Nora TH MILITANT Saturday, July p 1930 The Crisis in the Communist Movement New Party Forces Continue to Join the Communist Opposition The 7th Convention of the Party. a Debacle FORMER HEAD FOR LEFT GROUP The letter of comrade Wait brings to the Opposition one of the best tighters among the American miners. In the Communist more ment for many years, he was 11 leader. the Left wing tight against John Lewis. He was the tirst president of the National Miners. Uuion. His oppositiou to the bureaucratie, mechanical tacties of the Staljuists was suficient to canse his arbitrary removal from the union and expulsion from the Paris.
JERRY HILL FOR THE OPPOSITION The seventh convention of the Consider Olgin report of the conC. will take its place as one of the vention Olgin is one of the present ideJerry Hills woung Negro most lamentable in the history of Amer ological Party lealers anl editor of the worker who was elected an alterican Communism. The current economic most widely circulated Party organ. in mate member of the National Ex.
crisis constitutes a more powerful indict in article in the Freiheit (July 3rd) he centive Committee at the last con.
ment of American capitalism and its tin valls for a militant alliance between white vention of the Young Communist sel piosperity. than the arguments of a and black workers. to lead to a dem.
Lengue. He joined the y. in thousand theses. The lash of hunger cur ocratic. dictatorship of the workers any 1925 and did Negro work in Jaekves about the bodies of millions of unen peasants (our emphasis. and this not sonville and Springfield in 1927 28 ployed. in their conference rooms the for China or India but for the greatest Comrade HI was elected a financier weave schemes for the reduc imperialist power on earth. In other words, delegate to the fifth National. on.
tion of the workers sistence levels.
the coming revolution in America is not vention of the beld in Yet in this crisis the Party claiming to be to be proletarian and socialist but bourNew York City in 1929. He is ube revolutionary vanguard reveals a shal geois and lemocratic. Either the man working at present in Springfield.
lowness of political thought, a pettiness of knows what he is talking about or he is an spirit and impotence in action that bring imbecile. In either case he should be exI agree with and endorse Back to malicious satisfaction to every enemy of pelled from a Bolshevik Leninist party.
Lenin the manifesto of the Communist our movement. In speaking of the Party. surcancracy versus Bolshevism League of America (Opposition) which we draw a sharp line of distinction be This convention in the United States points out correctly the crisis in the Com tween the membership and the bureaucracy. was a pocket edition of the Sixteenth Conintern and the American Party.
Where criticism on all but condary is gress of the Communist Party of the Soviet The Comintern has revised the funda sues is stigmatized immediately as Right Union. Roth were simply ralijes of the mental principles of Leninism, especially or Left opportunism and invites expul Centrist faction. While Stalin indulged his on the question of Building Socialism in sion, the bulk of the rank id file still coarse witticisms amid the Bonapartist adıOne Country. Leninism is international prefer silence. The convention was a form lation of his apparatus pretorian Luard, ism and the theory of socialism in one ality the these had already been drafted hundreds of Left Oppositionists were being sountry is impossible an epoch of and adoptel in Moscow.
arrested and rushed into solitary coulineworld economy. The Chinese Revolution, The New Zig Zag of Centrism ment and concentration camps in Siberia.
the British General Strike and the United In Dubstance these theses illustrate Sinilarly in the we can record Front tactic failed because of the wrong all the characteristic features of centrism. the biggest wave of adherents to our oppolicies of the Right Centrist leadership Who does not remember Molotov formu position movement since its formation ſter in the Comintern.
lation of the period at the Tenth Plenum the Sixth Congress. The bureaucrats canas we have entered with both feet into The present objective situation in not stille the Bolshevik3. Fresh cadres are Rethe realm of revolutionary events. maturing.
