Page THE MILITANT Saturday May 17, 1930.
Co operatives Confer at Superior Plan Two Toronto Dress Strikes «Red» Guerilla War in China though it was found possible to elect one portance. Some of these officials had a very and one socialist to it. That is platonic and fleeting interest at one mothe method used by the Stalinists, in re ment for the Left Opposition, as a sort of verse English, and indicates a profound cover for their essentially Right wing fight.
weakness and fear in the Halonen group. That gone, of course. And just as water The meeting of the Board. with more finds its level in the end, so a section The annual board meeting in Superior, than 250 representative delegates attend of these functionaries is already leaning Two unions in Toronto have issued the Wisconsin, of the Cooperative Central Ex ing, was unmistakably a bitter defeat for towards Lovestone, who conducts a very call for a general strike of the dresse change has just registered a severe defeat the Party which a competent leadership democratic group, open to all stages and makers. The corrupt International, led by for the official Communist Party and at the and correct policy might have avoided. The varieties of opportunism.
the bureaucracy of the socialist party, and same time put squarely the problems of manner in which the Party conducted it It is the younger elements, however the Industrial Union under the leadership the immediate future of the Finnish revo side of the fight was literally blockheaded. and the workers, who have a decisive word of the Communist Party are both preparing lutionary movement in the United States. The Finnish Party press was simply filled to say. Many of them have waited beto bring out the workers.
We have previously described the fea with outrageous lies, misrepresentations, fore speaking on the fundamental princiTrade Conditions Rotten tures of the crisis in the Northwest co personal slander, scandals and the like, ple questions, on the basic disputes in the The conditions the cloak industry, operatives, which are in many respects a probably under the impression that this revolutionary movement (of which the co are very bad but those in the dress induspivot of the Finnish labor movement in the was the way to win workers from the operative situation is only a reflection) try, where the overwhelming inajority of country. For virtually ten years, this other side. It accomplished just the opposite until the crisis is over. The organiza the workers are young girls, married and powerful movement has been dominated by as was easily predictable particularly tional victory over the Stalinists confronts unmarried women, they are even worse.
the Communists. For at least half that since the Party had only weak leg to them more than ever with the necessity of As in the cloak trade, the conditions contime conflicts of greater or lesser severity stand on to begin with and had compro defining their perspective in clear words tinue to grow worse from year to year and have gone on constantly between the lead mised itself in the eyes of the workers and firm deeds. Not even the cooperative this is reflected in the seasonal migration ers of the Finnish Communist (and co by absolutely indefensible gangster me morement, not even Halonen, can remain of workers from shop to shop, hoping in operative) movement and the Communist thods against Halonen group. It suc neutral. The differentiation that must vain that maybe the next place will be a Party to some extent because of the im ceededed in pushing genuinely revolution take place in the ranks of the confused, little better.
portant role played by the Finnish Party ary elements over to Halonen; it is mak and so to speak, all embracing Halonen Preceding the organization of the Inmembers in the various Party factional ing up for this blunder by calling them group is of greatest consequence podustrial Union two years ago, no attempt fights, but essentially because of the in all a pack of social fascists. All the sition must now be taken on the political was ever made by the International tb orcreasing weight of conservatiem, sluggish worse for Stalinist confusionism.
questions of the hour. Right wingers will ganize the trade. The answer the militants ness and opportunism developing in the What Next?
inevitably go with the organized Right always. received to their request for the Finnish movement and restraining its rey But the fact that these fine workers wing. What is urgently needed is an International to organize a local was a olutionary progress. Nevertheless, the Party are temporarily with Halonen and the group organized, outspoken group of revolution typical expression of the successful sellmanaged to retain its influence and hold of officials around him people primarily ists, a Marxist core in the Northwest move satisfaction of all bureaucrats: Too many on to the movement for quite a time. interested is substantial labor cooperatives, ment that knows how to fight and what shickses (gentiles. who were supposed Conflict Comes to a Head not in the revolutionary class struggle and to fight for. That is the guarantee for the to be impossible to organize.
