Six THE COMMUNIST THE MINORITY HAS BEEN SMOKE OUT secret Morris Hilquit and the conceptions of the Second International. We have also proved that they disobeyed the decisions of the convention on (Continned from Innt Issue)
but the very political composition and character this question.
Federations.
of the Communist Party itself. What the future On the question of Mass Action, they have of the party would be, organized on this industrial a confused Centrist conception which in nowise The question of the federation issue is a difiers from that of the or the puzzling one to the membership because the basis, we can leave to the imagination of the or even the and insofar as propa minority still camouflages its objective the rank and filc. Those comrades who know of abolition of federations. To prove this we will the shop branches in the Bolshevik movement gating the idea of the inevitability of a violent have to analyse what they aim at not what in Russia, and their function and their utility revolution to the workers is concerned.
As for the charge that the majority have they say in the Bolshevik organization, know the great First, the minority believes that danger of the purely trade union psychology precarried on a campaign against ſLenines as a dues stamps should be sold to the federation branches only through the District Organizations dominating over the larger political perspectives compromiser, that is such a low, contemptible in their shop branches. Rather were they elementlie, that we do not even deign to answer it.
and not through the Central Executive ComThere is a limit to which even Communists can mittees of the Federations. Second, the minor ary branches, so to speak, whose contact with the political organization was similar to the descend to answer the slanders of an opponent!
ity holds that the future development of the On the question of federations, we have proved lies party in the direction of shop units. idea of Communist Party shop branches as advothat their object is the complete abolition of The first plan the minority claims would cated in the program of the Communist Party and them despite their smooth evasions and indirect make for more efficiency in the administrative adopted at the last convention. Such shop cominsinuations to the contrary.
work of the party. Let us see. What strikes us mittees, composed of embers of the Communist first is that this method is THE ONE ACCEPT Party, to carry on Communist propaganda and On the question of Shop Units or Shop agitation in the shops and ED BY THE the most rabid antiBranches we have further proved their desire industries directly, must fecrationists we have come for the elimination of federations as well as pointacross.
What be under the control of the party. But, to transstrikes us next, is that this plan is now being form the entire party into shop branches, destroying out the Centrist, opportunist character of advocated by the very ones who have been ing completely the political organization, is a such a project.
opposed to federations for years.
On the question of legality, as they call it, The former Centrist conception that could only have been Executive Secretary has never made a we have proved that they lack the very first born in the minds of Centrists, casting about for of his opposition to iederations and at every a way of getting contact with the masses at element of Communist understanding of revoluopportunity he has attempted to limit or circum any cost, even at the expense of destroying the tionary centralization and discipline.
scribe their authority and autonomy. At the conserver of Communism itseli. the political On the question of splitting the party we have meeting he made the motion to change organization of the Communist Party.
developed the facts sufficiently in the last statethe method of paying dues with the explanation Naturally, with such an object before them, ment and the present article to disprove their that this was the first step in the process of the necessity of beginning the process of destroy evasions and lies as well as their mechanical the abolition of federations. So, if we take ing the federations can be understood when conception of splits in general and this one in all these factors into consideration, we find that cmanating from the minority. particular.
this is not simply an administrative detail BUT This proposition is the clue to the minority The minority stands convicted on every count.
BEHIND IT LURKS DEEPER AND DEAD attitude toward federations, even were all other They have proven themselves to be a set of LIER PURPOSE.
signs ignored. And all their smooth phrases revolutionary charlatans, cowardly compromisers When this fact is recognized, the next question to the contrary notwithstanding: they DO IN and ignorant Çentrists. They have merely taken that arises is, can the process of abolishing the TEND TO FORCIBLY ABOLISH THE FED advantage of a temporary and unusual situation where the former Executive Secretary, having federations be begun at this time? Especially ERATIONS.
when this step is undertaken by Centrists and quouo Je komt teyz puowers 147 JOJ SE all the funds and property of the party in his opportunists who do not really belong in the to let the federations decide for themselves at possesion, have carefully prepared a coup etat Communist Party and who are taking a short the convention what the future form of federations on a flimsy pretext hoping to crush the cut out by splitting away themselves. Admit shall be, that is so much poppy cock. The Fed whom they hated bitterly, and drive them from ting as the majority has always maintained, erations did decide at the last convention and the party before the convention, or to force that the future organization of the federations the minority later raised the charge of pack such terms upon them as would make the next and their relation to the party must be built ing the convention. Should the federations again convention a farce insofar as settling the real on a more centralized basis, it is undeniably true, decide at the next convention and their decision fundamental issues between the majority and that the time has not yet arrived when this run counter to the minority they will again minority were concerned.
process can be effected. The federations, as at raise the cry of packing the convention.
