Page THB MILITANT November 1, 1929.
tere ase LETTERS FROM THE MILITANTS THE LEWIS FARRINGTON FIGHT and myself were the speakers. The Stalinites tried and units in Canada by the former national Springfield, Ill. every way possible to prevent me from acting as chair sport director, George Andrew, which just received The Militant: man of the mass meeting, but this time they failed ut from a Finnish comrade. It says in part: At present The crisis of the Illinois miners has deepened two terly. We had miners from many surrounding mining two Trotskyist renegades, Joe Silver and Maurice fold since my letter to you. The reason for this is that towns attending our mass meeting. Now Watt and Quarter, hold important executive positions in the are arranging for mass meetings in Taylorville and of the Workers Sports Alliance. We are faced many mines have opened up in the last month but since Nokomis. have written to both Toohey and Corbish with two immediate tasks, first to prepare to extermthe conveyor system is being introduced into the mines only less than 40 of the miners are being employed ley demanding that they send me some dues books and inate the influence of Trotskyism in the and dues stamps to sign up new members into the National build the as a militant, class conscious, sports the rest must starve and those that are working under Miners Union. Not even a word have received from movement. Secondly, to further. unify the loose the conveyor system are beginning to show signs of revolt. Take for instance the mine at Cora, near either of them in reply. Miners are coming into my and weak Workers Sports Movement in Canada.
Springfield, where formerly over 500 miners were emhome and wanting to sign up into the new miners Today, after the Workers Sports was purged of the union and all can do is to take their names and adployed; today, under the conveyor system, only 183 Trotskyist renegades and a complete and miners are employed and more coal is being produced dress and tell them to come to our next meeting and fraction appointed in the National Executive, this body that will sign them up as soon as can get cards and this in turn is having a social effect upon the has gone entirely out of existence and the secretary has being done and dues stamps.
miners. And what is being done at Cora quit the city. Fine unity they achieved, very fine.
generally in every mine that is opening up this year. In conclusion, the introduction of the conveyor sys About the charge that we tried to destroy the organAnother reason for the deepening of the crisis is the tem, the intensified exploitation of those that are workization: In 1927, comrade Silver and took the leading continuation of the squabble of the Fishwick vs. the ing, and unemployment are forcing the miners to fight role in the organization of the conference which fol.
lowed with the formation of three branches in Toronto.
Lewis machine over the spoils of what is left of the The miners, whether they want to or not, are being in Illinois. At the Rock Island convention dressed up for a fight. The Lewis Fishwick squabble In the same year, as secretary and chairman of the of the Illinois Federation of Labor, Frank Farrington over the remains of the is adding fuel to national sports department of the Young Communist was one of the principal speakers and from there we the struggle. Of course the rank and file to the Lewis League, we advised the units in the organiza.
first heard that Farrington had again entered the or Fishwick fakers means nothing. They will first tion of branches in Montreal and other places. We through the back door, so Farrington says, try to settle their differences in the capitalist courts were responsible for the organization factory leagues to save the Illinois miners from destruction by Lewis. or through the coal operators. Being dressed up with and both of us drew up the reports the Red Sports The important thing about Farrington comeback into a National Miners Union card is not enough. The International and on the sports questions.
the is that Fishwick editorial in the must get on the job with a program and imIn 1928, we organized the national conference which Illinois Miner says: mediate demands for the present situation in Illinois.
was successful in setting up a provisional national After the resignation, or rather the assassination, The Communist Party must wake up and show the executive. In spite of the efforts of the to of Former President Frank Farrington through one of miners how to fight. Just imagine: here is a struggle remove us, we remained as the national heads of the the blackest conspiracies ever entered into by a so that has been raging for the last year involving over organization till the last convention. The proof of the called labor leader (i. e. Lewis) and an employer of 65, 000 miners yet the first news that the Daily Worker position we held in the organization was that all the labor. Lewis has caused the removal of the interna carries about the struggle is a column in the issue of non Party mmebers supported us till the end, and at tional board member Madden from Illinois, the Frank October 8th, and the Coal Digger in its last issue of first even the Party and members refused to lin County district board member Fox and is also September 15th does not say a word about the situation vote against us until threatened with disciplinary demanding the removal of the Peoria district board in Illinois.
measures.
member and the head of the district legal department.
