BourgeoisieCommunismCommunist PartyDemocracyMarxSocialismSocialist PartyStrikeWorking Class

13 Saturday, August 9, 1919 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE one Russia by the workers and peasants who are comrades have been talking of capturing three waiting to see how the official majority will facing the bayonets of the entire capitalist or five months ago. They are also talking of go. Whether it will be with them or against world. We know that it has been adopted in capturing today. All it means now is to cap them. Comrades, don make that mistake.
Hungary. But this is not the time for us to ture the furniture in the office. And now, Don go away from this place tonight, withact on emotions. This is the time for us to comrades, do you expect that those well train out deciding to have a Communist Party.
act with regard to the future of the American ed politicians will give up their property. Great applause. movement. If our movement is worth any They consider it their property and not yours. Ballam: Comrade Chairman and Comrades: thing, pra can march forward to its success They said it time and again, and no matter The proposition that we have to consider is a we can march forward on our own revolution what you say, no matter how big a majority seriouson, and one which every ary integrity. Comrade Zucker advances this you have, they are going to hold fast, they are here need hesitate to make up his mind defiargument: They, the Right Wing, will control going to hold the property and declare them nitely. Those comrades from New York who What are you the organization. If the Right Wing controls selves the Socialist Party.
are in close touch with each other, and who the organization, then the answer is contained waiting for? You were not kicked hard have fought this matter out among themselves, in the majority report. Our answer will be the enough. Laughter. Comrade Ruthenberg are in a very different position in this conferCommunist Party. Frightened men a weak wants to wait until we come to Chicago, and ence than the comrades who have come here man strikes wildly and at random. But a man they will tell us that we are officially kicked as delegates from states and from locals rewho knows a why and a wherefore of his out. Until now we have been kicked out un cently adopting the Left Wing program. am actions is poised from the moment, and when officially. He says that he will sit at the con one of these delegates. Now, the Left Wing he strikes he strikes with deadly effect. And vention he! The Left Wing! Will the com program to me as an individual, is not a new that is what we propose to do. When we rades of Michigan help elect a chairman? Will one except in some of its phases. have been strike there will be nothing left of the Right the federations, thirty thousand, help elect a on the Left, have been in the minority of a Wing or of the center. Great applause. Com chairman? Will the comrades of New York minority ever since have been a member of rade Zucker appeals in the name of the revhelp elect a chairman? No! Because they are the Socialist Movement, and that means since olution for what that great revolutionist Mor already expelled, and they will not be per 1898. Now, Comrade Zucker mentions 1912 ris Hillquit in his hour of distress appeals for mitted to go there. Comrades, have also and 1917: But, 1912 and 1917 is not 1919. a split. Morris Hillquit who was wont to learned from the experience at Boston, at the The conditions that existed then the minds of the comrades and the conditions and enfight on the barricades like a tiger, now calls, convention of the Jewish Federation we also like a whipped cur, and calls, Comrades, many of us came there. You say that we vironment existing at that time were not the will go to. Chicago and capture the conven same as they are now.
split save us! But we will split when we What the officials of choose not when they choose. Applause. tion, because we are in the majority. What the Socialist Party could do then and get away We will split at the psychological moment, and have they done in Boston? The very same with maintain they cannot do to day in the no sooner or later. And the psychological mo thing that the machine in the party has done.
present state of mind of not only the class conscious workers organized in the Socialist ment is when the entire membership of the They have expelled the Left Wing branches American Socialist Party have their eyes turnbefore they had a chance to have their dele Party, but of the working class in the United for gates express their opinions. They vo States, that ed upon Chicago. At that moment, unless we the Socialist organizations have dominated, we will meet in a different their officials, for their Credentials Committee, throughout the world are watching the Left hall in the same city, and we will compare our before they admitted the Left Wing delegates, Wing conference. They are watching it from program with the milk and water program of and then they decided that they did not belong the Rand School, from the New York Call and from Chicago, and they are anxious tickled to the Rights. Then we will have a comparison, there. that these branches did not exist that and on that comparison we can appeal to the those members were not members of the Sodeath to have a movement of separation at this time. Now, don mistake me. Don revolutionary sentiment of the rank and file of cialist Party, and therefore had no business at the American working class, or the working the convention. That is the very same thing Left of the Left. sympathize and undermisunderstand me you who have gone to the class, as prefer to put it, in America. Com that is going to be done by the Right Wing.
