Page THE MILITANT Saturday, November 30, 1929 Who Is Leading the Comintern Today?
Continued from Last Issue In his attacks, first against TrotskyIsm. then against Zinoviev, and Kamenev, Stalin always hit at the same side: against the old revolutionary emigrants. The emigrans are people without roots who think only of the world revolution. But today new leaders are necessary, who are capable of realizing socialism in one country. The struggle against the emigrants, which is in a measure the continuation of Stalin letter in 1911 against Lenin is an integral part of the Stalinist ideology of national socialism. Only a complete ignorance of history allows Stalin to have open recourse to this manifestly reactionary argument.
After every revolution, the reaction commenced with the struggle against the emigrants and foreigners. Were the October revolution to recede to another stage, on the Ustrlalovist road, the next, the third set of leaders would certainly set themselves to hunting down the professional revolutionaries in general: for while these cut themselves off from life by taking refuge in illegal work, the others, the new leaders. were always rooted in the soil!
Stalin and the Emigrants In truth, never did the provincial nattonal narrow mindedness of Stalin appear 80 brutally than in this scheme to make the old revolutionary emigrants an object of terror. For Stalin, emigration signifles the abandonment of the struggle and of political lite. It is organically inconceivable to him that a Russian Marxist, having lived in France or the United States, should have engaged in the struggle of the French or he American working class, not to speak of the fact that most of the time, the Russlan emigrants performed important functions in the service of the Russian revolution It is curious that Stalin does not observe that in striking at the old uprooted emigrants, he strikes above all at the Executive Committee of the International, which is composed of foreign emigrants in the Soviet Union where they are invested with the leadership of the international labor movement. But it is upon himself, as leader of the International, that Stalin lets fall the most painful blows: for it is impossible to imagine a more consummate, that is to say, a more isolated emigrant than he is toward all the foreign countries.
Without any knowledge of the history and the internal life of the foregn countries, without personal knowledge of their labor movements, without even the possibility of following the foreign press, Stalin is today called upon to hammer out and to settle the questions of the world revolution.
In other words, Stalin is the most perfect incarnation of the caricatured type of emigrant pictured in his imagination. That also explains why the incursions of Stalin into the field of international questions, beginnng with the Autumn of 1924 (the day and the date can be established without difficulty. always have this episodio broken, accidental character, without being any the less injurious for that.
It is not by chance that the thoroughly cynical empiricism of Stalin and the passion of Bucharin for playing with generalizations have marched side by side a relatively long period. Stalin acted under the influence of direct social collisions, Bucharin, with his little finger, set heaven and hell into motion in order to justify the new zig zag. Stalin regarded Bucharin generalizations as an unavoidable evil. In his heart, he believed as before that there was no reason to get excited over theoretical tempests in a glass of water. But ideas in a certain sense live their own life.
Interests become fastened to ideas. Basing themselves upon interests, Ideas weld people together. Thus, while serving Stalin, Bucharin fed the Right group theoretically, while Stalin remained the practician of the Centrist zig zags. There lies the reason for their discord. At the Sixth Congress, the discord broke out all the more scandalously the longer it was maked.
The real and not the purely formal interest in the International is determined for Stalin by the anxiety to get the necessary support from the leading cadres for the next zig zag Internal policy. In other words, what is demanded from the Interr apparatu obedi At the Sixth Congress, Bucharin read from a letter of Lenin to Zinovlev and himself in which he warns them that if the clever endont people in the Interby obedient there, and that Watt activity in Staunton was that of a loyal member of the Union whose activities were commended by the miners of Staunton. The delegates in addition protested the charge that Watt engin.
By Trotsky ient chorus. The gravest crises are still eered the walkout at Belleville and added to come. The ideological needs of the pro that it was thru the efforts of Angelo and idiots, they will certainly kill it. Bucharin letarian vangaurd are breaking through, Watt that a split situation was prevented risked bringing forward these lines only bursting asunder the ranks of the apparand that the miners went back to their resbecause they were necessary to defend himatus. The illusory unity crumbling to pective localities to intensity their activself against Stalin. In actuality, the warndust in the International more rapidly than ities in behalf of the union.
ing of Lenin, which rings so tragically in the Russian Communist Party, where the Toward the close of the conference the resolution of the Belleville conference on today, embraces the regime of Zinoviev, of hold of the Party apparaus has long ago Watt was read. The contents of the resoBucharin, as well as of Stalin. This part given way entirely to economic and governlution stated among other things, that Watt of the Testament has also been trampled mental repression.
