Page THE MILITANT April 4, 1922 Apuit. 15. 1929 THE MILITANT Page Organize the Unorganized Communists The Illinois Miners Convention immediate periody the coal operators and treaunion, aims.
te.
extent.
ified policyst the Ho recruit party, but we must line memrates of One of the most outstanding weakness of the American Communist struggle. The program American Communist movement has been the By James Cannon of the bureaucrats is to split the movement.
failure to organize into the party ranks the great numbers of revolutionary workers whinternational regarded them as a necessary con.
ers and remains so today. The Communist In The Program of the Opposition is the unification of the movement on the line of Leninthose who have joined in the past. The great stituent part of the American Communist ism, against the corrupted bureaucrats and opmovement and included them in its invitation portunists. The more militantly we wage our disparity between the sentiment for Communism among the advanced workers and the org to the Second Congress. The theses of the Sec. fight on all fronts, the more firmly we organize ond Congress declared that the ineasure of our forces and recruit new ones, the sooner feature of the situation which reflects the bank succe by the Communist Parties in we will win the victory and accomplished our ruptcy of the party leadership. The growth gaining the support of the revolutionary syndiof the influence of Communist ideas on the calist workers would be a criterion of their revone side and the decline in the number of org. olutionary effectiveness. The showing of the American Party in this respect is a dismal one the anized Communists on the other presents a The Interview with indeed, and this has been a great loss to the crying contradiction, a great evil in itself and movement. The repulsion of such genuinely them a a strengthening of bureaucratic and clique proletarian elements has gone together with the facile attraction of petty bourgeois, intelComrade Trotsky tendencies which are already developed to an lectual and careerist elements. This two sided enormous process is reflected by the present leadership of impossibility of finding lodgings in ConstantiCONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE We do not speak here of the failure to prothe party.
duce a Mass Communist Party which is nople right away, can one realize what it means promised every six months in theses and propone place on the agenda of the forthcoming NaThese questions should have a prominent for Trotsky, who was just the man who liberlamations. The conditions for a Mass ated the Crimea from Wrangel army, to be tional Conference of the Opposition. We are the true sense of the word have not existed in literally thrown into this city where thirty America. Our reference not merely waging a factional struggle; our is utilize the actually existing possibilities and responsibilities aarendeeper and broader with pretty hard for Western comrades to grasp into the right organzed road for the future of the the workers who belong there. consideration of it during my voyage.
of only a few of the most indisputable facts ourselves take some positive steps on this road and undertake to carry out in the Having no lodgings, the men chose practice will suffice to show how really great has been which serves the interests of the movement.
a hotel for him. Under the threat of forcible this dereletion, and to confront the Communist In the expulsion in the middle of the night, our commilitants with a number of serious questions forces period that a corrupted bureaucrade was led to his present residence together a division within the Communist as to what the future holds.
and in all our work we must acknowledge the with his wife and his son.
Some Membership Figures actual existence of such a division it is our will tell all about this some day, he told Let us first take some available figures which duty to take upon ourselves directly all those me, when have the leisure for it. The comshow the trend of organizational retrogression. tasks which we have the capacity to carry out. rades will see to what low police methods the The National Office financial reports for the struggle against the Opposition has descenfirst eight months of 1928 show an average Revolutionary Workers With Us ded.
Compare this paying membeship of 7, 277.
One of these tasks is to organize the unorIn the meantime a burning question arises: figure with the 1925 Convention report ganized Communistic workers, to help to How shall we provide for Trotsky security?
which showed an average dues paying strengthen their grasp on basic Communist How, shall we replace the protection that the obership for the first six months of that year principles and to facilitate their training in the presence of Sermouks and Posnansky would habits of disciplined organizaton. We have ex have provided?
more than 55 per cent. This is the first ceptional make real headway figurecking opportunities to reminder, in terms of mer In the course of these fruitful days where with such an undertaking even now; and these what the present leadership of the party we confirmed our agreement by discussing the nifies.
