Page THE MILITANT January 15, 1929.
January 15, 1929.
THE MILITANT Page William Randolph Lovestone and Abe Pepper Expose Us The Right Danger in the American Party rejects such of growing very little In spite a right or is a merit, truth or to walidity The its letter, line give them ON December 27, 1928, four days after the the Russian Opposition, on Russian and Interna When they find the Daily Worker deliberately burglary of our apartment which was re tional questions, from which our views flow. Our faking them on controversies in the movement it ported in the last number of The Militant, the American platform proceeds from this. We have is inevitable that their skepticism will be transfer Daily Worker announced that the no political relations with Lore and his group. The red to its other contents. Central Executive Committee of the Workers differences we have with him and his differ(Communist Party has come into possession of a ences with us, are matters of public knowlwhole series of documents, letters, statements, tele. edge. Our exposers fail to tell, however, what THE LETTER THE DAILY WORKER grams and other material revealing a national and DID NOT PRINT international conspiracy on the part of the Trotsky: they know very well: that Lore has criticized us Cannon group to split the American section of the in the Volkszeitung and set forth his different 216 East 15th Street, Communist International.
viewpoint some time ago.
New York, January 5th, 1929.
Editor, Daily Worker.
They promised, on the basis of these stolen docu We have connections with Frederick My attention has been called to an article in your is.
sue of December 27th, in which am referred to as a ments, to expose our connections with the Ur. Sard. This is a piece of fakery worthy of Hearst worst days. We have never met Mr. Sard, and do bahns group in Germany, the Contre le Courant co worker with Mr. Cannon and Mr. Eastman. As this is completely at variance with the facts, beg to ask group in France, with Radek, with groups in not know him from Adam. His actual conecspace in which to submit the facts.
Czecho Slovakia, Austria First: do not know nor have ever met Mr. Cannon.
further, with Max Eastman, Ludwig Lore, Fred Daily Worker which they do not print, a copy of Second: have never met Mr. Eastman and know him only through his books which hold in esteem.
erick Sard, the Austrian government (why only which is printed below. Mr, Șard, it appears, is the Third: am nor have ever been a member of any the Austrian. and the Coolidge administration!
hubert political party On January 8, 1929, came the belated expos est is in music, about which we Fourth: My interest in social and political issues is ures in the best style of the Jewish Daily For knowledge. Perhaps one of the specialists in the purely theoretical. have studied economic determ Freiheit Gesangs Verein will inform us what politi inism and the history of the theory, and have writ.
cal of the pharapheranalia acquired in the finishing ten on it. believe that the materialistic conception of history is a powerful instrument for a correct schools of yellow journalism, which are always compositions of Schubert and whether it indicates understanding of world events, left deviation. We know counted on to impress people irrespective of their nothing and In September last, wrote to Mr. Max Eastman pro care less about about Mr. Sard alleged connec posing the formation of a historical society comprised of to the policy of the Daily Worker in tions with the present Austrian republic. We do scholars whose freedom of thought is not inhibited by had in mind the objective dis.
exposures and accusations of another know, however, that one of our accusers was an cussion of economic theory without reference to any ac ignoring to kind recently made by the Forward, we propose to active war correspondent for the Austro Hungarian tion, political or otherwise. And did not conceal my answer every point, giving the accusations, the in monarchy under the last of the Viennese Haps admiration for Trotsky, who, in my opinion, is the ablest sinuations and the facts. We said, in reply to the burgs, Emperor Franz Joseph.
living theorist and whose writings warrant the largest distribution among students of problem. have always announcement of the exposures, We have connections with out and out believed that the Russian situation requires a man of There is not a line in our correspondence relat bourgeois individuals because a subscription was genius and that Stalin is a man of talent. In point of ing to any activities or connections of ours which sent in for Amos Pinchot! The Freiheit, since so mental and executive capacity consider Trotsky his conflict in the slightest degree with our public de many of its writers received their journalistic train.
