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Page THE MILITANT September 15, 1929.
An Apologetic Progressivism Weekly by Nov. the blows which they make believe to deal impartial Party Splitters and Gastonia Portunism, syn Tostonos strengtheand authority in the The road to progress in the labor movement lies in by the Executive Council to some of its affiliated the combination of all the opposition forces against the bodies? What else is the Executive Council for?
ruling oligarchs and their policies. Only such a com movement animated by this pusillanimous spirit The National Committee of the Communist League bination, which includes the communists and takes the will never seriously disturb the agents of capitalism of America (Opposition. in conformity with the declass struggle for guiding line, can wage strug who sit in the seats of power in the trade unions. cision of our national conference in Chicago three gle on the broad front that is necessary and do it Their thrones will be shaken only by an army of mili months ago, has definitely decided upon a campaign with sufficient energy and resolution to stir the masses tants raising the standard of the class struggle and for the launching of the Militant as the WEEKLY into motion and lead them forward. The first condi fighting in its spirit. The new progressive movement MILITANT on the 12th Anniversary of the Russian ticns for the formation of such a movement are already in its present stage of development does not present Bolshevik Revolution, on November 7th, 1929.
beginning to manifest themselves but they have not such a picture because the discontented workers in the For the militant workers throughout the world, the yet found the proper form.
ranks have not yet clarified their aims and thrown Russian Revolution has been the main source of inup a leadership to express them. This is yet to come. spiration for the struggle against world imperialism The new progressive movement is a sign of the workTo make the issues clear, to broaden and deepen the and for the liberation of the proletariat. Constantly ing class impulse in this direction which is being held movement and inspire it with class struggle militancy on the side of the Russian Revolution for the twelve back from its proper development by the leaders who, is the primary task of the communists. This task will years since its inception, we remain the most resthanks to the sectarian line of the Communists, have not be accomplished by turning away from the prom olute defenders of its achievements and triumphs togained a temporary monopoly of the movement. The greater the urgency of forming a militant opposition ising beginnings represented by the progressive move day as the Opposition to those in the Communist moveand the surer the indications of rank and file readiment and abandoning it to unworthy leadership. Such ment who undermine its foundations. It was the Rusa policy only strengthens reaction and its auxiliary sian Revolution that gave birth to the Communist Inness for it, the more clearly the unfitness of the leadforces.
ternational. It was the Communist International, unership of Muste and Company is shown.
The Communists must establish contact with the cer the genius of its immortal leaders, Lenin and TrotThe labor movement is also an arena of the class workers in the ranks and combine with them for a sky, that welded together the forces of the revolutionstruggle in which the ruling officials represent the cap common struggle. Without the Communist leaven the ary militants throughout the world that had been shatitalists. There can be no dynamic force organized new progressive movement will have no backbone, it tered and dispersed by the treachery of the social deagainst them which does not proceed from this stand will retreat on all basic questions before the onslaught mocracy. It was the Communist International that point, but this is just the issue that the progressive of the entrenched reactionaries and become a shield bought a new breath of life, a new spirit of struggle leaders try to evade. Pretending to shape movement for them. The movement which Muste and similars and militaney into the ranks of the labor movement. It in between the two main counter currents the right seek to stultify is a genuine movement from below. It established in the first five years of its existence those and the left they inevitably yield to the former and has strength, it is growing and will continue to grow basic conceptions upon which a mighty mobilization of serve them. Thereby they stultify the rebellious as as the growing horror of capitalist rationalization revolutionary fighters was organized.
pirations of the workers and arrest their progress on drivés discontent deeper into the ranks of the masses Under the mis direction of the distorters of the the path of struggle for a class movement. Neutrali of the workers. Without asking anybody permis teachings of Marx and Lenin, the Communist Internaty between the right and left as impossible as neu sion the Communists must become a part of it, influ tional has departed from the path along which its trality in the class struggle. The conflict between ence it from within, push it to the left and help to founders led it to ever increasing strength and presthese forces is in fact a part of the class struggle shape it into an effective fighting force. Ruthless cri tige. Under the domination of Stalin, Bucharin and and no one can stand half way between them. The ticism of the Muste leadership is an indispensible part their disciples throughout the International, the Com progressives are bound to be the allies of one or of this work for the future of the movement.
