Page THE MILITANT February 1, 1929.
Letters from the Militants group?
THE EXPELLED FROM SING SING PRISON apartment. Never, under any circumstances, will enter with the dirty work of his faction in robbing Cannon. He Ossining, January 20, 1929. the Communist Party of the Lovestone group without emphatically replied, Yes. nailed him quite effectively.
Dear Jim protesting violently this despicable act of the present Love He did not know what to say but said: Comrade Allard, have written one letter to my people in which sent stone machine.
you are not yet ready to come back into the Party.
regards to you, Marty, his wife, Max and Billy. Now, met Rudolph Shohan. cannot call him a comrade, He is lousy, this guy Shohan. am enclosing a copy Jim, am only allowed to write two letters per week for because he is not. Shohan is the big Lovestone man in of charges preferred by Allander, Bojinoff and Allard, my first ten days here, but want you to understand that District No. 10. He says to me as if addressing a sub leaders of the Colorado miners against Rudolph Shoban am still, and will continue to be, as hard with the ject: Comrade Allard, have you appealed from the which the has never acted upon. Other charges Opposition as the iron bars are in here, and you can just decision? replied: Appeal to whom, to the Lovestone against him are many.
imagine how hard they are.
Then point blank asked him if he agreed may be fired shortly if the solidarity of the miners in want you to tell the boys to write and tell me how my pit does not hold. have pulled two strikes already.
things are on the outside. mean Party affairs and most Both were somewhat victorious. But the boss is after me.
of all you should surely write. Also send me the Militant have already a notorious name in these parts from and the Daily Worker, and get in touch with the the coal companies. Perhaps we will have to leave. If and have them send me some books which must come we return to Illinois will try my best to go to Chicago directly from the publishers. Send me all the books of The Party bureaucrats have now thrown overboard even for a thorough conference with our fellows. wish you Trotsky, and also Lenin works. have intentions of the slightest touch of tolerance towards differences of would see our shack here in the desert wasteland of making a little library here of my own. And anything opinion in the Party. They are determined upon a course Colorado coal fields. Our living is meek like the masses.
that the comrades will send will be very much appre which will lead only to the splitting of the Party and When we are one of the masses we cannot be exempted ciated in this line, but they must come from the publishers. the retention of its control by the opportunists. Every from the brutal oppression of boss rule. It is a satisfacAlso send me Labor Unity and the Labor Defender. week brings new casualties of the ideological campaign tion to know that the Social Revolution is in progress My regards to the whole bunch and tell them to against Trotskyism in all sections of the countries. towards the inevitable change.
write. have received a letter from Comrade Stone and Workers who have given long years of devoted service GERRY ALLARD.
thank him very much. My address is No. 81542, 354 Hun to the revolutionary movement are being expelled or suster St. Ossining, Don forget my Number, 81542. pended from the Party by the corrupt little clique of FOR OPEN DISCUSSION OF ISSUES MAURICE MALKIN. leaders only because they dare to express their agreement New York City, December 15, 1928. Note: Comrades throughout the country are urged to with the platform of the Russian Opposition or to oppose James Cannon and Comrades of the Opposition :write to comrade Malkin at the above address, giving him the expulsion of those who take this position. Below we As for the ordinary worker in the Party ranks who all possible news of the movement and the struggle in gen give the names of another group of expelled comrades has no faction behind him, his right to open his eral. Letters from comrades on the outside are practically in addition to those published in previous issues. mouth ceased long ago.
the only means whereby our class war prisoners maintain CANADA (Cannon, in The Militant of Dec. 1st. their contact with the movement. Ed. CHAMBERS, Sec y, Toronto Agit Prop. Not so long ago, while a member of the Party, found FROM NON PARTY MILITANT BERNSTEIN, National Trade Union Dept. myself in a similar predicament. Having had the opporChicago, Ill. January 14, 1929. PANITCH, National Trade Union Dept. tunity of participating in two Congresses of the Comintern, Dear Comrade Cannon:J. PAGURICK, Sec y. branch.
it may safely be assumed that thereby gained a greater Since you and comrades Shachtman and Abern resigned KATZ, expelled member of understanding of the fundamental principles, the tasks, from your offices in the have felt like asking LEDERMAN, member of Needle Trades Ind. Union. and the basic problems confronting the Communist movehundred questions. am a radical but have never beI. DERTCH, unemployed worker.
ment. I, however, like yourself at present, found myself longed to the Workers Party. Am secretary of a branch CLARMAN, member of Cloakmakers Union. confronted with a bureaucratic barrier. and at that time of the here and have been active in many workers GORLITSKÝ, Canadian Painters Union.
you were one of them) that successfully blocked my efforts fights for some years. DISENHOUSE, factory worker.
to gain a hearing for the viewpoint of those represented.
