May 1, 1980 THE. 00MMUNIST Seven this question could not be corrected from group, consisting the following, withdrew: An Open Letter to Debs Party boastingly proclaimed itself the archmemory Damon, Ex. Secy. Langley and Kasbeck (Continued from page 1)
defender of representative democracy and The minutes of the last meeting, full of C, Palmer, Esthonian; Reivert, ripe and ready for the change, the great of constitutional integrity.
errors, omissions and evasions, were greatly German; Tylny, Polish; Legun; Ukranian; change, which means the rise and triumph The St. Louis Platform, upon which you amended before adoption. The uncorrected Stan, South Slavic; Smith, District No. 1; of the workers, the end of exploitation, of and others were convicted and sentenced minutes, as sent out by the Executive Sec Wood, District 4A; Davey, District 4C, and war and plunder, and the emancipation of to long prison terms, was brushed aside as retary, contributed largely to the Chicago Fisher, District the race. Let it come! Let us all help its a scrap of paper and as of no moment. insurrection in disseminating falsehoods, The following remained to carry on the coming and pave the way for it by organ Whatever was vital and revolutionary in it, slanders and insinuations against the ma party work: izing industrially and politically to conquer even though moderately expressed, was jority of the E E, members, Bernstein, Meyers, capitalism and usher in the day of the twisted and distorted to robit of its meanThe Council then reported on the party Reiss, Sascha, Andrew, Raphael, Black, people. In Russia and Gerutding our valiant ing and significance, and the witnesses all crisis and the Executive Secretary made his Bunte, Brown and Alden.
comrades are leading the proletarian revo insisted upon their exemplary loyalty and report.
Bernstem, also District Organizer No. 2; lution, which knows no race, no color, no patriotism during the war. In several Just as the discussion began on these two Reiss, No. 4B; Henry, District No. 3; sex, and no boundary lines. They are set other respects, in which the party declarnreports before the CE. had taken any Field, Russian, Burba, Lithuanian, Baltic, ting the heroic example for world wide em tions might seem to have offended bourgeois action the Executive Secretary acting as Lettish.
ulation. Let us, like them, scorn and repu respectability, the defense was that the the Spokesman of the minority presented We have proposed beyond the shadow diate the cowardly compromisers within party never did anything of the kind, no an ultimatum, under threat of an immedi of a doubt, that fundamental differences do our own ranks, challenge and defy the matter what it said. Control of legislative ate split, which forced the to ad exist between the majority of the robber class power, and fight it out on representatives by compulsory resignations, journ its session as a meeting of the and the secessionists.
that line to victory or death! From the required by the party constitution, was deC. in order to negotiate and reach an agreement if possible.
We have enumerated these differences in crown of my head to the soles of my feet clared a dead letter. The obligation not to For two days the negotiations proceeded principles and policies, as they have cropped am Bolshevik, and proud of it. The Day vote for military appropriations was repudiof the People has arrived. ated. Instead of insisting upon the propriwith the minority standing firm on the in the and other party units.
Thus spoke the man whom the capitalist ety of alien membership in a working class following demands: We have proved beyond the shadow That no changes in District Organizers acted against the instructions of the Con class placed behind prison bars, last year. political party, the Socialist Party introToday, after a long tomb like silence, duced false figures to prove the Americanshould be made until the convention, exvention.
comes the announcement of your acceptance ism of the party membership.
cept to fill vacancies; and that the party We have proved that they lack the first as presidential candidate on the corrupt In spite of the achievements of the Rusorganishould be edited as follows: half, principle of organization morale DIS. Socialist Party ticket!
sian Communists, in spite of the impending general matter with no supervision by Ex CIPLINE.
We address this open letter to you be Communist revolutions in other European ecutive Council, to be edited by the Act We have proved that they have been op cause we desire to place the facts squarely countries, the chief spokesman of the Soing Editor Damon, one fourth by the posed to the decisions of the convention, beíore you. Your life long devotion in the cialist Party at Albany characterized the minority group and one fourth by the particularly, on the question of sending cause of the working class, your attitude Communist International as scarcely more majority of the delegates to the Third International. toward Bolshevism and the heroic Com than an idea or a name. There was much Finally, the majority willing to reach We have proved that they have acted munist leaders, Lenin and Trotsky in Rus insistence upon sympathy for Soviet Rusan agreement on mere technical matters of against the recommendations and spirit of sia, and Liebknecht and Luxemburg in sia, but that is quite different from adheradministration, offered the following mini the Third International.
Germany your scorn and repudiation of ence to the principles and tactics of Intermum basis to the minority as the limit We have proved that their cry of unity the betrayers of Socialism and the class national Socialism as expressed in the Manof its compromise consistent with Com has been a false cry the whining of sen struggle, make it imperative that we ac ifesto of the Third International.
munist principles and policies. timentalists and confusionists since these quaint you with the type of party and men There was no one at the Albany fiasco Statement of the of the Communist unity shouters have not hesitated to bring you, in your ignorance, are aligning your who did not disavow Bolshevism. Nay, Party to the Minority Group.
disruption, discord and disunity into the self with.
more, Morris Hiquit even went so far as Confronted with your determination to Communist Party itself.
