Stalinist Party Folly in St. Louis Why Joined the Left Opposition Jealous izers.
unions.
loyalty.
Union.
decessor. Reply to Comrade Weisbord In the Party been reduced to a fourth of the membership. The mechanical introduction of policles, their mechanical execution, abolition and re introduction (as in the AmalgaST. LOUIStackling the problem of unemployment turn.
mated Clothing Workers) are ruinous.
Since the expulsion of the Opposition, ed their meeting into anti Trotsky meetElections in the Party are becoming a the has pracucally ceased to exist in ings, which of course meant nothing to the word of the past. Secretaries and financial this territory. With the loss of its best rank and file unemployed. The workers, Comade Sylvia Bleeker, organizer of secretaries can no longer be elected, only of the Needle Trades Workers Industrial members it no longer has any contact with disgusted with such tactics. left and are appointed by the bureau!
the trade unions.
Opposition now in our ranks.
Union, and one of the oldest members of now Can or should a real Communist over influence in the trade unions the Party of the Party, whose case we spoke of in look all this? Is it not time to make an After two months of strenous effort the the Millant, two issues ago, has been end to all these ruinous policies? Regard in getting our members expelled from them.
finally succeeded by underhanded methods Party, succeeded with the co operation of expelled for Trotskyism.
the Opposition, in mustering about 200 demShe sends us less of what the offical apparatus doesthe following declaration: In consequence, all militant Left wing ele onstrators for the Sacco Vanzetti protest expel, slander, temporarily isolate us, beat ments have been barred from participation meeting The Stalinists, instead of exposus up, break up meetings It our turn to The statement by the Party Central in the unions, leaving the field entirely in speak. Communist who keeps quiet now ing the system which burned Sacco and Control Commission the hands of bureaucratic reactionaries. Vanzetti, turned this meeting algo into an on my expulsion when danger is facing our Party is a cow(Dally Worker, 8 1980) needs further exWell known militants like MacMillan and anti Trotsky affair. They also decided to ard and a slacker against the working planation. It was not merely a Goldberg have been expelled becaus of devote their talents to a strenuous attack statement clase.
of my expulsion but a slander and misrepreThe differences in the Comintern these malicious and senseless Party tactics. on the one poor wilted Lovestonelte in the can no longer be concealed. The platform sentation of my relation to the struggle of the Leninist Opposition can no longer be Opposition Organizes Unemployed city calling him among other things a soin general. And while am sure that clal menace and a Sacco Vanzetti lyncher.
misrepresented or misquoted.
The Communist Opposition wes the The facts every worker or member of our Union the amusement of the spectators.
much to first in this territory to organize an Unare out in the daylight.
who read it felt repelled by such contememployed Council mass demon In spite of Party persecution the OpCommunism Weakened by Expulsions tible slander, nevertheless wish to make stration of 1, 500 on January 3rd through the position goes forward. With the exception a few explanatory remarks.
By expelling us from the Party ranks, business section of St. Louis. The Party of the officials, the rank and Ale members our strength is only weakened. By drivwas invited to participate but refused on have been neutralized. This has occured Records Needs No Apology ing us out of active work in the trade the grounds that they were not the organ in spite of the fact that members are exMy record of work, activities and devo.
unions and auxiliary organizations, the pelled when caught talking to Opposition tion to the Needle Trades Workers Indus Party officials are deliberately hurting the Seeing our success and in order not to sympathizers or when found attending Optrial Union and the Party needs no apology. cause of the workers. We want to be be outdone, the Party finally organized its position meetings.
