Page THE MILITANT Saturday, November 30, 1929 What Happening in China?
Schlesinger Prepares His Dress Strike While Foster Almost Changes the Line with the Help of a Cable from Losovski and the revolution? The perspective of a terriffic debacle end of an adventurist degeneration of the remains of the Communist NEW ADDRESS Party.
All comrades and friends are In the meantime, It must be said openly. Question That Every Communist Must Ask Himself and Answer repuested to note our change of Calculations based upon guerilla adventure address. All letters for The Yllitant correspond entirely to the general nature Among the telegrams of Pravda there or the Communist League or any of the elementary duty of the international pro of Stalinist policy. Two years ago, Stalin has been communicated many times during letariat in this conflict to defend the Repub expected gigantic gains for the security of the officers of the organization and October in the smallest type that an armed lic of the Soviets against the Chinese bourthe paper should from now on be sent the Soviet State from the alliance with the Communist detachment under the command geoisie and all its possible instigators and to our new address: imperialists of the General Council of the of comrade Tchu Deh 18 advancing success allies. But, on the other hand, It is quite British trade unions. Today he is quite The Militant fully towards Tchao Tcho (Kwantung. that clear that the proletariat of the capable of calculating that a rebellion of 26 Third Ave.
this detachment has increased from 5, 000 which has the power and the army in its the Chinese Communists, even without any Room to 20, 000, etc. Thus we learn, in passing. hands, cannot demand that the vanguard hope, would bring some profit in a preNew York, from the laconic telegrams of Pravda that of the Chinese proletariat begin a war at carious situation. In the first case, the calthat the Chinese Communists are conduct once against Chiang Kai Shek, that is, that culation was grossly opportunist, in the ing an armed struggle against Chiang Kai it apply the means which the Soviet govern second, openly adventurist, but in both cases Shek. What is the meaning of this strug ment itself does not find it possible, and mendous harm to the Left wing in the the calculation is made independent of the gle? Its origin? Its perspectives? Not a with reason, to apply. Had a war begun beneedle trades market. It was met with disgeneral tasks of the world labor movement, word is breathed to us about it. If the new tween the and China, or rather, trustful silence by the Left wing rank and against these tasks and to the detriment revolution in China has matuted to the point between the and the imperialist of the correctly understood interests of the file. Now comes the Daily Worker of Nov.
where the Communists are taking arms, then protectors of China, the duty of the Chin Soviet Republic 21, 1929, five weeks later and in its leadone would think that it is necessary to mo ese Communist would be to transform this ing editorial it denounces the previous deWe have not at our disposal all the necbilize the International in the face of events war in the shortest time into a civil war.
cision, as per Losovsky latest cable! Says essary data for a definite conclusion. That of a decisive historical importance. Why But even in that case the launching of the the Foster Bedacht Wicks organ: is why we ask: then do we hear nothing of the sort? And civil war would have to be subordinated to What is happening in Yesterday Wisdom Now a Trap China? Let it be explained to us! The ff the situation in China is not such as general revolutionary policy, and even then Neither can we consider as anything puts on the order of the day the armed the Chinese Communists would be unable to Communist who does not pose this question but a tumble into the trap set by the bossstruggle of the Communists for power, then pass over arbitrarily, and at any moment at to himself and to the leadership of his Pares and their agents such statements as rety will be unworthy of the name of Commuhow and why has a Communist detachment all, to the road of open insurrection, but main at work or the still worse elaboranist. The leadership that would like to rebegun an armed struggle against Chiang only after having assured themselves of the tion of this statement into stay on the job main discreetly on the side in order, in Kai Shek, that is, against the bourgeois necessary support of the worker and peasant in the shops military dictatorship?
case of a defeat of the Chinese guerilla. to we control. statements masses. The rebellion at Chiang Kai Shek made by some. left wing comrades.
wash its hands and transfer responsibility Yes, why have the Chinese Commun rear, in this situation, would be the extenThe leadership of the Left wing union)
to the Central Committee of the Chinese ists risen in rebellion. Perhaps because the sion of the front of the workers and peasshould undertake at once the organization Chinese proletariat has already found the ants of the Soviets; the fate of the insurCommunist Party such a leadership would dishonor itself not for the first time, it is of rank and file committees composed of time to heal its wounds? Because the degent Chinese workers would be intimately members of the of unortrue by the most abominable crime against moralized and feeble Communist Party has bound up with the fate of the Soviet ganized workers and of members of the the interests of the international revolution, found the time to stand erect again thanks Republic; the tasks, the aim, the perspecrevolutionary union.
tives would be quite clear, We ask: What is happening in China?
to the new revolutionary wave? Have the This belated bit of criticism fails to We will continue to pose this question as city workers assured their contact with the The Perspective of the Adventure point out that it was not some left wing long as we will not have forced a reply.