rade Zucker also says that in Chicago we were What are you waiting for now?
stand your position. understand it only too well. could not blame you at all you who kicked down the stairs. am one of those There is a statement by Comrade MacA1 have been outlawed and expelled for wanting who was so kicked. But are we men or are pine, and that is, We will capture the Party to take advantage of what you considered the we children? If we have been kicked down and we will have the whole rank and file with psychological moment: But to you Russian the stairs, we can walk upstairs again. Our us. Now, Comrades, this is the very same comrades would say remember what Marx part is not to play the part of some little miss thing that the bourgeois democracy wants us says, The proletariat of each country will who is in a huff because of a rebuff. Our to do wait until we capture the entire workhave to deal with its bourgeoisie in its own part is the part of revolutionists who willing class, and then we will establish Socialism. country first. Applause. The Russian commarch on unheeding these rebuffs. Hillquit And we say no. Though we are in the minor rades in Russia, the Hungarian comrades in calls for a split, and Comrade Zucker tries to ity, if we are the revolutionary Socialists, if Hungary, and the Spartacans in Germany, and tell you that at Chicago they will be attempting we know what the working class wants, we are in other countries, are dealing with their to avert a split. If they will change the going to establish the dictatorship of the pro bourgeoisie and dealing with them well. Now, opinion sounded by the spokesman of Schei letariat in spite of the ignorance of the majorit is up to us, and remember that we have a demann Socialism in America, it will be be ity. We shall do it now, not wait until we movement peculiar to and conditioned by the cause they know that with us lies the spirit of get the majority the ignorant majority, perhistorical traditions and backgrounds existing the future of American Socialism. Great ap haps, or the official majority, or some that are on this continent. In view of this fact, we plause. following the machine. We have the rank and have to deal with a large percentage of unHiltzik: want to take the statement file with us officially or not. We are going emotional Anglo Saxons, whose psychology is of Comrade Ruthenberg. He says the reason to establish a Communist Party and the rank moulded by Anglo Saxon traditions, history why we should not split now and wait until and file will flock to us. Now, comrades, you and psychology. We have to deal with that, and we have to take into consideration, that the call. is, because there is a feeling of loyalty either decide to establish the Communist Party towards the Socialist Party on the part of the or you decide to annihilate the Left Wing. If these members of the Party are not emotional, delegates. Now, Comrades, would like to this conference is disbanded without any diand that they are not stirred with us yet. We ask how many there are here in this room who cision about establishing a Communist Party of organizing the Left Wing Conference, but have the majority with us on the proposition feel a loyalty to the Socialist Party. know it will mean that we are going to lose the that I, for one, who have been giving away confidence of the rank and file, and they will we may not have them with us to organize a the greatest part of my time and energy in the not have confidence in the present leaders of Communist Party here and now. They may Socialist movement, have lost loyalty to the the Left Wing. Comrades, the rank and file repudiate that action, while they may be willing Party, and so did many comrades who are have followed you until now because they to back up in the convention in Chicago on working with me in the Left Wing. Comrade hoped that this conference would build a ComAugust 30th, and then if we go there with our Ruthenberg makes an appeal that we should munist Party for them. But if they are disfull strength and force the confidence of our wait until we capture the machinery, because appointed in you, they will establish a Comwe have captured the party already. say that munist Party over your heads. Then, Com position and the knowledge that we can win, and the determination to win, will see us we have captured the party already, and trades, you will have to come to them, and you therefore we should ignore the machine and will come secondary in importance and not ough all the rest of it. Comrades, hold it a proceed with the organization of a Communist the leaders, as you would be if you said the blunder for which we will pay and pay dear, Party (Applause. What do we want to capword now. You will be in the same position to be not an error in principle, but in tactics, ture? That is the question before you. The as are those traitors of the party that are now if we adopt this resolution to nig!