THE COMMUNIST The Second Convention of the Communist Party of America Thirty four delegates, including fraternal dele English (incl. Before After After Went to The Communist Party of America sees to 70gates atended the recent convention of tho 800 Mich. Raids Raids Split Communist Pafty of America.
sibility of stilizing the parliamentary weapon Two delegates Non led. lang. 1900 700 300 300 either for the present or in the near future were absent. The membership represented was members 1100 400 200 200 at any time, conditions should warrant more than 8, 500, of which 6, 500 actually parti. Esthonian 280 140 140 participation in parliamentary elections, we shall cipated in the eiertions.
German 850 500 350 participate for purposes of revolutionary propa Hungarian 1000 The first session was held on a Tuesday ganda and agitation only. The Communist Party Jewish 909 500 850 however, will propagandize the masses througe night and the last session ended on the Sunday Lettish 1200 1000 1000 its literature, etc. in every parliamentary cammorning following.
Lihtuanian 4100 2500 2500 paign, in order to destroy their illusions on It was a working body rather than a debating Polish 1750 1000 parliamentarism and the bourgeois state.
society, which large conventions usually tend to Russian 7000 3000 2000 10002 become. Tense situations developed, especially roll call was demanded on both resolutions So. Slavic 2200 1000 1000 and showed for the minority resolution over the question of the Communist Party atti.
Ukrainian 4000 2000 1500 5002 tude towards parliamentarism and the question against 16: voting present For the majoritTotals 16: against 4: voting presence of appointments of officials all the way from 26680 12740 8350 3190 The debate indicated an attitude on the part district organizers to group captains, but in the main the work proceeded smoothly. The recent of some delegates against parliamentarism under (Note: These figures are the seretary estimate. any circumstances, and was characterized as a split had solidified and united the membership The report of the Secretary of the Russian Fedesyndicalist tendencs, savoring. of dogmatism on nearly all questions of principles and tactics ration shows 2, 600 paid members, and of the rather than of Marxism dialectics.
The antiand on most questions, the discussions disclosed secretary of the Ukrainian Federation 2, 000 paid parliamentery position was presented weakly and a remarkable unanimity of opinion.
members. Ed. incoherently and the issue confused.
The poslMost of the delegates were workingmen who According to this we lose about 400 or a tion of the party, as expressed in the Program, had left their shops in answer to the call of little over one third of our members, but of this was clear and convincing, so that several delethe membership to represent them. But they the minority carried with it into the gates with instructions against parliamentaria were veterans of the revolutionary movement by no means over 3, 500. or positively not more changed their position on this question during both here and abroad. They knew their Comthan 28 per cent.
the discussion munism as well as their leaders, even though These are fair and unbiased figures. and they The rest of the Program, as presented by the committee, found little or no oppositioa. The their mode expression was diflipult and clumsy, prove beyond a doubt the fallacy or the claims and their grasp of the English language was party attitude towards trade and industrial unions of Daten Co. that they split away with and our attitude towards the found meagre. But they made up for it by their unmajority of the or that they were justified flinching courage, resolution and expression.
hardly any opposition and that of negligible on that account in taking the funds and records character. The recent action of the LTF.
The convention opened with all accredited of the party with thêm at its last convention had disillusioned the great delegates present except two. one from District In all their statements they find it absolutely 4, and one from District 4C. Credentials majority of the membership as to the revolu.
necessary to repeat this lie in order to justify tionary pretensions of the And the Committee was elected and brought in a major their position and to maintain their standing with teachings of Lenin and other leaders of the ity report to seat all the delegates, and a mirrorthe former elements.
Third International, on the use of economie or ity report recommending that all delegates be We should expose this fraud fully to all the ganizations of the working class was a field for seated except District No. 2, which it claimed parties concerned and we should demand, on the Communist propaganda, and not for the was entitled only to seven of the eight accredited strength of these figures. officially from the policy of smashing the of and redelegates. Investigation and discussion brought out the fact that there were 432 members. who that they return to us all our funds and constructing the trade unions, was apparent to records. If they should refuse our just claims, all the delegates as the correct position to take participated in the elections) on strike or locked we ought to present the case to the Third Inter on this perplexing question, out, notably in the Waterbury section and Paternational, or take determined steps to serve drastic sub committee of the former Chad son, New Jersey, section, and who had not paid punishment upon those guilty of the flagrant prepared and submitted to the Committee on their convention assessment tax because of that breach of the discipline and trust of our party. Constitution, a draft of a constitution based fact. After a lively discussion the eight delegates were scated by a overwhelming vote.
This report was unanimously adopted, leaving upon the principle of appointment of all party officials below the including the group On the second day, while the Rules Committhe necessary action to the new after captains.
the convention.
This draft became the majority retee was preparing its report the convention heard reports of delegates and district organport of the Constitution Committee, with two Since this report was given to the convention minority reports: one for elecion of local organizers These reports revealed that most of the the auditing committee has made its report izers by the branch organizers, branch organis. which will be submitted to the membership in members of the party had remained after the ers by the group captain, and all group captains due course) carrying the following comments: split, contrary to the false reports circulated by The Auditing Committee has examined the by the groups, other officials to be appointed. and another for the election of group captains Damon Co.
casil receipts and disbursements for the six The Acting Secretary report revealed the months ending June 30, 1920, and has found the only, all others to be appointed.
entries, vouchers and statements entirely satisBefore consideration of the Constitution, it extent to which Damon, the former executive was unanimously decided to discuss the prinfactory and correct, as far as the Acting Secre.
secretary of the Communist Party had betrayed tary is concerned.
ciple of appointments or elections first; accord.