superior; but these are personal opinions, held by one clarations in The Militant and no such evidence who has no affiliations of alliances of any kind, and who ing directly under the supervision of Abe Cahan, can be produced by the organizers of the burglary is totally unfamiliar with internecine struggles in your unless it is forged. On the contrary, definite and even goes a step further and write: Last Tuesday, party or in any other party complete proof is contained in our stolen correspond the Daily Worker published a series of documents Finally, submit the fact that my practical activities are ence to refute every one of such accusations. about the American Trotskyites which demon restricted to the field of music. strate that they are allied with big capitalists who bett was Besiennese, it was merely a formal courtesy to organized and directed Let us now check up. We have connections with Opposition against the Communist Party. One must have lost the American government from the Austrian government.
money to carry on their propaganda arrange for the presentation albums of masterworks to groups abroad. The most casual reading of the all self respect, honor and sense of shame to be have no connections with international political groups able to attack the yellow Forward in one column or individuals, and the Schubert centennial has not the slightest political aspect either here or abroad. My work not only in contact with the Russian Opposition, and imitate it in the next.
in music has nothing to do with my intellectual pursuits.
but with the Opposition groups in other countries We might suggest here that the Daily Worker that stand upon their platform and fight for its Respectfully, FREDERICK SARD.
and the Freiheit be prevented from becoming the victory. We have never even attempted strengthen our connections with those elements terrified exposers please explain to us what po ceal this. On the contrary, we have attempted to laughing, stock of the world Communist move throughout the international Communist move.
ment who are fighting against opportunist bureau litical significance in the fact that among the We are making every effort through The Militant to subscribers to the Daily worker are listed the Com acquaint the Party members and the workers generally cracy and for the Leninist line and will continue to mander in Chief of the Fleet, Seatwith the truth about Trotsky and the policies of the Rusdo so.
sian Opposition. This is a big and important task. The We have connections with Max Eastman lic Church, Fred Marvin of the the Archbishop Francis of men of suppressed documents, theses, letters of Trotsky, Radek, and other leaders of the Opposition Communists are and are selling Trotsky The Real Situation in Russia translated by him. In the second issue of Patterson of The Militant we not only gave a favorable review ty Weekly; and Warner Brothers, the movie the Chicago Tribune and Liber for publication in The Militant and in pamphlet form at prices which the average workers can afford.
of the book, but we announced that it is sold by At the same time, The Militant proposes to develop also us. Our attitude towards Eastman has been and nates? Does it perhaps mean that the Daily Work into a general organ of the international class struggle, er is being subsidized in its struggle against Trot and to deal particularly with the problems facing the is that he is an honest revolutionary intellectual who has done a great service to the Commissal skyism by the allied business men of the coun American working class and the Workers (Communist)
try, the talking movies, the Chicago Tribune, and Party. We are aiming to become a weekly paper in the movement by translating and pressed works of the Russian Oushing the sup the Pope of Rome? And that it intends to use forthcoming weeks. To accomplish this aim will require the support of the comrades, sympathizers and workers.
For this our navy to prevent Trotsky from coming here he deserves the praise and This job of building a revolutionary paper in the United not the condemnation to capture the American Party?
State has been accomplished before; and we have full of the workers. The attempt to brand Communist Why not? Our exposure is as good as thiers faith that the workers will help to make this possible him as counter revolutionist is only any time!
again The SUSTAINING FUND of The Militant has been part of this world wide campaign of unscrupu We have connections with none other than started to maintain and build The Militant into a weekly.
lous bureaucrats who defame everyone who de We ask every supporter and worker to do his bit by fends the cause of Trotsky and the Russian Op Coolidge himself! On the very day that this unbe.