And the figures do not tell the whole opportunities will be multiplied as it becomes essential questions, the moments of relaxaclear to the revolutionary workers that we are story. Since 1925 we have had the experience of not held back from revolutionary duties by tions of the first years of the October. Recoltion were devoted to recollections. Recolleca number of important strikes, the great SaccoVanzetti movement and other lections of Lenin, such abundant ones, where any organization fetishism or formalities.
to One of the most significant aspects of the we perused some popularize our movement among the workers.
letters photographed (the Why did not the party double its membership our expulsion six months ago are the almost struggle which broke out into the open with originals in the past three years instead of decreasing it Lenin Institut 18 all been turned over to the Pictures of militants, of those by more than half?
universal manifestations of sympathy for our who disappeared, of those also who rose in by harsh and thankless struggle of the Opposition, cause which have been shown Go back further.
the In 1919 there were more than 100. 000 members in the Socialist Party, militants of the class war who are sympa many others, young ones too, like Borish Lifthe former members of the true a Smilga, a Rakovsky, and the Leit Wing claimed a majority. Even Janes Oneal in his book on American Comto the schitz and Yakovin, who brought the contribuRevolution main ideas of Communism who have been tion of their devotion and their work.
munism conceded 35. 000 000 members to the Comalienated and repelled the munist Party and the Communist Labor Party There are good reasons for this. You cannot imagine, Trotsky told me, at the time of the two conventions in what the intellectual life of the deportees had ber 1919 This figure is almost five times letarian and revolutionary essence of the Oppoto be to remain active. At Alma Ata, after the the number of of the present party membership. an international scale. is obvious to these workfirst few weeks, before the suppression of all It may be argued that all thousands ers and they feel an instinctive solidarity with recent times, we succeeded in establishing con.
correspondence and the rigorous isolation of of members of the Left Wing were not real material for the Conumunist movement and that our fight. The same is true in general also of the tact with many comrades, in spite of the fact rank and file of the non party communisthe Palmer raids swept them away like chaff.
who are the most free from that the was actively engaged in de Such a view brings us to a still more striking bureaucratic influences and who have no axes laying phenomenon. The report of the Unity Conven to grind.
great questions on the order of the day were tion of the United Communist Party Communist Party printed in The Communist We ought to welcome this devolopment and letters, sometimes in serious, docuniented for July 1921 unhesitatingly facilitate their. studies. What enthusiasm, what ardor in the represented in the convention The underground movement nearly two years after ment of which much of the the help of some. interprets as the Palmer raids, conducting all of its work Communist movement depends. It involves the ican a. program of practical activities in the class illegally, had 4, 751 more members than the the decomposition of the Opposition. It is necessary that the comrades everywhere learn present party in the seventh year of its exstruggle which sien ons het bureaucrats. Sition, that they may know not only the rispetto istence as a legal organization!
It requires nas widespread application of the Loss of the Revolutionary Syndicalists tactics of the united front To the failure to retain more than a small tarian elements in joint activities We will devote ourselves to this task.
fraction of the original members of the Left Wing in the Socialist Party and the failure place in the movement of Communism.
of various kinds. It demands as and struggles them as class brothers who have. Very brief notes, written hastity since niy rightful return to Paris. do not pretend to give here to make as good a a membership showing as the underground more writer impressions. am not a writer ovement which worked under For this a definite organization form is an and do not feel the need of dwelling on the handicaps, must be ability to make any serious headway in recruitabsolute necessity. The direct recruitment of descriptive side of these days that will leave these workers into the ranks of the heir mark in my life. am a militant and tell ing from the tens of thousands of revolutionary must begin and must be pushed forward with my comrades quite simply the emotion the the Communist ranks. Sympathy for the important duties of the National Conference again him who is our political chiet.
It will be one of the most boundless emotion that felt on meeting Russian Revolution which was and is the inain of the Opposition to lay out the lines of his spring of revolutionary tendencies in the labor project and to decide on its organization forms into fruitfut revolutionary action. That is the Let this emotion be translated into work, movement was very strong among these work Such a decision will turn a new page in the only thing that can interest my comrades.
