September 27, 1919 THE COMMUNIST Page Five members of the Communist Party from con tively, on the adoption of said Manifesto and formity with American conditions and party tributing political or economic articles to Program and as not accepting nominations circumstances. Comrade Fraina was also publications other than those of the Party, for, or voting on, any party official elected elected to the Central Executive Committee, except as to scientific journals. An attack by this Convention.
and was named without opposition as Editor on the party in the bourgeois press may be As a matter of fact the Michigan Maniof the party publications.
answered by leave of the Central Executive festo and Program never had the least Ruthenberg of Cleveland was chosen Committee.
chance of adoption, but that was the sum for the important post of National Secre.
The principle of centralization pervades total of the evidence upon which it was the constitution. The new party is built on tary. Comrade Ruthenberg has a record of charged that there was something questionservice in the Socialist Party which has simple lines of central control, with ample able about the majority action in adopting made him a national figure in the Socialist counter provisions for referendum and rethe Left Wing Manifesto and Program.
movement for many years. Already elected call. distinct innovation is the District Somehow the Michigan delegates seemed to by a very large vote as International Deleunit of organization, which is intended to sense the incongruity of their condemnation gate and Executive Committeeman of the combine or divide the States according to of the majority action, because they did not industrial centers. The Federations are reold party, Ruthenberg now takes these withdraw from the Convention or give any offices in the Communist Party.
tained as administrative units of the party, indication of an intention not to work with The other International Delegates are and all language branches must belong to the new party.
Nicholas Hourwich, editor of Novy Mir, a single Federation of the one language. Comrade Batt made an elaborate defense Alexander Stoklitsky, Translator Secretary sharp controversy arose on the question of of his minority Manifesto and Program, and of the Russian Federation, and Ferguthe method of expelling Federation branchwas answered in a masterly fashion by Comson, Secretary of the National Left Wing es, and this was an instance where the Fedrade Bittleman of New York, editor of the Council and now Associate Editor of the eration caucus went down to defeat. The Jewish Left Wing paper Der Kampf. Communist Party publications. Comrade question was on the power of the City Cen The Michigan peculiarity within the Ilourwich has long been recognized as one tral Committee to expel language branches; general Left Wing movement which culminof the ablest exponents of Communism in also on the question of the right of the City ated in the Communist Party is not an affair America, and has behind him a long record Central to review Federation expulsions of the Michigan membership so much as it of intimate association with the work of the prior to appeal to the Central Executive is of a small group from Detroit. Only in Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social DeCommittee. The function of the City Cen the borrowing of a few new phrases and the mocracy. Comrade Stoklitsky has an easy tral was saved in both instances; and in careful gleaning of a sentence or two from claim to the most important organization every case of expulsion or of refusal of adLenine does the minority Manifesto and contribution to the Left Wing movement.
mission of a branch to membership, there is Program show any relation to what is now It was Comrade Stoklitsky who welded the a final appeal against the decision of the going on in the revolutionary proletarian Russian speaking Federations into a workFederation executives to the Central Execumovement. Aside from these phrases the ing unit for the transformation of the Socitive Committee.
document mught have been written twenty alist movement in this country, and who did Undoubtedly the whole subject of Federayears ago, before the adaptation of Marxism much to bring this solid unit of membership tions was more carefully and thoroughly dis to the period of Imperialism.
into teamwork with the English speaking cussed in these proceedings than in any In spite of all confusing intimations to the Left Wingers. Comrades Hourwich and other Socialist gathering in recent years.
contrary, the long minority Manifesto and Ferguson were elected also to the Central The Central Executive Committee is made Program simply calls for the old Socialist Executive Committee.
up of 15 members, elected from the National Party tactics with elimination of demands for The alternates as International Delegates Convention. Also the Secretary and Editor reforms. It is a program of pure parlia are Comrades Elbaum, Bittleman, Ballam are chosen by the Convention. There is an mentarism with a prophesy that when the and Lovestone. Elbaum is editor of the PoExecutive Council of made up of the Secwork of education shall have advanced far lish Federation daily newspaper in Detroit, retary, Editor and members of the Central enough other tactics may be used. It makes and Bittleman, as already mentioned, of the Executive Committee, these members to live reference to proletarian dictatorship, but Jewish Federation paper in New York.
in the city of the national headquarters or with no acceptance of the process by which Ballam, member of the National Left Wing in adjacent cities.
this dictatorship must be acquired.