making a contribution, and by pledging himself to pay a position. Our estimate of his theoretical writings. lievably infamous charge was made, one of our stipulated amount of money regularly to the SUSTAIN Marx, Lenin and the Science of Revolution and Opposition fighters, comrade Malkin, prepared to ING FUND. If a large enough number of workers will to proceed to serve his term in the government pri do this, and a number are already doing so, we will soon our points of difference with him will be set forth in a review which will appear in an early is.
son for his activities in the class struggle. Coolidge be able to come out as a weekly and thereby increase our certainly sue of The Militant.
has not fulfilled his part of the bargain.
in propaganda and education among the workers on the basic issues and problems of the international working class With a Hearstian flourish, they print a letter Not only has he failed to send us any money, or even to subscribe to The Militant, but he has neg to the publishers of Trotsky lected to send a pardon for comrade Malkin. We PLEDGE TODAY FOR THE SUSTAINING FUND.
Eastman, SEND CONTRIBUTION TO THE MILITANT!
book, permitted to see the clipped feel that this indicates a break in the line up of Send all pledges and donations to: of international conspiracy.
THE MILITANT served to help us get crushing proof of the unaniP. BOX 120 MADISON SQUARE STATION mity with which the bourgeois press condemns NEW YORK, the platform and views of Trotsky and the Oppo The methods used during the entire exposure Ready Now sition. We this proof available to our bids fair to carry the Daily Worker to the level of readers in subsequent issues.
the Graphic, the American and the Forward. They THE DRAFT PROGRAM OF THE We have connections with Lore. Not a sin. are the methods of cheap, two cent sensationalism, COMMUNIST INTERNATIONAL gle document is adduced to prove this statement, falsification, and political bankruptcy whic which have By TROTSKY With an Introduction by James Cannon comrade Urbahns to us that we try to get Lorelutionary proletarian journal. For reckless and caTHIRTY FIVE CENTS PER COPY to send him to the Volkszeitung in exchange. Our reer In lots of or more 25 cents per Copy reerist adventurers there is attitude towards groups and indidivuals is determ ing with the existence and reputation of a working nothing wrong in play Order now from ined entirely by principle and political considera class organ. For the serious workers, these methTHE MILITANT tions and not at all by the pronouncements of the ods will only serve to Box 120, Madison Square Station skepticism regard New York, Party bureaucrats. We stand on the platform of ing material appearing in the Daily Worker.
CONTINUED FROM LAST ISSUE The following is the last installment of the docu dilettante elements, and their allowing these ele ment submitted by the delegation of the Opposition in XIII. OPPORTUNIST ERRORS IN COOPERAthe American Party to the Sixth World Congress of ments special privileges creates a feeling of resentTIVE WORK the Communist International, in July 1928 and signed ment in the ranks of the proletarian members.
The Cooperative work of the Party in New by James Cannon, William Foster, William The decisive element of the Lovestone leaderYork, the largest district, has been and still is Dunne, Alex Bittelman, Johnstone, Manuel Gomez ship is composed of comrades who were students, and George Siskind.
characterized by gross opportunism and virulent teachers, artists, philanthropic society and commerfactionalism. The Cooperative work (United cial investigators, insurance agents, etc. before Workers Cooperative) has been based on building cealment of weaknesses and failures and the gross their rise to leadership of our Party.
and finance cooperatives which in turn are based and bombastic exaggeration of achievements in XVII. SUMMARY AND PROPOSALS on speculation in real estate, etc. These enterprises party reports, the failure to explain errors in such are now in a financial crisis which threatens to a way as to educate the party. these practices The Party has extended its influence among the discredit the Party. The extreme right wing which foreign to a communist organization, amount to workers during the past year, but has not taken adunited with non party elements against the party, a deep seated disease in the American Party which vantage of the opportunities offered by the favorrefused to accept decisions, has been placed can be cured only by the inauguration of a ruth able objective situation. It has succeeded in leadcontrol the organization and encouraged even less and thorough going course of genuine Bolshe ing a number of important struggles but has failes by the Polcom members of the Lovestone group in vik self criticism.
to consolidate its influence in organizational form.
impermissable violation of party procedure.
