened at the every week in the month. But us assume for a moment that the live happily with this right wingand the drowning of the in meeting are necessary to illus the question involved in this dis publication of the Appeal is a The left wing revolutionists, the morass of class collaboration trate fully the wretched role pute, if we are to take Clarity purely formal question (which fighters, enemies of the trade and People Frontiam.
played by what passes for leader own word for it, is whether or it is not, for it was suspended on union bureaucrats, intransigent The mass expulsions of the left ship in the Clarity group; it not the principles of socialism the basis of an agreement that socialists they cannot suffer to wing were the indispensable pre is precisely about this leadership shall be betrayed!
an inner party discussion organ stay in the same party. en una botup termination the de main among some of those in Clarity Leads Expulsions that did not appear. How did those who submit a quietly to velopment of the party towards the party who earnestly want to far more decisive criterion the in the past deal with traitors and expel revolutionists?
revolutionary Marxism. It was, so fight the right wing.
by which to measure the serious the Old Guard, with its repeated Twist and squirm as they will, the Clarity leadership and flagrant violations of party the Clarity leaders will not be most viborous initiators and pro Betrayal. Said Clarity ight against betrayal, their discipline, with its publication of allowed to escape ponents the first action should attitude towards the expulsion of a purely factional organ, the this simple question and the resThe Clarity leaders took at the same time be the ones who position against the La Guardis the left wing. The prosecutors New Leader?
Old ponsibility for the consequences most loudly demanded the second.
The victory of the right wing policy of the right wing. They the recimed the left wing at Guardsmen summarily expelled of their policy.
could only mean the end of the even forgot themselves so far as right wingers, not the Altmans thought! Month in and month The Fight Begins!
Socialist Party.
to denounce the right wing policy and Siegels who appeared against out, every attempt was made to Even more clearly known than in the most violent terms.
The meeting is over, the position of the right wing, In their statement as the mi the New York Local. This time years of inner party discussion but not the fight. The bureaucwas the position of the left. Both nority of the New York municipal the distinction belonged exclusi went on before a single action racy of the right wing and the these tendencies in the party Campaign Committee (Zam and vely to the Clarity group. Here was taken against the old Guard Clarity clique have made their knew where they stood, what they Delson. they characterized the they showed their power, their or its organ.
position transparently and copwanted and how to proceed in right wing proposal as capitula strength, their ability to take clusively clear. They have taken order to obtain it. Both of them tion and betrayal and the the leadership away from the Cowardly Toward their stand. It is now up to the were perfectly well aware that, right wingers auctioneers right wing! The sub committee Rightists party membership, to the revolu. while it was still possible to ready to sell the to the ca which brought in the report detionary militants in the ranks, to a shabby intermediate pitalist parties backing Le Guar manding our expulsion was comBut you don understand, dear speak and to take their position.
occupy position on a number of issues in dia and to the bureaucra posed of three Clarity leaders reader. The Old Guard was the To stand by. silently, is to be an dispute for the past year or two, cy.
on these life and death Now these are fairly weighty and Krueger. The bureaucratic wing, the centrists crawl and betrayal and the expulsion crime.
questions, vitally affecting the words, and it might have seemed thoroughness with which the capitulate. Their blood turns to allow the revolutionary socialist and To stand by silently, means to written down mass expulsion of the left wing water and their bones to rubber. movement to be cut to pieces.
the party, the choice had to be with full knowledge of their im nationally was recommended in But face them with a left wing The Clarity right wing leadership made: either with the liquidators portance and their implications, the sub committee report es, and they promptly become vigor has already done infinite harm and traitors, or with the revo The observer unacquainted with ceeded anything that Altman and ous, militant, aggressive, intoler to the cause of socialism. It has lutionary Marxists.
been further impressed their was a perfect example of how ant, intransigent, full of venom. almost wrecked the movement inte Clarity Line repeated declarations that they centrists seek to compensate for We were expelled, you see, for was charged to lead. Roy Buat intended to fight against the sell their impotence against the right a serious breach of discipline. So reported to that Only the leaders of the Clarity out to bitter end without let wing by brutality and intolerance say the Clarity leaders. But they although ro registration group sought to maintain, until up. Those who, like ourselves, toward the left. In three weeks, also said that the right wing was 5, 000 had been expected (a mithe very eve of the meet were better acquainted with the says the Clarity ukase, which guilty of a gross breach of dis serable enough figurel. only ing, that it was still possible to centrists, knew that they would the entire endorsed, every cipline in selling out the party to 2, 000 had re registered a perts take a position distinct from not and could not fight the treach supporter of the Appeal La Guardia machine a breach members to date. leadership both these extremes. who anery to socialism advocated by the be expelled from the party, and compounded with treason. What could not record greater hank noyingly insisted that everybody right wing. They could not fight any local or state organization action did they take or even pro ruptcy.
quit straddling; only they could (and by fight we do not mean failing to do so is subject to the pose to take against the right Bankrupts have no place in the wing? None. they said) take a definite, vigor merely the writing of a resolu same penalty.
leadership. Bankrupts should not obis position which, avoiding the tion. for the simple reason that Bear in mind, in considering In this appeal for the left wing. be entrusted with the leadership Scylla of Trotskyist sectarian nobody can fight a battle if he this appalting resolution, the Shachtman referred to no less and direction of the movement ism and the Charybdis of has decided in advance to capitollowing simple facts: than twenty instances of gross The membership of the maty birazen reformism, would be tulate to the enemy. And that is violations of party discipline and not hesitate for another moment thoroughly Marxian and, at the precisely what the Clarity leaderThe whola. Clarity leadership policy by outstanding right wing we are consider the titling same time, prevent a split and ship did, and what is whole prer hed not only denounced the ex leaders: Thomas, Edlin, Valenti, around the led in for the me pbeperve party whity. They were coding course indicated it was pulsion of the left wing by: Alt Lesser, Shwetlandi Clendonin, building of the power ou une especially confident of their im going to do at the met mau in Ne York, but had re Lac, Rankin, Benson, Altmaa, Hutions, founding ness answer to two were the must