Page Three THE COMMUNIST October 18, 3919 seme The National Editor of the Communist all there is no reason for the existence COMMUNIST PARTY AND LEFT Party was editor of the Revolutionary of the Communist Party, for has not WING.
HE main argument now being made Age from its inception, also editor of the Socialist Party adopted a revoluThe Class Struggle. He was reappointed tionary manifesto. is understandable.
against Communist unity through as editor when the Revolutionary Age The Moderate Socialist will never admit the Communist Party is that the that the difference between their position Communist Laborites are the rightful became the official national organ of the and that of the Communists is something suecessors of the Left Wing. At the Left Wing. The Associate Editor of the time they are the rightful Communist Party publications was Na else than the language used in a manifesto. They have not yet grasped the inheritors of the Socialist Party. We tional Secretary of the Left Wing. The Executive Secretary of the Communist fact that the gulf that divides the Sodo not dispute with them the latter claim.
Party received the highest vote at New cialist Party and the Communist Party But it is plain that those who desire to York as member of the National Left is the question of how the working class go in the line of the Left Wing evolution Wing Council. These are but a few items is to capture the power of the state, within the Socialist Party must now take of the Left Wing standing of the Comby electing representatives to corgress up the work of the Communist Party.
or by organizing the industrial power of In spite of all insistence that the re munists before the Wagenknecht Katthe workers so that in the hour of crisis imion of the Left Wing brought about by terfeld Lore Carney Lloyd judgment was they will be prepared to use that power the National Left Wing Council, through pronounced against their Left Wingism.
It might seem to the innocent by to supplant the capitalist state and estabthe Joint Call for the September first stander that when the National Wing lish the working class state the DictaCommunist Convention, was contrary to Conference at New York selected torship of the Proletariat.
the will of the National Left Conference; nine men to take over the destinies of the But that the spokesmen for the in spite of the contention that the ComLeft Wing that these were the men to should be unable to grasp this distinemunist Labor Convention was the real assume the Left Wing leadership. The tion is less understandable. That they Leit Wing Convention, it is discovered do not comprehend the purpose of the by comparison of the lists of delegates Left Wing Council was chosen expressly to continue and complete the work of Communist Party is shown in two arthat only 11 of the Communist Laborites the Left Wing Conference. Indeed, the ticles which appeared in their publicawere also delegates at the New York Council was itself the one tangible tions in recent weeks.
Left Wing Conference, as against 33 of achievement of the Conference. There the Communist delegates.
were five or six different resolutions as In the One Big Union monthly for The five members of the Manifesto to the starting of a new party, depend October, Donald Crocker, writing on and Program Committee at New York ing on the turn of events. The Passing of the charges the Everyone were all in the Communist Convention.
realized that the responsibility was Left Wing with seeking to capture the The Revolutionary Age, the predomi squarely upon the Council, and everyone power of the state by votes and makes nant national expression of the Left realized, who was honest enough to face an extended argument to prove that it Wing movement, is merged in the nathe facts, that the real job was the startcannot be done! The argument is tional organ of the Communist Party.
ing of a new party, not the capturing of summed up thus: The Left Wing organization of New the Socialist Party. Now, then it is not fairly apparent York, which took the lead in the party The Council acted in issuing the Joint that the strength of the revolutionary fight, was represented solidly in the Com Call by vote of to (or counting the proletariat at the ballot box is ilmunist Convention.
editors, not voting, the lineup would be Is the prospect of capturing the polit.
Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, De to The six were Fraina, Ballam, ical state very promising. troit, Newark, Buffalo, Rochester, Prov Cohen, Ferguson, Ruthenberg, Wolfe; idence, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, The other article is an answer to an New the three were MacAlpine, Gitlow, Larkinterview in the Christian Science MoniHaven. the big centers of Left Wing in. These three received the lowest votes tor in which Ruthenberg outlined strength have all become the strongholds as members of the Council at the New of the Communist Party. It was in such York Conference.
the difierence between the and An Emergency Comlocals that the Left Wing movement be mittee of nine was chosen at New York the Communist Party. The reply, which came an organized force; it was from while the Federation and Michigan appeared in The New Solidarity and was these cities that most of the delegates delegates were still voting; none of these written by th editor Payne, carries came to the New York Conference. It three were elected, though five of the the same note as the quotation above. It was this membership which acted on the majority members were chosen in the argues against politicians and politics, Joint Call upon which the Communist emergency election.
leaving the impression that the ComConvention was based.
Tested either by membership or by munist Party is engaged in the same kind There is no important Left Wing cen personnel, the overwhelming preponderof political struggle as that which the ter in the country without some measure ance of the active Left Wing was in the Socialist Party has carried on for twenty of Communist Party organization, Communist Convention and is now in years. committee of five was chosen by the Communist Party. reading of these articles raises the each of the conventions at Chica o to The Communist Party will not be disquestion whether either writer has read consider a basis of merger. The Communist Labor Party Committee, which took critical cry of unity coming from those tracted from its real work by the hypo the original Left Wing Program or that of the Communist Party. Both programs the position that it was the only conmittee which could legitimately spea within the Left Wing without the shadow who deliberately set up a new cleavage specifically repudiate the suggestion that for the Left Wing, had one member who the state power can be captured by the of a principle (except that of Amer proletariat through voting.
was also a Left Wing delegate to New Both state icanism. involved in the break.
York, Alfred Wagenknecht. But it was membership is the only recourse for The that the Communist Party engages in Comrade Wagenknecht who, upon leavelection campaigns merely for the puring the New York meeting, was very unity, not dickering with a few preten pose of education and propaganda. Both tious individuals who have set themselves careful to impress upon the other deleset forth in clear language the industrial gates that he did not consider himself anybody and everybody who may disup as a law unto themselves, against organization which the Communist Party in any way bound by the actions of the seeks to create and that it is through the Conference; that he looked upon these acting; real Communist unity is adagree with them. The membership is mass power of the workers that the Comactions merely as recommendations or munist Party proposes to capture the suggestions.
vancing every day.
power of the state.
On the other hand, the committee of five of the Communist Party, which COMMUNIST POLITICAL ACAre the spokesmen for the asked that all additional delegates to TION AND unable to find any flaw in the Communist their convention should meet the same is curious to note the lack of comParty program that they must credit that requirements as to representation of Left prehension that the program of action it specifically repudiates, and then, party with supporting a form of political Wing membership as the delegates althe Communist Party has met, on ready seated, consisted of Elbaum, Fer their relation to the working class movethe part of elements, which, because of give the impression that they are hitting by laughing that conception out court guson, Hourwich, Ruthenberg and Stok ment, would naturally be expected to litsky, all of whom played an active part read it with some understanding.
the Communist Party?
in the Left Wing Conference at New so from the two articles referred to That the Moderate Socialists of the above. Though the purpose of such att Socialist Party should declare that after tacks is hard to figure out, coming fronz It would seemi York.
such a source.