The Party Organization THE Statement of the Central Executive Committee on the Nuorteva Charges In 1919 agents of capitalism swooped down on HE end of the year 1919 closed a its national offices and took possession.
THE Central Executive Committee of committee took days to study every phrase definite period in the history of The record of those three and a half the ommunist Party of America has in the program which it finally presented the Communist Party of America. The months shows the beginning of a virile, befc e it the following statement pub to the convention. The convention of 125 lished in the capitalist press by Santeri delegates carefully scrutinized the program party was organized on Sept. 1, 1919. powerful organization, far exceeding in Nuorteva. recommended for adoption. Word by word The machinery of its national organi strength what remained of the Social There also appears to be another and line by line it was weighed by the zation was established about two ist Party, from which it sprung, reason for the desire to deport us. convention. The convention made many weeks later. It was permitted to main During the three and a half months We have conclusive evidence that changes both in language and principle of tain its open existence for a period of of organized existence close to seven agents of the Department of Justice have actively participated in the orthe program, before it gave its final ap three and a half months, when the hundred party branches were charganization of the Communist Party of proval.
America and that those very planks No one who has studied the program thus onerated.
tered, with every promise that the in the program of the party, which now form the basis of the persecuadopted has dared challenge it. No one curred in by the members of the Executive This decision was later con number would have quickly passed the tion of thousands of people, have has dared say that it is not a Communst Council, who read the stenographic report.
one thousand mark. Dues payments been drafted and inserted into that Program in entire harmony with the prinprogram by such government agents. ciples of the Communist International carefully calculated so that it would reach to 14, 957. 46, reflecting thus early the The charge made by Nuorteva scenied to the national organization amounted The implications in this charge are, that Even Nuorteva dared not say that! If it the workers of America at a time when our substantial membership within the orthere are in our program clauses which be admitted that our convention of 125 party organization was obliged to meet the ganization. In addition 6, 031. 22 was have been particularly framed to lay us delegates after careful scrutiny and study full weight of an attack by black reaction, turned over to the party for national open to attack, and secondly, that agents adopted a truly Communist Program, what with its press suppressed and the chan: dues by federations, this amount havof the Department of Justice were among remains of Nuorteva charge?
our program committee.
The Central Executive Committee of the rarily destroyed. An attack of this char ing been accumulated by them during The Central Executive Committee of the party is also able to throw light on the acter is a betrayal of the interest of the the period of their expulsion from the Communist Party is convinced that it is second point in this charge. Some six or working class movement.
Socialist Party. Contributions to the only necessary to point to the method by eight weeks ago the charge that a certain The integrity of our party remains unwhich its program was framed and adopted official of our organization was an agent challenged in spite of this stab in the Organization Fund received from to demonstrate that the first charge is un of the Department of Justice, was brought back. No party member will leave us be branches amounted to 6, 414. 17. Littrue, and is the effort of an enemy of the before a section of the Central Executive cause of this charge and we are certain erature sales amounted to 1, 805. 08 and Communist Party to discredit it before the Committee. After every opportunity to that the test of our past and future action Leaflets 1, 542. 96. The total income working people of this country. present evidence, of which a stenographic will convince the Workers of America that of the national office for the three and Our convention elected a program com report was made, it was the unanimous de our party represents the revolutionary a half months was 31, 052. 20. The exmittee of nine members, being those dele cision of the members of the Central Ex workers, who will rally to its support.
gates which the convention considered best ecutive Committee present, that the com Long Live Communism! Long Live the penditures were 19, 346. 72, leaving the grounded in Communist principles. This rade in question has been completely ex Communist International!
assets 11, 705, 48. On its financial side (Continued on next page)
We Must Show an Unbroken Front to Our Enemy The capitalist class of the United States threw all the power of the government against the Communist Party of America during the first week in January.
Raids and arrests were carried out on a scale never before undertaken by any government against the working class movement. Even the Czar was outdone by the agents of American capitalism.
The capitalist government hoped to destroy the Communist Party by this unparalleled aggression and persecution.
The Victims of the Raids Deportation Imprisonment About 3, 000 members of the Communist Party Over 250 members of the party, among them the entire Central Executive are being held at Ellis Island, New York City; Deer Committee and all the Translator Secretaries of the Federations, are under inIsland, Boston, and in prisons throughout the coundictment under criminal syndicalism and criminal anarchy laws. In Illinois iry. These men and women are charged with being all the national officers of the party and the local secretaries are charged with conspiracy to overthrow the government of the United States, and scores of inmembers of the Communist Party, and because of such dictments are pending against members of the party elsewhere, particularly in membership are threatened with deportation.
New York State and Michigan.
Although the capitalist government threw all its power into the effort to destroy our party, it has failed. In spite of the wholesale arrests our organization is functioning. The government has taken three or four thousand of our workers, but there are tens of thousands left who stand in their places and who have assumed their work.
The first duty of the party is to organize the defense of those comrades who are the victims of the ruling class attack upon us.
We must see that not one of our members is needlessly sacrificed. We must fight their battles against deportation and imprisonment. We must take advantake of every phase of capitalist laws to return them to our ranks and the service of the party.
To carry on this work a Central Defense Bureau has been organized.
This Bureau will have general charge of the defense of the party members everywhere. It will immediately give aid to those in localities where the defense organization is not functioning properly and as quickly as possible establish branches throughout the country to take over all defense work.
Every party unit should at once send its contributions for this defense work. Circulate the Defense Fund lists and Defense Fund Stamps.
The emergency is great, comrades, and you must make your contributions as great as the emergency. Never before has a working class organization been compelled to defend more than 3, 000 of its members at the same time.
Let us show an unbroken front in spite of this attack. Let us show the power of Communism by performing this task quickly and well.
COMMUNIST DEFENSE COMMITTEE Send all contributions to: FERGUSON, 138 West 13th Street, RUTHENBERG, Sec. FERGUSON, Treas.
ROSE PASTOR STOKES JAY LOVESTONE CHARLES DIRBA New York City (Use this address for defense fund contributions only)