munist movement has been brought to a condition the other. Failing to steer toward an alliance with today in which it lies wracked by numerous splits, by left, they are.
confusion, by the pernicious germ of oply against the reactionaries who represent the capiworking class. The movement needs a fresh wind, it As we go to press, comrade Martin Payer of St.
alist interest and the Communists who represent the Louis informs us that the delegates from the St.
calls for clear voices that can sound again the clarion proletarian interest become harder against the latter Louis Communist League were refused admission to cail of those principles of Leninism upon which the and feebler against the former, the Gastonia Conference organized there by the party, International was built, that can cleanse the movement Recent actions and utterances of Muste and other on the ground that they were not an organization. of Stalinism. It needs a re statement of fundamentals, prominent representatives of the Conference for ProThe delegates from the Workers Alliance then walked clarity in theory and action. It needs a resumption of gressive Labor Action bear this out already. Muste out. There were left in this broad united front eight the struggle for the victory of Bolshevism.
article in the New Leader for August 17th illustrates Party members and one delegate from the In less than a year of its existence, the Militant has the point. There he summons the workers to the standNo attempt was made to organize the sentiment of carried on this struggle. The huge requirements of ard of the in the name of Gompers. Apol St. Louis labor movement for Gastonia. The conferthe present moment demand its publication as a ögizing to the Socialist black hundreds of the United WEEKLY MILITANT. And no more appropriate and enoe was run by Earley, travelling job artist of Hebrew Trades for the appearance of the progressive the Party.
symbolic time can be found than the 12th Annivermovement, and pleading for toleration he asks: Did sary of the Russian Revolution. The publication of he (Gompers) ever question the right of an opposi mass meeting of the Leninbund (Left Communthe Militant as a WEEKLY will enable us to deal more tion to exist in the of ists) in Berlin, after hearing a report on Gastonia, promptly and in greater detail with the general struggle of the American and world working class, to con Such an argument is false and misleading. In the adopted a resolution of support for the defense, and fürst place Gompers was the symbol of capitalist in called for a broad agitation against the proposed sider its problems, to fight by its side in every daily battle against the class enemy.
fluence in the labor movement for forty years and re lynching of the strikers. An attempt by Stalinist Party Our aim of a weekly can be realized if all the mains so today. His spirit belongs exclusively to the thugs to disperse the meeting was repulsed by the exploiters of labor and their agents who are the right workers in attendance.
branches of the League cooperate. Already the Minful heirs of Gompers. The attempt to invoke it in the neapolis and Chicago branches have taken the initiative and are working to raise their quotas to insure the name of a progressive movement can only make the Another Rumor Nailed Weekly. Every other branch, every member, every reactionaries laugh and fool the workers. In the secone of our sympathizers must now concentrate upon ond place it is equally wrong to represent Gompers The Stalinist press in Canada is deliberately spread this task. It is a big task, but we are confident of our as a democrat who tolerated opposition movements.
The present expulsion of the of against the ing the lie that one Bergstein, Canadian vice pres ability to accomplish it. The struggle for Bolshevism left wing was initiated by him. The expulsion of ident of the cap and millinery workers union, and an requires hard work and big sacrifices from every miliWilliam Dunne from the Portland Convention of agent of Zaritsky right wing crew, is a Trotskyist tant. The forces that are swimming against the the of was a way of questioning the right and a member of the Communist League of America stream are being united in Russia and the rest of the of an opposition to exist. Can such an item be over. Opposition. This lie is cut out of the whole cloth by world. Their American regiment will do its part in the fight.
looked, or is it Muste idea that democracy should Messrs. Buck, MacDonald and Smith. Bergstein was The WEEKLY MILITANT can be begun and mainnot be extended to the Communists? Such apologies a member of the Canadian Communist Party for years.
to reaction cannot be slogans for a progressive movetained if every supporter of the Opposition comes loyHe was and is a consistent Right winger and an antiment of the workers.
ally to its support. MILITANT SUSTAINING Communist, and when charges were presented against FUND must be got under way for the next period.
