Page THE MILITANT September 15, 1929.
called successful.
chance to PARTY PROGRESS TWO LETTERS FROM AFAR The 3rd Period Hits St. Louis LETTER FROM ALFRED ROSMER taken in Russia as well as on an international scale.
Under this condition we could not help but publish our clearcut illustration of Third period adventurism Prinkipo, Turkey, July 9, 1929.
paper and distribute to all the members of the Party.
Ilear Comrade Cannon: and the consequent isolation, is afforded in St. Louis.
We feel that we have not yet got the sympathy of the The May Day Conference called by the Amalgamated Review, called Opposition as soon as possible. We We have decided here to publish an International masses outside of the Pary. We hope that hereafter Clothing Workers and the Mooney Billings Freedom hope to be ready by next September. This review is our attention will be given to this kind of work, as you did. We try to publish our periodical named THE Conference called by the Molders Union were excep to be published in two languages: French and German.
PROLETARIAN. It shall appear before you very soon.
tional opportunities for mass activity and for the local An English edition is, of course, very desirable, but we The Chinese revolution has lost all that we have been Party to become a factor in the St. Louis labor move believe it not possible for the present. In the meanfighting for. Opportunistic leadership betrayed our ment.
Did the Party get out Lenin slogan of the time, we shall send you, of course, all articles of an hoped for victory. We are now facing various kinds united front and work in these conferences, pushing international interest for insertion in The Militant.
of oppression. We are in need of ecor. omic resources.
them so St. Louis would have a huge May Day Mass We hope that the French Opposition will take durWe hope that you will send us books and papers Meeting, and so that the workers and their organizaing the months to come a new development. We are relative to recent conditions of the International Options and unions would become aroused about the preparing a weekly which, according to our intention, position. Organizationally, we have Action Commitmust unite the present small groups or most of the tees in the nuclei in every part of China.
frame up system and Mooney and Billings? No. Well, comrades who are in them and above all many Comwhat did the Party do? Nothing. That is, nothing munists who are no more members of the Party but We hope you will inform us as to the condition actually in Soviet Russia and the Third International.
with reference to the Mooney Billings Freedom Con are quite demoralized by Stalin zigzags and partially In your paper we hope you can put more material on ference; the May Day Conference they broke up. inactive, our task will be hard but we take it with the position in China.
Let us take these up singly and see what we get out great confidence.
With Communist Greetings, of this adventurism. The May Day Conference called The arrival every fortnight of The Militant is always ACTION COMMITTEE OF THE by the Amalgamated Clothing Workers was an opa great joy to me. read it at once from beginning to end: it is good stuff and admire your fighting spirit CHINESE OPPOSITION.
portunity for St. Louis to hold a huge May Day Massin the struggle against the Stalinist clique: By Meeting on the basis of united front with other labor With my best wishes for the young Communist organizations. The delegates to the Conference had League, The Sacco Vanzetti Meetings 10 disagreement about the program or policy for the Fraternally yours, ROSMER.
proposed May Day meeting (briefly, Fight against imperialist. war! Defend Workers Soviet Russia! Fight You know perhaps that Foster is an old acOutstanding in the second anniversary of the exequaintance of mine. wonder how he can stay in cution of Sacco and Vanzetti was the failure of the against low wages, long hours, rationalization, etc. revolutionary elements to mobilize the workers for an yet the Party leadership, who controlled the majority Stalin galley. used to hear him speak rather harshly international memorial demonstration, and to utilize of bolshevisation.
of delegates, broke up the conference! They were the movement generated thereby for an intensified against a united front on any basis; their advice was struggle against the persecution and imprisonment of FROM THE CHINESE OPPOSITION each labor organization shall hold their own May Day working class fighters. The Comintern did not even meeting! The result was no joint May Day MassShanghai, China, July 8, 1929. make an effort to organize demonstrations internationMeeting; three small, isolated meetings being held Dear Comrade: ally. In Europe, there were no demonstrations, at instead, with only the Communist League of America Your periodical received with many thanks. In the least none was reported either in the bourgeois or the (Opposition) holding a meeting which could at all be fighting against the opportunistic leadership of the Communist press. In the United States, there was no national movement organized, despite the pressing need Party, we are reinforced by international theoretical to politically wake up St.
