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Page 1 NE MILITANT June 1, 1929 of Amerproletariat.
is single fact is him to Com.
prosestone need this some effort pressed and That descipline out the majority is a side Work. Letter from Comrade To the American Bolshevik Leninists may catch the vanguard of the American pro moned by cable from Moscow, or anywhere (The Opposition)
letariat unprepared, as was the case in Gerelse, without the masses ever noticing it. Such Editors of The Militant many in 1923, in England in 1926, and in China in 1925 to 1927.
Dear friends: We must not for a minute leadership means bankruptcy guaranteed in advance. We must steer our course on the follow your journal with great interest and lose sight of the fact that the might am delighted with its fighting spirit. The hisican capitalism rests more and more upon a young proletarian who desires to know and to tory of the origin of the American Opposition foundation of world economy with its contrastruggle, and is capable of enthusiasm and selfis itself highly characteristic and instructive.
dictions and crises, military and revolutionary sacrifice. From such people we must attract and educate the After five years of struggle against The RusThis means that a social crisis in the United genuine cadres of the Party and the it required a journey of memStates may arrive a a good deal sooner than bers of the Central Committee of the Every member of the Opposition organiza.
many think, and have a feverish development American Party, Hence the conclusion from the beginning tion should be obliged to have under his guide and even of its Political Bureau, to a ance several young workers, boys from 14 to It is necessary to prepare.
Congress in Moscow in order for the first time As far as to find out what so called Trotskyism is.
can judge, your official Com 15. p, to remain in continual contact with munist Party inherited no few characteristics them, help them in their self education, train is an annihilating indictment ainst the regime of them in the questions of scientific Party from the old socialist party.
police rule and That became and systematically introduce them to the reand Pepperoni ed in dragging the American Communist Party volutionary. politics of the proletarian van.
officers. convicted Lovestone of a foul ideol into the scandalous adventure with the Party guard. The Oppositionist who is himself in.
ogical falsification (see my book Europe and liamentary opportunism was disguised with adequately prepared for such work should by America. Under a fairly normal regime that revolutionary chatter to the effect that the and alone to more developed experienced would have been for a long time, if een enough to bury a man rades. Those who are afraid of rough for social good, if not, revolution will be achieved in the United or at least to make him confess and repent. But under the we don want. The calling of a revolutioary States not by the proletariat but by the ruined nder the fariners. When Pepper expounded this theory these obligations is to struggle for the proleto Teenforce their positions, the only tarian youth, to clear a road to its most op; sifications that have been exposed. They do though that had to do with a curious case of They stand neglected strata.
utter shamelessness, imitating their realized that this is a whole system, and that first under our banner.
sent teachers, or rather their administrative The trade union bureaucrats, like the bureauthe American Communist Party had been dragbosses. The spirit of the Lovestones and Pep.
ed into this system. Then it became clear to crats of false Communism, live in the atmopers is fundamentally opposed to the spirit of the proletarian revolution.
me that this smal! Party cannot develop with sphere of aristocratic prejudices of the upper towards which we strive and we strive towards an iron discipline can be founded against Pepperism and other evil diseases. the Oppositionists are infected even in the We On the slightest degree with these qualities.
only cannot call them infantile diseases.
upon consciouly won convictions which Curea urratice sterility and revolutionary imhave entered into the flesh and blood.
these are senile diseases, diseases of must not only reject and condemn these prejudices; we must burn them out of our conI havent had an opportunity of close conpotence.
sciousness to the last trace.
We must find the tact with the other ruling elements of the Am That erican Communist Party except, to be sure, Party has taken over many of the qualities of is why suspect that the Communist roal to the most deprived, to the darkest strata of the proletariat, beginning with the Negro, Foster. The latter always seemed to me made the socialist party, which in spite of its youth whom capitalist society has converted into a of more trustworthy material than Lovestone struck me with features of decrepitude. For Pariah, and who must learn to see in us his and Pepper. In Foster criticisms of the offiof those socialists have in view revolutionary brothers. And this depends cial leadership of the Party there was always the governing strata their socialism is wholly upon our energy and devotion to the much that was true and acute. But as far as understand him, Foster is an empiricist. He issue, a second class occupation accomodated to their leisure hours. These gentlemen conI see from comrade Cannon letter that you does not want to, or is not able to carry his secrate six days of the week to their liberal or to give the Opposition a more organthinking through to the end, and make upon ized form.
commercial professions, rounding out their the foundation of his criticisms the necessary can only welcome that news.
properties not without success, and on the It wholly follows the line of the views exgeneralization. For that reason it has never seventh day they consent to pounded above. In the work which you are been clear to me in what direction Foster with the saving of their soccupy themselves In a book of doing well formed organization is necessary.
is pushing him: to the left or to the my memoirs have tried to outline this type The absence of clear organizational relations right of the official Centrism. We must re of socialistic Babbit. Evidently not a Tof results from an intellectual confusion or leads member that besides the Marxist Opposition there exists as Souvarine and these (Brandto it. The cry about a second party and a as Communists.
