MILITANT Batutay, March 1930 Page t YOUNG VANGUARD The Decline of the Baby against the young social reformists. In a Some ventured that while that was true period when the young workers are begin enough as a condition of the Leagues, the nig to show signs of active struggle, the cause must be sought in the political policy absence of alert and active Commun st and tactics of the This doctrinaire Section Devoted to Problems of the Working Class Youth youth Leagues, give the social democratic conception was readily dismissed by Stayouth an exceptional broad base for growth. lin representatives, and the Plenum found With these facts before it, the Plenum, itself once again in complete agreement.
recently held, had as its main task a thorThe Opposition Youth is Taking Hold ough review of the policies and tactics of The young workers in the Opposition, the Leagues and the I, including the who fought the false policies and leader.
line of its Fifth Congress, and the position eyes to the history of the liberal and soThe present crisis in the Young Comship of the existing Leagues and supported of the Sixth Congress and Tenth Plenum munist International is a direct reflection of cialist betrayals Nevertheless, the the International Opposition led by comrade in calling into existence the above conferof the Comintern. To prevent this, was the the situation in the Comintern. The latter, Trotsky, have the important task of edufunction of the Comintern representatives under the leadership of Stalinist Centrism, ence, once again mechanically and with as cating the working youth, inside and outto the Plenue, Manuilsky and Remmele.
much reason, followed the policy of the with its policy of national socialism. and side the official Leagues in the principles of Manuilsky Passes the Buck Communism. In France our young comthe conversion of the Communist parties Comintern in its organization of the World into automaton to carry out its bureau League Against Imperialism. which has At this meeting, self criticism reigned. rades are actively participating in trade cratic orders, finds itself in a state of dis contained such celebrated and consistent the Comintern representatives criticised the union activity, in Mexico they are taking anti imperialists as, Lansbury, Cook, San work o fthe I! For example, Manuilintegration.
the initiative in forming a strong Opposidino, the elder Nehru. The first two were sky said: In words you stand for the The Young Communist International as tion group; in Canada and the United a section of the Comintern, has the same official spokesmen of the organization for third period, but in deed you are still in States, they are taking an active part in the some time, while the latter were colonial the second period. What criticism could political and tactical line as the latter.
work of the Communist League of America heroes.
be worse than this! The political resoluTherefore the mistakes of the Comintern (Opposition. and lastly, and of utmost imThe proceedings of the conference were tion (which was eventually carried) was become the mistakes of the The portance, in the Soviet Union, our comrades said to indicate fear of the masses.
very simple. Representatives of petty bourThe bureaucracy in the Comintern and its secare winning over more and more young tions has more than its equal in the Leagues geois colonial groups and representatives slogan, To the masses is insufficient, said wrokers to our position; a recent report in of Communist Youth and the Mechanical calling of Leagues present Manuilsky, unless we carry on a struggle Izvestia states the disbanding of two Komappointments conferences, bureaucratie reported on their activities. William Rust, against the Left danger, that is, the sec somol nuclei for being nests of Trotskywho helped ruin the British League, and tarian tendency which leads to isolation.
with complete disregard for the mass of the ites. This work must be increased. The served Stalin in lining up the American In spite of this, the resolutions and decimembership, mechanical use of Party slopublications of the Opposition must devote gans and policies for youth work, bureau League at its last convention, save the sions of the Tenth Plenum were reiterated. more space to youth questions, where feagreport for the Executive Committee of the Some of the comrades could not completely cratic carrying out of decisions. as proible, special youth organizations should be He urged the necessity of antiswallow the statement that the reason. letarianization and nativization. etc. are formed, all efforts should be made to win prevalent in every League in the imperialist work and the formation for the present condition of the is the young workers and especially, the Comof youth sections of The well known Stalinist abhorrence for the Anti Imperthe sectarian isolation and separation from munist youth for the principles of Marxism, revolutionary theory has its fitting supple. ialist League, Two days were spent the basic mass of the working youth which for the Opposition.
in discussion. Not a single new youth dominates in the organizations of the JOSEPH FRIEDMAN.
ment in the almost complete absence of educational work in the Leagues. The fun section has been formed since then antidamentals of Marxism, the teaching of Len militarist activity in the League is less now in, the history of the Comintern and the the history of the Russian Oc convened the Conference did not even contober, are unknown to the average League sider it important enough to discuss its The long awaited Revolutionary Youth exists in the League (which cannot be and functionary, not to speak of the average resolutions and procedeings.
