COMMUNIST EIGHT.
The Debate on Trade Unions.
that we Resolution on the Unity of American Communist Parties, about once in a fortnight some nioe picture post. busy themselves with political diplomacy and you will soon understand that to reject cards to the Communist Internationa. part Look: here is the Russian Communist Party, the Communist Party is the same as rejecting of his pleasant dialogue between the friends who has managed to place itself at the head your right hand. So must we speak to the was reported officially at the meeting of the of all the working class of its country and ex proletariat in the above mentioned organiza.
Executive Committee of the Third Internation propriate the bourgeoisie. Look! Here is the tions. And they will see then that the Com.
al. This conversation was quoted by Comrade German Communist Party, which knows in munist International is in the right. And then Serrati in his official speech in the Executive spite of every thing how to reunite all the they will immediately create a strong proletar Committee. Who knows the activity of the power of the working class in its ranks. Look! lan basis for our Communist Parties exact y in deputy Modigliani diters from the Italian reform. In Italy, Bulgaria, France, England America the countries where this basis is still absent.
ists, in that in him a certain Italian sentiment such parties are being formed. Look and learn. To be concluded in the next issue)
ality is wonderfully mixed with an incredible coarse, political lynicism. The reformist Modigliani in his short but meaning sentence has expressed the holy of the holles of left reform.
ism. Yet, all these gentlemen suppose that to From Stenographic Report of the proceedthey themselves are very small and weak. Our join the Comunist International does not Ings of the Second World Congress of the cry must be; always with the masses; always obligate them to anything except sending pret.
Third (Communist) International for August loading the masses; always showing them the ty post cards. On he other hand there is a 5, 1920.
road but never isolating ourselves from them.
distinct profit for them in entering the Third You say that the masses belonging to the International; in the eyes of the common worktrade unions are conservative and against you; Comrade Radek reported for the Committee men they will shine with the glory of the but while these millions, these working masses Third International The workingmen will have on Trade Unions and Shop Committees. In the are against you, with whom do you expect to more confidence in them, and in any case, will course of his remarks he said that the Amerimake the revolution? If you follow the advice cease to whistle at them at the meetings. The can comrades under the pretence of submitting of the Anglo American delegation and leave the Modglianis do not act as brutally as the Noskes.
an amendment to the thesis now before the trade unions you will only play into the The lesson of Kerensky and Seretelli has been Congress, wanted to impose principles which hands of, and please the Legiens, Gompers, of some use to them. They do not enter a bour.
are not in keeping with the ideas presented and other traitors. We do not wish to repeat geois government where they would be willingin the committee thesis on participation in the activities of the trade unong. Radek said, the experience of the Paris Commune which ly accepted succeeded only in perishing heroically.
We They Conserve themselves for better days. In words they have recognized the thesis but want to be victorious, and, and this is only Instead of this they want meanwhile to enter in fact they have repudiated it by bringing in possible by leading the organized masses of their amendment.
the Third International (as if it was some This amendment, introduced by the American the proletariat.
Delegation, provides kind of hotel. conquer a situation among the Comrade Louis Fraina spoke. Ho said, hour comes then they will come out and meet they can withdraw from participation in the in part, The question is not whether we revolutionary workmen, and when the decisive old trade unions when ever they see fit AS should leave or stay in the trade unions, for with interior sabotage the dictatorship of the a matter of fact they advocate the idea of no one has expressed the opinion that proletariat boycotting the old trade unions.
should leave them. The question is what shall It is necessary to make clear to all these Quoting the decisions of the UNITED COM we do in these trade unions? Even if the reformists that entrance in to the Third Inter MUNIST PARTY of America, Radek said, The communists should succeed in replacing one national demands something more, and that the gist of these decision in reference to the set of leaders by another, the spirit of the Communist International will know how to see trade unions, put forward the idea of split trade unions would remain the same We are through the very finest policy of the most ting the American Federation of Labor. They in favor of forming communist nuclei as well able diplomats of the modern reformism. The urge their members to work within the trade as other independent organizations, to work Communist International is becoming the fight unions, not for the purpose of improving them, within the trade unions and while they are but in order to destroy them. The ing organization of revolutionary workmen. We Congress in the they American Federation of Labor, need fighters. not diplomats.
must take steps to enforce its decisions on this must impart the militant spirit, push the question. Our attitude on this question will unions into revolutionary activity, and through The revolutionizing of the working class of not decide the fate of the of but the this method, split them.
the whole world, in one region produced those whole future of the Communist movement in After the debate was closed on this quesunattractive results on the top of the old America depends upon it. No compromise can tion a vote was taken. The Thesis on parSocialist parties, which we have mentioned be tolerated on this question.
ticipation in the trade unions was carried by above. The same revolutionizing in another re Comrade Radek then discussed in detail, 57 for the thesis, and against.
gion produced other results. We mean the in the various amendments submitted and adopted structive revolutionary, though theoretically by the Executive Committee of the Third Interstill uncertain, movement of factory, shop ste national, analysing the addenda made to the wards in England (Shop Stewards Committees. theses defining the role and the problems of of Industrial Workers of the World (I. the trade unions, after the conquest of power in many countries, and also the revolutionary by the proletariat. These additions to the Syndicalists and Anarchists.
theses were made to counter act syndicalist The Russian Bolsheviks defined their at ideas which teach that the federations of titude toward revolutionary Sindicalista al autonomous tradernions after the revolution ready 15 years ago, when revolutionary Syn will administer and direct the economic prodicalism was finishing its honeymoon. And the cess with out the control of the Proletarian Adopted by the State. Second World Con.
