Three May 1, 1920 THE. OMMUNIST COMRADES: STATEMENT TO THE MEMBERSHIP ISSUED BY THE CENTRAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY words unless the agreed to abolish Communist Convention. Again the bitter organization problems and tactics as well.
The Communist Party is in crisis. itself in everything but name he, together opposition of the minority it was decided And since, neither of these prerequisites grave danger confronts it from within, un with his followers, would balt the e. not to admit them as full fledged delegates, existed, the amalgamation of the two Exless you stand firm against the disruptive To have accepted this ultimatum would but only as fraternal delegates, with a voice ecutive Committees could only bring contactics of a small group of secessionists. have meant desertion of the posts to which but no vote.
fusion and discord into our ranks. Two The Executive Secretary and two members the convention had elected us treason to The fight on the federation issue, at the such differing elements, sitting on one Exof the have organized a revolt the rank and file and a betrayal of Com convention, centered around the extent of ecutive Committee, could only mean that against the Central Executive Committee munist principles and policies which we their autonomy. The majority realizing each group would paralize the other, makelected by the Convention.
had been elected to safeguard.
that the language federations especially the ing all propaganda and agitation impossible, This dastardly crime has been committed However, the did not refuse to Russian Federations were the carriers and if not worthless. Far better for each comat a time when all arrangements for a con negotiate with the secessionists it did as Zinoviev recently expressed it, the mittee to work separately, unhampered one vention were about to be consummated. We not refuse to take all the steps compatible promulgators of the Communist movement by the other, thus clearly exposing the ponever were, and are not now, for unity at with Communist principles and policies to in this country insisted upon full auton sition of both on fundamental issues and any price, but in view of fundamental dif avert the break at this time as the enclosed omy for them. The minority, who came gradually clarifying those issues in the ferences that do exist the only place to negotiations will show. But the secession to the convention opposed to the very idea light of conditions as they developed.
settle such differences is at a convention ists were determined to split leaving the of the existence of language federations We maintain that organic unity of all real and not by attempting to create a spilt just but one course to pursue: To pro within the party, put forth many attempts Communist elements within both parties before such convention, ceed with its Communist task entrusted to to destroy this foreign domination, is could only be effected at a convention a At this critical time, while the party has it by the First Convention of the Commun they termed it, by abolishing, and when this joint convention where the delegates repnot yet fully recovered from the blows ist Party, ignoring entirely the secession failed, by limiting their autonomy, resenting the rank and file could come torained upon it by the government while ists and disrupters. This course the On both of these questions the minority gether and thrash out the fundamental we are still consolidating and solidifying adopted.
were decisively defeated. But, as it is ap questions of principles, tactics and organiour forces for propaganda and agitation It may be stated here that of the 13 parent now, they never forget the bitterzation, and see, if real Communist unity when our enemies from all sides are seek members of the present at this taste of this defeat; they nursed their bit. could be achieved. And we further maining our destruction disruptive forces from meeting, only two members and the Execu terness and oposition in silence within them tained, that prior to such a convention, the tecithin have organized a secession move tive Secretary bolted. Langley, Kosbeck selves, waiting a more propitious time to party organs on both sides must carry on ment led by the Executive Secretary of the and Damon. The others remained and break out again on those questions, a discussion and debate on the issues inCommunist Party.
immediately upon the departure of the bolt All through the legal existence of the par volved, in order to clarify them to the rank The Central Executive Committee ers, the resumed its regular ses ty no one of the minority raised their voices and file and aid them in selecting those handicapped by almost insurmountable dif sions with the following members on either of these questions. The party, and delegates who agreed with their position.
ficulties has been occupied with the task participating: Raphael, Black, Andrew, especially the language federations, was too Instead of amalgamation of the two Exof reuniting the shattered fragments and Bernstein, Sascha, Alden, Bunte, Brown, strong the sentiment of the membership ecutive Committees, the majority insisted was manifestly against them and they re on a Joint Convention while the minorbuilding up a strong, effective underground Reiss and Meyers.
organization only to find that the forces This body, together with the alternates alized that to fight on those issues at that ity wanted only to effect an immediate amalagamation, the convention with its disof disruption and disorganisation have elected at the last convention, who fill va time meant sure deefat again.
ised their heads within the party itself. cancies created by the withdrawal of those But when the Iron Heel of the Capitalist cussion of principles and tactics was to There is not a particle of justification who had bolted is the only legal Central Government came down upon the party, them, only incidental.