AtWe will continue our struggle America the Wall Street crash the lanta situation the white terror in te gardless of time or space, the third period for the Comintern against both Right and strategy of the imminent revolutionary form of lynching Negroes in Sberman, HonCentrists misleaders.
crisis was unifornily applied to all coun We shall yet have occasion to recur ey Grove and Bryan, Texas; all offers the tries. When Stalin ultra Left caricature Party a great opportunity to organize the to the plenum of the Lovestone faction of collectivization and the Five Year Plan which met about the same time. It is the workers. But due to incorrect policies and brought the Soviet Union to the brink of lame and impotent leadership the Party is Lovestones in the Comintern who are joint.
disaster, the bureaucra sounded a pan ly responsible with Sain for the ennot only losing ground daily but also it has utterly failed to organize and defend icky retreat and unloaded responsibility for shevik corruption of the prograin and polthe excesses on the ranks. In the ComThis condition is esicies of the Communist International. Good the working class.
intern, Stalin agent, Remmele Flamed the pecially shown in the Southern Illnois diselements though there are in the ranks membership for the extravagances of the trict. Although thousands of coal miners of the group, the Lovestone leadership is theory of social fascism.
are unemployed and tenant faruiers being the same old self styled Narxian trunk. driven from their homes, practically no Accordingly, the Party statement on Albert Weisbord criticised the Lovestone work is being carried on, especially among the convention condemns as Leftist those misrepresentations of the position of Trotthe Negroes living in Southern Illinois.
who do not recognize the cyclical charac Bly on the international 02 Lions, the Thousands of Negroes live in Springfield, ter of the economic crisis. The Daily Work failure to protest the deportation, and the Peoria, East St. Louis and Rockford yet er wakes up to the fact that the struggle assassination of Blumkin. In answer, for social insurance is one of the foremost no cffort at all being made to carry on Wolfe came across with the same old falParty tasks in connection with the unem tlfications about Tuotsky alleged secwork among them. The Party must begin to carry work in this so called great Abe ployment situation. But eclectic substitu Laricoism. conditional defence of the Lincoln state upon such burning issues tion for Marxist analysis still prevails. In advocacy of Thermidor (sic. as; Jin crowism, barring Negroes from the same breath, the theses state that a Lovestone has persuaded the group to mines, factories, unions, theatres and munrevolutionary upsurge grips the masses. broaden ont. He is prepared to admit in the United States? Where, how, when? all tendencies even Trotskyites under icipal bathing pools. The Party must also Only in the furid headlines of the Daily the hegemony of the Marxian trunk, of fight against the white chauvniom that exWorker nonchalantly lying that thousands ists among the Party members as for incouse. The gap between Lovestone and stance at West Frankfort during the last of miners have gone out in a mass strike Bolshevism widens.
National Miners Union strike.
against unemployment. How can a really The names of the 23 elected to the correct line of political action result from The self determination for Negroes such confusion and self contradiction.
Central Committee of the Party are being (Continued on Page theory of the Party is incorrect because the American Negro is part and parcel of the Springgeld, 111. attended a very good weeting here in Springfield which was addressed by comrade Max Sbachtman, Tuesday, May 24th, in which he explained the program of the Left Opposition, his mecting with comrade Trotsky and the preliminary Congress of the Left Opposition in Paris. Comrade Shachtman also dealt very effectively with the glaring errors of the Stalinite group in the various trade union and new union movements, dealing separately with their maneouvers, wrong policies, idiotic schemes and phrase mongering in the Needle frades, textile and mining wions.
To me it was a treut, for not only has it been sometime since have heard officially of the happenings in the other industries of this country, but also bis lecture on the world conditions was clear and free fro the exaggerations so commonly used by the Stalinite press, which only serve as their purpose the further muddling of the volker.
Comrade Shacliman was honored. by having in his meeting a few Party members, who by their exhibitions of ignorance on fundamental questions facing the Party and the new unions, their Stalinite traits of exaggerations, vilification and slander, made it easy for Shachuman to show to the honest workers in attendance the hypocrisy and sbam that has destroyed the Communist Party in the mining fely of lllinois and how impossible it is for the Party under such leadership ever agalit to lead the work.
erg. One glimpse at the Staliniste presents at their scowling faces, their inexperience in the economic or political phases of the struggle, and the trans they made for tben.
selves and fell into when comrade Shacht man gave them the privilege of asking questions and permizing them to answer, wag enough to show to the audience why there is no miners union of the National Miners Union in Minois, much less any Party branches.
