THE MILITANT Page October 15, 1929 The Removal of Bucharin The Conflict in the Muste Group the Thaelmann on Toboggan ers of the and of traitors. Because, you see, Messers. Woll, Green and Co. must not be of fended too much, else they will denounce the progressives! The same holds for the messianic hopes that By Maurice Spector can afford to appeal to the masses to be on their many of the leaders place in John Fitzaptrick to come out into the open to lead the progressive movement.
guard against the Thermidorians.
Fitzpatrick, however, already gave us his measure as Pravda has published a long statement on the devia Where is the Party? is a question that is frequenta progressive back in 1924, when he crawled cravenly asked. The answer is that the bureaucracy has kept ly before Gompers.
tions and mistakes of Comrade Bucharin. By order the Party strangled. With the machinery of represof the Stalin bureaucracy, Zinoviev successor may now sion in its control, the Stalin officialdom talks in the THE FEAR OF GREEN be openly and fearlessly reviled by all the faithful who but recently applauded his every utterance as the name of the Party. For the Opposition therefore the This nightmare of fear for the thunderbolts of the distilled essence of Leninism. Perhaps we may yet serious fight against the Right wing which must emanExecutive Council of Mr. Green possesses the tremread the sad story of golden child of the revoate from the mobilization of the masses, involves the bling progressive leaders to the point of paralysis. fight to free the Party masses from the strangle hold progressive movement that does not meet with the lution who was transformed into MISTER Bucharin and trod the snowy wastes of Siberia with notes and of the Centrist bureaucracy. It is a struggle not only condemnation of such as Woll; that is, on the contrary, against Bucharin but no less against boss Stalin, with addenda by the saintly fish wife Emelian Yaroslavsky.
tolerated by the bureaucracy; that does not throw overhis national socialism.
board the Hillmans and Schlesingers and proceed to The official comunique on Bucharin fate finds our Bucharin started out as un ultra left. John Reed clean their houses of reaction is not a progressive eyes dry. In 1917 he paid tribute to Trotsky as that in his Ten Days reported that Bucharin was deemed movement at all. progressive movement that does not brilliant and heroic tribune of the insurrection, that by many to be more Left than Lenin. Today Profes include in its ranks the Communist workers who know flaming apostle of the revolution. That did not presor Ustrialov, the spokesman for the new Soviet pos how and why to fight for the class struggle in the vent him, on the death of Lenin, from joining in the sessing classes (Nepman, bureaucrat and Kulak) hails trade unions; that has, on the contrary, an officially bureaucratic conspiracy to distort the history of the him as the hope of the Soviet bourgeoisie. Bucharin antagonistic standpoint towards them is not a prorevolution and defame the great revolutionary he had. that means peace, tes this rmer Cadet. gressive movement at all. progressive movement that admired. Thereafter there was no gathering of the plays fondly with the idea that some respectable Communist International in Moscow where Bucharin and authoritative leader, some Fitzpatrick, will be able was not set up to deliver scholastic diatribes against to lead it to victory Wollism, instead of relying the permanent revolution and to lecture Trotsky on basically upon the fighting spirit of the workers in his mistakes. The innocent by stander would never the ranks, instead of mobilizing them for direct strughave guessed of this theoretician, of whom Lenin wrote gle agains class collaboration and its spokesman is in his last Testament that he never has learned, and not a progressive movement at all. think never fully understood the (Marxian) dialecYoung as it is, the Conference for Progressive La If the does not remain a little sect of tic.
bor Action, or the Muste Group as it is commonly re leader, but grows as a representative of the stirrings THE INFALLIBLE OLD GUARD ferred to, is already experiencing storms. Since this of revolt in the ranks of the unions, it will undoubtedWe did not have to wait for the latest ukase of movement is a reflection of a significant trend in the ly develop only by ridding itself of leaders who cannot Pravda to learn that it is impossible for the Party American labor movement today, it is important to or will not lead and of apologetic and timid policies to consider Comrade Bucharin as the infallible guard consider what is transpiring within it, so that the Left that only make the of officials laugh in derijan of Lenin legacy One by one the veneer has wing and the Communists may have all possible matersion. The present attitude of sterile, aristocratic aloofbeen scraped off these infallible guardians. We have ial before them in outlining their own course of action. ness from the progressive movement which is held by got to know the individuals of this self congratula The prevailing official Party method of analyzing every the Communist Party only retards this development, tory Old Guard. who have resorted to every expe thing in a simple (in reality, a simple minded) way, so essential before any real forward step can be made.