The strange part of the controversy between yourself ZAGLIN, millinery worker.
Nevertheless was not inclined to attack the Party merely and the Party is that the latter seems to be afraid to let BARON, apprentice.
because of the short sightedness of certain of its funcyour side become known through its press and otherwise. JALDOFSKY, apprentice.
tionaries.
You are continually denounced as traitors and whatnot SCHWARTZ, Cloakmakers Union.
Whether my viewpoint (which was shared by many but just exactly why, we on the outside have never been HOFFMAN, Cloakmakers Union.
others) was correct or not, is beside the point. Likewise, ROSE, Cloakmakers Union.
able to find out. know that since you and Shachtman the correctness of your ideological position is not the main are out of the it seems to be going to pieces, and ROTH, Raincoatmakers Industrial Union.
issue. The most important phase of the present controI know that the Daily Worker is not as good as it was STARKMAN, Cloakmakers Union.
versy, as see it, is whether or not honest differences with writers like Dunne, Flaherty, Swabeck and yourC. GOLDBERG, Millinery Wkrs. Union, local chairlady of opinion shall have the right of expression and discusself. LUTSKY, Carpenters Union.
sion within Party circles. have heard you speak many times and am personally CHICAGO While believe that a decision once arrived at through acquainted with Shachtman. It seems incredible to me LEON MUSSEL LILLIAN BORGESON discussion, should be accepted by all, contend that a that you would deliberately turn counter revolutionary and REBECCA SACHEROW JACK COHEN Communist Party MUST permit full and free discussion refuse to believe it. want to know your side and OLIVER CARLSON, founder in United States. of fundamental principles and strategy. Far more harm Trotsky side, and why is it so hard to find out the truth COLORADO is done and more energy wasted in smothering an oppoabout your views? So enclose 25 cents in stamps and GERRY ALLARD, leader of National Miners Union.
sition than in exposing deviations, if such they be. ask that you send me the Militant for as long as the Communist Party divided against itself, and factions NEW YORK CITY amount will pay for it. Also if you have any list of your openly warring against one another, must indeed make HARRY STONE, member of own and Trotsky writings please send it.
the powers that be chuckle in high glee. As a matter of LOUIS STONE, member of Numerous members here have seriously criticized fact, such a situation as has at present developed arouses the removal of you and your comrades from the to LEON DENENBERG, refused admission into New York suspicion in some minds whether it has not been deliberme but needless to say they were not Party members. League because of support of Russian Opposition.
ately fostered for the sake of weakening the Party and could not help but notice the straight forwardness of your CLEVELAND diverting attention from the more important things that joint article in the Daily Worker regarding your removal. LEO GLEISSER, member district agit prop committee.
require our attention. will not lose faith in Jim Cannon and our Max till J. OPPER, teacher at Workers School.
Tremendous tasks still lie ahead of us in America, and have mighty good proof and all charges against them are MORRIS ABRAMS Party errors of the past have greatly handicapped the true. Let hear your side!
development of the American movement.
WHO ARE THE EXPELLED COMMUNISTS Yours for the Revolution, am not particularly concerned about your personal WALTER SUKUT.
CARL SKOGLUND Member organized labor since success, for fear that were the tables reversed, you would 1905. Joined Social Democratic Youth League of Sweden, be doing the same as those now in power and control.
AN EXPELLED MINER 1905 12. Participated in military strike of 4, 000 soldiers, do, however, wish you all success as the dynamic factor Frederick, Colo. January 12, 1929. punished by solitary confinement, 1906. Organized first within the Opposition which is at the moment striving Dear Comrades union in small town paper mill, 1909. Chairman of local for inner Party democracy. believe the determined stand Hugo Oehler, district organizer of the Rocky Mountain taken by the Opposition will lead to a clarification of the section gave me the news of my expulsion. He said the convention for election of issues and will lead to the adoption of a Communist stratPolcom wired him to that effect. was not surprised but candidate to Rikstag, made secretary of convention, 1910.
felt somewhat hurt as to the extremes of the Lovestone Blacklisted and came to America, 1912, joining Socialist egy for the American movement that is more adaptable machine as the leaders of our Party. never dreamed Party in 1914. Member of from 1917 21. Led to the needs and realities of the day than the tactics of recent years, the responsibility for which you must partly that a Communist Party could falter so weakly into the local campaign in big Mooney strike movement of 1918. shoulder.
