turday, July 12, 1930 NR MILITANT Part Aftermath of Needle Trades Convention the new union and in the old uniong thlo 13 left to guess work and interpretation.
The Slogan pity The Opposition Communists in the Tactics and Slogans for the Left Wing Struggle needle trades cannot trifle with doubleIt is high time to restate the fundameaning slogans. Their aim is to clarity By JAMES CANNON means to expose and denounce them before the issues, not to attract the workers with mental tactice of Bolshevism on the trade the workers on the basis of every concrete union question and organize the struggle The nucleus of needle trades Communists act of betrayal which they cominit from catch words. They are duty bound to act now crystallizing under our banner have against their revision. The future of the Left day day.
in the spirit of Lenin. who said: Argue It means to explain theoretwing in the American labor movement and the duty to take the lead in this struggle about tactics but give clear slogaus!
ically and practically their role as agents the future of the Communist Party hinges and show the way, regardless of the deci of the bosses and to imbue the workers Therefore they must formulate the slogan sions of the Party bureaucrats to the conon this issue. The decision of the convenwith a deathless hatred for them. The of unity with such precision that there can trary.
tion of the Needle Trades Workers Indngconstitution of a new Left wing movement be no misunderstanding about it. The Statria! nicu against the formation of a Left The Program of Demands linists propose to achieve unity by havwithin the old unions, uniting its struggle ing the 175 000 workers in the Right wing with that of the militants in the new inwing inside the old unions of the industry The first and most important step in unions withdraw from them individually surengthens the grip of the reactionary this direction is the formulation of a condustrial union, means to enter on another and join the six or seven thousand members leaders on these unions and thus strengthstage in the fight to cleanse the needle crete program of economic demands and trades movement of the reactionary labor in the new industrial union. This is abens the grip of the bosses on the workers.
a vigourous agitation for them within the eurd. The Lovestoneites formulate the slolieutenants of the employing class.
The nucleus of the Communist Opposition old unions. This is the Achilles heel of gan so that it can be interpreted one way which is taking shape in the union, bas for the Right wing regime and there is nothing The Tactics of the United Front when they are under the attacks of the Sta.
its first and most insistent duty the organ they can do to prevent a sympathetic re The fourth important phase of Left linists in the new union and the opposite Ization of a struggle to change this deci sponse to such an agitation in the ranks of wing strategy is the revival of the tac way when they are under the attack of the eton. Life itsell will smash the decision, the membership. The more they join hands tics of the united front and the slogan of officials in the old unions. This is migbut the Communist militants must hasten with the bones against the workers, the trade union unity. The slogan of unity has leading: this is playing with issues accordthe process in order that the least possible more they collaborave with them in robbing power to move the masses. It corresponde ing to tbe time honored practice of these harm for the left wing movement will rethe workers of their standards the more to the necessities of their struggle and to unprincipled opportunists.
cult.
do they create the conditions for a move their own inmost convictions, born of tragic In our opinion the slogan of unity The building of the new industrial ment of revolt against them on the basis experience in splits and defeats. The Left should be formulated as follows: Unito unin and the organization of a fighting of our economic demands.
wing must raise again the slogan of unity the old unions with the new industrial Let wing in the old unions are not con Every attempt on the part of the Right in the new union and in the old ones. It union into a single organization for the tradictory tasks. They are two sides of wing fakers to throttle this agitation will lust explain to the workers over and over entire industry! The slogan, thus formthe same task and are indissolubly bound strengthen the position of the Left wing again that it is the Right wing reactionar ulated, should be raised in direct connectogether. The slogans and methods for the for the advocacy of another powerful slo ies who bring division and split into the tion with the other slogans mentioned conduct of this two sided struggle require gan, the slogan of democracy in the unions. labor movement and that it is the Left wing above regarding the fight for economic deexplanation and discussion. This is all the In view of the narrow, bureaucratic and which fights for unity The Left wing must mands, trade union democracy and the elmore necessary since the convention failed arborary practices which have been smus prove this in its daily policy because words imination of the Right wing leaders. It to give a proper lead, and the document 19 gled into the adıninistration of the new alone are not enough; it is deeds which should be issued by the new industrial sue: by the Lovesionelles at the convention industrial union itself. it may be thought convince. The Left wing in the needle union and by the organized Left wing in 18 a typical product of opportunist strad that this slogan is out of date. Nothing trades took shape, grew and became con the old unions in precisely the same way dling and half measures.