Attempt to Remove Voyzey In the Illinois mine fields, the Party fakert are trying to repeat this criminal work with regard to comrade George Voyzey, who has By Arne Swabeck been expelled from the Party for supporting the Opposition. Comrade Voyzey is one of the Once again the corrupt officials in control of simultaneously utilizing all these forces in an best known leaders of the left wing miners.
the United Mine Workers of Ainerica, Illinois organized manner and with a unified policy to He was Communist candidate for president District, have succeeded, through a packed con again take up and intensify the fight for the of the against Lewis in 1924 and vention, to squelch the opposition and further militant program within the old union. There would have been elected if the bollots had not secure their domination of affairs for the next is no other solution to the problem of replacing been counted in typical Lewis style.
due to the the old semi company union filled with corruption to the point par He is now President of the Illinois District of saturation.
sonble conduct of its policies, has been crack This will require that these locals of the of the National Miners Union, and his tremened wide open and in many districts completely new union, while compelled to a degree to dous popularity among the miners makes ever little more destroyed, in Illinois it still remains in firm the Stalinite splitters proceed a hide their identity to avoid expulsion, must control of all jobs fuctioning on a semi com immediately take the leadership in the struggle from his position in the Union. But the attempt pany union basis.
The Weak Opposition growing out of the present conditions. These is being made! Again no charges, for the crime upon of Trotskyism is sufficient. Voyzey was ex This convention (still in session at the time grievances are numerous. The pressure upon pelled by Lewis from the United Mine Workthese workers is becoming ever more intense, of this writing) showed the same manifestaers of America for being a Communist. Is he tions as those of previous years. Despite the to be removed from his post in the National many expulsions of left wingers which have taken place and the outright packing with direment is growing, and the continual It is the duty of the left reason?
organizational basis. In addition gates representing nobody, there was consider build positive slogans for this to put Miners Union by the Stalinites for the same The ruinous, catastrophic results for the able opposition to the bureaucrats, but it was to the slogans already given of ca entirely unorganized and even without a un Lewis Fishwick entire movement of such a policy should be breaking the So far its main fire has been dir the National Minspany union and building clear to all workers. Such a course inevitably, Union, there should be brings with it the narrowing down of the ected against corrupt practices of repre such as; fight against the speed up system, Party, and OF ALL LEFT WING ORGANsentatiion of blue sky locals, the election steals division of work with abolition of the machine IZATIONS, such as the the by the Fishwick machine last November, the differentials, abolition of the check off, cancel the new left wing unions, TO HOPEunion investment of 150, 000 in a West Vir inauguration of the shorter work day (six hour ing ANY ONE AND EVERY ONE who is of the company union agreement and the It will end in a policy of excluda ginia open shop mine and the falsification of last year referendum vote on the wage cut day. not a servile hand raiser for Stalin, from any With the correct tactics and energetic organsteam roller carried the day increasing its maj ization work the possibilities for growing work in these movements. In the it will mean that members of the of ority as went along anarsuccess in the Illinois coal fields are good.
chist groups, independent rank and file socialThe Illinois agreement, signed by the offiists, members of the Communist Opposition 1932. It contained a twenty per cent wage will in cut, practically abolished the tonnage basis on the movement will be narrowed machine mining, and established what amounts The and the down to a narrow, tight circle of Party memto an arbitration commission to which the opcan appeal for further reduced day ginning to transplant their reckless course into The Stalinite splitters in the Party are be bers only.
In the new unions under the direction of the non Party organizations. The Lovestone Party it will mean thata such a tight mechanfeated majority of to the rank and file de Foster clique are following a line, begun in ical, arbitrary control will be established that this agreement in referendum vote, but the International Labor Defense and in the the non Party masses will be impossible to nevertheless it was declared carried. The re Trade Union Educational League, which can hold, and it will be even more difficult to at.
sult has been a further rapid mechanization of lead only to the complete disruption of the tract and recruit new workers.
mining with a terrific speed up system, a gen movement.
eral reduction of the standard of living and inThe policy of expulsions and removals from Removed from the creased unemployment. Although there are non Party organizations for political views will, 12, 000 less miners, production in 1928 increasIn St. Louis, Missouri, the Party fraction furthermore, strengthen the hand of the reed by 340, 000 tons over the previous year but called a special meeting of the International formist, right wing fakers in organizations with the average number of days worked by Goldberg from the position of city organizer splitting policy, the Party will be unable to the miners reduced from 172 to 114.