was a renegade, opportunist, enemy of the under foot. At the present moment, not It is needless to point out the danger workers and an agent of Lewis! It concluded only in the Russian Communist Party, but presented by factional splitting. But up to by demanding that Watt cease his activin all the foreign Communist Parties withnow no one has succeeded in overcoming ities in the union pending the action of the factionalism by lamentations. The concilout exception, all the elements that built up National Board on these charges. It was the International and led it in the period fationism about which they complain so on this particular section that the delegates much in all the resolutions, is still less cap expressed their dissatisfaction with the of the first four Congresses have been removed from leadership and cut off from the able of weakening factionalism. It is itself state of affairs in the union. Watt, who Party. This general change of the leading a product of the factonal struggle and at had been sitting at the conference all day without once taking part in the proceedcadres is of course not accidental. The line the same time its semi manufacture. Conings rose at this point to give his position of Stalin requires Stalinists and not ciliationism is unavoidably called upon to to the miners. His speech gave the lie to Leninists.
differentiate itself and to be reabsorbed.
all the charges against him. What he said Every palliation or concealment of differThat is why the Peppers, the Kuusin the main consisted of the following: ences of opinion will only increase the Inens, the Martinovs, the Petrovskys, the Watt Declares Position chaos and give the factional formations a Rafeses, the Manuilskys and consorts are more durable and painful character. The Brothers, the issue of Watt has been so useful and irreplaceable. They are made raised in this conference. It has been growing turmoil of factionalism can be overto adapt themselves. In seeking to obtain stated that Watt is a traitor, an enemy of come only by means of a clear line of nrinthe obedience of the International, they the ciple. From this standpoint, the present miners, an opportunist seeking realize their highest destiny. For many of period of avowed ideological struggle is a only something for himself. have been told to keep my hands out of the affairs these pensioners, the supreme bureaucracy profound factor of progress. Only It must of the union. That is the decision of the has become the preliminary condition for a not be compared with the abstract Ideal Belleville conference. am not going to readines to make any kind of a right about of unity but with the bitter reality of face, on the condition that they feel that go against those decisions. am not going these last years, to allow the issue of Watt to stand in the they have the apparatus behind them, and The Three Basic Lines way of the building of the Union. If the at the same time they feel themselves to miners think that Watt should not be the be the direct heirs of the October Revolu Three basic lines have come to light tion and its harbingers throughout the president of the union and that he should on the international scale. The line of the not interfere in the activtly of the union world. What more do they need? Verily, Right, which is an hopeless attempt to then Watt will abide by these decisions.
they are building an International in their resuscitate, under new conditions, the pre But want to tell you this, men: you must own image.
war social democracy, in the best case of build the union. It is your only solution.
This work. however, contains a fatal the type of Bebel (Brandler and others. There is no other hope except the building deficiency: It does not take into account the The line of the Left, which is the continuof the National Miners Union, and you resistance of the materials, that is to say, atton and the further develonment of Bolmust do this. It has been said that we the living masses of the workers. In the shevism and the October revolution. That must adhere to the Red International of capitalist countries, the resistance appears is our line. Finally, the line of the Center, Labor Unions. Lewis has said that the much sooner, for there the Communists Red Union is unfit for us. He says that we which is suspended between the two prinhave no apparatus of coercion. Despite all cipal lines swerving now from the one, now must join the Amsterdam International, their sympathy for the October Revolution, from the other, devoid of any principle that is the place for us. want to tell you men, that it Lewis says the Red Internatthe working masses are by no meang discontent of its own. and in the last anniveis. ional is unfit for us and that we must Join posed to put confidence in the first stick always serving as a screen for the Right the yellow Amsterdam International then that is tranformed into a leader and to wing (Stalin and his partisans. we must tell him our place is with the Red worship the head of a sardine The masses cannot and do not want to underPersonal regroupings will take place, International and against the Yellow Interstand the mechanism of the apparatus.
even in the higher circles. As for the bulk national. What is good for Lewis and what he advises us to do, cannot be good They learn from great events. And they see of the Communist masses, inside and outfor us, or advisable for us to do. In clonothing but mistakes. confusion and deside of the Party. their self determination sing, brothers, let me ask you again, not is feats. The worker Communists feel the still entirely to be accomplished. The to allow the issue of Watt to divide you.
nroblem is, therefore, to win the masses.
atmosphere growing cold around them.