It has been known to the workers for the Party. We want to be in the trade own council almost 10 years. Any work assigned to The Opposition, knowing class case in point is the recent expulsion We want to be in every me was carried out faithfully and flawlesstheir council was in fact nothing but a struggle. We are ready and willing to sacof the secretary of the Frank Wall, ly. And were it not for my agreement with rifice as we have proved in the past. Vsname, nevertheless, gent delegates asking one of the most active of the League memfor a united front of all workers against the platform of the Communist League, the cious attacks and slander will not solve bers when caught by Party sples attending Party would still speak of my unemployment. This the Party not only Shachtman lecture. He was He was summarily the problem.
refused but threw our delegates outi BeMy adherence to the Trotsky Oppo dismissed. It seems that it is no longer We ask for a broad and genuine discause of this action, the one or two memsition in no way eradicates my former cussion of the problems we are now facing.
necessary to endorse the Opposition platbers whom the Party had succeeded in record. On the contrary, it is a logical form for expulsion, but expulsions are now We demand that a halt be called to the gaining, left and came over to our group.
consequence of my serious and vital concern unheard of repression and persecution of in order for members daring to associate Remembering our success in demonthe with Trotskyists.
with policies of the and its Ameri the Opposition comrades in the Sovlet strating, the local Stalinists decided to arcan section.
The bureaucrats cannot and will While the Party goes on ward in its range a series of demonstrations of their Since when is one a good communist not tear us away from the ranks of Compath of complete isolation, the Opposition Own. These turned out complete fizzles, who doesn think, question or disagree? munism and the working class!
grows in membership and influence among each being a bigger failure than its preSince when has it become our slogan: Obey SYLVIA BLEEKER The Party speakers, instead of rank and file workers. The Left wing and not ask questions? The Communist militants continue in their task of carrying Party 18 not a religious sect (and even forward true Communist education. co optheir history is filled with periods of queserating with all workers, and aiding the tioning. The Party is the political weapon sale of the Militant. The Militant now has of the workers in the fight against the capa rger subscription list in this city than Italist system, and it is the duty of every Continued form Page 5)
masses (Chinese revolution, British generthe Daily Worker. The sale of Klorkelt Communist to use this weapon to its maxthe native bourgeoisie leads them into a al strike, India, etc. etc. into opportunist also is not smaller than the sale of the imum effectiveness. We need the Commun dispute with the British imperialists which swamps from which Centirgm is now trying Jewish Morning Freiheit, Consequently ist Party to lead the working class in all unleashes the eneregy of the masses. But ineffectively, to issue by means of the ultrawith the coming of the fall cool weather 50 did Kerensky unleash the energy of its struggles we need it to fight and expose Leftist rope. we expect to make even bigger strides and reformist influence among the workers; we the masses.
still more successes.
And like him, the Ghandists Road to Ruin, Not to Victory need it to build the kernel of the proletarat the same time fetter the energy of the GOLDBERG Such a policy, combined as it is with ian revolution. No sooner do the policies masses. genuine unleashing and proper comrade Weisbord entirely false estimate of the Party fall to live up to its historical direction of the energies of the masses of Centrism (his denial of it, in fact) is can happen only by fighting as mercilessly the hope and desire that further reflection role than every Communist must point it the shortest road to destruction for the against the national bourgeoisie and for the and discussion would make it possible for out, criticize and if compelled, organize a independence of of the taction to correct these policies.
Left Opposition and a disavowal of its his.
proletariat (which comrade Weisbord to find his place as a alone enables it to lead behind it the torical function This is clear from all fighter and a valuable one in the ranks That is exactly what comrade Trotsky the experiences of the Opposition in Europe.
peasantry) as the Bolsheviks fought against of the Opposition. We has been doing, and that is exactly what have welcomed Our road is not that of Urbahns, Pollack the Kerensky and Menshevik. compomisers this discussion the American Left Opposition is doing at cussion and the criticisms made by in 1917.
and Paz who only discredited the OpposiThis must be repeated and recomrade Welsbord, particularly because it present. The criticism made by comrade tion and reduced what they controlled to Trotsky from 1923 to now, whether nationpeated until it penetrates every Aber of the offered the opportunity for a recapitulation hopeless sects.
of our point of view. At the same time, ally or internationally, has been entirely Indian revolutionists.
the national committee decided, in view of confirmed by events, much more than any It is with comrade Weisbord proposOn the basis of his present views on a Weisbord closeness to the views of the of us expected. And it is because of the als on the various groups in the movement number of vital questions, the national Opposition, to invite his collaboration in very correctness of his prognoses that he that the Left Opposition has its sharpest committee has decided that it cannot accept fields of work conforming to his position.
doesn stand alone but has movement of disagreement. Advocacy of such views by comrade Weisbord for membership in the devoted class conscious workers behind a leading comrades is contrary to all we National Committee him.
stand for League. All Communists groups must Every day brings new groups of At the same time it expressed Communist League of America (Opposition)
adherents to the course of Leninism as work together on the basis of the recogniagainst the policies of Stalin megļme, tion of the Communist character of each om which is leading the Party into the abyss.
