THE COMMUNIST heroic Your alignment with the Socialist Party, whether you will it or not, is an alignment against the Com munist Movement of America against the Communist International. against the world proletarian revolution toward which our comrades in Russia are looking for their salvation. It is against your own inspiring efforts for the working class in the past.
Comrade Debs, we have placed the facts before you. It is yours to choose.
The comrades and the class conscious workers everywhere believe that the shameful record of the Socialist Party since your imprisonment is as yet unknown to you. But if, after you have read this statement, which goes not only to you, but to the workers of this country, you still adhere to the So cialist Party, we shall have to conclude that you have cast your lot with the cowardly compromisers. as you once called them, with the betrayers of the working class, with the betrayers of the class struggle, with the betrayers of Socialism and we shall announce that fact to the working class.
The eyes of the revolutionary class conscious workers of America are forced upon you at this moment.
Can you remain a candidate on the Socialist Party ticket with these facts before you realizing the significance of your candidacy in relation to your own life work and the International Communist Movement?
International as scarcely more than officials, the Communist Party, in an idea or a name. There was much keeping with this general principle, has eliminated all executive offices insistence upon sympathy for Soviet from its ticket. From President down Russia, but that is quite different to Governor, Mayor and Judges, the from adherence to the principles and tactics of International Socialism as Communist Party places no candidates in the field. In other words, the expressed in the Manifesto of the Third International.
Communist Party is for the full utilizThere was no one at the Albany ation of the bourgeois parliament for fiasco who did not disavow Bolshe our Communist work. as long as vism. Nay, more, Morris Hilquit we are not yet strong enough to overthrow the Parliament and not even went so far as to answer a hypothetical question to the effect that for social reforms and other palliative the Socialists would shoulder arms measures.
and defend America and American inThe Communist Party is waging stitutions from invasion by the Bolthe class struggle mainly through sheviki, should the latter declare war extra parliamentary channels. mass on this country. While another Soaction of the working class through cialist lawyer at Albany, Seymour general political strikes, mass deStedman, former member of the monstrations, etc. And in order to and next choice of the Socarry on the struggle effectively we cialist Party after yourself for the call upon the working class to conpresidential nomination, branded the quer the power of the State, estabCommunist Party as criminals in the lish the dictatorship of the working capitalist courts in order to steal class in the form of Soviets or Counfrom them their meeting hall in Decils of Worker Deputies and to troit.
break the resistance of the bourNever before did the Socialist Party geoisie.
of America revel in such orgies of respectability. loyalty and pa In January the Government staged triotism. With such men as Judge a series of nation wide raids upon Hughes and Attorney General Palmer the Communist Party with the exto rally to their defense, surely the press purpose of crushing it in its Socialist Party has purged itself of infancy. The very existence of a every taint and suspicion of revoCommunist movement is a serious lutionary Socialism! We need only menace to capitalism, and they know cite the comment of the man re it. But they did not succeed.
sponsible for the thousands of de The Communist Party of America portations and nation wide raids cannot be crushed, neither by the Iron upon the Communist organizations, Heel of Capitalist Democracy, nor Attorney General Palmer: The So by the cunning stealth of the servile cialist Party in America has cast out capitalist tools, the Socialist Party the radicals and forced them to or of America. They did succeed, howganize the Communist Party and the ever, in driving the Communist Party Communist Labor Party. The Social underground, where, coming directists are loyal and patriotic men ly in contact with the workers in the though radical. Their aim is to change shops, mills, factories and mines, it the government by lawful means, receives new reserves of energy with while the Reds would destroy law which to carry on the class struggle ful authority.
to its final and inevitable outcome, Never was there a more glaring the Socialist revolution the overclimax of political irony than the throw of the capitalist state. the publication, during the Albany affair, establishment of the Dictatorship of of the Socialist Party membership the Proletariat and through it the referendum vote in favor of alleCommunist Society.
giance to the Communist International 3, 475 to 1, 444 in favor of Between the Communist Party and allegiance without acceptance of its the Socialist Party there can be no compromise. The latter is the most program and tactics, while openly repudiating every principle of Socialism dangerous enemy of the working for the sake of retaining a few seats class, and as such, we shall wage in a capitalist legislature!
a bitter, merciless struggle against it.
In striking contrast with the corThe attempt of its leaders to use your name in order to fool the masses will rupt Socialist Party, which deceives the workers with the hope of a avail them nothing. Their betrayal peaceful. of Socialism has been too complete social revolution along the lines of parliamentary reand too cowardly. Not even your forms, the Communist Party enters name can hide their counter revoluthe parliamentary campaign for retionary tendency. The class conscious volutionary propaganda and agitation workers of America are through with only. Our slogan is Down with the the stinking carcass that calls itself Parliament! Long live the Soviets!
the Socialist Party of America.
The Communist Party utilizes par As for their hypocritical act of liaments in the same manner as did seeking admission to membership in the Bolsheviki in the Czarist Duma, as the Third International without first Karl Liebknecht did in the German accepting its principles and tacticsReichstag to assist in destroying that is too palpable a fraud to warthe bourgeois parliamentary system.
rant any serious consideration. They Since our object is the destruction of cannot be admitted so long as they capitalism, and not carrying out the repudiate, by words or will of the capitalist class, which is, by deeds, mass action, proletarian dictatorship in fact, the only function of executive and Soviet Power.
Central Executive Committee Communist Party of America.
The Communist OFFICIAL ORGAN COMMUNIST PARTY OF AMERICA David Damon, Acting Editor.
VOL. II.
No.
April 25, 1920.
Singles copies 5c Editorial note: It is hardly necessary to explain to the party members either the irregularity in publication of The Communist. nor that this and the next two or three numbers must be devoted primarily to the internal party problems to come before the Convention.
Communications as to party policies from any member or Branch can be transmitted to the Editor through your Branch Secretary and the District Organizer.