Page THB MILITANT October 1, 1929.
GOOD BY PEPPER! Letters from the Argentine and from England The Passing of an Adventurer Martin Abern, Buenos Aires, Argentine. will jump, it is better for us to say as little as possible, not to compromise ourselves too far, not to get Stalin After considerable negotiations, delay and hesitation, Dear Comrade: back up too much by proclaiming ourselves to be on the International Control Commission has decided to Yours of the 27th to hand and thank you for much the side of the Russian Opposition.
expel from the Communist Party John Pepper. The for the Militant. few days ago there arrived from What will happen in the future of course, we don manner in which he was expelled and the accusations New York a comrade who gave us a report about things know. We are still waiting for the final word of the made against him are characteristic of his whole career in the States, but it wasn up to much.
Comintern. It is rather a long time coming but let in the revolutionary movement and of those who made should like to let you know about the state of it come whichever way it likes, am sure we won him the great figure that he was in the American affairs here, yet am not sure how much you do know budge. We are ready to unite with the rank and file Party and in the Communist International.
and how much you don know. Anyhow, here goes. of the offiical Party; we had no disagreement with Months ago, we told the story of how he excused Our trouble started about years ago. Seven memthem, but with the or men of the who called himself for not coming back to Moscow upon decision bers of our began to work against the other five in the police to arrest our comrades, we refuse to of the Executive of the International by concocting members; these seven had the support of the delegate work with then again.
a Munchhausen story of his attempted dash to the of the Comintern and nothing would have mattered Speaking for myself, don care much if never Kremlin via Mexico which was allegedly foiled by much had their fight been in a clean, manly way, as join an official Party of the Comintern Comintern as Hoover and Calles. Now our report is officially con should be a fight between comrades, between Com it is just now. believe in an International of Lenin, but don care much for an International of Stalin. firmed by the charges of the Control Commission. We munists. Curiously enough, these seven were all of are further enlightened by the charge that Pepper was them of the intelligentsia. of the middle class, and respected the Communist International, but just now it supposed to have gone to Corea for the Comintern, the other five were men from the working class.
seems to be more like a Jesuit International. So there never went, and presented a bill for expenses never No doubt about it, the majority of the did you are.
incurred. It may puzzle the novice to think why some dirty work. They suppressed some telegramas Along with this am sending our first proclamaPepper should be confronted with his Corean escapade from the Comintern, destroyed some letters, sent lying tion and the first number of our journal Adalante. at this late date; for it is more than a year ago that telegrams to the Comintern, assaulted houses and li You may be interested in it.
he was sent there, and of all things, to straighten out braries of the members of the Opposition, wrote a You may make whatever use you like of this letter.
a factional squabble. But all the charges dissolve in letter to the Chief of Police asking aid of the Polic! am 62 years of age, born in England, brought up in the face of his major unforgivable sin: his support of in order to take possession of the houses and libraries St. Petersburg at the time of Alexander having Bucharin. Had he come out for Stalin, all would be of the members who weren approving their proceed known men like Kropotkin, William Morris, Tom Mann, forgotten and concealed of that there can be no doubt. ings, arrested, of course with the help of the police, Stepniak, Chernischevsky and others; a Socialist all Pepper record for the last 15 years has been worse some of our comrades among them Penelon, our best my lifetime, years now in the Communist Party. If than it is today, but he was not only tolerated by man, and in the opinion of many, the best man in South you feel that way inclined, please write and let me Stalin and Bucharin and Zinoviev each in his own America.
know if there is anything can do to help along the day but raised to the highest commanding positions. Things went so far that we had to separate and form good casue. As said Danton, The cause alone is great So that he shall not be lightly forgotten, we recapitu another Party, 18 months ago. Then came a delega and shall not perish, but live forever!
late some parts of the astounding career of Pepper: tion from the Comintern with a resolution of the Wishing you the best of luck, remain, Before the war, a pillar of the Hungarian yellow which was so plainly in favor of our enemies that we GUINNEY.
social democracy. During the war, a jingo of the wouldn have anything to do with it. Then this delegablackest dye who served as paid war correspondent tion went away and now there is another here, but Helston, Cornwall, England.
of Emperor Franz Jospeh and toasted the imperial there is no sign of settlement.