The bosses of the United Hebrew Trades have repu him in the Canadian Political Committee for his col The SUSTAINING FUND can be best by every diated the out of gratitude to Green and laboration with Zaritsky, Buck and MacDonald covered comrade making a Pledge for money to be sent in Woll for their help in wrecking the left wing unions.
him up. Now Bergstein is out of the Party and the regularly for the WEEKLY MILITANT, or by sendA more brazen crime against he workers was never Stalinists are trying to conceal their own protection of ing in a donation.
perpetrated than this united front of the bosses, the police, the heads of the of and the Socialist him in the past by telling the lie that he is with the PLEDGE YOUR REGULAR CONTRIBUTION NOW FOR THE WEEKLY MILITANT!
leaders of the needle trades against he workers. The Opposition. Bergstein has never had any connection denunciation of such a betrayal is the first duty of a with the Opposition, neither before nor after our exFILL OUT THIS BLANK progressive leader. For what else can there be a pulsion.
progressive movement except to call treason by its right name and fight it in the open? But Muste passes THE MILITANT it over and even condones it as a matter of course, Box 120, Madison Square Station, maintaining only that Green and Woll deserve no New York, special thanks for doing their duty to the needle From the report of Piatnitsky, organizational trades fakers in distress: head of the Comintern to the 10th Plenum of the Enclosed herewith a contribution for. we take the following excerpts which speak for the WEEKLY MILITANT. Let credit by all means be given where credit so eloquently for the decline of the sections of the pledge myself to make a regular contribreis due. But why so much ado about help given during the period of the Stalin Bucharin leadership of the International: tion of.
every week towards the SUS In America in 1927, there were 166 shop nuclei TAINING FUND FOR THE WEEKLY MILITANT.
THE MILITANT and 452 street nuclei, in 1928, there were 111 shop nuclei and 468 street nuclei. Here the number of shop Published twice a month by the Communist League nuclei is also declining and the number of street nuName of America (Opposition)
clei increasing. In Czecho Slovakia, there were 1301 Address all mail to: Box 120, Madison Square shop nuclei in 1926, 1030 in 1927. In the Communist Address Station, New York, Farty of Germany there is a high percentage of indus City State Publisher address at 332 18th Street, New York, trial workers, and the percentage of Communists workSubscription rate: 00 per year. Foreign 50 ing in factories and shops is certainly not less than 5c per copy Bundle rates, 8c per copy.
60 percent. How is the mass of the membership rep into Party organizations where there are no nuclei resented in the shop nuclei. In 1927, 15 percent of Associate Editors: at all. We have very little data on the of the Party members belonged to shop nuclei, and in Editor France, but the little that we have on the basis of ofMartin Abern 1928, 12 percent. 47 percent of the Party memberJames Cannon Max Shachtman ficial Party reports, indicate that the had ship belonged to street nuclei in 1927, and 42 percent about 56, 000 Party members in February 1928, of Maurice Spector in 1928. In the local organizations where there were whom 17, 448 were in shop nuclei, which makes 31. 15 VOL. II. SEPTEMBER 15, 1919 no nuclei, there were 31 percent of the Party member percent of the Party membership. In April 1929, the No. 14.
ship in 1927 and 43 percent in 1928. Thus, the num report of the Central Committee to the 6th Congress Entered as second class mail matter November 28, ber of Party members belonging to street nuclei fell of the already gives the Party membership from 47 percent in 1927 to 42 percent in 1928, that is, 1928, at the Post Office at New York, under the as 45, 000 of whom only 24 percent still belong to shop a decline of percent, since a part of the Party memact of March 3, 1879.
nuclei. That is the picture of the work of the Combership moved over from the street and shop nuclei munist Parties in the shops.
Piatnitsky Figures