and comrade Elmer McMillan from the position protest effectively. The right wing fakers will The Status of the Left Wing as member of the City Committee. NEITHER say: Don kick. You are doing the same thing In return for this agreement the operators CALLED TO THE MEETING AND THEY in the organizations you control! The entire consented to retain the check off system, the moral and political basis of the Communists WERE main instrument through which the control RENOT PRESENT WHEN and the left wing will be swept from under of employment is exercized. Thus the United MOVED! No charges were presented to them foot!
Mine Workers and the Fishwick machine of and they were given no trial. They were both What Will Be the Result?
officialdom, with all its filthy corruption, holds removed for the sole and simple reason that Every worker who has the interests of his full sway in the Illinois fields. The Nationclass at heart will protest against this reactional Miners Union, which today represents the the Trotsky. Opposition in the Communist ary course of the Stalinites before it assumes left wing forces, has not yet been able to break Party. For their political viewpoint in the larger proportions. We know where this course or make an appreciable dent in this strangle reak Party, they were removed from their positions leads to unless a swift end is made of it: First, hold. Nor has it by far shown sufficient in the IL. an ostensibly non Party or Communist workers are expelled from the fact that conditions for growing revolt of the Comrade Goldberg was one of the founders non Party organizations; then from the leftParty; then from positions in the left wing rank and file against the intolerable situation as was comrade McMillan. The are not lessening but rather increasing.
latter is one of the defendants in the Michigan GETHER; will it end by them being driven While the whole leading and active stratum Communist case.
off their jobs where the left wing unions have In Chicago, Illinois, comrade Arne Swabeck, control?
of the left wing has been expelled from the one of the founders of the Party and of the We are sounding a warning. Let every workgreat enti possibiliti Pposition has developed with Trade Union Educational League, has just it is er, the entirely unorganized and without a positive been removed from the local executive commit Communist workers in particular, stop think.
and tee of the His crime is the same Sigman Schlesinger Shiplacoffprogram.
as that of the St. Louis Wherever isolated activities have been Beckerman and Company began the same way.
comrades. He supports the First the carried on for the organization of the National Opposition led by Trotsky. He is removed the Communists were expelled from the because of that alone from an ostensibly nonMiners Union the response by the rank and file Socialist Party, then from the unions, finally has not been lacking, as evidenced by the Party body. The vote of executive ites have taken the first step of the Sigmans they were removed from their jobs. The Stalintee that removed him was unanimous. since and Saline Counties. Naturally the function every member but one is a Party member and by expelling us from the Party. They are beginom all are under of locals organized is primarily the discipline ning the next step by removing our comrades carry out the inprogressive groups within the old union fight structions previously arrived at.
from the non Party organizations they control.
ing for the program of the new. It cannot be But even before the executive committee in The workers must reply with a swift, loud otherwise so long as the job control of the Chicago removed Swabeck, the National Coin NO! to this criminal course. of has not been broken.
mittee of the removed his name from that body call for the Cleveland MASS MEETING IN TRENTON conThe Task at Present ference of the organization. Comrade Swabeck Moreover it becomes necessary for the left On Sunday, March 31, comrade Martin Abern spoke to in wing coal miners, in view of the existing mittee at the last national con audience of 150 workers at the Labor Lyceum in Trenton, The meeting was held under the auspices of a group of comrades conditions the absolute job control exercized ference in New York. He is now removed from in Branch 77, Independent Workmen Circle. Comrade Abero by the Fishwick machine to devise the most the National Committee without charges prespoke for two hours on The Truth About Trotsky and the practical for mof carrying on this parallel work sented against him, without a reason being Platform of the Opposition and then the interested audience of organizing the National Miners Union and given, and without a trial being held.
put a oumber of questions to the speaker and participated in the general discussion.
opportunities and bur party regime.
The support to these tic and the new with these prolecommitrecent one of to a