The Lovestone majority a course The period ahead, which will be one The worker members of the cooperative, both and resists all attempts to introduce criticism which unrest and struggle of the workers offers exception party and non Party are demoralized and dis goes to the heart of the Party errors and short al prospects for the Party. With correct policies couraged.
of the continual struggle of the minor the Party members, refuses to tell them the truth vantage of the opportunities to popularize itself ity against it, the Lovestone group refuses to aban.
about its mistakes, and denounces all criticism of don or even criticize this disastrous policy.
its policy as factionalism.
daily fight to fulfill its vanguard role in broaden The The self criticism of the Lovestone majority ing the struggles of the workers, developing their conduct a thorough investigation of this enterprise cooperative section of the Comintern should caricature. It It consists of a formal acknowledge political implications, and hastening the process of and officially inform the Party of its findings and ment of the most obvious shortcomings of the Par their development toward revolutionary struggle conclusions.
ty without establishing their nature, cause and res The main danger to the proper carrying out work of the Party in the cooperatives is ponsibility for them and taking steps to overcome of this revolutionary task in this period comes from exceedingly weak. The party has no program for them. The most serious errors of the leadership the right, and the line of the Lovestone leadership cooperative work.
The work of the Party in the consumers coopera mitted even in cases where the has inter shown in the fared contrary to the policy as tives in the North West and Mass, is carried on vened to correct them. The great opportunistic erpages. continuation of the present opportunist line will without any direction from the centre.
endanger the Par rors in the Panken case, the attitude to the So ty prospects and hamper cialist Party and the Labor Party, which were revolutionary leader of the masses.
development as the XIV. DENIAL OF RIGHT DANGER AND pointed out by the in a special The must thoroughly examine the situation MILITANT ATTACK AGAINST LEFT never been explained to the party members whose and give clear statement of policy on the main In the face of all these facts, the Lovestone maide is on these questions have been derived from sasks of the Party. The opportunist line must be jority not only fails to take the necessary steps he propaganda of the on the basis of the corrected and the basis laid down for the reorganito change its policy and to acknowledge and corfake position.
zation of the Party leadership in such a way as to rect the errors, but it militantly and rsistently decisive struggle against diplomacy and eva insure the carrying out of the Comin denies the existence of right tendencies and right sion and for the inauguration of a course of bol tern.
elements in the Party. It has consolidated itself shevik self criticism in all aspects of Party work To this end we propose the following measures: into a closely bound faction with all the prominent is a prerequisite for a correction of the errors and The sending of an Open Letter to the Party former members of the Lore group and with the the setting of the Party on the right track. for the parpose of educating the Party on the right wing in the Needle trades and has given up policies and tasks and mobilizing the membership all struggle against their opportunist errors. Neither XVI. RIGHT WING INTERNAL FACTIONAL for executing the policies.
the political report nor the resolution of the May REGIME The authorization of the holding of a Par plenum contained a single word regarding the right The Lovestone group has consolidated with the ty convention within two months after the end danger in the party and not a single word has been former following of Lore into the right wing of of the National Election Campaign.
published to explain to the party the right errors the Party against the present minority and con Provision for the holding of a full and free pointed out by the and similar errors cited ducts a factional regime in support of its opportun discussion on the Party problems and tasks prior here.
ist policy. The secretaryship, the Org. Depart to the Party convention.