Russian Bolsheviks even then tried to separate the grain from the chaff and find the wholesome gress of the Third (Communist) InternaContinuing, Radek said This matter will seed in the irresistible protest of the working tional, July 24, 1920.
be kept under consideration by the Third Inmasses against opportunism, expressing itselr The Chairman, Comrade Serrati, read ternational, because of the fact that the proin sympathy with revolutionary Syndcalism. We the following resolution, which was intromust follow the same line now. And the First gressive development of the labor movement ducer by the whole American Delegation:brings about new forms of organization which Constituent Congress of the Communist Inter must be studied from day to day. It is the Whereas, the complete unity of the national has fully marked itself this line of American Communist movement is conintention of the Congress to take into dictaconduct. The hostility to calling in adherents of sideration and to answer only those questions ted by iron necessity, we the delegates of factory shop stewards, revolutionary Syndicalists which arise from immediate problems as they the COMMUNIST LABOR PARTY of Ameand others, which we notice on the part of develop from events and within organizations rica, and the COMMUNIST PARTY of some eminent leaders of the Communist Interof the labor movement The Third International America, national, we must suppress at any cost was formed in a period of intense struggle, RESOLVE. 1) To act in this Congress as In this movement no doubt there is a lot during which the forms of organization in the one united group; 2) To appeal to the of vagueness and muddle, we do not deny that labor movement under went rapid changes, and Executive Committee of the Communist infor one minute. But at the same time the we cannot tell at this time, what the future ternational to compe! all the communist movement of the factory shop stewards is at elements to unite on the basis of the princ.
of such movements as the Shop Stewards in bottom a healthy movement, and by its con England, the Shop Committees of Germany, etc. iple and tactics of the Third International, sistency a proletarian movement. We must etc. will be. One thing can be stated emphatdecision of the Executive Committee shall learn to wait patiently until it crystallizes into ically at this time, and that is, that we must and that whoever will not submit to the a Communist one. We must rely to faciliate not permit the destruction of the old trade be disciplined, and 3) That we accept all and hasten this process.
unions, which unſle large masses of the work the decisions that will be made by the These movements have a transitory char ers. Within these mass organizations we should Executive Committee of the Third (Comacter. They are born by original evolution in munist) international.
conduct Communist propaganda, but we must the countries where the old classical trade unions and old formal Socialist Parties have com not create dual organizations. The activity and promised themselves hopelessly, but where Com.
the role of the opportunist leaders in the old trade unions is effective only while the masses SOVIET RUSSIA AND THE WORLD munist Parties have not yet had time to be are passive. Concluding Radek said, We obfounded or are still very weak. Such are in serve with a rebust optimism the progress of REVOLUTION the first place America and England. The Communist International must not and will not surthe labor movement, and only by active par(Continued from Page 3)
ticipation in the trade unions will we be able render a single idea to the prejudices of the to conquer they who seek to ride to power upon the these powerful organizations of instinctively revolutionary but theoretically unthe working class.
backs of the working class. Not one of certain, movements. But it will stretch out its hand in open comradeship in the Comrade Reed of the United States, then complete these can face the bright light of the Ruscertitude that these groups will approach us took the floor, and said, emphatically pro. sian Revolution without blinking.
more and more every day.
test against the insinuation of Comrade Radek, Soviet Russia! in the third year of your that the American comrades intend to sabotage What the revolutionary Syndicalists, the factory shop stewards, Industrial Workers of the Thesis. The Amendment submitted by the immortal trial and triumph we, the Comthe World and the Communist Wins of American Delegation was conceived not in the munists of America, greet you.
In the Anarchists need most of all, is the understand.
spirit of sabotage, but because of the differences darkest period of black imperialist reaction, existing on this question between the majority ing of the part played by the Communist Party.
you raised the red banner of proletarian delegates in the Congress and the Anglo AmeriThe adherents of the mentioned movements have been used to consider the two politics can delegates On this question the same con. revolt. Through three long years of disease, and policy as equal. They were used to see fusion and contradictions obtain which we see hunger and cold, you held aloft the oriin the theses of the Third International.
only unprincipled parties, only the ones guided flamme of Comrade Reed then proposed that paragraphs working class emancipation by parliamentarian career makers and demoral Through the mists of calumny and treacher4, 5, 6, and be stricken out as confusing, in.
ized by opportunism. To convince these people, definite, and unsatisfactory.
ous lies, the workers are beginning to hear to heal these organizations of inimical feeling against the Party in general, one must show Comrade Zinoviev, taking the floor, remark. the message you have brought them. Capther other parties ed right at the start, that no compromise with as an example sincere italist Paris, London, and Washington no Communistic Parties with a clear program, rethe American comrades will be tolerated on longer command the attention of the working this question.
volutionary tactics and iron discipline, parties He said, They consider the knowing how to imbibe all that there is best fight within the unions to be impossible, masses. The eyes of the proletariat of the in the working class, parties knowing how to arguing that the leaders and the laws of these world are tnrned toward Communist Moscow.
lead the proletariat to the siege of the fort unions are reactionary. But what of the bour The cohorts of the workers are beginning to Tesses of capital. Here what is inost needed geois State, which they intend to conquer? move. The iron batallions of the proletis the propaganda of action. You do not believe Its constitution and laws are still more reariat will soon be marching on to the conactionary. Generally speaking the American and that really proletarian Communist Parties are possible? You think that all parliamentarism English comrades imagine that the trade union quest of the earth beneath the blood red Is opportunism? You think that all parties only bureaucracy is a very large and ferocious banner of Communism under the leader.
beast, the reason for this attitude 18 that ship of Soviet Russia.