You must go forward united, build the NatTheir uneasiness is transformed into ideoThis strnegle must be endowed with the ional Miners Union. The charges against logical turmoil which becomes the basis for greatest intransigeance. The masses will me do not agree with; they are false, factional groupings.
never he won by hints or by half words. but that is the decision of Belleville, and The dialectic of develonement is such that since that is so, must carry it out. Your It is clear: the International has enter the International can be saved from the hope is your union and you must build it ed into a period where it must atone heav neril of factional collapse only by a bold, or you are lost.
This speech of Watt is an answer to all ily for the sins of the last six years in the firm and intransigeant genuing together course of which ideas were treated like of the international faction of the Bolo the false charges made against him in recent weeks. The position of the Party worthless bank notes, revolutionaries like shevik Leninists.
is one that will not build a miners union.
functionaries, and the masses like an obedTHE END on the contrary it will split it asunder When Party organizers approach non party leaders in the union and demand: You must either join us or we will crush you. then it exhibits a fundamental misconception of the role that Communists must play By Albert Glotzer in the organization of new unions and in the mass organizations. The attempt to On November 10, one week following pating in the Miners union and aiding in the Belleville conference, the Staunton sub the struggles. What they did protest create a pure leadership of Communists in the new unions spells defeat since it can district conference of the National Miners against was the new miners union becoming Union went into session to act on the deci a forum for the internal machinations of only be done at the expense of the widest variety of elements that will particpate sions of the state meeting. The Staunton the Communist Party. They foresaw in the conference is of tremendous importance present situation in Illinois the possibility in the building of the new unions. This is because it is the largest sub district of of buliding the but recognized that particularly evident in the miners union.
Communists must strive to give leadership bona fide adherents to the and it could not be done by a narrowing down because the bulk of the delegates that of the forces that go to make up the union to these workers, to formulate policy for them, but it cannot force the Party down walked out of the Belleville conference and the forcing of a narrow policy upon came from this section of the organized the new union by the introduction of artitheir throats, it cannot prevent them from taking a leading part in the creation of coal fields.
ficial dissension and strife. It was recogthese unions or else it reduces the idea of Resentment prevailed in the confernized that the main fight at the present new unlong to a caricature. Unless the ence to the methods of internal policy pro time must be made against the operators, Party makes a complete reversal of intermoted by the Party. The antagonism of a Lewis, Fish wick, and that unless this was nal policy, the result will be the destruction large section of the delegates to the deci the line of the it would be of the union.
sions of Belleville on Watt, gave sufficient doomed to failure at the outset.
proof that you cannot transplant the methProtest Daily Worker Lles ods of internal factional struggle of the When the resolution on the Press was Party when attempting to organize mass introduced, the secretary of the conference unions of the workers.
Morgan, protested against the series of The conference meeting to act on the deliberately false stories that have appeared decisions of Belleville, had just finished in the Daily Worker for the past few weeks with a reading of the report of the organ concerning the situation in the National izational committee, and voted acceptance Miners Union. The stories contained in The Latest number just received of the Report on Program and Demands, the Daily Worker, that Watt was refused contains articles by when Kamenovich proposed that the con the floor in the Livingston local, were Trotsky, Christain Rakovference instead of proceeding with the refuted by delegates present from that sky, Kossfor, Okremainder of the Belleville decisions should section. The charge that Watt was setting udjava. Muralov, halt and take up the reports of the locals up a new district office in Staunton was likeF. Dingelstaedt, and act on those. The purpose of this pro wise rejected by the Staunton delegation.
and others.
posal was to draw out the proceedings, un The conference instructed to send a state INVALUABLE FOR KNOWLEDGE OF til it was too late to take up the matter of ment of protest to the Daily Worker deTHE RUSSIAN SITUATION Watt. The proposal was accepted but it manding that these charges be publicly 250 each 18 did not prevent discussion of the remainde: retracted and the correct situation be pubOrder From of the decisions.
lished, namely that the Livingston local THE MILITA The attitude of the delegates was, that did not refuse Watt permission to speak, 25 Third Avenue, they did not object to the Party partic but on the contrary that watt did speak Stalinist Defeat in Staunton The BULLETIN of the Russian Opposition