September 15, 1929.
THE MILITANT Page The Industrial Situation But it is not merely the budding Southern industrial oligarchy which pursues such savage methods of repression against its unorganized workers. At the almost opposite end of the pole, among the craft conBy Arne Swabeck conservative craft unions as the street carmen of servative building trades workers, we saw this Spring New Orleans go into action against the employers with the threat of a lockout by the employers against the Ever more the strike movements give evidence of organization sentiment ripening amongst the workers whole of the building trades of New York, directed working class exasperation from deep seated grievan everywhere in these states.
mainly against their struggle for the five day week, ces, of rebellion against the increased class pressure The shameful sell out by the officials of the United a threat which is sure to be renewed at a more opin industry. They foreshadow the trend of the Amer Textile Workers Union of the strikers of Elizabethportune time.
ican workers toward a more definite class position ton, Tenn. is not the end there. These workers will THE RIPENING MOVEMENT and oward a class movement. They indicate the great again take up the fight. In the other little Southern Thus the objective possibilities, the response to which possibilities becoming available for militant unionism. mill towns spontaneous strikes of the unorganized can be noted both among the unorganized masses of THE TEXTILE WORKERS workers occur almost continually. The most militant workers as well as those within the trade unions, are Naturally the struggles of the workers in the South fight has unquestionably been made by the Gastonia slowly ripening for the building of a class movement ern territory command the major attention. newly workers under the leadership of the National Textile of the American workers. The surest signs appear in Workers Union.
developed industrial proletariat in rebellion against But for the time being the mill the moves of the heavily exploited section of the workthe rapidly established capitalist trustified industry, barons have succeeded through the celebrated murder ers in the basic industries. To unite these beginning with its intense exploitation, is of the greatest signiframe up tactics of American capitalism in putting struggles and give them organized expression is the ficance. Not only are the unorganized textile workers the movement on the defensive. But the misery of the particular task of the left wing. There is no other engaging in this revolt, but even members of such workers increases their deep rooted discontent grows force able to lead and inaugurate the movement for and it will be a matter only of time when they will building of new unions of the unorganized workers and again be able to resume the offensive. With united supthe importance and the antagonism that accompanies to crash through the barriers of craft conservatism port of the American working class that day will arnationalist sentiments.
and capitalist ideology among the masses in the unions, rive so much sooner. believe that all this is a far cry from imperialism.
winning them for class policies. To us this is axiomatic believe that here is a good chance for the ultra Lefts It is unquestionably due to this aggressive, militant To the working class, however, it must be proven and struggle led by the Communists at Gastonia, comto learn something. am also ready to admit that false steps will lead to isolation instead of broadening not all of our resolutions have been carried out. There bined with the ruthless pressure upon the workers and increasing of the left influence.
by the mill bosses that the officials of the United Texwere probably more unlawful acts on the railway lines The present policies pursued by the Party and the tile Workers have decided to exploit the growing union represent such false steps. The contrathan in Moscow. That is precisely the reason why the sentiment in its announced intention to carry on an Opposition wages an implacable struggle. Yet it is a dictions of these policies already appearing. Thus organization campaign throughout the Southern states.
poor politician who chrows out the child with the the force of events has already compelled a certain But their actual efforts, as already demonstrated in water when the bath is over.
modification of the original policy for the Cleveland the Elizabethton betrayal, will be to lead this sentiI have already shown the sense in which the StalUnity Congress away from the building of a center inist faction responsible was for Chiang Kaiment into channels safe for capitalism.
in the sense of a new trade union federation and more Shek provocations. But even if we assume that ON THE RAILROADS toward the correct attitude of building a left center as Stalin bureaucrats have acted foolishly again, and Among the railroad workers growing militancy has an organizing instrument. But they have not yet have thereby helped the enemy to strike a blow against been demonstrated of recent date in determined rank changed the new line.
the Soviet republic, what conclusions should we draw?
THE NEW LINE AND LENINISM and file votes for strike to adjust their grievances.