So logical was our position of a joint for this secession at the present time Executive Committee which can act and right after the raids upon its headquarters with a convention so near. revolution speak with authority in the name of the and meeting places when the party units convention, that when the minority resoscattered when the federations lution was decisively defeated by a vote of ary organization, such as the Communist Communist Party of America, and around were Party, aiming at the destruction of the which should rally all comrades who have themselves were struggling painfully to nine to four, the motion of the majority highly centralized capitalist system must the interest and success of the Communist reunite again their shattered forces dur was adopted unanimously.
ing the transition period between our legal What becomes of the vicious slanders itself have a high degree of centralization movement in this country at heart.
and revolutionary discipline. Its Central The above is, in brief, an outline or the and underground existence the minority and villification to which the majority Executive Committee must be highly cen controversy upon which the secessionists saw their long sought opportunity and were subjected by the minority. In their tralized. Any attempt to weaken the Cen split away, as it appears on the surface. grasped it.
present attacks on the majority, they are tral Executive Committee is a blow at the But, of course, at the bottom of this Then, like typical Centrists, they raised silent on this question; yet, it is a wellparty itself, question of authority of the lie again the old cry of unity this time, known fact, that a great deal of the aniNevertheless, your Central Executive more deep and fundamental differences on unity with the They shouted it mosity generated against the majority reCommitte dealt with this secession in the Communist policies and tactics. It is ob from the house tops and began to obstruct ceived its impetus from just this question most conciliatory spirit. Rather than preci vious that no group within the Communist and hamper the party work by injecting of unity with the pitate a split inthe rank, at this time, your Party would split away merely because they this cry of unity at every opportunity. The International Relations.
Central Executive Committee did all in its disagreed with some of the decisions of minutes of the beginning with Another fundamental issue which rose to power to avert this calamitous situation the E, or because of its legitimate January, will show that the first and most the surface soon after the convention, and consistent with Communist principles and attempt to enforce discipline upon one of important order of business at every meet constantly grew up since, becoming a great policies. But to no avail. The secession its recalcitrant representatives. full un ing was the question of unity, always factor in the present crisis in the party, ists were determined upon forcing the derstanding of these fundamental differ brought up by one of the minority. As was the question of International Relations issue. Their policy was rule or ruin. ences is necessary for a per conception a matter of fact, all other party work, real and Inetrnational Delegates.
What was the question upon which the of a crisis which the party has been facing constructive work of which the minority The minority charges the majority secessionists could not wait until a con for a considerable length of time, and boasts so much, was practically sabotaged that a month after the convention, certain vention and bolted the which has come now to a climax.
by their constant injection of this question. dividuals of this majority group became It was simply a question concerning the We shall now proceed to analyse these Unity With the more concerned with the question of obauthority of the Central Executive Com fundamental differences in principles and What has been the position, on this ques taining for themselves the opportunity to mittee which the secessionists them tactics dividing the majority and minority tion, of the minority of the who make a junketing trip to Europe at the selves dare not challenge.
on the Central Executive Committee. are now leading the secessionists. party expense than any interest of the The Executive Council, elected by the The controversy dates back to the incep Up to the January raids, all of the min party. Aided and abetted by the majorC. to function during the sessions of tion of the Communist Party at its first ority voted with the majority of the City group, of course.
the as governing and executive convention. It is a well known fact that at different times on this question. It is obvious, of course, that the above head of the Communist Party, had at the minority were dragged into the con After the raids, the minority switched and sarcastic paragraph refers to the sendtempted to discipline one of its agents, the vention much against their will. The revo began to carry on a feverish campaign for ing of the International Secretary and InChicago District Organizer, appointed by lutionary determination of thic tank and file, immediate amalgamation of the Central ternational Delegates to the Communist the for misrepresenting the views which could not be denied, was the motive Executive Committees of both parties (c. Congress in Europe. Participation in the and working in opposition to the Central power that drove them into the convention. and Communist International Congress or ConExecutive Committee. The Executive Sec At the convention itself, many of the deci What was the position of the majority ference is, in the opinion of the internaretary threatened, that if this decision was sions were passed against the votes of those on Unity, which the minority knew and tionalists of the minority, nothing but carried out, he would withdraw from the who now find themselves in the minority. did not dare refute? Simply this. Sunketing trips of international politiCouncil. remain as Executive Secretary and No wonder, now, seven months after the Our the majority position was, that cians.
Acting Party Editor and hold all funds, convention, this minority complains that mechanical unity, a mere merging of the Apparently the minority agrees with records and property in his possession.
Faced with this anamolous situation, the the convention was packed.
two Central Executive Committees did not Morris Hilquit that the 3d International is Among those decisions were two very constitute organic, Communist unity. We scarcely more than an idea or a name.
Council called for a special meeting of important ones, which we shall proceed to contended, that the acceptance of our Mani They go even further than that they wish the Central Executive Committee to settle elaborate as throwing light on the origin festo and Program by the Executive Com to keep it in that nebulous state, detached the controversy.
of the controversy.
mittee of the did not mean that from the living, revolutionary world proleAt the E, meeting just as the One was the so called question of unity their entire membership accepted it. An tarian movement. This point of view imdiscussion had begun the Executive Sec and the other, the question of language other prerequisite for the uniting or amal plies an entirely non Communist conception retary, now the spokesman for the seces federations.
sionists, handed down an ultimatum, that gamating of the two Executive Committees, of the 3d International contrary to the conThe question of unity, as it came before something more than a professed accept ception of its founders and of the Comunless the abrogated its rights and the convention, was the admission of dele ance of a program only, is necessary. There munist Party of America. This point of authority until the convention in other gates who had no direct mandate to the must be also, fundamental agreement on (Continued on page 6)