revolutionary masses of the country? Have comrades who advocated the remain at But what is the perspective opened up strikes spread throughout the country? Has TROTSKY work policy, but the official leaders of the by this uprising of the today isolated Chinunion, the expelled Lovestonite Zimmerthe general strike pushed the proletariat to ese Communists in the absence of the war Prinkipo, November 10, 1929.
the insurrection? If such is the case, then man as well as the stamped and approved Stalinites Gold, Wortis and Burochovitch.
everything is in order. But then why does Pravda communicate this fact in type used That this policy was formulated by the offor small announcements. ficial leadership of the Party and put through in the Joint Board by one Party Zinovjevs Analogy fraction. That this policy was given the Or perhaps the Chinese Communists seal of approval by an official organ of have risen in rebellion because they have the Party, the Morning Freiheit. That five received the latest commments of Moloweeks passed without anyone but The classic example of how the American shop conditions, winking at the rotten piece Militant as much as whispering a word tov on the resolution on the Third Period?
labor bureaucracy, even its socalled social work system, the institution of the bossof criticism. That Foster, Browder and It is no accident that Zinoviev who, in disist wing, conducts the struggle for the tinction to the other capitulators, still prethe favored impartial chairman, and improvement of the conditions of the like.
Co. were so busy denouncing the countertends to be alive, has made a sortie in revolutionary Trotskyites for our position workers is afforded by the present cam The bosses know quite well, despite all Pravda with an article which shows that the on the Party line that they could not see paign of Schlesinger, Dubinsky and their of Schlesinger anxious assurances, that domination of Chiang Kai Shek is entirely colleagues to organize the dressmakers of the class struggle will not be abolished daylight until Losovsky jerked them up a bit.
similar to the temporary domination of KolNew York into the International Ladies this way. It is an old story with them their tchak, that is, is only a simple episode in However, the policy now adopted is a Garment Workers Union, The New York primary concern is a constantly increasing the process of the revolutionary drive. This step forward. That the cable suspended Times reports on the negotiations between profit from the workers, and that the latanalogy is naturally quite fit to rewarm the Party leaders will be unable to make any the union officials and the various bosses ter will inevitably seek for better wages soul a little. Unfortunately, it is not only genuine progress in the dressmakers sitassociations read like reports of two and conditions at the expense of the boss false, but even stupid. Koltchak organized uation, it they continue with their new boards of directors in different branches profit even under the stifling control an insurrection in one province against the line. is nevertheless also true. Foster of an industry meeting in conference to of Schlesinger. But what the bosses fear dictatorship of the proletariat already essubstitute for the previous policy of capisettle minor questions of dispute for the more than the prospect later of militant tablished in the greater part of the country.
tulation and passivity, is to enter the Left purpose of improving the productivity and resistance by the workers is the presence In China, bourgeois counter revolution rules wing union in an adventurist race with the profits of business. Here is a typical news now of the Left wing and its union, Το in the country and it is the Communists Right wing as to who will be first to isreport from the Times (November 15,, 1929) wipe out every vestige of the latter sue the strike call leaflet. What is needed, who have stirred up an insurrection of a which speaks volumes for the level to strength, the bosses will cooperate to the few thousand people in one of the provinces.
bady needed at the present moment is a which the socialist leaders of the limit with the Right wing and even help We think, therefore, we have the right to genuine movement for a united front of have sunk: to organize the workers into a semi com the workers in the dress trade, a closing pose this question: does this insurrection Asserting that the general strike of all pany union. The bosses are working with spring from the situation in China or raof the ranks, a fraternization of the Right dressmakers in the city appeared inevit Schlesinger in order to wipe out the menther from the directions concerning the wing and Left wing workers for a shouldable as a means of forcing non union shops ace of a strong Left wing movement among er to shoulder organizing campaign and Third Period? We ask what is the politito join the respective employers associa the workers, and the Schlesingers are play strike against the bosses and their agents cal role of the Chinese Communists Party tions. in the industry, Benjamin Schles ing the role assigned to them in the capin all this? What are the slogans with in the ranks of labor, for the unionization inger, president of the who talist game the labor agents of the bosswhich it mobilized the masses? What is of the industry and the improvement of the headed the union contingent at the confer es. Because it is to the employers inter workers lot.
the degree of its influence upon the workences, appealed to the employers to em ests to crush the Left wing movement, it is ers? We hear nothing of all this. The reThe present policy of the Party bureaubrace the union program and do for the to the workers interests to strengthen the bellion of Tchu Deh appears to be a reprocrats rules such a line of action out of condress what has so successfully been ac Left wing and thereby fortify themselves. sideration. The Left wing workers must duction of the adventurist campaigns of Hocomplished for the cloak trade. The re But since the Left wing is no abstrac fight for it in spite of the bureaucrats beLun and Ye Tin in 1927 and the uprisings in sult of both conferences was an agreement Canton timed for the moment of the expultion, but rather an inseparable part of the because that is the way the Schlesingers by the employers to follow the example working class, it must have a policy cor will be smashed, the Left wing built and sion of the Opposition from the Russian of the inside manufacturers and particiCommunist Party.
