Saturday, December 14, 1929 THE MILITANT Page The National Revolt in Haiti are Continued from Page tual head of the government until a Wall Street tool, Dartiguenave, was folsted upon the country as president at the point of Marine bayonets, even as President Borno 18 today.
The resistance of Haiti was nevertheless not eliminated. The then seized the ten main ports of Haiti and their customs houses, collected all customs dues, and established what amounted to a military dictatorship over the country treaty was finally jammed through which robbed Haiti of the faintest semblance of sovereignty.
Still under the apostle of brotherhood and peace, President Wilson, an agreement was arranged naming the National City Bank as the financial overseer of the country.
The military subjection of Halti then began in full force. The barbaric corvee, or forced road work, was revived, and virtual slave raids conducted by the Marines to help improve the country. Marine atrocities, rivalling the alleged ones of the Huns during the war, became the order of the day. In a few years of its domination, James Weldon Johnson reports, more than 3, 0000 unarmed Haitians were done to death by the American Marines. And the Haitian population is only 3, 000, 000.
Since that time there is hardly a phase of financial, political, military or industrial life of the country that has not been put into a water tight compartment with an American watch dog at the door, The does not propose, under any circumstances, to forsake its control voluntarily.
The naval bases of Haiti are of immense strategic importance for the control of the Panama Canal as a weapon against Great Britain. This is particularly true since the latter has declared only as late as November 25, through the First Lord of the Admiralty, Alexander, that there has been no decision to close the minor naval base at Bermuda and Jamaica and there Is no intention of taking such a decision. glance at the map shows that, Jamaica lies in an almost direct line between American controlled Cuba and Haltl, and the Panama Canal.
The dispatch of a new force of Marines to put down the strikes and the resentment which is country wide of the Haitians, gives the measure of the essence of Hoover Quaker brotherly love and strivings for peace It indicates the deliberate fraudulence of the claims of the Kellogg peace pact to halt war, because it is a murderous war that American imperialism is carrying on against the Haitian people protest against the military intervention by every workers organization will encourage the Haitian workers, peasants and students to continue and sharpen their battle to rid the country of the Wall Street oppression. Make the Marines get out of Haiti! Help to bear the Iron heel of the National City Bank, and its political agent Hoover off the neck of Haiti, rest himself trom the great tasks, white GREETINGS SENT TO THE WEEKLY a road of syndicalism. At the same time, it gle for changing the whole policy of the breaks with the Party. not with a certain Party as well as that of the trade unions.
policy nor with a certain leadership, but The Tasks of the Communist Left with the party in general. This means quite simply that ideologically it definitely dis26. The Left Opposition must place arms itself and falls back to the positions the questions of the trade union movement of guildism or trade unionism.
in indissoluble connection with the ques22. The trade union opposition aptions of the political struggle of the proletariat. It must give a concrete analysis of pears to be satisfied with its variety. But is characterized by common traits which the present stage of development of the French labor movement. It must give an do not bring it closer to the Comunist Opposition of the Left, but on the contrary evaluation, in quantity as well as quality, allenate it and oppose it.
of the present strike movement and its perspectives in relation to the perspectives The trade union opposition does not of the economic development of France. It fight against the thoughtless acts and wrong is needless to say that it completely rejects methods of the Communist leadership, but the perspective of capitalist stabilization against the influence of Communism over the working class.
and pacifism even for a period of ten years.
The trade union opposition does not It proceeds from an estimation of our epoch as being a revolutionary epoch. It springs fight against the ultra Leftist evaluation of from the necessity of a timely preparaa given situation and the rhythm of its development but acts, in reality, counter to tion of the vanguard proletariat in face of the brusque turns which not only revolutionary perspectives in general.
probable but inevitable. The firmer and The trade union opposition does not more implacable is its action against the fight against caricature like methods of antiSupposedly revolutionary rantings of the militarism but puts forward pacifist Centrist bureaucracy, against political orientation. In other words, the trade union hysteria which does not take conditions into opposition is manifestly developing in the account, which confuses today with yesterreformist spirit.
day or with tomorrow, the more firmly and 23. Altogether wrong are the affirmaresolutely must it set itselt against the tions that during these last years contrary elements of the Right that take up its criticto what happened in Germany, CzechoSlovakia and other countries there has not ism and conceal themselves under it in order to introduce their tendencies into been formed in France a Right grouping revolutionary Marxism in the revolutionary camp. The main point is that, forsaking the revolutionary policy of Communism, the Right opposition in 27. New fixing of boundaries? New France, comforming to the traditions of the polemics? New splits? That will be the French labor movement, has assumed a lament the good natured but tired souls, trade union character concealing in this who would like to transform the Opposition way its political physiognomy. At bottom, into a calm retreat where one can tranquilly the majority of the trade union opposition represents the Right wing Just as the retaining intact the name of revolutionary Brandler group in Germany, the Czech of the Left. No! we say to them, to trade unionists who, after the split, have these tired souls: we will certainly not taken clearly reformist position, etc. follow the same road. Truth has never yet The Policy of the Communist Party been a sum of errors. Revolutionary organ24. One may seek to object that all the ization has never yet been composed of preceding considerations could be correct small conservative groups, seeking primarlly to distinguish themselves from each only on condition that the party has a correct Communist policy. But this objecother. There are epochs when the revolution is unfounded. The question of the relationary tendency 18 reduced to emalt minority in the labor movement. But those tions between the Party, which represents epochs do not demand arrangements bethe proletariat as it should be, and the trade unions, which represent the proletatween the small groups which mutually hide their errors, but on the contrary, a doubly riat as it should be, and the trade unions, implacable struggle for a correct perspective which represent the proletariat as it is, and an education of the cadres in the spirit is the most fundamental question of revolutionary Marxism. It would be veritable of genuine Marxism. Victory is possible only in this way.