Perhaps the conclusion that we must not defend the This new line. non Marxian and non Leninist in Held back however, by conservative craft prejudices conception, leads to splitting and the isolation of the Soviet Republic? or the conclusion that we must liband class collaboration practices nothing has so far erate it from Stalinist leadership. The editorial of small left wing and its followers as is now actually the gone beyond the usual procedure of arbitration. Yet Contre le Courant has outrageously come to the first result where the left wing appears today. Refusal to the demand made by the railroad brotherhoods for the conclusion, stating that we must not support Stalin draw these masses, now just awakening to the need six hour day can only be ascribed to the increasing bureaucracy and its adventurist war. As though in for organization and struggle, into the of pressure of the rank and file upon the officialdom.
such an event the Stalinist bureaucracy would be at Refusal to try to affiliate them collectively through Reasons for this pressure can easily be found in the stake and not the October revolution and its potentialithe new unions to the of separating the left fact that during the last eight years the combined ties. In order to parade more of its wisdom, the ediwing from the now appearing progressive movement roads of the country have cut their working force by torial goes on to say: It is not up to the Opposition which, no matter how vacillating and spineless the 180, 000 men; that in 1928 the total payroll was 90 to prepare some special remedy in the present crisis.
leaders, nevertheless represents pressure from below million dollars below that of 1927 with an increase in We cannot immagine a worse standpoint. This is as well as commands a following. In reality the new profits of 108 million dollars; in the further fact of the not the view of a revolutionary, but of a disinterested line means to withdraw entirely from the existing corresponding heavy ase of eed up, loss of union spectator. What shall the Russian revolutionary do? conditions, governmental action to defeat the workers unions despite all protestations to the contrary.
What shall the fighters of the Opposition do in case With the masses awakening, the role of the existand the general failure of the union leadership.
of war? Shall they perhaps take a neutral position?
ing unions having a mass basis will be of so much more In the general working class condition the picture The author of the editorial does not seem to think of importance no matter how reactionary their leaderis a similar one, however, with the exploitation of the this. And that because of not being guided by the ship. To direct this awakening toward the building of large masses of unskilled workers being much more viewpoint of a revolutionary who will unconditionally a class movement the left wing must work among the intense. The department of labor reports that enlist in the war, but because of proceeding like a masses everywhere and closely co ordinate its work in 1928 there were fewer factory jobs than in any pre within the old unions with that among the unorganized notary who records the actions of both parties withvious year since 1921 while payroll totals reached the workers. Only when going hand in hand can it sucout intervening.
lowest level since 1924. The reduction in the employ ceed.
The Stalinists have reproached us more than once ment average since 1923, shown by the department, for being defeatists, or defenders on certain conditions.
Moreover, only through a broad united front orrepresent loss of jobs to more than 1, 000, 000 workers. ganized with all forecs ready to work toward a class spoke on this subject on August 1, 1927, at the joint plenum of the Central Committee and the Central ConBUILDING AND AUTOMOBILES movement for militant unionism, exposing and fighttrol Commission. said: Building activities according to the Commercial and ing bitterly all self seeking phrase mongering aspir Whoever accuses us of defending the Soviet Union Financial Chronicle in a report, covering 354 of the ants to leadership, can the left wing become a real Ox: conditions, we herewith brand as liars and slander largest cities shows a decline for 1928 compared to factor and prove its worth and capacity for leadership 1925 of 878, 477, 171 or about 20 percent. In addition to the masses. But this is the opposite of the present Stalinist new line. this is the Leninist line.
In this way repudiated the idea of neutrality and the workers are faced with a rapid mechanization of conditional defense, called it a slander and hurled this the industry with machinery replacing labor and handslander back into the teeth of the Stalinists. Did the tools, all of the material used being entirely finished author of the editorial fail to notice this? And if he in the factories mostly under non union conditions.
did not fail why did he not attack me? The speech Thus even the privileged position of these skilled workto which refer was printed in my recent book, pub ers divided by craft prejudices, craft union barriers AN OPPOSITIONIST BEATEN IN THE lished in French under the title The Distorted Rev and reactionary corrupt leadership being thratened, UNION OFFICE olution.
compelling orientation towards new methods and On Monday, August 19, comrade Nathan Berman, When delivered my speech, did not deal with some forms of struggle.