responding to the needs of the workers in the workers conditions bettered. Foster pate in the appointment of joint sub comgeneral and for the given moment. In policy has led to the weakening of the Left Or perhaps the rebellion was let loose mittees of representatives of employers and the present situation, this is not the case. wing and the strengthening of the Right spontaneously? Well and good. But then the union to work out basic agreements The Left wing and its union are still wing union, Scores of Left wing workers are what is the meaning of the Communist ban which would serve as a foundation for re bound, helpless, and in ever deepening con registering with the Schlesinger Right ner unfurled above it? What is the attitude organization of the industry when the fusion. We pointed out in the last issue wing union. Well known officials are doing of the official Chinese Communist Party strike is called.
of The Militant that the Left wing union likewise. There is Tunick of Local (a towards the insurrection? What is the posThe Class Struggle is Over!
had adopted a criminally wrong policy to Party member. Martin Feldman, delegate tion of the Comintern in this question? And The labor leaders of our new era have wards the strike planned by the Right to the Joint Board from local and memwhy, finally, in communicating this fact to abolished the very annoying business of wing. We declared that the decision to re ber of the Faber, former busius, does the Moscow Pravda abstain from class struggle and wiped out the clash of main at work and let the workers following ness agent of Local 22; Goldstein, another any comment?
interests between the slave of the needle the Right wing do as they please, was a business agent of Local 22; Horowitz, manBut there is still another explanation and the master. In its place they have policy of scabbing, of passivity, of despera ager of Cutters Local (ex Party mempossible, which is perhaps at the same time substituted a miraculous brotherly love and tion, guaranteed to discredit the movement ber. Reichel, Executive Board of Local the most disquieting: Have the Chinese a peace that passeth all understanding. All for years. We proposed a policy of action (a leader of the Party fraction. Sam Communists risen in rebellion because of the troubles of the dressmakers are now for the Left wing. For our criticism we Weisdorf, Local (Party member. and these Chiang Kai Shek seizure of the Chinese to disappear with a wave of Schlesinger were denounced (as usual) as counter are only a few.
Eastern Rallway? Has this insurrection, magic wand. The workers wil carry on a revolutionaries by Foster and his Love Unless the Left wing makes the necessary wholly guerilla in character, as its only aim bitter struggle to force all bosses to join stoneite counterpart in the needle trades, turn in the right direction, these signs of to cause Chiang Kai Shek the greatest posthe bosses associations. The employers Zimmerman. But that was before Foster disentergration will multiply and willy sible uneasiness at his rear? If that is what will agree to carry on a similar struggle received his monthly cable of instructions milly it will add fuel to a fire that warms It is, we ask who has given such counsel to have the workers join the Right wing from Losovsky, which extricates him from hearts only of Schlesinger and the boss to the Chinese Communists? Who bears the union And why not? The bogses know one bad fix only to yank him into another. aggociations.
political responsibility for their passing over that as long as the Schlesingers are run Our criticism was of the stay at workto guerilla fighting?
ning the union they have nothing to fear and ignore strike call policy adopted at An entertainent and dance for the benIt is not long ago that we decisively con from the union shop. Schlesinger will the Webster Hall membership meeting of efit of the MILITANT will be held Saturdemned the ramblings on the necessity of see to it that the dressmakers get what the Left wing union on October 17, 1929, day, December 14th 1929 at P. at the handing over 80 important an instrument has so successfully been accomplished the policy formulated by the Party lead Hungarian Hall, 323 East 79th Street, New as the Chinese Eastern from the hands of for the cloak trade. And what has been ers, adopted by Gold and Zimmerman alike, York City. The affair is under the austhe Russian revolution to those of the Chin done there, as every cloakmaker knows, is enthusiastically reported in the Freiheit pices of the New York Branch of the Comese counter revolution. We called to mind the legalization by the union of sweat the next day. That decision caused tre munist League of America (Opposition. THE MILITANT, Vol. II, No. 18, November 30, 1929. Published weekly by the com munist League of America (Opposition) at 25 Third Avenue, New York, Su scription rate: 00 per year; foreign 50. Five cents per copy. Bundle rates, cents per copy. Editorial Board: Martin Abern, James Cannon, Max Shachtman, Ma Ice Speci Arne Swabeck. Entered as second class mall matter Novembor 28, 1928, at the Post Office at New York, Y, under the act of March 3, 1879.