3 THE COMMUNIST The Minority Has Been Smoked Out The minority has been smoked out of their sonal ability of a few dozens to give their This is a typical way of confusing the issue.
hole, and forced to come out in the open. Their membership representation in either of the two The issue is not the establishment of relations first statement, confined mainly to personalities real conventions, that of the old party or that but THE KIND OF RELATIONS TO DE and devoted to abuse and clander, having fallen of the new Communist Party. IT WILL STAND ESTABLISHED, which is an entirely different flat the landslide of the membership, which they AS GRAPHIC PORTRAYAL OF THE matter.
had so confidently counted upon, having proved VICIOUSNESS OF CENTRISM, WITH ITS As to the kind of relations to be setablished the to be a landslide in the opposite direction they PLAY ON REVOLUTIONARY PHRASES minority boast that the former Executive have now issued a second statement in a vain AND ITS NEGATION OF DECISIVE ACattempt to retrieve their waning fortunes Secretary took steps to fully acquaint the Third TION.
In this second statement, the minority group International with the facts about the organizaMark you, the minority, who now have the tion and the principles of the Communist Party.
attempts to answer some of the fundamental unmitigated effrontery to talk about what the What were those steps? MERE CORRESPONquestions of principles and policies which lie convention did or failed to do to unite both DENCE.
at the bottom of the whole secession movement conventions, subscribed and endorsed the above and upon which the vital disagreement exists.
statement!
Certain documents, such as the Manifesto, The second statement proves, what we have all Now as to the two programs.
Program, Constitution and the International along contended, that the minority group are Secretary report were enclosed in a packet and Was there any doubt in anybody mind as to casting about like typical Centrists, to evade what the program really represented?
smuggled to Europe from where it was transmitthe real issues. It fundamental differences exist. Up to the January raids, the minority fully ted to Moscow.
AND THEY DO EXIST then the question of recognized the heterogeneou mixture of SynThis is the extent and kind of international personalities and personal slanders and abuse are dicalism, Centrism and confused Communism relations the minority believes is sufficient.
of no importance in the issue.
which that program contained. In the minority We need not repeat the position on The only justification for a split before a con motion for unity sometime in October or Novemthis qestion. It was dealt with fully and reveals vention is on the question of principles and ber (expressed at that time. in an attempt to unquestionably an entirely different conception policies not on the question whether one or liquidate financially the they so characof establishment of relations with the Third more members of the majority of the terized it themselves. To day they charge that International. At this time we merely wish to are capable or incapable of carrying on the we, the majority, did not discuss both probring additional proof that the minority at work allotted to them, or, are charged (but no grams! What monumental hypocrisy!
all times opposed the sending of any delegates means have those charges been proved) with During, and immediately after the convention, to establish connections and attend meetings of certain acts of commission or omission. Dif the present minority sang hymns of praise to The Third International, of which sufficient ferences on the latter question do not justify the convention and to the Communist lessons knowledge was in our possession.
a split before a convention.
Such delinquent they learnt. We quote again from an article The minority statement says that the concomrades can be very well taken care of at a which appeared in the September 27th issue of troversy over sending the International Secretary convention.
the Communist as an example of the inconsist to Europe was not over the question whether It is the recognition by the rank and file of ency of this Centrist aggregation. We need not we should be represented in The Third Interthis fact which has forced the minority to add that we entirely disaprove of the eulogies national. It was because underhanded methods issue another statement in which, much against and praise, nor the manner of its expression were resorted to and over the question of time their will, they expose their position on the (characteristically Centrist) in which it is written. and party resources.
fundamental issues.
We quote it merely to point out their hypocrisy What tommyrot! What sheer hypocrasy!
We shall take up the issues in the order in and inconsistancy: which the minority group presents them in The minority refused to obey the decisions There are many other respects in which this of the convention, refused to send the Internatheir second statement and PROVE how deep convention stands out from all other Socialist tional Secretary upon presentation of a letter the cleavage on fundamentals really is.
gatherings in America. For one thing, the fact from Comrade Rutgers urging that delegates be Introduction.
that the Federation delegates were largely Slavic The charge of the minority that the major emphasized the close union between the organisent, and attempted to postpone his going untill it would be too late for the ineeting Rutgers ity has neither the capability of applying Com zation of the Communist Party here and the mentioned munist principles in action nor the organization parent organization which came into being at ability to entitle it to such leadership is obviously Moscow in March of this year. The Coinmunist The Chicago Executive Council (controlled by another attempt at mud slinging to lend credibilthe minority. made a motion to postpone the International It was the Russian expression ity to their own course of action, but which can of Marxism which predominated this convention, next regular meeting of the from Novemeasily be recognized as a part of their campaign the Marxism of Lenine, and the party traditions ber ist to December 20th, BECAUSE THEY of slander and has nothing to do either witi of the Bolsheviki.
