Saturday, May 17, 1930.
THE MILITANT Page Crisis in the Needle Trades Prelude to a President Swan Song Johnstone Self Criticism crack at Lovestone when he conveniently now criticizes the negative slogan of forgets that Gold proclaimed Shapiro in Don Join the Fake Strike! why does he nocence only up to a couple of months not add that this was the official Party pola ago? o. that it is precisely the now white icy for criticism of which the Militant was washed Gold who had the financial dealings denounced as counter revolutionary, just as with Hillman by which the Left wing was done when we demanded the applicaThe essence of Stalinist self criticism stone faction whose representatives and pol neutrality in the fight was pur tion of the united front tactic? Why was id can be summed up in one sentence: The icy have dominated the course of the union in chased? or that Gold and Buroclovitch are counter revolutonary to criticize Johnstone central leadership is infallible and must not the past period. The rankest opportunism far from being strangers to the police? or and Foster IN TIMIS for the same stapidities be criticized under any circumstances but ag and all the elements of degenerating cor that wortis has always been the ideolog. which Johnstone YEAR LATER accuses blame must be fixed for the constant blun ruption were consciously nurtured by this ical inspirer of opportunism in the needle the scapegoats of having committed. ders and debacles, let it be loaded upon the group, from Lovestone, Citlow and Wolfe, trades?
shoulders of the rank and file or the seThe answer is not hard to find: Selts down to Zimmerman Wortis and Gold.
Or perhaps Johnstone will tell us why cond, third or fourth layers of functionaries criticism under yolinstone and Co. is the But with the removal from control of the he forgot in his cataloging of opportunist who only carried out the ruinous policies Lovestone group and the imposition of the crimes, to mention that both he and Browmean and cowardly device by which scapeimposed upon them. The bureaucratic idea new leadership the situation has not in der adrocated a policy for the goats and whipping boys are inade to take Philadelphia convention which would have the blame for disastrous results of policies dominates every line of the sensational ar proved, but if anything been made worse that the Johastones themselves impose.
ticle (Daily Worker. 7 1930) by Jack There is no reason to doubt that John allied the Left wing with a temporarily disgruntled gang of the bureaucracy ir, orStalinis self criticism means the gag for Johnstone (endorsed by the Political Com stone article was dictated by essentially mittee of the Party) which has caused a factional motives to discredit the castly der to divide the power in the union?
the workers and the shield for the bureau discred. table Lovestone leadership, to lay it The record of this shameful proposal and crats in this case, it happen hat furore in the ranks of the Left wing needle in trades workers. By what could only be stone is really able to make out an excellent on thickly in order to cover up Johnstone our fight against it is in the tuinutes of the own share (and that of his fellow leaders. Political Committee for that period. As on ironical humor, the article is titled Buildcase against the Lovestoneites, but he will ing the Needle Workers Union. of the criminal responsibility. For exampie: a previous occasion, we again demand: Pub.
not be able to conceal the principal culprits: the new Party leadership. No, not The article is sensational, and was ob Johnstone constantly fentions Gitlow, lish what record! Where was this vulgarly viously intended to create a sensation. After Zimmerman and Gross as the culprits. opportunist policy, which we fought so even though tomorrow, when things con many long months of unstinted praise for Why does he fail to write that Gold, Potash sbarply in the Party, any better than the tinue to grow worse, Johnstone tries ta maneuvers the Left wing Needle Trades Workers In and Burochovich are at least equally guilof Gitlow Zimmerman with pick new scapegoats out of the ranks of the dustrial Union, of bluff about the progress still anointed leaders. Let Burochovich and ty? Purely and simply because the latter Sigman and Ninfo? Or perhaps Johnstone and the strength it was enjoying, and of the trio lave accepted the new line and will find for us a record of his protests in Wortis look to their posts. Uneasy rests revolutionary class leadership it was give thereby automaticaly guaranteed themselves the past against the corruption rapant in the Sead that wears a crown even the pas from criticism for their past misdeeds. Were the Left wing?
ing to the needle workers, Johugtone esper crown of a Stalinist functionary. Is it tablishes the followng astounding facts: they any less involved in the dealings with Johnstone Then and Now nou already known that Browder, Johnstone, Scandalous Record Tammany Hall, with Broderick with the and Co. are feverishly organizing a new Johnstone spcaks indignantly about police, with the L. fakers with Zimmerman Lovestone policy of the Left faction struggle to clean out the old Love.