The meeting was significant in several respects. The audience was composed of workers, some coming from many miles to hear the message of the Opposition. We was deeply interested in the piograto and the also had one colored comrade present who rest of the audience was made up of real progressive elements in the labor move ment. 10 showed the possibilities of again recruiting the progressives and again taking the lead in the struggles now going on.
It showed that the workeng are interested in the cause of the Opposition, for those workers sat some three hours, very attentive to comrade Shachtman and predict that from this meeting will develop a strong group for the Opposition, and that the Opposition will be heard from in the coal fields of Illinois.
Personally, it also proved one thing to me, and that was that have remained too quiet under the lying statements that have been broadcast by the Stalla group in regards to my actiities connected with the National Miners Union. have decided now that shall issue a statement dealing in detail with my experiences with these Stalinites from the time got into the movement. This will be illuminating and instructive especially to the mine workers and the Communists and other progressives who have felt the iron heel of these bankrupt, third period. phrase mongurleg burecucrats. JOHN WATT American working class and not a colonel The Rank and File of Newark Speaks Out oppressed people. This theory in America leads away from class consciousness to race consciousness and ultimately into the The Worker Communists in the ranks agree with your Mine much more than swamp of white chauvinigm.
of the official Party are moving towards the do with the present and line, The Young Communist League in genLeft Opposition in spite of all the abuse You seem to think that you have no sym eral reflects the failures and mistakes of slander, and suppression practised by the pathetic workers in the Party and League the Party and further shows the bank blind Party bureaucracy! This is mant But let me tell you that here in Newark, ruptcy of the Stalinist leadership.
test from the statements of adhesion to our the question of the Opposition is disThe International Opposition, under platform wbich have been appearing in the cussed very often among Party and League the leadership of comrade Leon Trotsky last few issues of the Militant, and which members, but not at meetings. otten adheres to the fundamental principles of we expect to continue for some time. The try to bring this question up at Young Leninism and the Left Opposition is the Iiquidated Trotskyists are on the march Communist League meetings, but every true bearer of the International Proletarian and nothing can prevent the vitcory of their time am threaten with expulsion Revolution. The unity of the Comintern ideas. In addition to the statements of sup am not the only one, there are a few other and the American Party on the line of port reproduced in other parts of this League members who try to get the real Leninism is the need of the hour, There issue, we are glad to print the following facts of the split, but they are also threatfore, I, as member of the Young Communist letter from a young rebel in Newark, ened. They even went so far as suspendLeague, demand that the first step in thts It is indicative of the process of develop ing one League comrade for a month. Some tion must be the reinstatement into ment that is taking place inside the Party: of our League members received the M11the Party of the Left Opposition and comDear Comrades of the Communist League: itant. They read it with great enthusiasm.
rade Leor Trotsky under wbose leadership Right around the corner of th Communist the Red Army was organized and the OctoNewark, Party headquarters a newsstand used to ber Revolution made victorious and who is Since the split in the Communist sell the Militant. But no more, since they today the foremost teacher of World ComParty and the expulsion of the comrades were threatened that they would get their munism. JERRY HILL of the Communist League (Opposition) stand broke up. wish you would do bave tried to get the real facts of what something about this if you can. The question of the slogan referred caused the split. did not know much If you would only do some work here. to by comrade Hill was left by the nationabout Communism at that time as only am sure tbat you could win both the Party al conference of the Communist League Joined the Young Communist League a and the League and establish a Communist to the discussion and elaboration by the month before the splft. But since then, League branch right here in this city. Do organization. Eds.
after reading between the lines, seem to not make my nome puble yet THE MILITANT Vol. 111, No. 26, July 12, 1930. Published weekly by the Com munist League of America (Opposition) at 25 Third Avenue, New York, Sub scription rate: 00 per year; foretgn 50. Five cent per copy. Bundle rates cents per copy. Editorial Board: Martin Abern, James Cannon Max Shachtwan, we Ice Spector, Arne Swabeck. Entered as second cless mail matter. November 28 1928 et the Post Office at New York, under the act of March 3, 1879 (fotal nn