During this eventful year, while you have to answer a hypothetical question to the split the party if the proceeds with We have proved that they have been been kept behind prison bars, without effect that the Socialists would shoulder exercising its rights to discipline the Chi opposed to the decisions of the September chance of inter communication, the Com arms and defend America and American incago District Committe for attempting se Convention, particularly on the question of munist International has extended itself to stitutions from invasion by the Bolsheviki, cession and to remove the Chicago District Federations that they seek the destruc every part of the world. During this year, should the latter declare war on this counOrganizer for misrepresenting the views tion and abolition of the only organized ele revolutionary Socialists of practically all try. While another Socialist lawyer at Aland opposing the policies of the E, C, ments who have promulgated Communism countries have decisively cut themselves off bany, Seymour Stedman, former member of whose representative he is supposed to in America THE LANGUAGE FEDER from association with the old parties of the the and next choice of the Socialbe, and ATIONS Second International and have formed new ist Party after yourself for the presidential In view of your opposition, backed by a The rank and file must now teach these Communist parties. In this country the nomination, branded the Communist Party threat to split the party immediately before DISRUPTIONISTS a lesson in Commun rank and file revolt led to the formation of as criminals in the capitalist courts in order a convention, if the removes the ist discipline and organization that they will a Left Wing movement within the Social to steal from them their meeting hall in present Acting Party Editor, who is an not quickly forget Show them that you will not tolerate of last year at Chicago in the creation of ist Party, which culminated in September Detroit.
active partisan of the minority and canNever before did the Socialist Party of not therefore be entrusted with editing the counter revolution within the party.
a Communist Party of America. Together America revel in such orgies of respectaorgan of the present and The CONVENTION of the Communist with the Communist Labor Party, these bility, loyalty and patriotism. With In order to preserve the unity of the Party WILL BE HELD as soon as it can two parties absorbed all the really revolu such men as Judge Hughes and Attorney party by all means compatible with Com be arranged.
tionary elements in the old party. Not more General Palmer to rally to their defense, munist principles and policies, we propose It will be called by the Central Executive than one fourth remained in the Socialist surely the Socialist Party has purged itthe following: Committee of the Communist Party, the Party, notably the large Finnish Federa self on every taint and suspicion of revo(1) That the sends a special only body having authority to call such tion. The Finnish Communists have not lutionary Socialism! We need only cite representative to Chicago and other parts convention.
yet split off from the Finnish Socialist Fed the comment of the man responsible for the of the country if necessary, to investigate Instructions will be given through your eration. The betrayers of Socialism, the thousands of deportations and nation wide conditions and report back to the Executive district organisations as to the method of cowardly compromisers, as you called raids upon the Communist organizations, Council. On the question of appointment election, time and place.
them, remained in the Socialist Party, and Attorney General Palmer: The Socialist and dismissal of District Organizers a ma All official communications, including the even now lead and shape its policies and Party in America has cast out the radicals jority vote of will be necessary in the call for the Convention will be issued by tactics. Fortunately, we do not have to go and forced them to organize the CommunExecutive Council.
the Central Executive Committee of the further back into the history of the Socialist Party and the Communist Labor Party. 2) That the party organ be edited by two Communist Party through its Acting Sec ist Party in order to realize what that party The Socialists are loyal and patriotic men cditors, one editor for the majority group relary, Bunte.
now represents in the United States. though radical. Their aim is to change the and one editor for the minority, any dis If you want the Convention to be a suc In the recent hearings on the outer of government by lawful means, while the pute between the two to be settled by the cess if you want the Convention to clarify the five Socialist Assemblymen at Albany, Reds would destroy lawful authority.
Executive Council the principles and policies of Communism we have the last word of the highest Social Never was there a more glaring climax The minority refused to agree to this and solidify our forces rally to the sup ist Party spokesmen on just what the party of political irony than the publication, durbasis and the negotiations reached a dead port of the Communist Party.
now stands for, and just how it intends to ing the Albany affair, of the Socialist Party lock.
Unite behind the Central Executive Com attain its aims. The entire defense of the membership referendum vote in favor of In an attempt to break this deadlock, mittee to resist all attempts at destroying Socialist Party at Albany was constitutional allegiance to the Communist International Bune, who was neutral throughout this con the foundations of the Party, regularity as the limit of party purposes 3, 475 to 444 in favor of allegiance with controversy in the proposed that Close your ranks and crush in its in and actions. They accepted unreservedly out acceptance of its program and tactics, the meeting of the should again ception, any attempt to smash the Com the existing form of a capitalist govern while openly repudiating every principle of formally resume its session. The Executive munist Party from within. just as you ment, based upon the Constitution of the Socialism for the sake of retaining a few Secretary refused to recognize such action prevented the capitalist government from United States, as the form upon which to seats in a capitalist legislature!
and stated that he no longer recognized the smashing your organisation from without build the future society. They insisted that In striking contrast with the corrupt Soauthority of the Thereupon, Bunte, Comrades stand behind the Central Ex the Socialist Party did and always would cialist Party, which deceives the workers is acting secreary, called the meeting of the routive Committee elected by the Conven conform to the State and National Constihop of a peaceful (1) social to order and asked the Executive tion.
tutions and laws. Not the least mention revolution along the lines of parliamenSecretary to turn over the minutes and Help us to carry out the decisions of was made of the class struggle. Instead, tary reforms, the Communist Party enters papers of the meeting. This was again re the Convention.
patriotism and loyalty was painfully and the parliamentary campaign for revolutionfused. Then all those who refused to re Long live the Communist Party of Amer. somewhat ludicrously stressed. The class ary propaganda and agitation only. Our cognize the authority of the were ical character of American Government could slogan is Down with the Parliament. Long sked to withdraw and the minority Long live the Communist International hardly be mentioned since the Socialist live the Soviets! The Communist Party