FEARED THAT THE WOULD the secession itself, or the reasons for such One delegate after another expressed amazeOVERRULE HEIR DECISION. One of the secession. The only answer to this charge ment at the lessons thus brought before him.
arguments made by the minority in postponing is the present activities of the which, Many years of most valuable experience were that meeting was the following: This work thoug deprived of all funds withheld from it compacted into one week; and there is no ques(building up the party) is SECRETARIAL AND ADMINISTRTIVE PURELY. Comrade Fraina by the former Executive Secretary (who does tion but that the students ran the teachers a not intend to make restitution but spending this merry pace.
appears to be in the mood of throwing the whole money in building up rival organizations within To day, this convention was packed and the question of sensible party administration into the issue of his immediate departure for Europe.
the party) is able to function better than before majority did not discuss programs! The writer the split.
of this article Comrade Isaacs (which expressed And to prove that the minority used the Unity with the the minority point of view at that time) who same arguments then as they do now, we shall The minority say, the policy of the majority thought he had learnt so much then, has now quote Comrade Fraina answer on this point group toward the Communist Labor Party, both renounced Communism altogether like a Harold raised by the minority. The international reduring the Chicago convention and since, was Lord Varney. Compare the above with the lations of the party, our contact with the Communot determined by the widely heralded difference treacherous article from his pen printed elsewhere nist International, is not sometheing that can be in principles. The majority group has been in this issue.
pos oned for six months or one year, or decided frequently challenged to show these differences It seems that the United States Department by correspondence; but requires immediate disby analysis of the prograin of the two parties, of Labor is better able to judge of the differences cussion and action by the full Central Combut never has done so.
between the two programs than our own minor mittee.
Of course, the members will recognize that ity group. So it is quite evident that the minority LIE this charge is one of the two main reasons why Why don the minority come out with the when they say that they were not opposed to the the minority group accused us of packing truth and state squarely that they agree more sending of Fraina to Europe. They tried by the convention, seven months after that conven with the than they do with the Communist every trick (and the former Executive Secretary, tion. We have smoked the minority out already. Party, instead of hiding behind seven months having been a secretary of a Socialist local for Let us analyse the charge, and see if they are old excuses which they themselves suddenly ten or twelve years, is a past master at such not evading the real issue of unity with the resurrect when it helps them to hide the real tricks) to delay and postpone his going until upon which a fundamental disagreement issue?
it would be too late for him to go in time to exists.
attend the Conference.
The reasons of the majority for not effecting In introducing their discussion of principles Later on, when by the initiative oi the majorimmediate amalgamation with the Ex the minority say: analysis of these differences ity Fraina did go, and he had borrowed 200. 00 ecutive Committee has been dealt with in our in principles is only necessary to show the more on the eve or his departure, the minority statement. Not daring to refute the position hypocrisyand demagogic character of this major refused to pay the money so borrowed, even expounded there, the minority attempts to bring ity group.
though the conditions of his going had changed in the issue on another and altogether incon The inference made is, of course, that there and the borrowed money was necessary for him sequential and hypocritical plane.
is no difference of principles worth mentioning to accomplish his mission.
The present minority not only acquisced in (Centrists always try to prove that they do not Still later. February 7th) at a Council meeting the decision of the convention at that time and disagree in principles with the Extreme Left)
in New York, when a communication from Fraina later, but aplauded the stand taken by the con.
but no sooner do they open their mouth than was received that the conference at Amsterdam vention on unity. We quote from an article In they put their foot in it, to use colloquiism.
was over and asking whether he should proceed the September 27th issue of the Communist writThe Third International.
to Mescow and if so, to cable him 300. 00 more ten by one of the minority (Comrade Isaacs. The minority claim that through some twist for this purpose (and a letter from Comrade we may also add that the former Executive ing of facts an issue has been created where no Rutgers corroborating this was also read) the Secretary was one of the committee clected to real issuc exists. And then naively expose that minority introduced a motion, not that he drait the reply of which the following quotation diference themselves. They say: the minority should not proceed (Centrists never act straightdid not at any time oppose on principle the forwardly but in a roundabout way) but that It is apparant that this Communist Labor Party establishment of relations with the Third Inter no money should be advanced to the International adventure has no significance beyond the per national. Italies ours. Secretary until an accounting is made. Do the is a part: