Page THB MILITAN November 1, 1929.
The of Convention in some point tegen in goede chemin Comrade Rakovsky Appeal. Stalin Reply No. of convention would be emplete without jurisdictional squabbles of mutual charges of corruption. The feature this year was the set to between Lewis and Fishwick of the Illinois district. Each accused the other of corruption. Fishwick sent a wire to By Maurice Spector the fur workers and garment workers. Incidentally the convention proposing that both Lewis and his own it was broadly hinted that negotiations are under way books be summitted to an audit, to be followed by the Of organized opposition there was an almost com for the admission of Amalgamated Clothing Workers resignation of whichever books were discovered not plete absence at this year convention of the Ameri Sidney Hillman would fit in nowadays and could even to be straight. Fishwick could have made this confican Federation of Labor in Toronto. Neither the Left teach the others a few tricks of his own about the dent offer less from any exuberant consciousness of his Wing nor the so called Muste progressive group were scientifie exploitation of the worker.
own integrity as from an overpowering certitude of in evidence. The internationally notorious hierarchy The bureaucrats were right in their element listen Lewis corruption. Needless to say, Fishwick teleof business unionism reigned supreme and unchal ing to Sir Henry Thornton of the Canadian National gram was ignored.
lenged from the floor. Yet the old hard boiled arro Railway deliver a eulogy of union management coop The reactionary character of the of bugance of which Gompers was the incarnation, seemed eration of the and Plan. Sir Henry, whose salary reaucracy was well demonstrated in its advocacy of oldnoticeably shaken on occasion. As much as it would has just been boosted to 90, 000 a year, had little dif age pensions. Not that the adoption of this decision was like to, the bureaucracy of the of can as little ficulty in proving that cooperation was very satis in itself a backward step; on the contrary. But the fact as Mussolini succeed in putting a stop to the class factory for employers. It brought greater efficiency that so elementary a reform of labor conditions, which struggle. Fighting exploitation bravely and desper and higher production, of that there could be no doubt exists in one manner or other in numerous countries, could be advocated only after so much sharp controately, the awakening of the South at Gastonia, Mar He discreetly omitted to add that it brought no corresion and Elizabethton, became by virtue of their role ponding increases in pay, no improvement of condi versy and then hailed as a revolutionary forward the sort of opposition that could not easily be ignored, tions, or greater regularlity of employment. As a step of the of leadership, speaks eloquently proclaiming more forecfully than a hundred resolutions, matter of fact, just about the time Thornton was di of the deep seated nature of this leadership backthe bankruptcy of the bureaucrats.
lating on cooperation, more men were being laid off wardness.
This bankruptcy is becoming so flagrant and obvious in the Canadian National Railyway yards.
There have been worse conventions of the Fresh from his good will conversations with Hoov of than this.
that it begins to make the wiser heads of the AmerIt met under the sign of a growican bourgeoisie feel uncomfortable. The Scripps er, fellow workman Ramsay MacDonald was another ing mood of struggle among the workers, which had Howard press carried so pointed and well informed guest to convention and treated it to a goodly inevitably to be reflected in the temper of the conan editorial attack on the of failure to func modicum of his swollen and meaningless pracifist ver vention. But the reflection of this mood in Toronto tion as a labor organization, that it made the official biage. He was hailed with delight. The of was a perverted one, a distortion, a caricature. Whole dom wince, stinging that would be statesman Green bureaucracy never fails to take its cue from the State oceans separate the speeches of Green on the textile into public recrimination. The attitude of the liberal Department. Momentarily, American imperialism situation in the South and the sharp reality of the press is understandable. It regards moderate trade finds it most advantageous to advance its interests un struggles there. When the bureaucrats take one step der unionism as a safety valve, a bulwark against revolu guise of the Kellogg Pact, naval disarmament forward it is quite certain that the workers have alconferences, etc. Meanwhile the antagonism between ready taken two or three tionary movement, a pillar of capitalist society. If such steps, so that the of ceases even to perform the duties of British and American capital for the shrinking world Green and Wolls continue to remain behind the spirit moderate trade unionism, and merely duplicates market is growing and maturing the condition for an and actions of the workers, always pulling them backthe activity of the National Civic Federation, or say, other world war. In these circumstances, the organizaward. The failure or refusal to understand this role of the American Legion, the Left Wing is given a clear tion of the working class for resistance to the war dan the trade union bureaucracy will nurture the baseless illusions about their regeneration which have field in which to proceed with the militant organiza ger by exposing its roots in capitalism and imperialtion and leadership become current in certain progressive circles.
the working class. The activities ism, should be a major task of the trade union moveof the Communists in Passaic, New Bedford, and more ment. Instead, Green and his fellow bureaucrats play The sectarian policy of the Communists and Left ecently in Gastonia have made a considerable im the pseudo pacifist game of the American Government Wing on the one hand, and the timidity of the new propression on the more far sighted circles of the possess as they played its war game in the past and will asgressive movement resulted in a total absence of a ing classes.
suredly re enact the part of the patriot Gompers in single voice at the convention that could speak out in the future. When Bodenheimer, commander of the condemnation of the destruction wrought by the present The liberal view was echged on the floor of the American Legion fulfilled his share of the division of leadership in the labor movement, of the ruination of convention by the old war horse Furuseth and by labor by appealing Fitzpatrick of the Vaudeville Actors. Furuseth tauntsupport of greater prepared its strongest unions, of the enormous set backs in nued the officialdom with having become soft and comness, a bigger navy and universal conscription, Green merical strength and influence precisely in this perfortable and made a veiled attack particularly on gently chided him for being out of step which does not iod. It was open season for the bureaucrats of all mean that he himself is not prepared to be as openly shades, with no competition present. The work that Lewis, for the latter cowardly attitude in the 1919 has thus far been neglected by the Left wing must be strike when he refused to fight the federal injunction imperialist as Bodenhamer when the amenities next on the ground that we cannot fight our government.
require it, say at the Plattsburg manoeuvres.
begun in earnest.
In the interests of the sound of philosophy manifested by the fanatical Communists who are willing to suffer, bleed and die for their unsound philosophy. He was also of the opinion that our mission is The capitulation of Radek, Preobrazhensky and revolution. Born in 1873, he is to be found successivenot to found banks and life insurance companies, but Smilga has just provoked a decisive repiy. Comrades ly, beginning with 1890, in all the countries of Europe to be the refuge of the desperate workers who have Rakovsky, Kassior and Okudjava have written and and everywhere the story is ended in the same way; no other place to turn.
circulated an appeal to the Opposition. It is a rather by expulsion. No country wants to have anything to Under the lash of the Southern events, the bureauextensive docuhaent. It begins with an analysis of do with this dangerous agitator. Both Rumania and cracy had to conduct the necessary manoeuvres to save the situation in the present period and is then de Bulgaria demand the province where he was born, its face. The convention resolved to raise funds imvoted, for the most part, to a severe and unreserved the Dobrudja, but neither wants Rakovsky. Even as mediately from the international unions and to call a denunciation of the capitulators, Radek and Co. Soviet ambassador to Paris, he was judged undesirable.
conference within thirty days to map out an organizing campaign into the southern states. Past experience The appeal has been the object of a profound discusBriand sent him back to Moscow, and a little while sion in the circles of the deported; it has played an later Stalin deported him to Astrachan, then to Sarateaches us to accept these gusty resolutions of the machine with a good deal tov and now to Barnaoul, after a short time in prison.
salt. Similar gestures important role in the consolidation of the forces of were made in 1927 in connection with the Pittsburgh the Opposition. In spite of the difficulties that the At the beginning of the war, when one of the French coal conference, and at divers times in connection Stalinisc regime puts in the way of communication bepillars of Stalinism today, Marcel Cachin, charged by with organizing campaigns in the automobile industry, tween the deported Oppositionists, it is already known the French government with a mission, brought money Green and Company are not over joyed at the militanthat by August 20th more than a half a hundred of to Mussolini (who had been driven from Avanti. so cy of the Southern workers. In the very midst of disthe colonies now made up of the Siberians have that he might found the jingoist Popolo Italia, Racussing the southern situation, Green raised his voice rallied to the appeal of Rakovsky. Among the first kovsky wrote to Charles Dumas: adhesions is cited that of Muralov. We are and we remain partisans of the good old to warn them that they must not lightly go on strike expecting the of to pour millions in to help Tcheliabinsky solitary there are over a hundred of hose of our comrades who are at present in the tactic of the class struggle and we repudiate with all our strength that of class collaboration. We Rumathem.