could be falser than such an assumption. solidated in battle under the slogan of and would be the most important means The policy adopted at the convention Those who hold it reckon without the work. unity. The abandonment of the slogan of waiting their struggles into one, along of the industria! union deals a double blow ers and their deep rooted impulse for self been accompanied by a weakened organi the front of the entire industry. The two against the Leit wing movement in the governing organizations one of the truest zation and a dwindling influence. The re. sections of the Left wing, working in difneedle trades. On the one hand it forcibly impulses of the advanced elements of the vival of the slogan now is necessary to turn ferent fields of organization, would theretears away the more advanced and revo class. Not for nothing has been the long the helm and change the course toward ly be bound together into a single Ideolog.
lutionary elements from organizational schooling of the needle trades workers in new victories for the Left wing and for Ical force From this organizational coorcontact with the masses of workers in the trade union organization: not in vain the the masses of the workers.
dination of the joint struggle would follow, old unions. On the other hand it brings historic struggles of the Left wing for this general phrase about unity inean about a split in the ranks of the Left slogan of the rank and file. The sentiment On this basiy both sections of the Left nothing. What is required is a precise for. wing would bound forward in the condwing. In both of these consequences the for trade union democracy, developed and mulation for the concrete circumstances, policy ence of the workers, and each section the 18 ounter to the basic line of strengthened in these long struggles, is not The Party talk about unity is good for Bolshevist tactics.
dead. Given a sensible policy and leader nothing because It goes hand in hand with new union in the sphere of the unorganized and theorganized Left wing in the old in the Amalgamated, which has a firm ship, this sentiment will reassert itselt and a policy of split. The workers are not as union would expand Its organization grip on the men clothing section of the be a source of power for tue pew Left wing dumb as the bureaucrats think and they There is no contradiction in such per.
industry and where membership in the struggle in the old unions, are not so easily fooled by words which union is tied up with the question of a job.
Does the polcy of re opening the fight are contradicted by deeds.
The slogan spective. The two lines of activity supplement and strengthen each other. The exist.
the new noliey encounters in in the old unions imply any reconciliation put forth by the Lovestoneile faction a difficulties from the start; and these dim with the traitorous and bribed officials of ence of the new union as a growing force typical production of opportunist generalwould constitute a standing threat to the cult will accuciulate it any wo ious enor these unions, as the soft headed experie: ity and evasion is no better. This shoddy It will is made to enforce the policy of the third period say? Just the oppo crew, trying to capitalize the sentiment for bureaucrats of the Right wing unions In fear of the against mass expulsions.
soon be demonstrated there that the welk site It means the elevation of Lett wing unity in the old unions and tearing to offend new union they will be compelled to hesera who are willing to sacrifice their living tight from phase mongering futility into the sectarian patriotism of the members in order to justify the stupidity of the Par action which will animate the Left wing of the new union, has issued the slogan: itate and temporaize with a Left wing in ty are few. In the Cap and Millinery Union movement with a new vitality. We do not their own organizations, and allow it a Fight for one industrial union in the inthe new policy has already hit the roch.
apeak in favor of a tip toe activity in the dustry! What does that mean? Like certalo room for development. On the other The attempt to enforce the decision of tire old unions by grace of the fakers, but an all the slogans of the opportunists it means hand, a desperate fear of the movement convention has split the Left wing of the open, militant and ruthless war to exter anything you like. As to how it is to be within the Right wing unions, driving the New York blockers local of this union in minate them and all their influence.
officials to mass expulsions and splits again This realized, how it is to be put conerelely in the middle would bring new forces to swell the ranki The develoonents in the blockers local of the industrial union, not handfuls o Communists as will be the case under the are very instructive and they are symptomprosent policy but masses of workers who scale. In this local of 1, 500 workers, con would impart to the new union the charac stitung about fifty per cent of the workers number of weeks ago, we printed the people who lauded him to the skies, startter of a mass organization.
in the trade in New York, the bloc of the correspondence of comrade Pierre Naville, ed his paper Monde, and set it up as the The Question of Reiormlug the Old Unions Left wing and progressive forces bas con of Paris, on the rate of Henri Barbuhse. model for all other proletarian literary Against our proposals and perspective stituted a strong minority, The instrue Intellectual valet of the Stalinist regime, journals to follow.