hands of the present bunch of fruit merchants, shoe string Delegate from Minnesota to Socialist Party convention on Fraternally, salesmen and bourgeois styled politicians who have the left wing slate, 1919. Helped organized Railway shopmen almost unconditional support of the of Great Northern, Northwestern, Chicago. Burlington JOS. KUCHER. assume have committed several sins in Party work and Quincy, 1917, and member of Brotherhood of Railway as well as League work but never did forget my revo Carmen since then. Led illegal shopmen strike in 1919.
lutionary duty. By sins mean at different intervals Chairman of Great Western and Pullman Shopmen did fail to carry out as effectively as could the mission showed signs of apathy towards internal duties but never Strike Committee, 1922 23. Blacklisted and barred from of our Party. The path that have had to go through Labor Council for Communist activities on instructions has been thorny.
from Executive Council of of in 1924. Delegate to The resolution of the Minneapolis group My entrance into the struggle by having every school in every state convention of Farmer Labor Federation. demanding the weekly publication of The Illinois shut their door in my face caused me a great deal Joined underground Communist Party in 1920, member of of humiliation in the eyes of the ignorant masses, but its up to liquidation of underground. Helped Militant, broadening its scope into a general never since that time have equivocated or flinched as found Workers Party and member of its from inorgan of the class struggle, has been followed a Communist. Then through the Farrington fight, the ception. Delegate to famous Bridgman convention, and by the adoption of similar resolutions by the Zeigler fight, many duels in local unions where we clashed to three national conventions of Workers Party. Industrial Chicago and New York groups. We are fultime and time again, faithfully carrying on our work Organizer of Minnesota district continuosly since 1922. ly in favor of this forward step Member of National Railroad Amalgamation Committee consider and against the reactionaries, culminating in the heroic attempt it of a handful of our comrades through the Save the Member of national election campaign committee of Party, an aboslute necessity of the struggle to Union struggle that rocked the foundation of the Lewis 1928, and delegate to national nominating convention in urge the movement of bureaucratic corrupmachine. The continuous sabotage of Lovestone elements same year. Expelled in Minneapolis, November 14, 1928. tion, which is the expression of opportunist (Bedacht, Devine and Hankin) in the Illinois field, crim OSCAR COOVER Joined International Brotherhood of politics, and the fascist manifestations which inally handicapped us all the way through. They would Electrical Workers, 1906, and International Alliance of at any time crush the opposition achievements whether Theatrical Stage Employecs, 1907. Member of Socialist accompany it it was in external or internal work. Their jealousies Party from 1904 Joined underground Communist Party. The means to finance the Weekly Militant exceed their Communist integrity. They are so callous in December 1919, helped organize Workers Party in 1921.
are not at hand, but they must and will be they make the of officialdom feel childish. Delegate to Central Labor Union of Electrical Workers secured. It is a question of the militants comknow that self sacrifice is necessary to every Com in Springfield, Mo. 1907 8, and Central Labor Union of munist. It is a primary teaching to the early beginners Minneapolis from 1912 to 1924 when of fakers prehending fully the great historic responsiin our movement. do not for one moment regret my ordered his expulsion for Communist activities. Re elected bilities resting on them and steeling themhard bumps, they are insignificant compared to some of to and Minneapolis Building Trades Council in selves for the utmost sacrifice.
the American leaders, let alone the leaders of the Russian January 1928. Member of Minneapolis Party in We have decided tentatively to commence Party. But take it that these small things should be 1922 4 8. Member of Political Committee of District as a weekly with the issue of Feb. 15. Wheconsidered in their full meaning when a comrade is to be at time of expulsion. Communist candidate for represent ther this will be possible depends upon the expelled. It is the work of an irresponsible, jealous and ative from 29th Legislative District in 1924. Local secadventurist minority that expels us from the Party. They retary of Railroad Shopmen Strike Committee in 1922 have already exposed themselves quite plainly when they and blacklisted and barred from industry as a result.
ceived from local Opposition groups, and instoop to such hideous burglary as in the Cannon robbery. Delegate to State Federation of Labor from local union dividual supporters within the ensuing period.
They are so ignorant, they are so shameless that they and to all conventions of Farmer Labor Federation and readily admit openly in public their robbing of Cannon Send your answer now!
Association. Expelled from Party November 14, 1928.
in 1909. Delegate first rester al strike of 190, 000 workers Fight the Splitters with a Weekly Militant