dient of demagogy to usurp the power in Party. by simply dumping all who disagree with its mo change of course by the Party, and entry into this The story of the strikebreaking role of Zinoviev and mentary line into one huge pot fascism, social demo movement regardless of who says No, will spell proKamenev in October has been retold officially. Rykov cracy, Hoover, Woll, Green, Hillman, Muste, Lovestone, gress for Communism and the labor movement as and Losovsky were no better. But when will Pravda Trotsky and whatever and whoever else happens to be a whole in the United States.
oblige us with some data on the role of Stalin, this handy obviously leads only to confusion and secreartificially manufactured great man who never had tarianism. Now, as to the an idea before the revolution, hatched one for a coali Muste initial attempt to organize such diversified tion with Tseretelli during the revolution, and became elements as the Right wing needle trades bureaucrats joint author with Bucharin of the reactionary idea of (Hillman, Schlesinger, Dubinsky, etc. Norman Thomnational socialism since. When will Pravda oblige with as, Justus Ebert, Ludwig Lore, Muste, Oneal, Tom the political biographies of the crowd of lesser guard Tippett and others, and pass off this multi colored ians of Leninism, the motley crowds of ex Mensheviks, conglomeration as a progressive faction in the Unprincipled factional struggles to which the Sixth nationalists, Social Revolutionaries, Bundists, and ad of has already hit the reefs of struggle and cracked.
Congress and the 10th Plenum of the Comintern so venturers, who wormed themselves into the apparatus The Socialist Party bureaucrats saw in the movement solemnly put an official end, continue to break out in of the Comintern, Bela Kun, Remmele, Semard, Smer growing up around Muste and his colleagues a chance the various Parties the International, and reach al, Manuilsky, Martinov, Petrovsky Goldfarb, Pepper to infiltrate and annex a socialist trade union wing in their most debased form in the German Party. Without and Lovestone, Jilek, Hais, Brandler and Thalheimer the official labor movement. So long as it was quiet litany principles being involved except that of clique. these too once did great feats of arms in the cru tle sect, which vented only the meekest criticism of the control of the apparatus a movement has been set on sade against Trotsky.
ciominant of bureaucracy, it was not diffi foot there to remove from control Ernest Thaelmann, Somewhat tardily the political biography of Buchcult for the priests to flirt with it and even the notorious Stalinist puppet who was foisted upon become a little enthusiastic over it. The result was arin is gone over in the stereotyped verbiage of the the German Party by his Russian faction masters as officialdom. It would have been more important to the foundation conference of the a number the historical leader of Bolshevism in Germany. The have have gone into that a couple of years ago, of weeks ago.
German Opposition press now publishes authentic rewarned the Party then that Bucharin was not inTHE SENTIMENT IN THE RANKS ports of the Tammany Hall game that is being played fallible. to have told of his differences with Lenin While the conference was a victory essentially for by Thaelmann, the hero of the Wittorf corruption afon the Brest Treaty and the Trade Unions and state the more reactionary elements of the particufair. Heinz Neumann, who had virtually disappeared capitalism and Comintern strategy, to have pointed out larly in the condemnation of the Communists and Comfrom the political scene at the 12th Congress of the at the time the reactionary nonsense implicit in his munist methods, the problem was neither solved nor of Germany has suddenly bobbed up again. At theory of building socialism even at a snail pace.
that Congress, Thaelmann had been unanimously electBut the Centrist Stalin faction was as deeply involved ended. The unfortunately for many of ed chairman of the Party and its official leader. It its administrators, is an expression of the growing in steering a course towards the development of capiwas announced from the platform that Neumann was talist relations in the village and towards slowing collaboration methods of Green, Woll and Co. and a hostility in the ranks of the of to the class seriously ill and could not appear, Comrades noted up the tempo of industrialization, as Rykov, Bucharin however that Neumann was taking the cure for his simultaneous demand for more militant policies and and Tomsky. When over two years ago the Platform serious illness in the coffee shops of Western Beraction. This pressure from the ranks exists for Schlesof the Opposition warned against the Right danger lin. At the Sixth Congress of the Comintern, Neumann inger and his type, for instance, only as something and named the groupings and persons in the Central Committee, it was denounced as slander. The present that must be suppressed or guided into harmless chanwas walloped right and left by the big guns. Sudnels. Such people can and will no more carry on a denly, he has reappeared the scene, simultaneousPravda statement relates that there have been prostruggle against Woll and Green than Hoover will ly with Thaelmann vanishment. At the 10th Plenum, found, fundamental differences for more than a year against Morgan.