its basic principle is of the highest im movement future. MS. When the Industrial Union was first The conflict came to a sharp point organized, over 300 young dressmakers only in recent times. The victory of the Lovestone faction in the Party resulted in tenist AvdurSARR flocked to join the local, a striking answer to the lie of the International about the violent imposition upon the large Finthe impossibility to organize them. Unnish movement of discredited and incomfortunately, the golden opportunity was potent hacks (Puro, Heikkinen, Suvanto allowed to slip by, mainly because of the and Co. Then the impure chemical confailure of the Left wing, dominated by the coction recently foisted upon the Party as Party, to give the young leadership of the its Stalinist leadership (Browder, Bedacht. Continued from page 1)
the hatred of the peasants and compromis local the necessary lead and advice. The Foster, Minor, Amter, etc. together with merous strike movements. In short, after ing the names of Communism and the Red local afterwards went completely out of their irresponsible ultra Leftist course, the defeats of the demonstrations organizod Army.
existence, to be reorganized later. Today brought the mess to the boiling point. In on the initiative of the many workers Hverything shows that with such a it numbers about 75.
sudden, Leftist outburst, disfigured by adcan be seen abandoning the Party and going weak development of the revolutionary The International dressmakers local venturism and criminal unconcern about over to the Left kuo Nin Tang and join spirit in the villages and such an oppression was organized following the success of results, the Stalinist crew created such a ing the yellow trade unions. This is what of the proletariat, the guerilla war in the the International in tying the cloakmakers state of affairs in the Finnish movement happened especially among the miners of country can lead to nothing but pure ban to a typical Right wing agreement in the that they not only alienated the great bulk Tang Chan, near Tien Tsin.
ditry. In any event, that is the situation somi company union. The loud baliy 00 of the Finnish workers in the Northwest In the provinces, the strikes, acts of in the province of Kiang Su.
that the bureaucracy raised during and but enabled a group of opportunists (and sabotage and other conflicts were often pro Frequently, also, troops of partiesne after the striko succeeded for a while in Halonen in particular) to win these workvoked in an entirely artificial manner in proceed to tho temporary occupation of pulling the wool over the eyes of the erg to their side against the Party. What order to justify the schema of a revolu small localities only in order to give their great majority of the cloakmakers and the is worse the Stalinist freebooters succeedtionary recrudescence. This sort of demon chiefs the opportunity to enrich themselves mass of the dress makers, who believed that od in lining up on Halonen side some of stration succeeded in embracing only a re at the expense of the population and the a great victory had been won.
the best elements in the Finnish revolustricted part of the workers forces and State treasury. This it what is happening The soap bubble, however, has burst tionary movement a fact of considerable contributed more to weakening than streng especially in the Hupei province.
on the rock of reality. The conditions significance for the future.
thening the movement Tchu Deh Forces of the cloakmakers are as sad as they The struggle centered around the annual Rich Pensant Elements in Party The detachment of the Communist Tchi were before the strike and even worse.
Naeeting of the Cooperative Exchange The very small proportion of prolet Deh, composed of the remnants of Ye Tin Dissatisfaction in the shops is universal Board, with both sides mobilizing all forces.
arian elements within the Party frequent forces, has been reinforced by new groups The cloakmakers are chained to an agree.
When the delegates assembled, the Party ly leads to the decay of the movement in of rebels. Pursued by the regular forces, ment that binds them hand and foot, and at best had 20 of the delegates, with the the villages. Also, the rich peasants often this detachment goes from Right to Left, on top of that they have to pay the selfopposing forces holding the rest. The majoin the Party. Easily solidarizing with the natilizing the lack of any contact between satisfied bureaucracy 00 in taxes jority was not even swayed (such is the struggle against taxes, the assessments on the governmental forces of the four proWhy Leit Wing Fails loss of prestige. by the cable from domainal land leases and other state impo vinces of Hunan, Kiang Si, Kwantung and The failure of the Indutrial Union the Cooperative Section of the Comintern, Fukien This detachment, or at least its to make further headway is due mostly whose, slogan was: Wrest the leadership Conversely, these same rich peasants nucleus already exists since 1927. It wages to lack of strategical approach and orientof your Central Exchange from the hands show themselves basically hostile to the war without cessation. It escapes all pur ation to the dress makers, as well as to the of Halonen and place it in the hands of a directives of the Party on the leases be suit, taking refuge in the mountainous parts loss of prestige they sustained from their Teliable fighter for a proletarian class poltween individuals and usurious loans. In of the four provinces mentioned above. previous mistakes. With a correct approach icy. Reliable fighter is apparently the those regions, the poor peasants break Tchu Deh detachment distinguishes itself to the workers they should be able to win pseudonym of Matti Tenhunen leader away from the revolution, become disadvantageously from the groups of ban back the majority of their lost memberof the Party forces at the meeting, and as couraged and go sleep at meetings. The dits in that it really pursues a revolutionary ship, who are now passive on lookers. The unreliable an opporunist as ever led the movement has no hold on the class of aim. As soon as it invades a new region, extent to which the Right wing bureaucracy Finntsh movement.