In July, the Stalinist faction took over complete conThe Fishwick machine in Illinois no longer recogMany articles are being published by Lewis against nizes John Lewis as the international president, altrol of the organization. Today, not even the shadow of the national executive remains. Not a bad job, the Fishwick machine showing corruption in Illinois ready refers to Lewis as the ex president of the and Fishwick is publishing many articles against Lewis what? There is a split in Illinois. There is Fishwick shoing that Lewis is Leonardo Blowhardo MachiaMAURICE QUARTER.
union and the Lewis union and the rank and file union velli.
of the The Communist Party must snap out FROM AN AMERICAN IN BERLIN This week, Fishwick did away with the provisional of its narrow, myopic policy and give real leadership Berlin, Germany.
sub district that Lewis appointed for the Franklin to the coming struggle.
The Militant, County. Fishwick added the local unions that formerly The Party unit in Springfield is dead, not even holdbelonged to the Franklin County sub district to other ing any meetings since my expulsion. feel confident ve received the parcel of Militants you sent in good sub districts that are under his control thus taking that in the near future we will be able to organize a order. Thank you very much. As ever, the Militant the first organizational move against Lewis since the is full of life, full of vigor, the one positive pole in unit of the Comunist League here.
fight began. Then Lewis wrote to the coal operators JOSEPH ANGELO.
the sad state affairs into which the American Comtelling them that he is the boss in Illinois; and Fishmunist movement has fallen. Good luck to the Oppowick has done the same. The head of Fishwick legal PURGING THE CANADMAN SPORTSMEN sition in rallying the confused ranks of the Party memdepartment starts court action against Lewis for bership under the Leninist banner. The mutual un 250, 000 damage suit for slander. Lewis demands that Toronto, Canada.
masking of the Right and the Center leadership cerThe Militant, Fishwick call upon the head of the legal department to tainly offers favorable ground.
withdraw the suit and remove the attorney involved enclose a letter sent some time ago to all GORDON or else Lewis would oust the whole district machine.
Fish wick says, go ahead and shoot, and has the removed international board member bring another 250, 000 slander and damage suit against Lewis. The final break between these arch fakers is near at hand. The Communist League of America (Opposition) is the forthcoming WEEKLY MILITANT. Outstanding suppose that by this time you have heard the steadily and systematically broadening its work into among these are Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, reason why John Watt, the national president of the general field of class struggle. Recognizing as a Philadelphia, Toronto in raising larger quotas. Richthe National Miners Union was kept away from the major task, an organized theoretical struggle against mond, Boston, Youngstown, Pittsburg and other cities. convention at Cleveland. In my last letter, the revisionism of Marx and Lenin teachings by the are doing their bit AND THE WEEKLY MILITANT believe wrote that Watt had resigned from the false disciple, Stalin, in the Comintern and the re THEREFORE WILL BE. The National Office is comParty. Presto! Watt is not a member of the and spective Communist Parties, the Communist League pleting the technical arrangements for its issuance.
therefore.
knows that mass work directed by correct Communist subscription drive (for renewals and new subSince Watt became president of the National Miners policy must supplement to the other in order to bring scriptions) is being organized in which Minneapolis Untion, he has been continually fighting the Party bu the Communist movement again to aco rrect line in and Kansas iCty have just made a good start.
reaucracy. Watt contention has been that the miners theory and practice.
should have something to say with regards to what the The branches of the Communist League are active Suspension of Carlson from the program for the miners should be that is, when the miners problems are discussed and a program is to be among the coal miners (Southern Illinois, under the Communist League leadership of Joe Angelo. the clothing workers in The National Committee of the Communist League outlined, the miners fraction of the Party should be Minneapolis where a Left wing in the is being called in; that the Party give its general political line of America (Opposition) has suspended Carlson built through the Communist League, here also the from the Communist League for a period of three and together with the help of the miners fraction a League is active in all fields; the building trades (in months. His suspension as an alternate member of program for the miners be made. And Foster, while Minneapolis, Chicago, New York, St. Louis. rail. the National Committee of the Communist League is supported Watt, who was fighting the Lovestone road men (in iMnnesota. and in numerous other.
