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THE September 27, 1919 COMMUNIST Page Four The Communist Party Convention T By Ferguson the bolting delegates; also the election of HERE probably never was a gathering Ruhenberg and Ferguson on that committee.
of working class representatives in minority group of the Left Wing Confer.
The inter play between the two caucuses re.
the United States which said what it ence. Louis Fraina of New York was quired a clearing house in the way of a meant and meant what it said more underelected Temporary Chairman and made an Joint Caucus made up of nine members from standingly and more resolutely than the first address on the problems of the Communist each side. newspaper reporter made the convention of the Communist Party. This just complaint that a Convention run in this meeting of some 140 delegates, representing Party.
While the Credentials Committee was way rather left the spectators out of the fifty to sixty thousand members, was unique completing its task, an Emergency Com reckoning. It meant a deliberate measuring in the annals of American Socialism in many mittee of nineteen was elected. Before the of forces, agreement on maximum and minrespects, but most apparently in the charac.
opening of the Convention the question of imum demands, and the use of the Conventer of the Convention itself. There was an admitting reporters and non party membtion floor only on the clearly formulated all pervading sense of realism about the ers had been raised. The Joint Organiza programs.
work in hand, absolute candor in intertion Committee decided in favor of an open The diplomatic negotiations between change of argument, impossibility of com.
Convention, so far as space would allow.
the two Conventions appears elsewhere in promise as the solution of any item.
At nine o clock Monday evening the Conthis issue. The insistence of the WagenThree distinct groups were marked out at vention was declared organized. At once knecht Katterfeld group on a joining of the the opening of the Convention, and the two Conventions as conventions was an abwhole proceedings represented the balanc the group lines within the Convention were sharply drawn. The first issue to come be solute barrier against unity. The fight for ing of these three groups against one another. The delegates who pitted themselves fore the body was the admission of bolting unity within the Communist Convention delegates from the Socialist Party Conven.
could be carried no further until the creindividually against these solid formations tion. This issue was reflected in the elecdentials of the bolting delegates came up found themselves in a hopeless situation.
tion of a Permanent Chairman. The candi.
for consideration. Otherwise a case would Three delegates who did not quickly enough date of the Federation and Michigan groups, have to be made for the admission of about yield their impulsive individualism to the both favoring a rigid rule of admissibility 40 delegates who represented no membermass discipline of one or other of the three groups left the Convention. They found of delegates, was Renner of Detroit. The ship, or were without any instructions upon more congenial atmosphere in the Centrist National Left Wing Council group, favor which they could accept the Joint Call, or ing liberal interpretation of the Joint Call were open opponents of the Joint Call or Convention of the Communist Labor with respect to the bolting delegates, nomof the Left Wing program. Those who Party, where each was a law unto himself, inated Ferguson. Renner was elected.
talked about unity while making such a deand where the group as an entity was bemand showed themselves to be either withyond the possibility of decisive action. Ferguson immediately presented the moout sincerity or without conception of the But in the meantime the most thoughtful tion which opened the most intense debate fact that a real Communist Party could only of the bolting delegates from the Socialist of the entire Convention that a committee be started upon the basis of Communist Pary Convention, who had been precipitated of five be elected to confer with the comprinciples and Communist membership.
into a chance third party adventure, sensed mittee of five of the Left Wing delegates With the issue of new delegates out of that there was something unusually substan. who had bolted the Socialist Party Conventhe way, there was a realignment of the tial about this quiet gathering where group tion or had been refused seats in that Conthree groups the Convention. Now the power was grimly pitted against group vention. This motion was defeated, 75 to separation was on matters of party program power.
