The Semi Monthly of the Communist League of America (Opposition)
MILITANT VOL. II. No. 12 NEW YORK, AUGUST 1st, 1929.
PRICE CENTS FIRST OF AUGUST!
What will International Red Day bring Gastonia in Danger England Bars Trotsky War Clouds in the East China Provokes Russia China seizure of the Chinese Eastern Railway in Manchuria, jointly owned by China and the Soviet Union, and the brutal arrest of Soviet citizens, mark This document has been prepared and signed expression in the life of the trade unions, in the munia criminal attempt by the Chinese counter revolution international Magazine cipal and parlamentary elections, especially in Engto provoke a war against the Workers Republic. by the editors of the new land and Belgium, and in many other more trivial The Soviet Union was the first country in the Opposition which is soon to appear.
to renounc all rights of extra territoriality The Western European Bureau of the Com. ruanifestations of the life of the working class. The in China and to return all the concessions extorted munist International has summoned the workers of political stabilization of the bourgeoisie during the last six years has found its chief support in the poby carism from the Chinese people. step taken by the whole world to demonstrate in the streets on the none of the imperialist powers. In 1924, the two coun. First of August. This demonstration has been a feat of the proletariat in Germany, China, England, licy of the Comintern, which has guaranteed the detries reached an amicable agreement on the joint pointed as an answer to the bloody repression by the Poland, Bulgaria, a weakening of its position in the control and administration of the Chinese Eastern German social democrats of the vanguard of the Railway, built by czarist Russia. The movement for Berlin workers. That the historic crime perpetrated a consistent desintegration of the Comintern and a reviving of the social democracy. The poChinese liberation from imperialism has always found on the First of May cannot and will not remain unlitical stabilization of the bourgeoisie has been the the warmest response from the workers and peasants avenged. no revolutionist has any doubt of that, of Russia. Now, taking advantage of Russia de. The only question is, when and how we can avenge necessary premise of its economic stabilization which liberate policy of peace, the Chinese government has ourselves on the social democracy and its bourgeois in turn has weakened the possibility of direct revotaken this provocative step designed to outrage the boss for the bloody attack upon the May day mani lutionary activity.
Soviets and force them to war.
festation of the workers. The method chosen by the COMINTERN POLICY IN ENGLAND The seizure of the Chinese Eastern Railway is Comintern is wrong to the bottom. It is the mere In its more concentrated form this whole situthe logical outcome of the counterrevolutionary preparation of a new defeat.
ation has recently come before us in England, where course pursued by Chiang Kai Shek and the other The May Day demonstration is a traditional de only three years ago the proletariat passed through leaders of the Kuo Min Tang. The Russian masses monstration of the proletariat appointed once and its revolutionary general strike. In a county where must now pay for the menshevik policy applied in for all to take place upon a definite day of the year capitalism is suffering a gigantic crisis of decline, the Chinese revolution of 1925 27 by the Stalin. independently of the course of the international and where all the leaders of the workers organizaBucharin controlled. Executive of the Comintern and national life of the proletariat. But the whole tions have succeeded in disgracing themselves with which served as a brake on the revolutionary move. history the May Day celebration shows that it nev an unheard of betrayal, the Comunist Party has rement of the workers and peasants, chained them and er hung suspended above the real course of the vealed itself at the polls as totally insignificant in the Communist Party to the chariot of the bourgeois worker movement, but was wholly determined by size. For quite a number of years the Comintern and Kuo Min Tang, and facilitated the victory of Stalin this movement and subordinate to it. In parties car the Red International of Labor Unions have been allies, the counter revolutionary generals of Chiang rying on a peaceful reformist work it was transform announcing to the whole world that in the moveKai Shek stripe. The result of this policy. the ed from the beginning into a peaceful manifestation ment of the revolutionary minority of the trade setting back of the Chinese, revolutionary movement and had lost before the war all its revolutionary unions there are about a million workers who follow for years, and the triumph of reaction has made feature. In countries where an energetic struggle was the Communist banner. The unemployed together it possible for Chiang Kai Shek to proceed against in progress for the universal franchise, the May with the grown members of families would give us at the Soviets with such brazen cynicism without en Day celebration was transformed into a constituent least over two million voters. The miners, who have countering substantial resistance by the Chinese mas part of this struggle. In Russia the May Day cele just come through an immense strike and are compelses.
bration was identified with the revolutionary strug led to work under worsened conditions, would give all This resistance must be made to China pro gle against Czarism and from 1905 on changed with most as many. Out of this three or four million it vocation by the workers of the entire world. The So all its changes: from stormy attack to complete qui would seem as if at least a decent share ought to have viet Union remains the fortress of the world revoesence. We saw the same thing in Germany after the fallen to the lot of the Communist Party. And what lution, a source of stregth to labor everywhere, and war.
happened? Nominating 27 candidates in the districts the working class throughout the world must rally to its defense immediately. The workers must be on flected those processes which have lately found their The recent May Day celebration naturally reCONTINUED ON PAGE SEVEN.