These are not is opponents, to Foster class enemies. The We do to stop us.
must steer its course not on the not identify the Communist International with petty the Stalinist bureaucracy, that is, with the hierof struggling against the rian Jimmie. of tan support. Foster tries to conceal himself of deelegrees with the defensive coloration of Stalinism in moralization. At the foundation of the InterCommunism, order by this contraband route to move toward it, becomes the content of their whole life and national there lies a definite group of ideas and the leadership of the American Party. In is nothing more disgusting por enciples, Icopebisianis from the whole struggle revolutionary politics the game of hide and seek and dangerous in revolutionary activity than proletariat y bourgeois dilletantism, conservative, egoWe will de Without a never yet gave serious results.
tistical, self loving and incapable of sacrifice in general principle position upon the fundamentfend it against the monstrous mistakes and vide lations of the 5th and 6th al questions of the world revolution, and first Congresses and age of all on the question of socialism in a ainst the usurping apparatus of the Centrists, ers must firmly adopt one simple but invariable a single rule: Those leaders or candidates for leader who upon one flank are wholly going over into country, you cannot have permanent the ranks of the Thermidorians. It is too ious revolutionary victories. You can only capable of sacrificing their time, their strength, clear to any Marxist that, in spite of the enhave bureaucratic successes, such as Stalin has their means, to the cause of Communism, will ormous material resources of the Stanilist apBut these temporary successes are paid by the defeats of the proletariat and by the falloftenest of all in a revolutionary period be paratus, the present governing faction of the ina Foster with achieve even those second class do not think come direct traitors, or turn up in the camp of Comintern is politically and theoretically althose who wait to see on which side the victory ready dead. The banner of Marx and Lenin lies. If elements of this kind stand at the is in the hands of the Opposition. do not aims which he is pursuing, for the Lovestones head of the Party, they will indubitably ruin doubt that the American division of the BolPeppers are much better fitted to carry sheviks will occupy a worthy place under that no real character, and being ready in hire out to the Comintern as they would to a are those brainless bureaucrats who simply With hearty Opposition greetings.
twenty four hours to put through any riga notary, and obediently adapt themselves to TROTSKY.
zag whatever according to the administrative each new boss.
Constantinople.
necessities of the Stalinist staff.
Of course the Opposition that is the BolThe work to be achieved by the American shevik Leninists may have their traveling Opposition has international historic signifi companions, who, without giving themselves THE MILITANT canoe, for in the last historic analysis ai the wholly to the revolution, offer this or that serPublished twice a month by the Communist League of America problems of our planet will be decided upon vice to the cause of Communism. If would of (Opposition)
is much in favor of the course be wrong not to make use of them. They Address all mail to: Bar 120, Madison Square Station, idea that from the standpoint of revolutionary can make a significant contribution to the New York, order, Europe and the East stand ahead of the work. But traveling companions, even the Publisher address at 332 East 18th Street, New York, United States. But a a course of events is Subscription rate: 00 per year. Forcign, 50 most honest and serious, ought to make so preposSc. per copy sible in which this order might be broken in tence to leadership. The leaders must be Astecint Editor favor of the proletariat of the United States. bound in all their daily work with those they Martie Abera Morever, even if you assume that America lead.
James Cannon Their work must proceed before the which now shakes the whole world will be Maurice Spector eyes of the mass, no matter how small that VOL. II No. 10 shaken last of all, the danger remains that a mass may be at the given moment. wouldn Entered as second class mail matter November 28, 1928, at revolutionary situation in the United States give a cent for a leadership which can be sumintend Oppositiers This. apparently sugathich consists the whole form of his activite evil with SaSos Babbits, but on the proletabut same empiricism apparents and other should be the last thin merely ridiculous, and thing activity.
and banner Bundle rates, per copy.
Editor Mar Shacman JUNE 1, 1929 the post office at under the act of March 3, 1879