This also explains their hasty call for their present constituted, are the carriers and promul But the Federations will not be so foolish convention, set for a ridiculously early date, in gators of Communism in this country and they as to entrust their future into the hands of its order to make it impossible for the membership have not yet completed their function in the enemies, particularly, when those enemies are to discuss and understand the issues and elect American Communist Party in this regard. In Centrists at the same time, who have no clear, delegates on the basis of such intelligent understanding.
the process of fulfilling this function the Federaconsistent conception of Communism or its aptions will gradually die out thus making it plication But their coup failed. Without funds and unnecessary to destroy them artificially.
The examples of the Hungarian and Jewish party machinery the immediately set The langtage federations especially the Rus. Federations do not speak well for the minority to work and has built up a strong organization sian Federations are the foundation stones of position. Any federation membership that permits that will be able to withstand the splitting away the Communist Party. Without them there would itself to be led out of the Communist Party of some Centrist elements that never really bebe no Communist Party in this country at the by its Executive Committee is not a Communist longed in the party at all; at best, they should present time membership AND DOES NOT BELONG IN have been in the In this pre revolutionary epoch, while the THE COMMUNIST PARTY IN THE FIRST The Communist Party is gaining and will gain American working class is as yet hostile or inPLACE (This holds true for that part of immeasurably from the lessons taught it by this different Communism, while the economic the membership which is following the minority split.
and political conditions have not yet awakened the out of the Communist Party. The Jewish comrevolutionary spirit in the masses, the only elem rades, on the contrary, are not following the ents who are making supreme sacrifices to keep lead of their Executive Committee in remaining the party functioning and spread its propaganda neutral (suspended in the air) but are taking are the foreign comrades of the language fed their places according to their composition erations.
RUSSIA It is the foreign comrades, who. Communists lining up with the and working through their federations, bear the brunt the Centrists with the minority.
More II Nions to Runsin.
of the struggle and strife. They give of their Summary The Czecho Slovak Government. according Humanité of April 15th, has replied to Chicher time, energy and money unstintingly. This no To sum up. The minority have been smoked in last note, assuring the Soviet Government of one can deny.
out into the open and forced to expose their its sincere friendship towards the Russian people.
The foreign comrades cannot, most of them, It has decided to send a special nations as conception of Comunist principles and tactics to study the question of economic well as inany other problems.
speak or understand English. Abolish the fede upon which we desagree so fundamentally. Havrations and their machinery for keeping their ing done this, they have revealed themselves to composed of three delegates one on behalf of Government, one for the employers, one for the units fur ctioning, and these foreign comrades be opportunists and Centrists with a bourgcois workers (a Socialist Fernandez Rios) will are cut off from their only expression and articu Socialist ideaology shortly leave Spain for Russia to study the social, political and economic situation or the Soviets.
lation; they become easy prey for any English On the question of Unity with the White Guares Nerotinting?
elements who wish to carry on their own kind we have proved and the facts as printed in According to the Stockholm paper. Folks Das.
of propaganda without hindrance from any or the previous issues of the Communist have borne bladet. says Humanité of April 15th, the White ganized foreign elements who know what Com us out that the minority are mere whining General Vrangel has opened negotiations with the Soviet Government.
munism really means and can exercise control sentimentalists who, Centrist like, always seek ITALY those who attempt to work contrary to unity with centrist elements, but cannot tolerate their The General Strike in Turin.
conception of Communist principles and or work together with real Communist elements tactics.
The Turin correspondent of Humanité stated, by the They sought to on April 16th, that the general strike had just Now as to the shop units which the mi effect as representate amalgamation with the fiec begu, and attributed its origin to the following causes. The workers, in agreement with the Unions nority only hint at, but for some reason or disregarding the differences between the two and the Party, have organized factory councils another, best known to themscives. are afraid organizations and distegarding the elemental (commissioni interni) everywhere: the employers have consequently begun a struggle against the to elaborate. Perhaps when we this second consideration in Communist unity ACCEPTproposition the readers will understand the reason ANCE AND PRACTICE OF COMMUNIST them of all economic authority as the strength of the Turin workers is so great that in many too.
PRINCIPLES. They never looked beyond the factories they have actually been able to control production The innocent term shop units carries with mere technical advantages of gaining more organ To bring about the limitation of the powers it an idea which aims at the complete trans izers, writers and speakers and ignored all else. of the Works Councils, the employers proposed a formation of the Communist Party as at present On the question of International Delegates and Exstem of labor contracts, which would set a basis to their future development. This actually brought constituted into shop branches only as the Relations with the Third International we have about the conflict, in which the railwaymen have future form of the Communist Party.
have published proved conclusively that their conception of in in Avanticoncillohe workment nt of the con.
This would destroy, not only the Federations, ternational relations is on a par with that of citions under which they wish the principle of factory councils to be applied.
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