their guard against all possible developments on a larger scale. Up to the present time, there are few signs that the Chinese action is being supported by foreign imperialism. This is not because the imperialists Jove Russia more and Chiang Kai Shek less. It is because they fear the establishment of a precedent As the day of the trial, July 29, approaches, it One of the first acts of the new British Labor that the present Chinese rulers would use against the becomes increasingly clear that the southern Bour. Government has been to deny the right of asylum concessions and extra territoriality rights that Eng. bons are determined to go through with their plans to Trotsky, the exiled organizer of the Russian land, France, Japan and others took from China by force. It is because the imperialistic powers are now to legally murder the 15 strike leaders who have Revolution and the Red Army. Definite announcestriving against each other for Russia trade. Credits been indicted in Gastonia, North Carolina, for the ment of this decision was made in the House of Comfrom Germany, coming recognition from England major crime of arousing the serfs of the textile bare mons on July 11th according to a dispatch printed and the United States and similar signs, are all indi ons to struggle. The judicial henchmen of the southin the New York Times. The MacDonald Governcative of this. That explains the peculiar neutrality ein lords want to execute at least some of the 15 or Soviet friendliness of the world imperialist workers who defended themselves against the ment, which has been issuing daily announcements press. The Japanese press has condemned the action murderous raid of the local fascists. By this punish that it intends to do nothing harmful to the capitaof the Chinese, because they fear similar action ment they intend to make an example of those work list system of exploitation, list no time in buttresagainst their properties in Manchuria. The Daily ers who dared to challenge the might of their bosses, sing the promises with a concrete and significant Worker reports that the most influential German pa. and particularly of the Bolsheviks from the North deed.
pers have attacked China. The French, and the Amer. who organized and led them.
ican press, led by the New York Times, have ad The southern reactionaries rightly see in the MacDonald never tired of condemning the Proopted a neutral or favorable attitude. The lead Communists the most militant fighters against ex. letarian Dictatorship, which Trotsky symbolizes, on ing organ of the British imperialism in China, the ploitation, their most dangerous foes. They know the ground of its lack of democracy. The excluPeiping and Tientsin Times, regards the action as a flagant violation of a solemn international agree. South, the Communists have done more to arouse a sion of Trotsky illustrates again what these footmen ment and warns China against attempts at war. spirit of resistance and independence among the vio of Imperialism mean by democracy. In their subAnd both Secretary of State Stimson and the lently suppresed southern workers than have the years servience to the capitalist masters they cast aside the French foreign minister, Briand, are calling attention of do nothing organization work carried on by the traditional right of asylum which England once gave to both parties that they are joint signatories to the American Federation of Labor payroll boys. That is to Marx and Mazzini.
Kellogg Pact! Russia signature of the Kellogg Pact, why the lynching spirit aimed to cow the southern that smoke screen for imperialist war preparation, textile workers is aimed most directly at the Com The real masters of the British Empire are well is not standing it in very good stead, as we pointed munists.
pleased with this act of their Labor Minister.
out some time ago.
The 1922 raid of the Communists in Bridgemann Tories cheer Labor Minister announcement in ComIn spite of all this, the workers must bear in was carried out by the reaction in order to strike a mons says the New York Times. And why should nt mind the possibility of a highly dangerous situation biow against the whole labor movement, against the they cheer! The class conscious capitalists clearly developing. The fundamental antagonism between the fighting spirit of the steel, railroad, mine and textile understand what Trotsky represenis. The Times ediSoviet Union and world imperialism remains. workers. In the same sense, the lynching of the 15 terial says: Foreign Secretary Henderson definitely Should the Chinese counter revolutionists and the sirike militants Communists and non Party fighters stated that before diplomatic relations with Soviet Russian White guards proceed to large scale military is being planned to intimidate the rising labor Russia are resumed definite pledges will be required attack, necessitating the withdrawal of Russian movement in the South which has broken out in three that no Communist agitation in England is to be enforces from the Western frontier, the Baltic tools seperate places in as many months: Gastonia, Elizan couraged or permitted by the Moscow authorities.
of European imperialism, led by Pilsudski, may use bethton and New Orleans. The south is a huge re. That is asking a good deal. If they give so much the opportunity for a counter revolutionary assault vervoir of strength and fighting capacity for the they will expect something in return. The exclusion from the west. The imperialists want Russian trade, whole labor movement of the United States. If the of Trotsky from a refuge on British soil would be but if the possibility is given them, they want the capitalist class succeeds in damning this rezervor something.
complete overthrow of the proletarian dictaorship ind directing its flow into the channel of scabbery the whole labor movement will suffer. The Gastonia The Times, which interpret the big capitalist Every worker on guard! Now more than ever is trial is such an attempt.
point of view unerringly, remarks: In all this Rusthe united strength of the working class imperative. That is why the American working class every. is proceeding with notable and praiseworthy caution.
sia afiair, as in others, Prime Minister MacDonal Now more than ever must there be the unity and consolidation of Russia revolutionary forces against it must march to its aid now, and not when it is too where must rally swiftly to the defense of Gastonia What is needed now is an editorial from tho New the reactionary elements inside and outside the Soviet late. It cannot remain indifferent to the fate of its Leader, explaining how the barring of Trotsky from Union. Now more than ever is the return of the England proves the superiority of bourgeois democraexpelled and exiled Bolshevik Leninists necessary must march in united columns.
class brothers without endangering its own fate. It cy over workers dictatorship as a form of governfor the Communist Party. Now more than ever is it have shown the mortal blow that divided and sectarPast experiences ment. And to round out the affair with the unnecessary to recall Trotsky to his rightful place an action has delivered in similar instances. In the we need an editorial from the Daily Worker on the animous and harmonious agreement of all parties, as leader of the invincible Red Army.
Long live victory of the hussian proletariat!
Sacco Vanzetti case, the Boston Committee of social subject, applauding the exclusion of Trotsky as.
Down with the red handed Assassins of the monot ists and anarchists attempted to at the counter revolution. These editoriale are peoplet TINUEDAN DAN even more