Page THE MILITANT Saturday, The Plenum of the American Communist Opposition Another important step in the devel.
By JAMES CANNON true and proper function of the leading opment of the Communist Opposition was body of the Opposition. The progressive marked by the full meeting of the National The question of perspectives in the Plenum indicated the line for such a state development of such a leading political Committee of the Communist League of crisis in the Communist movement occu. ment group is unquestionably one of the great America the Arst full meeting since our pied a prominent place in the discussions Maintain the Weekly Militant historic tasks which the Opposition must National Conference which has just con of the Plenum. On this point clear and Is it possible to continue the public. accomplish in preparation for the future.
eluded its sessions in New York City, May definite answers were given We will not ation of the Weekly Militant? This ques Our struggle against the stream, under a 21 27, 1930.
relent in our revolutionary fight against tion, startling in its implications to every machine gun fire of calumny, is not withSince our Committee contains represent the Centrist bureaucrats for a single mosupporter of the Opposition who knows its out its positive sides. It is a testing and atives of most of the important districts of ment on a single issue. On the contrary, incomparable value, was faced and d18.
sitting process in which the capacities of our organization the commitee meeting had sharper, more intransigeant, moro irreconcussed by the National Committee in the revolutionaries to solve problems by their the significance of a small conference. Such cilable struggle for a Lenin Party was the most thoroughgoing and realistic manner. own resources and to remain steadfast in gatherings are rare with us, and not be watchword of our Plenum.
We have no money. The Plenum met with the struggle for principle is determined.
cause we see a virtue in this rarity.
Perspectives of Party Crisis out enough on hand to pay for the current Without such qualictes a genuine proletarThe great difficulties under which we The opposition, despite all obstacles. issue and it had to be skipped. The regian leadership is impossible. The history conduct our fight our numerical weak all perversions of our standpoint, all sup. ular income of the paper covers only ball of the International labor movement teachRess, our poverty and the great distances pression all terror, all slander, is growng of the expense. How has the Weekly been es no lesson more clearly than this one.
which separate us preclude for the time and will continue to grow in the proletar maintained up till now? No scientific aud The ruling bureaucrats have no need to being that frequency of representative gath ian ranks of the Party. The internal cri itor or accountant would undertake to bring a Marxist objectivity and moral preerings toward which we aspire. This makes sis from which the Opposition is just answer that question. For all the known requisites to their offices. They secure us value all the more those meetings which emerging in a number of European rules of financial management have been appointment by an infinite capacity for are possible under the circumstances and countries has passed us by. We had no broken and miracles have been performed. obedience to those above them and they imparts to them an exceptional importance capitulatory worth mentioning: no elementis Our main resource was the fund established rule by arbitrary command over those bein the life of our organization. We poisoned by Zinoviev Maslow cynicism. before the Weekly was launched. But that low. The inevitable outcome of such a have to expect that such meetings will We unfurled the banner of the Interna was used up long ago, For months now perverted system is not only a political, yield the political maximum and not be tional Opposition at the time of its lowest it has been nip and tuck for every issue. but also a moral stultification. It would merely formal and decorative affairs. ebb when there could be no perspective Special donations, loans here and there, be the greatest folly to imagine that such Our National Conference held last year but that of a long and stubborn struggle last mirrute collections, voluntary labor, people, on the whole, can constitute the at Chicago bore such a character; and the as an expelled minority. Our tradition is unpaid wages and the devil knows what leading force of the proletarian movement meeting of the National Committee Just the tradition of years of struggle for a other expedients tell the story. But now on a Leninist path. Exceptions are posheld in New York a meeting, like all our proletarian movement against the petty we are flat broke and in debt and the sible in the case of individuals, but the deactivities, made possible by Spartan sac bourgeois current of Lovestone Pepper question posed itself categorically: shall cisive nucleus of the future leadership will rifice will no doubt bring fruitful results Wolfe and the trade union eclecticism of we continue? Can we continue? And the no and cannot come from that corrupted Foster Johnstone Browder.
in our work for the near future.