Kuusinen lavished praise upon his head, and he was but the Centrist boss Stalin has lied to the Party again hailed and again, denying that there were any internal difMuste and Tippett, who appear to give a clearer rethe theorist, or one of them, of the struggle against Bucharin. Back in Germany, he has joined ferences in the Politbureau. This is the typically buflection of the sentiment in trade union ranks, are hands with Remmele, and the two of them have now reaucratic method of leading the Party blind folded.
failing entirely to do this. They cannot understand that such hopelessly discredited elements as Schlesingbecome the actual political directors of the Party, while THE CENTRISTS AND THE RIGHT er and the whole Jewish Daily Forward gang are coman underground, behind the scenes campaign is being pletely incompatible with even the mildest of progrescarried on against Thaelmann. The Berlin district Under the crack of the Opposition whip, the Centrists organization is being purged of Thaelmannites, and sive movements. It was the Right wing needle trades have executed a series of manoeuvres to give the apleaders who allied themselves with Woll and Green to at the recent convention of the Berlin Communist pearance of a change of course. They have made it Youth, a whole series of arbitrary organizational crush the Left wing movement. It was these same leadlawful to talk of the Right danger is the main dangchanges were made under the instructions of Remmele, er. But the bloc of the Centrists with the Right wing ers who came down to the New Leader and raised the Old Nick over the mild criticisms of Woll it had been strength Thaelmann might mobilize.
to provide for strengthening his hand against any in the Russian Party has not yet been dissolved. Rykov, Kalinin, Voroshilov and many more like them printing serially, with the result that the New Leader still sit either in the Politbureau or the Central Comvery courageously toned down its criticism until it was The real reasons for this repulsive clique struggle almost invisible to the naked eye. Muste pitiful for apparatus power has not yet become manifest. We mittee biding their time, waiting for more favorable pleading with these fakers to give him support, his may be sure, though, that it will soon become clear winds to resume the offensive. Impolite words may be used against the Rights, but the Stalin machine reapologies to the cynical officials of the United Hebrew that the factional needs of the Stalin machine in the Trades, will never gain the movement an ounce of genRussian Party are the strings that make the German doubles its measure of savage persecution of the Lenin uine militant adherence, or arouse confidence in him.
puppets dance. So far no principles are involved; they (Trotsky) Opposition of the Left. The Centrists are Nor, for that matter, will his tenderness move the stone will be invented later, for the benefit of the Party masincapable of waging a serious or prolonged battle hearts of the Right wing gang. Vladeck has already ses who will be called upon, as usual, to endorse an against the Rights. The removals of Bucharin and quit the and Thomas support to it beaccomplished fact or be kicked out of the Party. It is Tomsky are apparatus manipulations. serious fight would involve the mobilization of the masses and the comes perceptibly leaner every day. And more of the by these shameful methods that Stalin besmirches and Stalinite bureaucracy is afraid of the masses no less same can be expected in the future as the movement destroys the name of Communism.
takes on flesh and the genuine sentiments of the workthan the Right wing. The Rights would prefer an orers break through the timidity and vacillation of the LECTURE IN BOSTON derly and bureaucratic orientation in favor of their leaders.
policies and hesitate at the moment to appeal to their Muste and Tippett can no more organize a militant Pogrom or Revolution in Palestine? is the subject real constituency with the battle cry used so effectivemovement against Woll and Green that will not anof a lecture to be given by Max Shachtman, on Friday, ly against the Opposition. Peasants Unite! Trotsky tagonize the latter than they can eat their cake and November 1, 1929, 7:30 at 62 Chambers Street, is going to rob you of your little properties and sav have it. The supporter, Alfred Hoffmann, ings. Without the Party apparatus in their hands Boston, under the auspices of the local branch of the may have walked out in disgust from the conference the Rights would have to appeal practically for civil between the bosses and the union officials which arCommunist League (Opposition. Admission is 25 war, and for this they are not prepared.
ranged the shameful sell out of the Elizabethton strikcents and tickets can be obtained from mebers of the Only the Communist Opposition of Trotsky which ers, but he never dared call upon the workers to repu League, and at Shapiro Bookstore, Beach Street, retains its independence of both the Right and Center diate it or to place the blame squarely on the should Boston. All workers are invited to attend.