Face Tour THE COMMUNIST October 16, 1919 a Report of Louis Fraina, International Secretary of the Communist Party of America, to the Executive Committee of the Communist International. Continued from last week)
NE important thing was accom Socialist Party convention was ruthlessly Having consciously organized a third plished by the Left Wing Confer. dominated by the Right Wing, which party, the Communist Labor Party is now enceit made definite the issue used the camouflage of greetings to making unity its major campaign, The of a new party, which until that moment Soviet Russia and words about the Re former Left Wing organizations are al was very indefinito. The minority in the volution. It did not adopt a new promost entirely accepting the Communist Conference emphasized the inexorable gram in accord with the new tactical re. Party, achieving unity through member necessity for the organization of a new quirements of Socialism, avoiding all ship action. One word more: the party. This was in the minds of prac fundamental problems, The Socialist speaks much of an American Communtically all, but it now became a definite Party convention adopted a resolution ist movement and fights our party on conviction. There were centrists in the calling for an international congress to the issue of Federation control. Thin Conference who still felt that the old organize the Third International. to is malicious. There has been one dis party could be captured, who recoiled include the Communist Party of Russia agreement with the Federation comfrom a split; and these voted with the and of Germany, but ignoring the exist rades: concerning this, it might be said majority to go to the Socialist Party con ing Communist International! minority that the Federation comrades may have vention; but the majority in the the resolution to afiliate with the Commun been too precipitate and the American majority was convinced of the necessity ist International was decisively defeated.
comrades too hesitant. But the Federafor a new party, differing with the min The two resolutions are submitted to ref. tion comrades have worked earnestly for ority of 31 simply on the right procedure erendum vote. There is a group still an uncompromising Communist Party. In to pursue.
in the Socialist Party styling itself Left any event, if the Federations offer any After the Conference, the minority of Wing which is unscrupulously trying problem, it is a problem of internal party 31 issued a call for a convention on Septo garner sentiment for the Communist struggle and action. The sincerity of the tember to organize a Communist Party, International to revitalize the old party. Federation comrades, all other considerrepudiating all participation in the So The Socialist Party now represents about ations aside, is attested by their yielding cialist Party convention, 25, 000 members, administrative power to the non FederaIn the course of its development the The delegates refused admission to the tion comrades.
Left Wing, while Communist in its im Socialist Party convention proceeded to The Communist Party Manifesto is a pulse, had attracted elements not all organize their own convention, the first consistent formulation of Communist funCommunist. There were conscious centact of which was to proclaim itself the damentals; its Program a realistic applirists; comrades who had for years been legal convention of the Socialist Partycation of these fundamentals to the imwaging a struggle for administration con. a beautiful centrist twist! These dele mediate problems of the proletarian trol of the party, and comrades who gates organized themselves as the Com struggle; its constitution based upon were disgusted with the gangster tactics munist Labor Party. This was on Sun rigorous party centralization and dispursued by the Old Guard in control of day, August 31, cipline, without which Communist the party administration. The situation On Monday, the Communist Party con Party builds upon sand.
now began to clarify itself. Right Wing. vention met with 140 delegates repre6. The General Situation Centre. Left Wing.
senting approximately 58, 000 members. The Communist Party appears at a The important factor in this situation committee of five from the Left moment of profound proletarian unrest.
was the division in the organized Left Wing convention met with a committee There has been strike after strike, develWing the National Council, elected by of the Communist Party to discuss unity. oping larger and more aggressive charthe Left Wing Conference, and the minThe offered unity on a basis of acter. There is now a strike of more than ority which had organized a National equality, that is, to combine the two 300, 000 workers in the steel industry, a Organization Committee and issued its conventions as units, delegate for dele really terrific portent to American Can.
own call for a Communist Party conven gate. This the Communist Party rejected. italism.
tion. This constituted more than a split The delegates in the Communist Labor There is a revolutionary upsurge in the in the Left Wing: it was a split of the Party convention were a peculiar mix old unions: the longshoremen of Seattle conscious Communist elements in the ture, some of them openly repudiating have just refused to allow munitions for Left Wing. This division if persisted in, the Left Wing principles and tactics, Kolchak Co, to be transported. There maeant disaster. Unity was necessary others notorious Centrists. The Communis a strong sentiment in favor of the Rusnot simply organization unity, which at ist Party committee proposed that all sian Soviet Republic. In the unions the particular moments must be dispensed delegates at the Communist Labor conworkers are becoming conscious of the with, but revolutionary unity. This unity vention having instructions to participate reactionary character of their officials was accomplished by agreement for the in the Communist party convention and movements of protest and a sentmerger of the two factions on the basis (about 20) should come in as regular ment for industrial unionism are developof a Joint Call for a Communist Party delegates; while delegates whose organi ing.
convention on September zations had adopted the Left Wing Man But the American Federation of Labor, The overwhelming majority of the orifesto and Program but who were not as a whole, is hopelessly reactionary. At ganizations and delegates represented at instructed to organize Communist its recent convention the of apThe Left Wing Conference accepted the Party (about 20) would be admitted as proved the Versailles peace treaty and Joint Call fraternal delegates. The other delegates, the League of Nations, and refused to The Left Wing had found itself, unified representing an unknown constituency, declare its solidarity with Soviet Russia.
itself, determined upon the organization or no membership at all, who were simIt did not even protest the blockade of of a real Communist Party.
ply disgruntled at the Old Guard for its Russia and Hungary! This convention. The Conventions and Revolutionary gangster tacties, could not be allowed to moreover, did all in its power to break Reconstruction participate in the organization of a Com radical unions. The of is united The Socialist Party Convention met on munist Party.
with the government, securing a priviAugust 30th. The repudiated National The Communist Labor Party conven leged status in the governing system of Executive Committee manipulated the tion refused this offer and proceeded to State Capitalism. Labor Party is being roster of delegates to insure Right Wing organize a permanent party. The dele organized. much conservative control, dozens of delegates suspected of gates organizing the represented than the British Labor Party.
sympathy for the Left Wing being connot more than 10. 000 members, many of The Industrial Workers of the World tested and refused admission to the con whom are now joining the Communist is waging an aggressive campaign of orvention. The police was used against Party.
ganization. It has decided to affiliate these delegates an indication of the po. This third party adventure was the re with the Communist International; but tential Noxke Scheidemann character of sult of a number of factors: personal pol its press and spokesmen show no underthe Old Guard of the Socialist Party. itics, centrism, and the fact that com standing of Communist tactics. The The Left Wing was stigmatized as an. munist elements from the Western States still clings to its old concepts of archi tic, as consisting of foreigners, as had not been in close touch with the more organizing all the workers industrially, an expression of emotional hysteria. The rapid developments in the East.
gradually growing into the new so.
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