31. The effect of this vote was to cut off and organization, and this separation reThe Convention which opened with three any recognition of the bolting delegates as flected itself also in the Convention elecdistinct divisions ended a solid unit, none a body.
tions. The Michigan bloc of twenty reof the groups having lost enough ground to This situation threatened a split in the mained in a hopeless minority at all times.
the others to make co operation difficult. Convention. The Federation group was vot The work of the various committees The third party gathering, opening with an ing on this issue under caucus unit rule. speaks for itself in the documents published ecstasy of emotional unity, frittered away of The vote was almost evenly divided between in this issue. The main business of the Conits inherent contradictions.
the Federation and non Federation repre vention was the formulation of a program There was one moment which revealed sentatives, but the Michigan group of about and of a constitution. The Program Comthe tense enthusiasm of this Convention, a twenty was now joined with the Federation mittee consisted of Comrades Fraina. El moment never to be forgotten. On Monday, bloc. The minority consisted of practically baum, Stoklitsky, Hourwich, Bittleman, September first, near the hour of noon, an all the delegates outside the Federation cau Batt, Cohen, Lovestone and Wicks; the Conorchestra struck the first chord of the Inter cus and the Michigan unit, and the leaderstitution Committee, Hiltzig. Ruthenber nationale. Instantly there was a thunder ship of the minority centered in the NationAshkenousi, Ferguson, Tywerowsky, Sti so ous accompaniment of sustained cheering al Left Wing Council.
Forsinger.
and spontaneous singing. There was no mis This minority organized itself in caucus, There are a number of features of the taking the martial challenge. It was as if but without adopting the unit rule. The constitution which mark the sharp distincthe voices of the millions had come into this minority determined to pit its moral tion between the Communist Party and the colorless hall to impress upon these dele strength against the majority which had re Socialist Party. Membership is not merely gates their deprivations and longings, their buffed the Left Wing delegates. This a matter of dues paying in the new party, strength and readiness for the final conflict. strength consisted of the fact that the withIt was a rare singing of the Internationale.
but depends on active participation in the drawal of this minority from the work of party work and acceptance of party discipSo began the Communist Party of America. he Convention would leave the Russian Fed line. little while before the police had compelled the removal of the red bunting with eration group no English speaking expres clause which precipitated a lively desion outside the editorial staff of the Detroit which the hall was decorated. They also bate was Section of Article III barring Proletarian, a situation which had already from membership any person who has an ordered the removal of two handsome floral been found highly embarrassing.
entire livelihood from rent, interest or proofferings, deep red roses on a background of fit. The Committee divided four against red shaped as a flag. The police were corTuesday morning Ferguson, Lovestone, Fraina, Ruthenberg, Selakowich, Ballam three on this provision, with Comrade Stilrect according to the city ordinance. The and Cohen resigned from the Emergency son presenting the side of the minority for ordinance was correct according to the best Committee. Comrades Paul and Fanny Hor himself, Ruthenberg and Ferguson. The known methods available for a privileged owitz resigned as Secretaries. Comrade El majority argument, as made by Com. Hourminority to choke off the life impulses of the masses. There must not be consciousbaum of Detroit, one of the strongest men wich, was that the provision may be unsciness on the part of the masses; there must in the Federation caucus, also resigned from entific but that it is hard to convince the not be understanding of the symbolism of the Emergency Committee. This was a workingman that exploiters of labor are the red flag. There was the arrest of thunderbolt in the majority camp. It is to themselves to be trusted in the fight against Dennis Batt on Monday afternoon, in the be noted that the minority was never with exploitation. The minority argument was Convention hall, on a warrant under the new out Federation delegates, the South Slavic that such a mechanical clause could only Illinois sedition law. Someone called for and Hungarian representatives coming in at operate to exclude the few exceptional incheers. There was stern quiet. The work of the start, and as the situation developed dividuals whose consciousness is not conthe Convention went on. This was the ansLithuanian, Polish and Jewish Federation trolled by personal interest in the capitalist delegates showing that they would not tol system. The clause easily carried.
erate anything in the nature of arbitrary motion that no member of a religious Dennis Batt of Detriot called the ConFederation control of the Convention or of organization shall be eligible to membervention to order in the name of the two comship was tabled. However, a resolution mittees which signed the Joint Call, the NaThe minority strike on the job had its was later adopted stating the attitude of the tional Left Wing Council and the National quick effect. The Federation caucus conConvention on the subject of religion.
Organization Committee (representing the ceded the reconsideration of the motion for Section of Article III also was the suba committee of five to make a statement to ject of lively debate. This clause bars the new party