Dear Comrade: generals in their camp. After the war, war minister Our terms are plain and simple. The Comintern of the Karolyi government, during which time he im must in some way punish or members of the old Enclosed find the right sum for what owe for prisoned Bela Kun, threatened to mow down the Com men who have shown themselves to be scoundrels or Militants. find that propaganda in England is munists with machine guns, and denounced them as fools or agents of the bourgeoisie. If the Comintern is very expensive work. Some of the most intelligent Left counter revolutionaries. On the eve of the mad enough or in other words, if Stalin is pig headed workers, and of the unemployed, could not pay the Soviet revolution, he turned Bolshevik and became a enough to sacrifice the whole Communist movement price of a book or a newspaper if their lives depended Soviet commissar. denouncer of Communists to of South America in order to save or men who are on it. Everything has to be done at one own exthe Viennese police during his exile there, and a manunot worth saving, then we can help it. As we are, 30 pense.
facturer of fantastic anti revolutionary theories. Then we ll continue to be. In the meantime there is another The effect of the Militant in the Tyneside area has his re appearance in Germany with Bela Kun as the Bolshevist Party against the official Party in Monte been excellent. In North Shields, which is the headlight minded organizer of the ill fated March action video, Uruguay, and another division in the Communist quarters of my reading circle, the official Communist of 1921.
Party in the Republic of Paraguay. Here there is Party is broken up (though in the last letter reUnder the leadership of Lenin and Trotsky, he was fight between the two parties on all sides in the press, ceived there was not of a rumor that it was starting virtually banished by the International to the United in the unions, in the Sports Federation, etc. etc. It is again. If this is true the members only number two States to become a writer on the Hungarian Party paa pity but what to be done?
os three, think. The Militant readers are steadily per, Uj Elore. On his arrival here he posed as the As regards the Russian Opposition it is only quite on the side of the Opposition. With comradely greetrepresentative of the and for years took in lately that the members our Party have been able ings, the Party. Overnight he became the leader of the to learn some truth about it. We used to see someAmerican Party, injecting an evilly poisonous stream thing about it in the capitalist press and in the Russian (NOTE. Confirmation of Comrade letter on Pravda and, of course, couldn make head or tail into its blood, spinning theories out of his imagination the Party situation on the Tyneside, comes from the which led the Party from adventure to debacle. He of it. Lately, we ve been reading The Real Situation official organ of the British Workers Life of played with imaginary masses, toyed with millions on in Russia ard Where is Russia Going etc. in August 1, 1929: specially summoned joint meeting paper, organized and dispersed movements with a Spanish. and it seems that the best men in the Party of the Tyneside District Party and the met Napoleonic sweep of the hand. With the victory of the believe Trotsky to be right. Our has decided that on July 12 to consider a written statement on Party Foster Cannon group in the Party as the 1923 Conven in this question every member may think as he pleases, policy and leadership. The statement points to the tion, he was virtually run out this country too.
but it best not to make public propaganda of it just serious decline in Party forces. Tyneside is only Back in Moscow, he became the loudest barker for now. It is understood, more or less, that in our present a replica of the rest of the Party under the leadership situation, waiting as we are to see which way the cat the obscene show against Trotsky. No Plenum, no of the British jumping jacks of Stalin. Editor. Congress, no meeting of any kind took place, but that Pepper disgraced it with his venomous denunciations of Trotsky and the Opposition as counter revolutionaries. None excelled him in villification. Zinovievist of the wildest type, he fell into momentary The fall period witnesses an impetus to the activi branch meeting was the best attended meeting to bad grace with Stalin for failing to jump on the band ties of the branches of the Communist League of date, and new members were added. Among the wagon soon enough. But he paid his way back into America (Opposition) throughout the country. In active forces there are rne Swabeck, Albert Glotzer, the apparatus by howling louder than the rest of the summary, the branches are working to maintain and both members of the National Committee of the Compack for Trotsky blood. His last prominent act in build a WEEKLY MILITANT, organizing study class munist League. Helen Judd, John Mihelic, John the United States was when he acted as Party spokes es, getting new members, participating in the cam Edwards, Booth, Mike Zalisko, Bob Garver, Bill man in a shameful speech made when we were ex paign to free the Gastonia frame up victims, hold Edwards, Rebecca Sacherow, and many others.