Thus we were answer of the Plenum with one voice was: cir, which is today befouling tlie banner prepared by the past. as, Trotsky gald, We can and we will!
of Communism and undermining its influPolitical Unity of Plenum And the intensity of the struggle does not Weighing the matter soberly and prac ence. Our task is to develop the leadership The National Committee is a unit on pull us apart but binds us more firmly tically we decided that, great as the sac. of the future in the struggle against them.
all important political questions. We are together.
rifices have been, we have not yet exhaust The Plenary meeting of our National ComAt one with the leadership of the Oppoed our resources. Various practical measition on the International field.
Preparing New Forces mittee, by all of its work and decisions, ExhausWe will continue, as before, to base sures for raising new funds and effecting tive discussion over a period of several as well as by its maturely political apstill further economies were decided on.
ourselves primarily on the Party and the days demonstrated that the fundamental proach to them, was a striking demonPlang to develop the support from branch stration that our fight has already yielded unity of our conceptions on the basic Left wing workers immediately under its infuence. The great bulk of the revolues through methods employed by the Min positive results along this line.
principles which lie at the bottom of our neapolis Pranch were worked out. systionary workers are there, and this fact fight as a regiment of the International Consolidation Marxist Opposition is joined with a comdetermines our position as a faction of the tematic program of meetings, affairs and If the Plenum registered a political plete solidarity on tactical questions and Party, not as another Party. We do not money raising devices was projected. Most and ideological consolidation within our important of all, perhaps was the decision perspectives. This applies to our approach identify the proletarian revolutionaries in organization, the mass meeting which folthe Party and the Left wing with its corto carry the appeal to the wide circle of to the guneral problems of the class lowed its adjournment showed an expansympathizers through a public campaign struggle as well as to the narrower issues rupted upper stratum. The Plenum, while sion and an increased confidence and enin the Militant. Up till now the members of the struggle against the Centrist bureau confirming our general policy on this questhusiasm of the sympathizing forces around of our League and not all of them have cracy in the Communist movement. All tion made a just criticism of the inadequate shouldered the main burden. Now we must us. Suppression, terrorism, hooliganismthese questions are bound together.
organization of our fight within the Party.
after a temporary victory are bringing Measures were adopted providing for more broaden out and go to every supporter and the unavoidable reaction. The Communist The platform adopted at our National sympathizer of our historic moveinent with energetic and systematic work in this reworkers, more and more, want to hear our Conference year ago gave a correct spect.
the appeal for financial support to maintain The near future, thanks to these message. And when they hear it, it beMarxist answer to them.
the paper All the intervening experience has ser decisions, will see our unflinching crit.
comes their own. There was a warmth and Trotsky on the militant icism from without supplemented by a friendliness in this audience, made up in ved to confirm the platform and it retains determined struggle from within. The Comrade Trotsky called the Militant large part of new people, which offered It forms the basis its validity today.
recruiting power of the Opposition in the an inspiring force for the entire Inter a sharp contrast to the partly hostile.
of the decisions arrived at by the National national movement of Communism. Ite Party ranks is by no means exhausted.
Committee for the further extension of our partly curiouy, crowds we faced in the It is only beginning as events already matsald we should make heroic efforts to earlier days of our open struggle.
fight uring will demonstrate. The second layer keep it going as a Weekly. It was with The successful mass meeting was a Opposition Platform Confirmed of Oppositionists will soon confront the this faith that our movement is capable of fitting culmination to the Plenun. Both The economic situation in the country Centrist phrase mongers as an organized even heroic efforts that the Plenum deevents said clearly to all who want to has developed in the main along the line faction.
cided to launch a new campaign for the hear the Opposition is on tee maroh, of our analysis and forecast a year ago.
The Needle Trades Situation Weekly Militant.
ity road is forward.