poor peasants because it does not constitute it proceeds to share the land among the has compromised itself with the bosses The Reliable Fighters a struggle against the rich peasants. peasants, proclaims the annulment of debts, should have definitely killed their chances It is characteristic of the rellable In the villages of the Tung Cheiu and constitutes village Soviets, furnishes the of leading the dressmakers had the infighters who were entrusted with fighting Kwang Si provinces, the Party organiza poor peasants with provisions as far as it dustrial Union acted correctly.
for the Bolshevik line that they were quite tions are peopled with lumpen proletarian, is possible, so that as soon as the govern The basis on which the bureaucracy careful to do no such thing. Corgan spoke elements or bandits whose armed detach ment troops arrive the detachment leaves stands is the against whom the on policies only once, and that in connec ments often cover themselves with the nothing but regrets among the peasants. Party has completely abandoned the fight.
ection with a motion to remove him. Ten name of Red Army. Further in the same Personally, Tchu Deh is a former Chin Not only do they absolutely refuse to orhunen fought with the greatest violence province of Tung Cheiu the rich proprietors ese student in Germany, a Communist, for ganize a Left wing fraction in the on technical questions but he assiduously call themselves Communists in order to merly a divisional general under the Wang. for which there are very good opportunavoided the Left wing program 99 seek an alliance with these armed groups. Chin Wei government. The operations of ities but the Party members who were though it were poison ivy. Vainionpaa Such proprietors often pay the Red chiefs this detachment, however, prohluce only forced to join the International to hang took tae floor only once to make a defense so as to be authorized, under their pro a weak impression here because in the on to their bread and butter were expelled not of the Party line, but. his ability as a tection, to levy rental rates on the poor present general circumstances, they lack from the Party and branded as traitors.
functionary who has been trustworthy and peasant. When the peasants ask why these perspective. What the Moscow Pravda says, The future of the Industrial Union lies in efficient. Corgan, Tenhunen and Vainion Communists levy rents, they are told that cited by the Left Opposition press, 1s man the hands of the clear headed militante.
paa are waiting waiting to see how the It is for various needs, including the pro ifestly exaggerated is order the better to They must know how to choose properly line up will look when things setide a bit. visionment of troops. Such troops of so serve the needs of the Third Period. between deceptive phrase mongering about For all that, the Halonen forces called Communists do not limit themselves Our group has just issued its first ap winning the masses and realistic, fruitful were a thousand times wrong, and set an to levying contributions on the rich, but peal for the establishment of a Left Com work in every field of the class struggle.
even worse precedent, by removing the also on the poor, and in general carry on munist League. The work is only beginning. Thus far the Party bureaucrats have made three named above from the Board, al numerous exactions and violence, arousing January 25, 1930. NIEL SIH the wrong choice. YOUNG DRESSMAKER sitions.
THE MILITANT, Vol. III, No. 20, May 17, 1930 Published weekly by the Communist League of America (Opposition) at 25 Third Avenue, New York, Sub.
eriptlon rate: 00 per year; foreign 50. Five cents per copy. Bundle rates, cents per copy. Editorial Board: Martin Abern, James Cannon, Max Shachtman, MauIce Spector, Arne Swabeck. Entered as second class mall matter November 28, 1928, at the Post Office at New York, under the act of March 3, 1879. Total No. 45)