Council, is editor of the New England WorkAnother innovation is the requirement The Communist program is based upon er, official organ of the Communist Party of that State Conventions shall be held annuthe mass struggles of today. It does not Massachusetts. Jay Lovestone, of New ally in April or May. This corresponds to studiously calculate the magic hour when York, one of the youngest of this Conventhe fixing of the National Convention in June, with the provision for election of delthe correct understanding of Marxism will tion of young men, proved himself one of have its chance, but insists that the revoluthe most aggressive and ablest. All of these egates to the National Convention by the tionary struggle is a continuous process four were elected also to the Central ExeState Conventions.
Membership qualifications for all offices from the strikes of today to the general mass cutive Committee.
or nominations to public offices is set at two action which sweeps the bourgeois instituThe other delegates elected to the Execuztions out of existence. It does not scorn the tive Committee are Comrades Schwartz, years. Eligibility on June 1st, 1920, destrike because its declared objects are enCohen, Tywerowsky, Petras, Karosses, Dirpends on joining the party before January tirely of immediate concern. Nor does it ba, Wicks. Schwartz, of Boston, is of the 1st, 1920.
ask that the strike shall proceed on demands Lettish Federation; Tywerowsky, of New All referendums are by petition of 25 or York, is Executive cretary of the Russian made upon the government itself before it more branches representing of the party Federation; Petras, of Chicago, is of the can be of interest to the Communist Party, membership; or by initiative of the Conven.
as does the minority declaration. The life Hungarian Federation; Karosses, of Philation or of the Central Executive Committee.
of the Communist movement is the changing delphia, is of the Lithuanian Federation.
There are no automatic referendums, as in character of these mass struggles under im.
Maximilian Cohen, of New York, has served the case of the Socialist Party election and perialistie pressure, and the work of the as member of the National Left Wing Counconstitution referendums. The recall petiCommunist Party is to enter into these cil and played a very important part in the tion has the same requirements. It is specLeft Wing movement as Secretary of the struggles at every stage to develop out of ially provided that the party press shall be them the consciousness of the class struggle Left Wing Section of New York. Dirba is open for discussion of all referendum pro in its ultimate aspects; to develop out of State Secretary of the Socialist Party of posals while under consideration.
them also the technique of working class Minnesota, and Wicks one of the newly The fight on the Manifesto and Program social control, as in the assumption of civic elected members of the Socialist Party would have been a battle royal but for the functions by the strike committees of SeE. stood highest on the ballot as Socialfact that the odds were so overwhelmingly attle, Winnipeg, Belfast.
ist Party delegate from Oregon.
against the Michigan minority. The ComThe Executive Council consists of ComAside from the delegation from Michigan, mittee was presented with two drafts, one the Convention elections are no doubt the rades Ruthenberg, Fraina, Ferguson, by Comrade Batt, the other by Comrade best indication of the dominant personaliSchwartz, Karosses, Dirba and Wicks.
Fraina, the latter being an adaptation of the ties in the new party. One delegate from In view of the argument that has been work of the Left Wing Conference of June. Detroit would questionably have won a made about Federation control it is noteAfter considerable condensation, the Fraina place on the Executive Committee for his worthy that the Executive Comcil has two draft was adopted by the majority of the services in the campaign for the organizaFederation members against five non FedCommittee, Batt and Wicks being tion of the new party, Dennis Batt. For erationists, while the entire Executive Comority.
the rest it is not likely that participation in mittee has a majority of non Federationists.
On Saturday evening, the following state he elections would have changed the outFive alernates were chosen for the Execument from 20 delegates, alternate and tive Committee, Comrades Stokes, Loonin, come.
fraternal delegate was read: We, the unGeorgian, Bixby and Kravsevitch.
Louis Fraina was chosen International dersigned delegates, hereby publicly state On account of ineligibility to the ExecuSecretary, with Ferguson as alternate. tive Committee the names of some of the our disapproval of the Manifesto and Prog Traina contribution to the Left Wing Translator Secretaries do not appear in this ram adopted by the Convention and of the movement by his writings in The Class list, though they were among the outstandmethods used in forcing its adoption. There Struggle and The Revolutionary Age gives fore we ask to be recorded in the minutes ing figures of the Convention, notably Jo.
him a unique position in the development as not voting, either affirmatively or nega of revolutionary Socialist theory in con(Continned on Page