support. As the Stalinist regime has reigned over all and the excellent opportunity to knit the lessons of the Louis with a huge joint mass meeting and the Party the world, we are sure that the fight against oppor Sacco Vanzetti case with the struggle for the Gastonia slogan is Break up the the Conference!
tunism will be our united task.
defendants. The New York demonstration in Union The other illustration of a bankrupt leadership is We, under the Stalinist suppression, are hardly able Square was a pitiful fiasco only some 3000 attended afforded in the Mooney Billings Freedom Conference to receive any information about the truth of Russia. the meeting organized by the Party. In most of the other centers there was not even an endeavor to demoncalled by Local 59, of the International Molder Union. Yet we have passed already one year since our organSome twenty local unions and several labor organizaization has been founded. Victory is already on our strate on the anniversary. It was simply passed over.
side, in that the mass of the party has followed us on tions have participated in the work but at none of the This is a warning signal for the Party of the pasall the fronts that we face.
conferences has the Party done anything. Why, the sivity that has crept into the ranks. The huge moveOur Party leadership is the true and honest disciple ment for Sacco and Vanzetti must and can be revived Party has not even been represented! Neither has the of opportunism. They follow what Stalin does against for Gastonia and for the workers who are already imI. the the or any of the Party con us. But we will never be discouraged, although we prisoned, some of them for years. The present Party trolled organizations, Ladies Auxiliary, etc. Why was are under extreme suppression of our party leaders. policy, however, is powerless to accomplish this urgent this?
They forbid us to criticize the opportunistic policy task.
Here was an opportunity for the Party to be freed from their Labor Lyceum isolation; to push if not lead a union fight against the frame up system, yet the Party policy is we don want to have anything to do with them, they re labor fakers. To hell with the The Communist League of America and its branches well as in maintaining the paper from issue to issue.
united front, to hell with the fight against the frame are undertaking numerous activities. Some of the work The branch undertook a house to house canvass for up system, to hell with a demonstration and mass. is cited below: the Militant with considerable success, and the idea is meeting for Mooney and Billings, we won have NEW YORK CITY: The New York branch of the recommended to other branches. The Minneapolis anything to do with the they re labor fakers. Communist League is conducting very successful street group rivals Chicago as subscription getters for the The result is the Mooney Billings public protest meet meetings every Saturday night. Militants and the Militant. The comrades report also that the St. Paul ing and the automobile parade on July 27th, 13th an pamphlet, the Criticism of the Draft Program of the branch is getting under way.
niversary, of Mooney and Billings imprisonment is Comintern by Trostky, have been sold in large ST. LOUIS, MO. Since the formation of the St.
being held without the local Party and their controlled numbers at each meeting. Among the speakers have Louis branch of the Communist League, St. Louis has organizations taking any part in the demonstration.
been comrades Max Shachtman, Martin Abern, Maurice been seen more Communist activity than it has for a new force is in the field: the Communist League of Spector, Rose and many other members of the long time. The branch is especially active in the America (Opposition) and they are the pushing and branch.
Mooney Billings campaign and is working to broaden The branch is also conducting a membership drive this and similar movements to draw in every possible leading force. Accordingly we find the Boycotting Party becoming more and more isolated and foreign and eight new applicants were accepted at the last labor organization into the campaign.
to the St. Louis labor movement; each adventure isoltwo branch meetings which are held weekly. Sale of the Militant is stressed and upwards of one thousand BIRMINGHAM, ALA. Comrade Sarah Linn in this ates it more while the Communist Opposition finds its copies of the August 15th issue are expected to be sold.
bailiwick of the Southern steel and cotton lords disinfluence growing, its ranks larger, because it is a part The newsstands selling the Militant are regularly intributes The Militant and does all possible to furthe of the labor movement, and its political line is for the creasing.