organ of the youth members of the Love is not separate and apart from the general member. The above, when taught, is fal The May Day and August First Flascoes grou has finally graced us with its maiden conditions prevalent in the Party, and for sified officially called popularized. See The sections of the took part debut. Expressing intentions of becoming that matter in the Comintern and Stalin Leninism as a model. in the May Day atfairs of the Parties and the fighting organ of the American youth that the problems of building mass youth Simultaneous with the declining influ shared in the latter failure to arouse the movement, the beacon light for the training movement are far greater and deeper than ence and numerical strength of the Comin masses; it participated in the August 1st of young Communists, and the herald of the personalities in the leadership. Revote tern since 1924, the was transformed demonstrations. In reference to this, Man all that is revolutionary Leninist, etc. tionary Youth clarifies nothing. It actually from an organization of over a million (ex uilsky tells us: On the eve of August 1st it actually typifies in the main the charac brings on greater confusion.
clusive of the Soviet Union) to, according we said to you, comrades of the teristics of the whole composition of the Needs of the League to the teport of Furenberg at the recent organize a number of demonstrations in the Lovestone group. It goes without saying Plenum of the a little over street before August 1st, dissipate the that Revolutionary Youth embodies none of What fe necessary at this juncture 18 eighty thousand (83, 067 to be exact. This strength of the enemy, dont let him have a these forms; on the contrary, it exhibits a revaluation of the principles that accomis less than one half the number of mem breathing space. Did you pay heed to this the worse features that have become atpanied the organization of the Clarbers it had in November, 1919, the time of call, did you respond to it? you who deification is sorely needed on the following tached to the body of the Conimunist movethe First Congress. In every country, with claim about being rendered unpolitical? ment.
questions: What is and what should be the Did you, with the exception of timid efforts the exception of the Soviet Union, the LeaThe problems of the American League character of the Communist youth leagues?
gues are small sects with little influence in Germany organize many such demonstra have not grown up today.
What shall be the attitude towards the The decline, over the working youth, mere shadows of tions in other countries? Following this both organizationally and politically of the question of vanguardism. What shail be the Communist parties (although theoret failure, the called for the annual L, its cynicism, high politics, lack of the attitude on the question of indepenically the former is supposed to be more International Youth Day, September 1st, as vital activity, and all the retarding condidence. What are the main problems and of a mass organization than the party. a continuation of August 1st and it was!
the immediate tasks of the Youth? What is tions of the Communist Youth League, are The Fifth Congress of the setDue to false political policy, an incorrect not the product alone of the present leaderthe attitude of the youth movement on the tled the entire question in a very simple approach to the youth, lack of preparation, ship. While it is true that the present reburning questions of principle between the manner. It reiterated the decisions of the Centrist leadership and the Leninist Oppoabsence of the united front tactic, Inter gime of Harvey, Green, Rijack, has only Sixth Congress of the Comintern on the national Youth Day went the way of Auge accentuated these conditions, basically they sition?
necessity of a new line, the third period, the ust 1st no large sections of the working have been part of the League from the discussion of these questions and the Right danger as the main one, and issued youth were mobilized.
period of the Lovestone Zam leadership.
arrival at their proper decisions will funthe slogan of. To the masses. These deBig Loss In Membership Present Disintegration of the League damentally alter the course of disintegracisions were patented to give an impetus to tion of the youth Leagues. correct solution The national sections of the The present leadership despite its strict would spell death to the sophistication, high the growth of mass young Leninist were just as impotent. In the period be adherence to the leftward swing in the leagues. genuine discussion of policy tween the Fifth Congress and the recent Comintern, actually carries over all the politics, cynicism and opportunist adventurand tactics; a critical analysis of the plenum, the French League lost, according bureaucratic leadership. The heritage of features of the former opportunistic and ism that today pervades the youth moveconditions of the young workers in the ment. To these and other questions, subseto official reports, one thousand members, various countries; steps to educate the (it fell from 7, 000 to 6, 000. In great the Harvey Green Rijack (Steuben) leaderquent issues of the Militant will devote membership of the Leagues; ways and itsell.