agents in the National Miners Union: the Tooheys, the trades and industries. The Communist League is re Carlson is suspended for failure to accept the discipline and carry out the decisions of the Communist Myerscoughs, etc. But now, since a different situa cruiting members regularly from trade unions and untion exists in the Party, Watt must go even be reorganized workers in numerous trades and industries, League in the strike of the clothing workers in Minmoved from the presidency of the because he such as machinists, steel workers, building trades, neapolis. He is an organizer for the Amalgamated is longer a member of the Party. Watt reason auto industry, upholsterers, needle trades and others. Clothing Workers Union. The possibilities exist for the for resigning from the Party was because he could The Communist League has a few hundred members, development of a left wing movement against the reacno longer carry out, bureaueratically made policies.
but they are active, thinking, determined fighters, tionary Hillman machine. The Communist League, at And believe Watt is sincere in trying to build the prepared to fight over a long period for a regenerated the moment of the outbreak of a strike among the unN. He is working night and day at present in revolutionary Communist movement, now being sys organized clothing workers, in the Excell shops and Illinois trying to build the new miners union. While tematically destroyed by Stalin and his clique through others, laid out a policy and program of activity for Watt trying do this, the official paid agents of out the world. Clarity of principles and tactics and the strike in agreement with Carlson. This policy, if the Party are running around every corner and howlmass work are the rock upon which the Communist fully carried out, would have aided in the broadening ing that Watt is that kind of a crook and that he is to League endeavors to build.
of the strike among other clothing workers, for winbe removed and that Freeman Thompson will be made The League, despite the sabotage of the official Comning greater gains for the workers on strike, and laid president of the munist party and the of a broad united front the basis for the development of strong Left Wing have been active in the miners struggle during the movement for the framed up Gastonia defendants, in the against the class collaboration policy last month. Several weeks ago went to Benid to leads in a demand for a genuine united front and of the Hillman machine, under the leadership of Genis attend the Illinois Conference mostly Party works for the Gastonia victims (Minneapolis, Chicago, and Kaminsky in Minneapolis. Carlson failed to carry members present. had just received my bundle of St. Louis, New York, New Haven, etc. The League out the decisions of the Communist League.
Militants and distributed them there.
National Committee Chicago (Boston, Minneapolis) is resisting the narrow policy comrade reported on the convention and had of the Communist party in the Independent Workmen Communist League of America (Opposition)
to take issue with him because he said that the miners Circle. Despite the usual tactic of expulsion by the ST. LOUIS MEETING must now make the center of their fight in Illinois party bureaucrats, the Toronto comrades are workThe local branch of the Communist League of Amer against the the etc. In reply, ing for a broad work sport movement.
ica (Opposition) will celebrate the 12th Anniversary said that the center of our fight should be against the November 7th, Soviet Anniversary, meeting aro of the Bolshevik Revolution at a mass meeting in operators and the Lewis Fishwick machines and that already arranged in Minneapolis, St. Louis and other Druid Hall, 9th Market, St. Louis, Mo. Elmer Macregardless of one color political affiliations he points. Mass meetings have been held recently in New Millan and other well known militants will speak. AN must have a right to join the In the afterYork and Boston on the crisis in the Communist move workers are invited to attend.
noon a mass meeting was held at which about two ment and on the recent uprising in Palestine. Enthousand miners attended to hear Watt, Slinger and tertainments for the benefits of the MILITANT were The Communist League branch in St. Louis has just Thompson.
held the past month in Chicago and New York. Other sent in 11 subs to the MILITANT with an earnest Last Sunday in Sprinfield we held a large mass ineet cities are organizing similar affairs.
pledge that this is only a small beginning which they ing at which about two thousand miners attended. Watt All the branches are active to raise their quotas for intend to increase steadily in the future.
COMMUNIST LEAGUE ACTIVITIES