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DECEMBER 15, 1921 THE WORKERS COUNCIL 159 158 THE WORKERS COUNCIL (DECEMBER 15, 1921 WORKERS! UNITE!
Advance Work of Organization CONVENTION CALL TO ORGANIZE THE WORKERS PARTY OF AMERICA an FIERCE class war is raging thruout the world. capitalism, thru the establishment of a government All capitalist governments are openly fight by the working class and for the working class ing the battles of the exploiters.
WORKERS REPUBLIC IN AMERICA.
The struggle of the workers, even for the most POLITICAL ACTION: To participate in all elementary needs, is to day met with merciless political activities, including electoral campaigns, in suppression, and develops into a fight for political order to utilize them for the purpose of carrying our power.
message to the masses. The elected representatives Inspired by the proletarian revolution in Russia, capitalist democracy and help mobilize the workers of the Workers Party will unmask the fraudulent and impelled by the cowardly and traitorous confor the final struggle against their common enemy.
duct of their leaders, the workers of the world have organized the Communist International, as THE LABOR UNIONS: To develop the labor answer to the unholy alliance of their capitalist organizations into organs of militant struggle against oppressors. Despite the bitter opposition of the capitalism, expose the reactionary labor bureaucrats, capitalists and their labor lieutenants, the Com and educate the workers to militant unionism.
munist International is growing rapidly. It has be FIGHTING PARTY: It shall be a party come a world power.
of militant, class conscious workers, bound by disThe American capitalists are using the present cipline and organized on the basis of democratic economic crisis to increase their power of exploita centralization, with full power in the hands of the tion and oppression. The whole working class is Central Executive Committee between Conventions.
being crushed under the iron heel of a brutal capi. The Central Executive Committee of the party shall talist dictatorship.
have control over all activities of public officials. It shall also co ordinate and direct the work of the At this critical moment we must have an organparty members in trade unions.
ization that will not only valiantly defend the workers, but will also wage an aggressive struggle for the PARTY PRESS: The party press shall be abolition of capitalism. Only a revolutionary workowned by the party, and all of its activities shall be ers political party can fulfill this task.
under the control of the Central Executive Committee.
Such a party will and must grow out of all political groups which stand on the platform of the mili All working class bodies that accept the above tant class struggle. It is not necessary to create this program are invited to join in the first National Condesire for unity. It is already a living reality, grown vention of the Workers Party to be held in New out of the very struggle of the masses during the York City, December 23 26, 1921.
years since the ending of the world war and the Working men and women! Help build the politinauguration of Soviet Rule in Russia.
ical party that will lead the oppressed masses to With a full realization of these facts, the under.
achieve their own complete emancipation! Let us signed join in issuing this call for the organization raise the banner of the militant workers of the world of the Workers Party of America, pledged to the with the immortal rallying cry of following principles. WORKERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE! YOU THE WORKERS REPUBLIC: To lead the HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT YOUR working masses in the struggle for the abolition of CHAINS! YOU HAVE WORLD TO GAIN!
Signed by AMERICAN LABOR ALLIANCE Affiliated Organizations: Finnish Socialist Federation, Italian Workers Federation Hungarian Workers Federation Jewish Workers Federation THE WORKERS COUNCIL OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA THE JEWISH SOCIALIST FEDERATION WORKERS EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION (ARBEITER BILDUNGS VEREINE)
THE time to begin the work of organization for the WORKERS PARTY, that will be launched with the New York Convention, December 23 26, is not after the convention has been held. That time is NOW!
Everyone is talking about the WORKERS PARTY!
Everyone is thinking about it. Take advantage of this interest by getting everyone to join with The Workers Council, one of the organizations having most to do with the calling of the Christmas Convention.
An application for a charter from a small group in your town, or from bigger groups in larger cities, will be an urge to bigger convention preparations. Such an application received, even while the convention is being held, will be an inspiration in itself.
If you are not able to rally others about you, then join as a member at large. But do not fail, for any reason, to become a part of the swelling hosts of the Workers Party, the hope of the toiling masses of America.
Plan Convention Manifesto Perhaps the biggest document to come out of the Workers Party Convention will be the manifesto and program of the new organization.
Work on this declaration was started early by a subcommittee of the Joint Convention Committee of 17. This sub committee consists of James Cannon, Bittleman, Dr. Wilenkin, Salutsky, Ludwig Lore, Alexander Trachtenberg, Jay Lovestone and Benjamin Glassberg.
