October 15, 1929 THE MILITANT Page 9teise 24 LETTERS FROM THE MILITANTS THE STRIKE IN the lighter section of the industry the body industry.
THE CONFERENCE This is not a correct basis for an automobile industrial Chicago, Ill.
Kansas City, Mo.
union. Means must be found to establish a broad basis Dear Comrades: Dear Comrades: in the metal section of the industry, which is the deEefore leaving St. Louis, the comrades there were attended fully two days of the Cleveland conference cisive section.
of the Being a visitor was obliged to sit in In the textile industry, although no one, think, arranging an affair for the Militant. They are sure on the job there and few as they are, they are many more regrets that he was organized when it was, the balcony so could not actually count the number times as active as the Party under Delbert Early the instructions of the were not carried out.
of delegates on the first floor. However, doubt if guidance. They are making valuable connections in the The instructions for a preliminary organization was to they had 700 delegates, as they claimed, during the labor movement and with the correct policy they will give the union a broad mass basis. The union was convention as there were many Party officials, etc. soon be important factor in St. Louis. just reformed in too careless a manner. As a result of this it sitting downstairs. However, granting they had 700 ceived a letter stating that their Gastonia meeting was went into struggies greatly handicapped.
delegates present, don see why they stopped at 700 Fraternally, successful.
as they could just as easily have assembled 000 deleREBECCA SACHAROW.
In we have an interesting situation. The focal gates there must be 300 more members of the Party Loose Wiles Biscuit Co. tried to introduce a speed up they could have mobilized in order to make it a nice and there was a spontaneous walkout. The workers sounding, round number of 1000 delegates. That would ACTIVITIES IN MINNEAPOLIS are mostly young girls and their spirit is splendid.
have impressed the delegate so much more Minneapolis, Minn. After walking out they turned their minds to organizfavorably.
Ilean Comrades: ing and the local of boys organized them. The For instance, in talking to she told me that she first day of the strike, Stephens, the Party issued Bill Simons was here last night, gave a most miserwas one of a delegation of 25 who represented the a leaflet in the name of the It had the whole local of the a simple duplication of able speech to out 60 people and the meeting was closed at 10:30 without discussion. Through questions bible in it, nothing omittedation, speed up, delegates in order to bring the total attendance up to war danger, betrayers of lapor, an attack on the a big number. suppose the different trade or indus we forced him to say that any organization of workers of and telling them: Our organization is representtrial groups making up the sent dele fighting imperialism would be allowed. to join the AA.
ative of the masses of workers in the United States who gates representing their respective groups; then whom We will affiliate to the League, although we know are organizing into ighting unions and shop committees what will be tried in spite of Bill statement.
did the 25 delegates represent?
There were also delegates representing the workers at We have a new strike in the linseed oil industry, in every industry. lie appeared at the first organization meeting of the union where he changed his mind a big industry here. which is taking up a lot of our camps such as Wocolona and Nitgedaiget. You about whom he represented, and it became instead the can draw your own conclusions to these delegates. time. Only a few workers involved at present, but we spoke after him and tried to point out the As for the new unions, you know their strength as well are trying to weļd into shape, out of those striking, a next step organization and sounded a militant note group which can be used for organization work in as and can judge their representation yourself. by urging the spreading of the strike to the other other plants. Slow work, lots of patience required, was told the miners union had a delegation of 235 plants of the National, etc. and other cities and comraw workers, but real fellows who will, under proper and the Auto Workers Union a delegation of 70. If pletely shutting down the plant. The remarks were guidance, help to move mountains. remember correctly, Stachel article in the Daily well received by the workers.
Worker gave the miners 181 and the auto workers 37. The Party here, with Clem Forsen as political leader, We are arranging an affair in for the Militant could hardly be more pitiful. This fellow who has Why this change in figures?
Herer understood where he was going, or in fact why he in two weeks.
Oh, yes, there was a delegate from Los Angeles, Comradely.
representing cooks, a Party member. He told me that was in the Party. Forsen who two years ago came CHARLES CURTIS.
to us and said that he was disillusioned and diecouraged among the delegation from the Coast was one from and offered as the solution that he leave the Party.
Hollywood, representing those men and women who We spoke with him then as a young comrade, and finalTHE PARTY IN PITTSBURGH make up the mob scenes in the movies. What do you ly prevailed upon him to stay in the It is now Pittsburgh, Pa.
thing of that?
plain to us that he never stopped upon the downward Dear Comrade Abern: Of course, there were non Party delegates present.
path. It should be recorded that he was the Party received your letter with stamps, which am going But think the majority were Party members. In fact, representative in the Gastonia conference, who to keep to organize a branch. The Lovestone group it looked like a Party convention. As far as could led the attack upon us, made a 50 minute speech against here is not more than five, circulating their secret see all District Organizers were present. All the us and then opposed the motion to grant me minutes statements without results. The movement here in dignitaries on the stage were Party members. met to state our position. He was chairman at last night Pittsburgh was wrecked by Jakira. The Party memand talked Par members from all over the country: anti imperialist meeting positively shameful. Bill In short, the Party was well represented too well to bership is very small. Since the new organizer came avoided us when the meeting was cver; he only pulled here some street meetings were organized with a very make one believe that there is really a basis at present down his hat over his eyes and rushed out past us into poor attendance, which the Daily Worker reported as for a new trade union center.
the night!
a success.
The main theme of all speeches was rationalization The Militant continues to be a joy and inspiration. You will find enclosed a money order to pay for my of industry and the resulting low wages, speed up, etc. Tremendous obstacle to the betrayers of Lenin Party bill and for a donation to the Weekly Militant.
for the workers. This was especially true of the 15. their work is tough under the glare of our exposure.