pelled. His latter day activities are too recent and ing street meetings, working in the labor unions and class in the History of the Communist Internawell known to require elaboration.
generally developing a broader activity inside and outNow he has joined again in Lovestone camp, and tional with comrade Arne Swabeck as instructor, has side the Communist League.
been organized by the Chicago branch.
this is quite as it should be. But he will yet be heard of. He is made of vile stuff and he will end in a TORONTO, CANADA. The Toronto branch is getmore remunerative and larger camp, where his pecuting on the job in earnest for the Militant; Comrade KANSAS CITY, MO. The Kansas City comrades, liar talents can be utilized to the utmost. No one Maurice Quarter, Secretary, reports the branch is writes comrade Shorty) Buehler, are very well pleased with the Militant, and are raising a quota for can regret his expulsion. Belated though it was, it is arranging an affair for its benefit. An educational welcome Regret lies only in the thought of how the program for the fall and winter period is being mapped its maintenance. Many workers are getting in touch interational Communist movement had to bear Pepout.
with the Communist. League through the book shop maintained there by comrade Buehler.
per for many years as a leader, and of the many NEW HAVEN, CONN. Comrade Gendelman, Peppers still in its ranks.
Secretary, writes that after a quiet summer for the NEW YORK, Street meetings continue to be Adventurer of three continents, demagogue of the League in which the Party has been even more quiet, held with great success by the New York Branch. New meanest type, careerist and charlatan, man without if not extinct, good working branch is being organized. speakers, among them George Clarke, Joe Friedman, character or principle, self seeker and alien element Funds are being raised for The Militant.
Sol Lankin, have been developed to aid the more exin the body of the working class, Pepper brought only perienced comrades. mass meeting (see other colchaos, corruption and poison into our movement. It PHILADELPHIA, PA. This branch although umns) is being planned for October 22nd. At the would be strong by his expulsion were it not for the not very large at present, is alert in spreading the recent open branch meeting of the New York Comother Peppers of varying stripe, who rise automatical Militant, and is rasing a special fund to ensure a munist League, four new members were admitted, inly to fill his vacancy. We who fought Pepper from Weekly Militant. Comrades Leon Goodman, Bernad cluding two active seamen, a former member of the the day we came in contact with him bid him fare Morgan, Whitten are the live wires here.
Communist Party of Germany and another active well. The revolutionary workers will meet with him worker.
again, but only on opposing sides of the battle.
SPRINGFIELD, ILL. Joe Angelo write that more study class in the Fundamentals of Communism, 270XC can be expected from now on in Springfield and viciniinstructors, Max Shachtman and Martin Abern, is to for the Opposition movement, and reports on probegin in early October. A E spective members.
For the Benefit of the Weekly Militant MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. Subscriptions continue to BOSTON, MASS. number of subscriptions for on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1929, at p. come in for The Militant from Minneapolis. The MinThe Militant have come in from Boston. Comrade Schlosberg informs the National Office that there is at the neapolis League, very active in the labor unions, had HUNGARIAN HALL, 323 East 79th Street renewed and added stimulus and vigor among the Excellent Musical Program Dancing Entertainment of Labor Convention. This Branch functions in every members with the prospect of a Weekly Militant beAdmission: 50 cents in advance, or 60 cents at door.
phase of the working class movement as a genuine fore them.
AUSPICES: Communist League of America (Oppo revolutionary movement should.
All signs point to a vigorous activity by the Comsition) New York Branch and the Proletar munist League of America and its branches. Clarity (Hungarian Opposition)
CHICAGO, ILL. Chicago has been active on be of principle and the conviction to carry these prinhalf of the Gastonia defendants, for the drive for ciples into action animate the members throughout 5:20 the Weekly Militant and in the trade unions. Its COMMUNIST LEAGUE ACTIVITIES the country.