The labor bureaucrats have no stomach for the class them declared themselves, with Sosnovsky at their nian socialists wish to remain with revolutionary sostruggle. Their ideal is to sell the trade union movehead, unanimously in solidarity with the signatories cialism which was, yesterday, the source of our strength, ment (their phrase. to the boss peacefully, as one to the appeal. On the other hand, a draft of a declaand we wish to continue in the future the struggle businessman to another. Their hearts are in classration by Smirnov who takes over, by mitigating against the war and against opportunism.
Hounded under the Rumanian boyars, the French collaboration, in union management cooperation in them, certain portions of the shameful letter of Radek bourgeoisie, or the Stalinist bureaucracy, the life of banks and in life insurance companies. They are serhas been approved by only four colonies of the deChristian Rakovsky is an example of fidelity to socialiously concerned not about fighting the injunction ported.
ism.
but in the graft of jurisidictional struggles. Their Smirnov has been unsteady for some time now.
own security and salaries are first charges on the Gentle and conciliatory by temperament, he constantly organization. Militant wage struggles or struggles for strives to create buffer groups in the hope avoiding Our Russian Organ unionization disturb the even tenor of their lives and any break. In the present situation his efforts are The first three numbers of the BULLETIN OF THE are as far as possible to be avoided. It is with real condemned to live in vain. Those who are in touch OPPOSITION, published in the Russian language, relief that they welcomed the turn in the needle trades with him say that he gives the impression of a man have arrived in the United States. They contain the situation that temporarily gives the Rights the upper bewildered.
most important documents and writings of the leaders hand and Schlesinger Dubinsky were congratulated for The response made to Rakovsky appeal shows that of the Russian Opposition, Trotsky, Rakovsky, having wiped out the vestiges of Communism among the repression, aggravated as it has become recently, Sosnovsky and many others, in addition to contribuwill not succeed in shattering the Opposition. The tions by the Opposition leaders in various countries.
press is even obliged to acknowledge tacitly that in Russian readers will want to get this important publiTHE MILITANT spite of some loud capitulations, the Opposition is cation (40 pages. Many of the articles will not appear growing stronger. Thus was announced a few days the English language, in the Militant, for a Published twice a month by the Communist League ago the expulsion in Odessa of 23 members of the while yet, and Russian readers therefore have an opof America (Opposition)
Party for Trotskyism.
portunity to ecome thoroly acquainted with the proAddress all mail to: Box 120, Madison Square Do not allow yourself to be impressed by the clamor gram and writings of the leader of the Opposition, Station, New York, that is being made about the capitulations. If there Leon Trotsky and others of the Leninist Bolsheviks.
Publisher address: 332 18th Street, New York, are some who go away, the greater part remain loyal The third number (October issue) contains a lengthy brochure by Trotsky, entitled, THE DEFENSE and they frequently receive the reinforcement of newSubscription rate: 00 per year. Foreign 50 OF THE SOVIET REPUBLIC AND THE OPPOSI: comers. Moscow, September 1929.
Бc per copy Bundle rates, 3c per copy.
TION.
The magazine can be purchased through the MILISuone after the receipt of this letter from Moscow, TANT, Box 120, Madison Square Station, New York, EDITORIAL BOARD we were informed of the following subesequent develMartin Abern, James Cannon, Max Shachtman, at 25 cents per copy, bundle rates at 18 cents opments: and subscriptions at 00 per year.
Maurice Spector, Arne Swabeck.
The Stalinist repression did not delay very long.
Rakovsky, who was at Saratov, was at first imprisoned MINNEAPOLIS MEETING VOL. II NOVEMBER 1, 1929 No. 17.
and then shipped to Siberia, at Barnaoul, where other The Minneapolis Branch of the Communist League Oppositionists had preceded him. Barnaoul is located of America (Opposition) will hold a mass meeting in on the left bank of the Obi river, about 300 miles or Entered as second class mail matter November 28, celebration of the 12th Year of the Anniversary of the So south of Tomsk.
Russian Bolshevik Revolution on Thursday November 1928, at the Past Office at New York, under the Christian Rakovsky has again found, under the Stal 7th, 1929 at the Labor Lyceum Hall No. All workers act of March 8, 1875 inist mgies, the life that was his before the Russian are cordially invited.