our revolutionary work.
workingclass. study class is also being formed for the fall and RICHMOND, CALIF. branch of the Communist And so the local Party remains, as it has been for League is being formed here.
some time, isolated. clique of Labor Lyceum de program of trade union and labor organization BOSTON, MASS. An enthusiastic meeting of the bators. With the Jimmy Higginess one by one becom activities is being mapped out by the local Executive Boston branch greeted the distribution by comrade ing demoralized and disgusted, some with the isolation Committee. The branch is made up largely of mem Schlosberg of membership cards and dues stamps of from the labor movement, others with the overnight bers active in the labor unions.
the Communist League. Subscriptions for the Militant expulsions of yesterday Leading and outstanding, CHICAGO, ILL. The Chicago branch is one of the are coming in steadily from the Massachusetts terribest comrades. Most of the local members are Party best branches in support of the Militant and is now tory. Our comrades in Boston have been very active patriots with little or no understanding of the Comin conducting campaign to raise its quota for the proin the shoe workers strike. The Militant has a very jected WEEKLY MILITANT. Some of the oldest and good sale throughout Boston, Roxbury and nearby tern policies and of Bucharin, Stalin and Trotsky; suddenly confronted by points.
livest wires in the revolutionary movement are in the member with: unanChicago branch. The Chicago comrades have been parunreservedly endorse this latest action or ticularly awake to the task of getting subscribers to KASAS CITY, MO. Shorty Buehler, secretary you are fighting against the Comintern, and are a of the Kansas City branch, reports that the Communist the Militant and the Chicago list grows rapidly.
socialist, menshevik, degenerate, counter revolutionist, League there recently held a successful picnic for the MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. This branch of the Com benefit of the Militant, and that the comrades are now and they unanimously endorse anything and everything, munist League is the unquestioned backbone of the concentrating on new members. The Militant has sold not in the least enlightened but hoping that the revolutionary labor and Communist movement in Min well indeed, and a deep ferment has been aroused member is right that now everything is all right. neapolis. Its members are experienced workers in the among the Communists and sympathizers in Kansas But it is hopeless to hope for heaven for a mass labor unions and other labor organizations. Some of City, and all to the good of the Opposition led by conCommunist movement when the leadership continues its activities are reported on in other columns of The rade Trotsky.
their adventuristic policies of isolating and splitting Militant, notably its work in aiding to organize the The rank and file should fight for an unorganized clothing workers under the leadership of WILLISTON, Comrade Miller, the first internal bolshevik discussion of the three political lines Oliver Carlson, an alternate member of the National Communist legislator in the United States, reports that before the Party; the opportunist (Bucharin) the adCommittee of the Communist League. Such live ele a strong branch of the Communist League is being venturist (Stalin) and the Leninist (Trotsky. An Votaw, Hedlund, Roseland, Oscar Sover, Carl ments as Vincent Dunne, Carl Skoglund, formed of workers and poor farmers in and around Williston who are disgusted with the opportunistic open discussion on the fictitious issue of Trotskyism will give a complete policy of the Stalin clique and its local agent, Knunson.
Cowi, and many others give the Communist League a understanding of the present situation in the Comintern. To this end all rank and file prestige throughout the ranks of the workers.
Space prevents further reports of branch activities members will come; there is no other remedy or soluThe Minneapolis League is pushing the drive for the in the United States and Canada, but a regular feature defense of the Gastonia frame up victims, and is enwill be made of organization activities from now on.
tion. Mass Communist Parties do no: grow on trees cleavoring to organize the movement on the widest pos Comrades are requested to send in brief reports reguor out of unanimous endorsements; they are based on sible united front basis.
larly for publication.
understanding, and on correct workingclass policy. The Minneapolis branch is strongly behind the drive The National Committee of the League is conductMARTIN PAYER. of the National Committee for a Weekly Militant, as ing a drive for the Weekly Militant. See other columns.
COMMUNIST LEAGUE ACTIVITIES winter months.
imously and the Party