ingly, a motion that appointments from the top his trust; the unconscionable manner in which he For a period from March to April 10, to the bottom be the basis of our constitution.
had taken advantage of the confidence of his when Damon was Executive Secretary, there An amendment was brought in that elections de former comrades, and his duplicity and double ARE NO OTHER VOUCHERS FOR CASH RE the basis of the constitution, CEIVED EXCEPT STATEMENTS OF DAMON.
dealing while a paid and trusted officer of the And then the discussion raged. For four AND THE SAME IS TRUE OF MANY ITEMS or five hours the debate continued until previous Party OF CASH PAID DURING THAT PERIOD. THE The Acting secretary submitted an itemized question put an end to it. The discussion had BALANCE WHICH DAMON TOOK AWAY cash statement for the period September to been keen and spirited. number of delegates WITHOUT AUTHORITY IS CORRECT AS December (which has already been published)
who argued against adopting the principle of STATED ON PAGE 27. 7, 095. 16.
and for Jan. 1, to June 30, which the secretary appointments argued from the point of view (Signed) Auditing Committee, that the principle was correct for an under recommended be audited by a committee elected Ma ground organization, but it was premature to by the convention.
adopt it at this convention; that the rank and The secretary analysis of membership on file were not yet educated to it and would rebel the basis of dues paid to Junel, 1930, is as Further comment is unecessary these against it. Those who were for elections, agreed follows: signed statements impeach the honesty and in to the appointment of district organizers and tegrity of the man who is now an official of the displayed a tendency to accept the appointment MEMBERSHIP.
of sub district organizers as well, but believed member of the then reported for that beyond that point elections would serve Number of members for which dues were the Central Executive Committee, dating from its as a check upon the higher officials and give paid during and for each month since the first first meeting after the first convention last the membership some measure of control.
convention of the Party was as follows: September. Its activities were revieweil giving Those who argued for appointments pointed a consecutive and coherent narration of the ele.
Oct. 27, 341 (Average Jan. 1, 714 Average for out the necessity of building a highly centralized Nov. 20, 261 for mos. Feb. 296) the mos.
ments that composed it and controversies that and well disciplined underground organization in ensued. Most of the facts are well known to the face of the bitter persecution and suppres.
Dec. 23, 624 23, 744 Mar. 4, 517 5, 584.
the members through the statements issued by sion of the capitalist state, as well as the mill.
Apa. 8, 223 the former during the split, and need tary character of the organization in the time May 6749.
not be repeated here.
of revolution which would take the lead in This report was also accepted and then the destroying the highly centralized Taking the highest number of dues paid convention settled down to take up the Program capitalist state. That such a task required equal and armed since the January raids, the Party has lost submitted by the Program Resolutions Commit. ly centralized organization and a well disciplined tee.
through them and through the subsequent orgamembership who would be able to carry out the Each paragraph was carefully and thought orders of the supreme body without any hitch.
nization on underground basis about 15, 000 mem fully analysed, and the proceedings went along They pointed out that the Russian and Ukrainian bers, or 65 per cent of the initial membership. without hitches until the question of parliamen Federations Conventions had already adopted The Hungarian Federation and Michigan group tarism was reached.
this principle of organization in their constitu(3, 000 and 1, 000 respectively) dropped out of the Although the clauses in the program dealing tions, subject, of course, to the decisions of the with our attitude toward Parliamentarism had national convention, as an indication that the Party altogether. Russian Federation lost 4, 000 been adopted without dissenting vote, the dis membership would accept this principle without out of their 7, 000 membership. South Slavic and cussion was precipitated in considering the mi rebeling: that it made for the safety of the Polish Federation ceased to pay dues after nority report of one of the program committee, underground organization referring to the nomination of executive officers might otherwise gain the confidence of the mem against sples, who February. If the split in our ranks had not been as candidates. After a lengthy and heated de. bership and thus advance themselves to postbrewing ever since the raids, and if it had not bate, the rules were suspended and a roll call tions of trust in the party: that election meant come before the convention, the recovery might taken upon a motion to endorse the position of the creation of two machines in the party in have come up to 50 por cent. of the October, the Third International upon Parliamentarism, stead of one, ench acting against each other, which was carried unanimously. The following and thus diminishing the effectiveness of the November and December figures, but certainly resolutions were then presented and debated. organization; that the time had come for the not higher.
Majority Resolution.
membership to sacrifice any remnant of petty: Let us see now what was the number of mem. Taking as a basis the position of the Third bourgeois psychology which militated against bers that left the party in the split.
International of which the Communist Party of the acceptance of appointments for the sake of Taking the first number of dues paid we find America is an integral part, we consider the learning self discipline; that that the highest month before the split was use of the bourgeois parliament as of secondary were not in the party to raise their hands in the membership importance and for revolutionnrs propaganda voting as the highest expression of their duty, April with 8, 223 dues; the first month after the and agitation only. At the same time, due to but to carry on Communist propaganda and split May, showed up with 749 Ques; according specific political circumstances in the United agitation to work to build up the Party, etc.
to this, we lost in the split only 1, 474 members, States, the outlnwing of our party and the pre.
ete.
valling reaction in this country, we are forced or 18 per cent of the total membership before to boycott the coming elections.
On a roll call vote the first minority report it. Taking the figures estimated by federations (to elect captain) was voted down 23 to The Minority Resolution.
second minority report was lost by a vote of and districts, and verified by reports from these sub divisions and by the number of members We endorse the stand of the Third Interna 12 to 12. The majority report was also lost by tional on parliamentarism and adapt it (as the a vote of 12 to 12. and the convention automa.
represented in our convention, we arrive at the Third International indicates) to the present tically came to a deadloek.
following figures: political situation in the United States as