Britain, although the League had made ship from the former Lovestone Zam clique means of drawing the working youth into great strides during the British miners was a non appearing Young Worker, a pit A, the struggle, these and similar questions strike and the General Strike in 1926, had fully small membership, a League that was were absent from the proceedings. It is dropped to 900 members at the time of the apathetic to its tasks, that was virtually FOODLESS MOTHER TRIES SUICIDE no longer necessary to follow such tedious Fifth Congress, and now has about 300. In non existent as a factor in the revolutionary and academic procedure for don we DETROIT (FP) Rescued after an atGermany, the Brandlerite (Right Wing)
movement. This inheritance found fitting know that in the esent, the third perfod. youth succeeded in organizing a group, tempt at suicide in the Detroit River here, executors in the present regime, who whi Vida Britton, unemployed waitress and mothe young workers are becoming radical.
which has resulted in the loss to the Comdiffering in their political affiliations, are ized, that the Communists are the only true ther of two, tells a pitiful tals of hunger and munist movement of many young workers, for all practical purposes alike in their representatives of the workers and, ipso misery in dynamic Detroit.
some going over to the Right wing, some concepts of the needs of the League, and facto, the communist youth leagues will ve worked so hard, and life is so leaving the movement entirely. In Czechothe nethods of building a mass youth move hard, she sighed, as she told of hard work grow? Such reasoning sometimes with the Slovakia, the League in a period of one ment. Not only has the present leadermost naive consciousness, other times unas a waitress bringing in a few pennies year has declined in membership 50 ship failed to better substantially the state wittingly, is the prevalent logic of the day. Business slumped and lost my job.
from 12, 000 to 6, 000. In the United States of affairs left by the former ruling group, young Stalinite leadership, internationally Mrs. Britton then went to work as a the League has fallen to a little over fifteen but it is responsible for the further decline and nationally.
dancing partner in a local dancing school.
hundred members (1589. Not a single and disintegration of the League. had to depend on taxi danclas tor livY. Follows the False Path of the youth section of a trade union or auxiliary. Revolutionary Youth offers no solution Ing. Sometimes barely earned cnough to Since the Fifth Congress, the organization had been formed. Meanwhile, for these conditions. Upon the heads of buy food, let alone pay my share of the conducted the following mass activity. On we witness the attempts on the part of the the Rubinsteins, Silvis, Luryes, Zams, Her apartment rent where lived. carned 40 July 20th and 21st of last year an Inter social democracy to revive and activize its bergs, as well as the present Harveys, Ria dance.
These lost weeks sometimes national Anti Imperialist Youth Conference youth sections. In Germany the social dem jacks and Greens, lie the shortcomings of didn earn more than 60c a night. was held at Frankfort on the Main, Ger ocratic youth is taking an increasing ac the League. The attempts of the Lovestone couldn live on that. Ifall the time did nt many, for the purpose of forming youth tive part in the strikes led by the social youth section to cry for democracy, discus get enougl to eat. Things went from bad to sections of the Anti Imperialist Leagues in democratic controlled trade unions; in Eng sion, mass work, organization, etc. can only worse the various countries. The advisability of land, the Guild of Youth of the Independent draw crocodile tears from the members of love dancing but dancing, night such a conference, even from a principle Labour Party, after being made impotent the Communist Opposition. Only a year after night fen so easy as it sounds.
point of view, is highly questior. able. The by the winning over of many of its best ago we were faced with the same bureau Whether you are tired or not, whether you conducting and leading of the struggle elements by the of Great Britain, cratic expulsions, lack of opportunity of like your partner or not, you must dance.
against Imperialsm is the tasks of the Com is showing signs of lite; even in the United discussion and sluggings from the same couldn be pleasant to people hall of the intern and its sections, especially the States, where the national movement of the group that finds it expedient today, to dis time, and that was bad for my income, To organize the petty bourgeois socialist youth has been practically non cover that the principles of Communist or There was nobody to whom could look for liberals and socialists into an organization existant since the war, the Socialist Party ganization are mercilessly looted by the help.
and expect them to carry on a consistent is attempting to resurrect it. The Leagues present Stalinist adventurer And go Vida Britton tried to drowy Sght against imperialism is to close one of the are carrying on no work It is apparent from the situation that hersell.