there remains a question of last resort for tions to join the new Industrial Union hase and he literary Journal of pseudo Com As is well known, the American proto the Stalinist tacticians: Is it possible to met with a categoric refusal on the part of tuunist confusionism, Monde. We an type of Monde 18 the New Masses, under reform the old unions and transform the all the Left wing and progressive elements nounced then that the sale of Monde had the ideological aegis of Michael Gold. Walt into genuine organs of the class struggle?
except a handful of Party members. Leu voen prohibited in the Soviet Union (for Carmon. Earl Browder and other prominent The Stalinists have answered this question the Communist workers take heed of this Three months now) and that the bureauc proletarian poets. The New Massey conin the negative and thereby disposed of it situation in the blockers local, it 18. racy of the Party was getting ready to un tinues to publish advertisements for Monde, as far as they are concerned. As for us warning of what will happen everywhere load Earbusse. We asked then why a which we repeat has been prohibited in this schematic formulation has no meaning Can a Leit Wing Be Organized in the journal which is prohibited in the Soviet the The same New Masses fear.
We do not advise the Left wing workers to Old Unions Caon ti recommended as good revolution fully rejecte advertisements for the Militant waste their time in speculation as to the Is it possible under the present conary literature to the members of the French or for any of comrade Trotsky books. possibilities of a legal conquest of the ditions to organize a strong Left wing in Communist Party in particular and the Like Monde, colunins are open to every apparatus of the old unions. Experience in the old uniong of the needle trades? Now workers in general.
confusionist and dilletante hanging on to the needle trtdes struggle has already pro more than ever. The program which the reply of sorts has finally appeared the fringes of the revolutionary movement.
vided a certain answer on this point. When Party leadership forced on the Industrial in the French edition of the International but not to the Left wing of that movement.
we speak of a conquest of the old unions Uniou convention, in arguing against it Press Correspondence (No. 46, page 544. They fear to anger the Stalinist commissar we do not think is terms of the offices, the cites the destruction of standards won in addressed to Barbusse by the 80 called whose literary footmen they are, and the buildings and the banks, We think of the years of struggle and the failure of the International Bureau of Revolutionary millionaire banker, Otto Kahn, patron of 175, 000 workers in these unious and we Right wing officialdom to defend the inLiterature which says. proletarian art and of. Citizen Gold, the say they can and they will be won for the terests of the workers at any point. The In a period of sharpened struggle, you, pallid devourer of Trotsky and opposition: revolutionary banner. When we proclaim answer is: just because this is so, just becomrade, edit and publish under your name iste the slogan of uniting the old unions with cause the conditions of the workers grow Journal by which there is emptied foto Barbusse played the same role for a the new industrial union in a single or more and more intolerable and the treachthe masses who have confidence in you the while. The Stalinists have now rid them ganization we do not promise that this ery of the Riglit wing bureaucrats becomes opportunist doctrine of the calumniators selves of that embarrassing baggage. Were unity will be legally confirmed by the re more clearly manifest, the soil becomes and enemies of the This Journal Goki one tenth the sage in politics he actionary leaders with a voluntary abdic more favorable for the organization and which has no proletarian line, spreads ide imagines himself, he ought to be able to ation. But our blogan of unity is never rapid development of a broad Left wing ological confusion in the masses, extremely read handwriting when it is written on theless a sincere one and it is put forward movement within the old unions. The burwith confidence that it will be realized, eaucrats are powerless to prevent it. The detrimental in the present period. Are you the wall.
With a correct policy And competont only real obstacle is the policy of the Party with in our struggle or against us? The leadersbip the Left wing will win over the which has been imposed on the present Left only reply to our question will be the radRemember the days of prosperity when masses and unite them not all, then the wing forces in the industry And. 80 ical change of the line of the paper edited labor banking, was all the rage among the great majority into one union. Let the by you, or the withdrawal of your name loudly do all the circumstances cry out for constructive statesmen of labor? Yet reactionaries think of the unions in terms buch an organized movement in the old from it. An evasive reply cannot be given another labor bank has had to close its of contracts with the bono, ofices, build unions not even the Party can hold it in the present period.
doors this time the largest of its kind ings and bank. Let us think of the union, bac for long. It with the official All well and good particularly we in the country (the Bothehoods of Railwa: in terms of the workers withiu them. Thie Pa without it for the time being, bear in mind that the belated critice of Clerks National Pank) Na Yul, the conception will guide ut toward the singan. and will be organized.
Citizen Barbusse are precisely the same 1, 000, 000 kiting operations, and tactics of victory.
atte er en eneste una serie der First Henri Barbusse. Is Michael Gold Next?