The program and manifesto wili be divided into three parts. It will take up a survey of the economic and political conditions at home and abroad, and the lessons to be drawn therefrom. It will contain a criticism of the political and labor organizations in the United States. It will conclude with a working program outlining the position of the Workers Party on the important matters concerning the labor struggle in this country to day.
Will Consider Many Resolutions Proposed resolutions are being turned in by the affiliated organizations. The convention will no doubt deal with declarations on the class war prisoners, a daily English paper, greetings to Soviet Russia, the Washington conference, Alexander Howatt and the struggle of the coal miners in Kansas, injunctions, the Sacco Vanzetti Case, the Mooney Case, a Monthly Magazine and the Famine in Soviet Russia.
There is a sub committee on arrangements that is making big preparations for the holding of mass meetings, a banquet and other affairs.
One of the most important sub committees of the convention will be that on merger. Problems have already arisen that are being considered by it. The policy adopted is to complete the merging of different organizations, esp.
cially the foreign language organizations, as much as possible before the convention.
Bohemian Federation for New Party The Bohemian Socialists who recently, by vote of ten to one, withdrew from the Socialist Party have just completed their national convention in Chicago, in splendid unity and revolutionary spirit.
Twenty eight delegates represented the 800 members of the regular branches and the 400 additional in kindred organizations.
Of these latter, two branches of the Workers Circles announced their immediate amalgamation with the Federation before the end of the convention. The Circles had professed a policy further left than that of the Federation (while it was still in the The delegates representing several Workers Councils of Czech workers also prophesied speedy affiliation of their groups.
The invitation to take part in the first national convention of the Workers Party, issued jointly by the Workers Council and the American Labor Alliance was enthusiastically accepted.
They favored a 35 cents dues rate whereas it is understood that the agenda committee proposes a 50 cents rate.
They have changed their name to Czecho Slovak Marxist Federation and have altered their program so as to stress an educational program and activity in the industrial organizations, altho not neglecting political activity.
The party seat remains in Chicago.
Workers Council in Milwaukee One of the most recent groups to join the Workers Council is that recently organized at Milwaukee, Wis. It has a great work to perform in Victor Berger home town, and is setting out to accomplish it with spirit and energy.
The Milwaukee comrades will have a delegate at the National Convention. They hope to make a big contribution to the new party. Louis Engdahl, secretary of the Workers Council, spoke to an interested audience in Boston, December 2, on The Workers Party.
Comrades from all elements of the movement were present, but all were united in the demand for the open party.
Italians Also Move Forward Altho National Secretary Otto Branstetter, of the Socialist Party, reported to the recent National Executive Committee meeting at Cleveland, Ohio, that the members of the Italian Socialist Federation were solid for the party, the contrary is true, Four branches of the Italian Federation in New York recently voted unanimously to withdraw from the party.
Others are taking similar action. It is planned to have a conference of the withdrawing Italian branches just prior to the national convention of the Workers Party this month.
The WORKERS COUNCIL is also in touch with the elements that withdrew from the Polish Socialist Alliance at its recent Rochester Convention on the issue of the Third International.
It is expected that these comrades, who publish a weekly paper in Chicago, will have a delegate at the Workers Party convention.
Debs Gets Convention Call The Convention Call was sent to Gene Debs at Atlanta, and according to a letter just received from his brother, Theodore, the letter containing the Call was delivered. Theodore writes as follows. Gene wishes me to say to you that he has read carefully your letter, and he appreciates very much your kindness in having presented so fully the matter of the proposed new party, but that in his present situation he cannot answer or make comment on account of prison rules.
He sends you his cordial greetings and best wishes.
Congratulations to Jewish Comrades Our Jewish comrades are to be congratulated on the success of their drive for a daily paper in their language.
Enthusiastic mass meetings in behalf of this project are being held in all the large cities of the country. The response everywhere has been tremendous.
With all revolutionary elements in the Jewish labor movement uniting under the standards of the Workers Party, the success of the daily is assured.
It is expected that immediately the open party is organized, there will be launched an effective drive for the establishment of an English daily championing in this country the position of the Third International.
So the big work goes on. Why hold back for a single second before putting your shoulder to the wheel that continually moves forward, never slips backward? The initiation fee in the Workers Council is 25 cents, the dues are 50 cents per month.
If you are already a member, then get some sympathizer to sign the application blank that appears on another page. Organize a group in your town.