suicide to spurn the only possible reply to 28. So far as the author of these lines this question solely because the Communist Party, for objective and subjective reasons is personally concerned, he must admit that the notion he had of the Monatte group of which we have spoken more than once, is now conducting a false policy towards when he was deported from the Soviet Union proved to be too optimistic and, by the trade unions, as well as in other fields.
that fact, false. For many years the author correct policy must be opposed to a did not have the possibility of following the wrong policy. Towards this end, the Left Opposition has been constituted as a facactivity of this group. He judged it from tion. It it is considered that the French old memories. The divergences showed themselves in fact profounder and more Communist Party in its entirely is in a state where there is no longer any remedy acute than one might have supposed. The events of these recent times have proved or hope which we absolutely do not think beyond a doubt that without a clear and another Party must be opposed to it. But precise ideological delimitation from the the question of the position of the Party towards the class does not change one fota line of syndicalism, the Communist Opposition in France will not go forward. The by this fact.
theses proposed represent by themselves The Communist Opposition considers the first step on the road of this delimitathat: to influence the trade union movetion which is the prelude for the victorious ment, to help it find its correct orientation, struggle against the revolutionary jabberto strengthen it by correct slogans, is imings and the opportunist essence of Cachin, possible except by means of the a Com Monmousseau and Company.
munist Party or of a faction for the moOctober 14, 1929.
ment) which, besides its other attributes, is the central laboratory of the Ideology of the working class.
TO BE SURE! TO BE SURE! BUT THAT 25. The correctly understood task of WAS IN THE SECOND PERIOD!
the Communist Party does not consist solely We must recollect how the differences in gaining influence over the trade unions, of opinion arose at the end of 1924, when such as they are, but in winning, through the Leningrad organization moved that the trade unions, an influence over the Trotsky be expelled from the Party. The majority of the working class. This is pos majority of the Central Committee declarsible only if the methode employed by the ed themselves opposed to this, and confined Party in the trade unions correspond to the themselves to supereeding Trotsky from nature and the tasks of the latter. The his position as war commissar; the struggle for influence of the Party in the majority of the were of the opinion trade unions finds its objective verification that this motion, as also the proposal movin the fact they do or do not thrive, and in ed by Zinovev and Kamenev for the exthe fact that the number of their members pulsion of Trotsky from the Political Bureau increases, as well as in their relations with involved grave dangers for the Party; exthe greatest masses. If the Party buys Its pulsions are infections and can go too far influence in the trade unions only at the (Applause. price of a diminution and a factionalizing. From the speech of Stalin at the 14th of the latter transforming them into auxCongress of the Russian Communist Iliaries of the Party for momentary aims Party, December 1925.
and preventing them from becoming genuine organizations of the masses the relations between the party and the class Three Communiste in St. Clairsville, are wrong. It is not necessary for us to Ohio, were convicted on charges of criminal dwell here on the causes of such a situa syndicalism for distributing leaflets attacktion. We have already done it more than ing Congress and the Kellogg Pact. The three once and we will always do it. The change workers, who took part in the August 1st ableness of the official Communist policy anti war demonstration, were first held on reflect its adventurist tendency to make it sledition charges but these were later Belt master of the working class with the changed to the criminal syndicalism chargbriefest delay, by means of stage, play, es on which they were convicted. Maxicamouflage, superficial agitation, etc.
mum penalties under the Ohio law are The means of Issuing from this situa 10 years in prison and a fine of 5, 000.
tion does not, however, lle in the opposi The three workers, two men and a woman ion of the trade unions to the party (or are out on 2, 000 ball pending their apthe faction. but in the relentless strug peal.
FROM CHICAGO out the country and in the different sections The Chicago branch of the Communist understand and will redouble their efforts League of America (Opp. sends heartlest in order that full advantage may be taken geetings to our fighting organ of Marxismof this new weapon.
Leninism, the MILITANT. The intensificaVincent Dunne.
tion of class struggle here and internationFROM KANSAS CITY ally, and along with it the continued vile We here in K, feel confident that distortions of the basto principles of the the Weekly Militant, once started, will not movement by the Party (enploying the only pay its own way financially but will methods of Staliniam) demand more than be the means of building up the Communever the building of a solid basis for the 1st League (Opposition) in the MILITANT, Insuring its Issuance as a Speed the Weekly Militant! K, will weekly, penetrating all sections of the be with you one hundred percent.
movement with its sharp and uncomproA. Buehler.
mising defense of Marxism.
FROM BOSTON We pledge ourselves to work to the limit Congratulations from the Boston group!
toward this end. Our proof will be in our Last year we were a few isolated groups This is a challenge to the other this year we are strong enough to pubbranches.
lish a Weekly! The Weekly is an absolute For the Unity of the Communist forces!
necessity. The official Stalinist press 18 For the victory of Marxism Leninism!
the minds of the comrades with los nd All power to the Militant!
misrepresentations and what is wore, he FROM MINNEAPOLIS attitude of the Stalinists towards all mForward, comrades! The Militant a portant events is so infantile that he Weekly. Wonderful, noble work. Your comrades in the Party are all befuddied.
labor and sacrifices lead the way and in We must supply them with information and dicate the path for the future, fitting us revive their knowledge of Leninism and at the same time for still more important Marxism. We will do our best to help you and difficult tasks. The comrades through financially. Antoinette Konikow.
work.
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