At the same time the majority concentrates its ment, the Agitprop Dept. the the Coun thorough consideration of the Party ap.
whole fire against the left, against the comrades paratus and a redistribution of the Party forces.
who criticize the opportunist errors and try to guage bureaus, all party press, and all districts ex Qualified comrades now factionally excluded or the line of the party into accord with the cept two minor ones, are in the control of the relegated to minor positions to be drawn directly policy of the It demagogically distorts and Lovestone group, which as a matter of policy, sacri into the Party apparatus. reconsideration of the misrepresents the position of the minority, falsely mass work for internal factional expediency. whole question of District Organizers and the Lana fantastic over estimation of the (Factional composition of Profintern delegation, guage Bureaus, is especially necessary in those radicalization of the American workers and an op trade union delegation, mining campaigns in an important industrial districts where the main task it sets up a false issue and wages a war against Massachusetts; automobile campaign Detroit, New zaion of the unorganized into new unibe ormance it as a cloak for its opportunist policies and prac York. Secretary Jewish Section be applied.
tices. Comrades responsible for opportunist er Secretary New York needle trades; factional re reorganization of the staff of the Daily Worrors are shielded from criticism and protected in moval of Comrade Swabeck one of the most quali ker and the language press to strengthen its Comthe most responsible positions while those criticiz fied organizers in the Party, as district organizer munist political quality and to provide for the ing the policy of the party from the left are con in Illinois, which resulted in greatly weakening the drawing into the staff of politically qualified edicampaign and a loss of assignment of party duties.
tinuously attacked and discriminated against in the minas discrimination against Comrade in the torial workers from the present minority. For example the ap: district; Aronberg pointment of Comrade Poyntz. a former leader of in favor of right wingers; arbitrary removal of Comrade Dunne from Profintern Executive; facAN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR THE failure Lore group as head of the women work EXPELLED OPPOSITIONISTS The Lenin Bund, the left Communist Opposition in sphere and many other appointments of a similar persecution and removal of Comrade Costrell. re.
character. The denial of the right danger and Germany led by comrade Hugo Urbahns, which stands moval of Shachno Epstein Freiheit editor; sys on the platform of the Russian Opposition, has sent the concentrated fire against the minority are a tematic exclusion of competent comrades of the out a call to all revolutionary organizations and to all Communist Opposition groups expelled from the Comin.
of the opportunist policy of the minority from leading Party positions. om one pro tern for their viewpoint, for a conference. The conference, according to the call, is to consider the working many errors which have been criticized by THE SOCIAL COMPOSITION OF LOVE out of an international campaign for the liberation of the the have been errors to the right without STONE GROUP imprisoned and exiled Russian Bolsheviks, foremost exception. The denial of the existance of right among whom are Trotsky, Karl Radek, Christian The social origin of the Lovestone group leader Rakovsky, Smilga and others. The conference will be dangers by the Lovestone group is in effect a de ship is petty bourgeois. It has built around and held either in Aachen, Germany, or Luttich, Belgium, on nial of the position of the letter of the attracted to itself a circle of more or less prosper January 20, 1929.
HENRY CORBISHLY RELEASED!
XV. THE REJECTION OF SELF CRITICISM elements. some of them non party, know the inner The doors of the Menard, Illinois, penitentiary reLeninist self criticism is one of the greatest ne workings of the party, enjoy privileges that are cently swung open to release Henry Corbishly who had cessities of our party to enable it to learn from its denied even to political committee members of the finished the term he served for his unflagging devotion mistakes and to clarify its policy.
The whole party has been guilty of failure to of an unhealthy character. The upon the Party leader of the Henry Corbishly, a Communist lighter and. was framed up together with a group of other miners in criticize itself in the Leninist method, and its the Lovestone group leadership is composed main Zeigler, Illinois, where he had long been a thorn in ideological development has been thereby greatly ly of a special type of intellectual developed by the side of the coal operators and their agents, the Ku retarded. Diplomacy, the covering up of errors, New York City College; and graduating from it or Klux Klan and the Farrington labor fakers. We greet the reconciling of conflicting viewoints similar institutions into leadership of our Party, the return of this fighter to active work in the class struge gle. All efforts united now to force the release of the unanimous resolutions, passing resolutions for without appreciable experience in the class strug three other fighting miners who still remain in Menard the record which are never carried out, the con gle. The connections of the Lovestone group with prison!
Towards a Weekly Catho as a renegade and a reviews The ma group.
on