a member of the Communist League, went to the office specific war, but with any war that might be waged It is understandable that the capitalist institutions of the Joint Board of the Needle Trades Workers Inagainst the Soviet Republic. Only an ignoramus will view with considerable concern the uncertain situa dustrial Union in New York, to pay his dues, amountfail to see from the combination of the preceding events tion in the automobile industry. In Detroit the per cap ing to 25. Berger, a leading Party member in the a basic antagonism between the imperialist powers ita earnings of the auto workers decreased per cent Union, greeted Berman as follows: Hey, skunk, do and Soviet Russia. Yes, in the question of my visa during 1928. Men over 45 years of age can find no you still belong to the Trotsky faction?
the imperialists are in cheerful accord with Stalin.
jobs, unemployment is growing, layoffs and hiring at Before Berman could do a thing, he was seized and But when it comes to the question of the Soviet re lower wages has become routine. Speedup is constant held fast by three Stalinists, while Berger slugged him public, they all remain its mortal enemies, irrespective ly increasing; among the workers discontent is spread in the mouth till he bled. None of the Union officials of Stalin. Every war would expose this antagonism and ing and is manifested in repeated strikes and growing protested.
would inevitably result in endangering the very exist sentiment for organization. In the latest report of the On the way out of the office, Weiss, another leadence of the Soviet Union. For this reason said in Student Industrial Commission we find a summary ing Stalinist in the union and one of the heads of the my speech quoted above: of these conditions as follows: With all these shop cloak department, told Berman to get the hell out of Are we, the Opposition, in any doubt on the ques strikes before us; with all this boiling indignation here. Berger was taken into the inner office while tion of defending the Socialist Fatherland? Not in bursting our ears; with in discontented mobs Berman was driven out.
the slightest degree. We hope not only to defend it gathering before factory employment offices, we see no Comrade Berman joined the Union in 1913, upon his but to teach others how to defend it. Have we any other alternative than unionism. Human nature will arrival in this country. He joined the Communist Pardoubt on the ability of Stalin to take a correct line stand just so much, then it breaks over the dams and ty in 1921, while it was still underground, and was of defense for the Socialist Fatherland? We have, overflows. One day this is going to happen in De expelled from it last year for refusing to vote for the and this in the highest degree.
expulsion of the Opposition. He was a supporter of the The Opposition is for the victory of the With the same tempo of these developments the Left wing in the Union from the beginning, and a It has proved, and will prove, no worse than the others. trade union bureaucrats in general are moving con regular member of the In 1927 he was stabbed As to Stalin, that is another matter. Stalin, in fact, stantly in the opposite direction, further to the right. on the picket line five times by Right wing gangsters, has something else in mind, which he dares not ex They are proceeding to more bitter denunciations of in the breast, the back and the hand, and he has been press. That is. Does the Opposition think that Stalin militant tactics and of the Communists, increasing under the doctor care since that time because of the regime is incapable of securing victory for the their betrayals and strengthening the fortifications of profuse loss of blood. Indeed, such is their opinion!
the capitalist system. Just now when the Gastonia It is characteristic of the present struggle against Zinoviev: Correct!
strike leaders are facing framed up murder charges the Communist Opposition that comrade Berman, a Not a single Oppositionist will renounce his right and execution the of Executive Council is victim of the thugs of the Right wing and a staunch and duty, on the eve of war or during its course, to again broadcasting its warnings to the affiliated fighter for the Left wing union by a Berger, who fight for the correction of the Party line then and unions not to give any money to such Communistic deserted the fight during a strike. Comrade Berman always because this is the most important pre requi organizations as the the and the Na was not driven away from the movement by Right site for victory. will sum up: We are for the tional Textile Workers Union, condemning with the wing gunmen and he will not be driven away by Socialist Fatherland, but we are not for the Stalinist Communists also the Conference for Progressive La Stalinist thugs who copy their methods. But what have course.
bor Action. This becomes so much more brazenly Zimmerman and Gold to say about this, what do Foster, believe that this position retains its full strength in reactionary in view of the fact that the Southern strug Wicks and Weinstone, who are clamoring against the the present moment as well.
gles involve not merely the right to strike under Com gangsterism and burglaries of Lovestone. have to say TROTSKY. munist leadership but the right of any and all strikes, about the gangsterism they use against Communist Constantinople, August 4, 1929.
of any and all workers organization.
workers who support the Opposition.
ers. Gangster Assault troit.