The whole past period in the union has the shrewd Hillinan machine than Zimmer wing during the cloak and dress makers stonites. The demand that Wortis, Cold been one of defeats. Virtually the whole etc. acknowledge their errors while assos man and Co? Not a whit less!
strikes of the Right wing last year. Has union has become corrupted and has betray.
Is Johnstone animated by the interests Johnstone so quickly forgotten that the ciated with Gitlow, Zimmerman and Co. ed the workers. The leadership is pernieof the Left wing and working class, or policy was HIS anul Foster and that of the advance thunder of this struggle.
ated, with class collaboration ideas indismerely by the desire to take a factional rest of the new leadership. When he The reader will ask: What does Johan tinguishable from Sigman It has worked stone propose now? The cold truth is that hand in hand with the bosses and has even he proposes nothing because he has nothing organized one group of them into an assocto say. His principal aim is achieved when iation in order to arrange contractual relahe succeeds in crushing his Party faction tions with it. It has used Tamuany Hall opponent. He writes a few vague, nono police during strikes, bought inmunty from commital words about the closest applicathe bourgeois state by employing Tammany Hall lawyers and refraining from criticizing tion ofthe class struggle policy The United States has recently pro industrial union of Lift wing needle trades the city administration, and has deliberatelaid down by the 4th World Congress and duced two distinct types of presidents: worker s, cannot see why anyone should ly covered up the teachery of Ryan Coolidge, a medi lose the 6th Plenum of the for this litician, an upright power except as a result of bad Tammany Hall president of the local of period of imperialist wars, mass class struge marionette who screens his masters cor policies. But that is soinething else again, council, in order to gain his supportIt gles and proletarian revolution.
ruption, one who knows ligle and coex less Sufflce it to ask: Does Hyman know what was being hooked up with Mr. Broderick. That costs nothing and means nothing. in other words a mere figurehead. Dur.
the Opposition demanded and still demands?
head of the infamous Industrial Police because Stalinist resolutions are raw cloth ing a period of penty and prosperity such Did he read it from their documents or out Squad, the professional skull crackers of the out of which any policy you want (except meu even become little heroes. Simpletons of the fabricated handbooks containing workers.
the correct one) can bo manufactured at a It sold out to Sidney Hillman ascribe the good times to their expert leadideaa maliciously ascribed to the Opposition by pledging its tacit support to him in exmoment notice. But there is a significant ership. The other in the Hoover type, the by Stalin. handbooks given gratis to all official visitors to the Soviet Union? These silence about the immediate perspectives of change for suppory against Siginan and Co.
engineer of high finance, one who can take questions are not dimeult to answer.
the Let wing union, about the program of It even made deals behind the scenes with leadership in capitalist aggression. During the blackest bureaucrats (Ninfo, hard times, it is this type that capitalism Where Hyman Has Fallen Down action it should pursue, about the atti.
etc. and helped Schlesinger to oust Sigman tude it must have towards the masses of neods.
There is, however, another side to the It accepted the worst kind of impartial Louis Hyman, president of the Needle matter, and that is the tactlessness with workers now dragooned into the chairman settlements in strikes it led. ColW. and about the dozen other concrete Trades Workers Industrial Union, is rather which llyman spoke about losing power, laboration with the police flourished among decisive problems in which the Stalinisty the Coolidge than the Hoover type of pres We needlé trades workers have known for the leadership of the Left wing and of the have so thoroughly demonstrated their ident. While he rode the prosperity wave a long time the unfortunate role to which new union and produced such jewels as bankrupty and blunderings. What John of Left wing influence among the needle Hyman lack of genuine Independence bas Shapiro whose itching hand and stoolston: fails to say, what he fails to pro.
trades workers, he even became a little condemned him. Hyman is essentially a pigeon. proclivities were allowed to pose as a means of issuing forth from the hero. Some simple minded people thought screen an honest, an unwilling screen but flourish. The real inner union politics concrisis that is wrecking the Left wing in the he had something to do with the wave.
nevertheless a screen. He has used his sisted of a maze of clever intrigues, manneedle trades, will therefore have to be said But when matters took on a different shape, prestige as a militant, his standing as a envers with socalled progressives, Shelly when an aggressive policy, hard fighting and non partisan to cover up the chicanery, by others. Space requirements compel us Sorkin, sections of the bureaucracy, the poto postpone that for the next occasion.