FOR The Communist Majority group group. Contemptble Slander and the Communist League group by workThe statement that covered ing together can help re establish mase 4448 SINCE LENIN DIED by Max Eastman, of Leniniam under the crafty leadership of myself with the cloak of Trotskyism to es work. they can help to separate the Labour Publishing Company, London, the Triumvirate. The book is valuable cape from the struggle is a despicable Communist movement as a whole from the Mensheviks. etc. etc.
1925, 158 pages.
This is false from Blander. No serious worker believes it now to us now because in it are published the The fact that this book earned the conbeginning to end original documents, theses, letters and press and will surely not believe it in the future.
centrated scorn of the latter day Comintern articles of the period. These documents remain in the ranks of the class We recognize the Communist character leadership, should immediately interest all have already been supplemented, amplified workers and will work together with them of the Right wing only insofar as it still Communists suffering under the deluge of and a thousand times verified in the writregardless of difficulties. But true to my groups a number of good communist work anti Trotskyet verbiage distributed in ings of comrade Trotsky and other leaders principles, shall never agree with parts ers whom the incompetent Centrist bureau.
of the Russian Opposition. Also by the recent years under the guise of Leninism.
the present official policies of the Party to hold.
cracy was unable We contend Aspirants to leadership, in all English shamefaced confessions of Zinoviev, Kamwhich are disastrous, nor with the bureau that the Right wing now occupies a Speaking countries, from Rothstein to enev, etc. when they were no longer of use cratization of the Party. The average midway between een social democracy (Meu Browder, finding the thorny path of fight to Stalin.
member in our Party is becoming a mere shevism) and Communism not for long.
it against capitalism not so promising, have Eastman will be remembered for unsweryis true, as shown by the passage of some cog and not a sober, conscious fighter.
turned with enthusiasm to slinging mud at ing courage and determination in the face This is not a fault of the Communist ideal of its leading strata directly into the camp the Russian Opposition and its leader, comof the solid mass of howling bureaucrats, but of the present Party leadeship. of Amsterdam and the international of rade Trotsky. But the authority of these to speak the truth and prove it. He has slanderers of the revolution is shortlived. the honor of being one of the first to be The frequent changes and uncertainties How can we, the Marxist in the Party and trade union policies, withThis book is one of the nails in their powing of the movement, unite with this expelled from the American Party for sudout any broad discussion at the units, the semi Menshevik wing (a bloc which under Vitical coffin.
porting the Russian Opposition. He certainly was the first to bring the documents Party fractions, introduce confusion, apComing fresh from the Thirteenth Party esent conditions would mean a movement and platform of the Russian Opposition out athy and general loss of faith by the rank Congress of the Russian Party (May, 1924)
Mirected against the official Communist and the hysterical campaign leading up to of the Illegality Imposed by Stalin and and file. Reorganizations take place at movement. in order to seperate the ComTrotsky resignation as president of the into the light of day. CARL COWL such a tempo that it is no longer possible munist movement as a whole from the Revolutionary Military Soviet in January, to follow them up. These constant reorgan Mensheviks. can a bloc with the 1925, Max Eastman was the first to publish Price: Cloth, 1; paper, 50 cents. Order izations are resorted to as a substitute Right wing re establish mass work. when through the Militant.
the authentic documents of the controversy for correct policies, but they are absolutely it is the whole philosophy of the Right in English. He was in Russia during the wrong and suicidical. The fact is that the wing that has brought the Communist whole development of the fight, witnessed Subscribe to the Militant and be sure attendance at Party fraction meetings has movement to such isolation from the the consolidation of the shady opponents of getting it regularly through the mails.
BOOKS WORKERS conscious a position August 1914.