There are no important signs yet of a Along with this was the working out of An especially interesting and signifi speedy recovery from the industrial crisis cant phase of the National Committee meet systematic organization and propaganda and there are many indications of tendening was a discussion of the situation in the The tour of comrade Shachtman, cies which will prolong and aggravate it; Needle Trades, based on the report of a driving the financial overlords of America prominent comrade in the Union who has reporting on his work as our international Irresistblly to seek for a solution at the deldgate, cannot fail to strengthen the recently found the way to the Platform of expense of Europe. still heavier pressolidarity of our members with the tu the Opposition. This discussion laid the sure upon the American proletariat and a ground for the preparation of a comprebattled oppositionists of other lands and sharpenng of the international rivalries The Stalinist leadership of the Comhensive statement of policy in the needle activity on the national field. An organito effect a corresponding stimulus in their munist Party of Mexico continues its splitand conflicts are the inescapable implic. trades crisis, similar to our statement on ations of the situation.
ting policy, the latest victim of the present the Mine Union, which is soon to be zation tour is to be arranged for early fall, with another meeting of the National line being comrade David Alfaro SiqueEven if the subjective reactions of the issued in the name of our League. The Committee and one or more additional iros, General Secretary, until his recent American workers proceed slowly and trade union section of our Platform is lecture tours in preparation for our Se.
removal by Party orders, of the Unitarian that is so far the case the soil is being borne out by the experiences in the needle cond National Conference in the Spring.
Sindicalist Confederation. One of the prepared for a profound change in their trades in all respects and it will provide principal charges aginst comrade Siquieros attitude toward the capitalist The program of book and pamphlet pubsystem. the guiding line of our concrete statement: lication long deferred for financial reasons, There are many reasons to calculate upon The Party leadership has is that he supports the Left Oppostion, of volley.
will also soon begin. The necessary organ abont which we have no exact information an accelerated process of working class brought the needle trades Left wing to a radicalization and a vastly expanded field ization of the Left wing workers who symblind alley. The workers must be toid as yet. but which indicates the narrow pathize with our policy will soon begin to sectarian policies of the official Party leadfor the development of a proletarian Com the truth and shown the way out of this blind alley.
take shape in at least a few unions, ac ershin.
munist movement. To prevent the reformSiqueiros was a member of the ist canalization of the oncoming movement This means to give a Marxial anals cording to the decision of the Plenum. All Central Committee of the Mexican Party together, it can be said without exaggeraand to develop its revolutionary implica sis which ignores none of the realities and until recently, and was also head of the tion that the meeting of the National Comtions is the Communist task the perod to draw inferences based the fundaMexican delegation at the Latin American mittee will bear fruit in the development that lies ahead. The bungling, the corrup mental resolutions of the Comintern under of our organization work as well as in Trade Union Congress held at Montevideo, tion, the eclectic zig zags and Leftist ad Lenin on the trade union question. The Uruguay in 1929. Comrade Siqueiros is at venturism of the Centrist bureaucracy is Party bureaucrats have attempted to deal political and ideological consolidation Strengthening the Center present under arrest for participation in the the greatest obstacle to the execution of with the crisis by the most shameful scanMay Day demonstration.
this task and an objective aid to social dal mongering against the Rght wing fac The final important action of the PlenWe are also aware of the fact that reformism. The Lovestone Right wing is tional opponents of today their factional um was the decision to strengthen the an ideological bridge to social reformism brothers of yesterday and brothers yet Central administration by the addition of two of the five members of the Central which will become an increasing danger under the skin. The sole beneficiaries of other qualified comrades. By this decision Committee of the Young Communist Fedto the Communist movement in a period of this monstrous example of self criticism comrade Spector is to remain in New York eration of Mexico have been barred from intensitying class struggle. The fight for up to date are the Black Hunderd ganz of and comrade Swabeck is to come in the activity, an act equivalent to their suspenMarxist methods and Marxist policies falls Schlesinger, Woll and Co. and in the final Dear future.
sion. These comrades, Eduardo Calero and to the Communist Opposition and is carried analysis the employers. What is needed With these additions to the center Jorge Pino are also accused vaguely by on by it alone. Such, in brief, was the gen now is an objective Communist statement it will begin to take more definite shape the Stalinist bureaucrats of sympathy with eral estimate of our Plenum which shaped of policy that will show tae Lelt winy as the nucleus of a political committee the Opposition. Its decisions regarding our future workers how to regain their lost grounil. of the Communist movement reacting to all and causes actvities.
The discussion of this question at cur issues of the class strugggle, which is the work to follow the tour of comrade Shachte Mexico Stalinists Continue Splitting man