clarity of purpose were required, president first of Zimmerman, Gross, Cold. Wortis lice, the bosses and the underworld, but neHyman became impotent, useless, and in and Co. when they were in power, and now Ner Inying a base among the workers.
some respecte even an obstacle, Whole of Cold, Potash and Co. alone He has The Militant invites Leit wing needle The whole hair raising paragraph written weeks passed with the president chair not had very much heart for this sort of trades workers to write for its columns above is taken practically word for word, vacant. It is during this period that he was job that is true. Ile has frequently exon the situation in the union and to from Johnstone article. He is not refergiven a trip to Moscow, There he spent cused it to himself and his closest friends give their views on the problems of ring here to any counter revolutionary several worth while monthy worth whila by pleading: What else can you do? It their movement, Articles written in Trouskyists. who are agents of the bourinsofar as the president absence from in the interests of the union. He has not any language will be translated into geoisie and its police but the leaders activities and the office could at least be even done this work very actively or enEnglish and printed. The Daily Worker of the only Left wing union that has had easily explained.
ergetically and that accounts for his long is the closed organ of the cynical bur.
any semblance of mass influence. Worst of But there is one thing that must be passivity in union affairs. Nevertheless, eaucrats the Militant aims to become all, every important charge that Johnstone mentioned to Coolidges credit: because he the accomplishment, however feeble, of this the rolee of the milliant rank and Gle.
makes is true. There remains, however, the has nothing to say he is silent. President task has enabled him to retain his formal job of looking into the reasons for JohnHyman, however, frequently speaks out of power in the union, at least until now.
stone article at this time and the ADDIturn, One of these occasions was at the Alas, his recent needless assault upon TIONAL facts and charges which lie and the Left wing needle trades mass meeting at Trotsky, even though it earned him the FROM ID TO WORSE Political Bureau of the Party which endor Cooper Union on May 9th, where a cam. praise of Gold and the other Potashes, is The of the arty has replaced sed his article omited to mention.
paign for 6, 000 new members was sup only tile operatic prelude to his own swan Roy Stephens as district organizer in BosThe Left wing union in the needle trades posed to be started. suppose the Militant song. It is an open secret in the needle ton with Nat Kaplan, Stephens, after havIs in a severely critical state. From ideowill deal with other interesting aspects of trades market that Hyman is among those ing ruined the Kansas City district, was logical and organizational control of the dethis meeting; have in mind the unsigned slated to go. Coolidge was at least fol promoted not for ability wit for fidelitycisive sections of the workers in the indus article of self criticism by Johnstone. lowed by Hoover, but Hyman cannot even to Boston. The results are too well known.
try it has steadily sunk in the last two three In his speech, Hyman said, among other have that poor consolation. Ile is to be Kaplan, after having done his level best years to a position of impotence and passiv. things: When Trotsky was asked why it replaced (isn the decision already made at to ruin the New Jersey sub district last ity. The Right wing, effectivelp crushed at way that he lost the power, it did not take 125th Street. by that giant intellect and year, is now also promoted one time, has succeeded in reestablishing its Doston, him long to think up an answer. When darling of the needle traeds masses, again, not for ability but for servility. We stilling control of the organized workers. the revolution was at high tide it needed Sazer. In cold truth, Sazer is already know that it would require a plenum of The Left wing has neither a perspective of great leaders, but when it was at ebb such loitering around the corridors and offices the Party with an open letter from its future, nor an effective program of nobodies as Stalin got into power. AS of the union, an ominous shadow to Hyman, the Comintern, to decide officially which ot action to extricate itself out of its present matter of fact, it Trotsky policies had preparing for his historic task of leadership the two organizers is worse. But the Party Blaga. Con and decline.
been carried out Russia would be by an apprenticeship of licking postage menbers in Boston cannot be permitted to Lorestoneites Mainly Responsible ruined today.
stamps and folding envelopes.
suffer so long without aid. Until the planTil quite beyond doubt that the main President Hyman who, because of his So we see that comrade Presilent Ily. um is held, we are willing to open a fund burs of responsibility for this state of own faultless policies, wields such enor man is precisely the man to talk about drive for the Persecuted and Intensely reals upon the shoulders of the Love. mous power over the masa, revolutionary lost power. He ought to know. RT. Suffering Party members in Boston.