Yours for the revolution, minute reports made by representatives of the various VINCENT DUNNE.
industrial conferences held one evening. No serious JAMES SIFAKIS. or otherwise) consideration of the of and work within it was made. The only time the of was mentioned was to call them labor fakers and denounce them generally. One delegate from the new miners union took the floor and stated: At our conThe drive for the WEEKLY MILITANT constitutes completing their Weekly Militant quota.
vention April 1st, there was present an of a major activity for the Communist League of America KANSAS CITY, Mo. An affair for the benefit of faker who tried to make trouble and disrupt the con. Opposition. All the branches understand the imThe Militant is being arranged here. Comrade Shorvention. But at this convention today there is no portance of a Weekly publication and are active in ty Buehler, a live wire comrade for many years is ill. of faker present. That shows the of raising money to start the paper, securing subscrip We hope soon to note his recovery and to see him is no more. It does not exist. No one offered to en tions and increasing the sales of THE MILITANT on lighten him on this subject.
the newsstands and bookstores. However, activities in RICHMOND, CALIF. Aid for The Militant comes When Biedenkapp reported for the shoe workers, he other fields are occupying the efforts of the Communist regularly from this point.
said: There is a union of the boot and shoe workers, League members. These are indicated below.
The month of September witnessed an increased acbut it is an of union. will say no more about MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. Work among the striking tivity among the branches of the Communist League.
it than that it is an of union.
linseed oil workers is being carried on by the Minneapo Subscription to The Militant also came in in substantial While attended the conference, heard no opposi lis comrades, as the latest development of their numertion from the floor except when a delegate protested numbers from various parts of the country.
against the way the various convention committees city also now in securing subscriptions for The Militant ous activities in the class struggle. It the banner were organized by appointment instead of by general Its quota for the Weekly Militant has been filled. WORKING FOR election. He said they had followed an of GASTONIA BOSTON, MASS. The Boston comrades, enthused procedure. guess he was not a Party delegate.
We print at the prospects of took some notes on Dunne speech. He spoke on self explanatory letter sent Weekly Opposition paper, have by our Chicago comrades to the local office of the Inpledged the accomplishments of the in the various inregular amount each month to maintain ternational Labor Defense. The lists referred to dustries and said as follows: In the needle trades The Militant. mass meeting is scheduled for Friday are the signature lists being circulated among there has been a slight series of errors. The principal November 1st. The Boston branch is working for the workers to protest against the Gastonia frame up.
error, think, has been the failure to see that the wide distribution of the Russian paper, Bulletin of the Opposition.
Chicago, III. Sept. 8, 1929.
needle trades industry is not an exception from the Secretary TORONTO, CANADA. Development of educational general scheme of concentration of capital and control Local Chicago work, new members, drive to complete the Weekly Miliby finance capital in this imperialist period. In other Dear Comrade: works, although the productive process in the needle tant quota, arrangements to secure broad distribution trades industry is extremely decentralized, the decisive of the Bulletin of the Opposition (Russian) through Please find enclosed herewith Gastonia Protest control of the industry is in the hands of the big banks.
out Canada, and discussion of trade union activities lists with check for 85 for the signatures collected.
And in place of carrying It is today deplorable to recollect that the conference maneuvers designed were among the points taken up at the recent meeting to play one group of small capitalists against another, of the Toronto branch.
organized by you for the defense the Gastonia which might have been gcod in pre war conditions we PITTSBURGH, PA. branch of the Communist frame up victims, through mechanical measures aphave to substitute the building of a powerful industrial League is being formed in Pittsburgh, reports complied by the Party, refused to seat the delegates from union based on the shop delegate system. This has not rade James Sifakis.
the Communist League (Opposition. Similar incibeen done. Of all the mistakes made in the needle CHICAGO, ILL. An entertainment for the benefit of dents have happened elsewhere and done injury to the trades by the Party and Left wing leaders this was The Militant will be held by the Chicago branch on movement. The answer of our comrades has been to the only one mentioned.
continue their activities for the Gastonia case and for October 26th. Chicago reports that its quota for the On the automobile industry, Dunne said: In the auto Weekly Militant will be completed within a few days.
the in general, the only correct answer for industry so far, our basis is chiefly in the workers in Communists to give. You know that several of our New members have recently been recruited into the Chicago branch, and comrade Arne Swabeck writes members are doing good, active work in the that a broad program of activities is outlined for imThe only effective way to fight the Gastonia frameCome to the Chicago up and establish the right to organize and strike is mediate work by the Branch.
by the broadest possible united front actions. Not only NEW YORK, Preparations for the mass meet a united front of all forces of the Communist and left ing on October 22nd and the entertainment and dance wing movement, but also drawing in such workers GIVEN BY on October vity to fill the Weekly Militant for who may in sympathy with THE COMMUNIST LEAGUE OF quota, street meetings each Saturday night, keep the Communism but would be willing to help fight against New York branch busy. Militant sales on the newsAMERICA (Opposition)
the Gastonia frame ups. Such should by all means be stands increase appreciably with each new issue of the policy of the At STISKA HALL the paper.
With best wishes for success in this fight, re4021 Drake Avenue ST. LOUIS, MO. The St. Louis comrades recently main, Saturday, October 26, 1929 held a successful meeting on behalf of the Gastonia Fraternally yours Dancing. Refreshments. Hungarian Goulash frame up victims.
Communist League of America (Opposition)
PRICE 25c DOORS OPEN P. PHILADELPHIA, PA. The Philly comrades, though Chicago Branch, few in number, are distributing The Militant well and Per, Arne Swabeck.
COMMUNIST LEAGUE ACTIVITIES active again.
JAMBOREE