«Austro Oppositionism»
position Julio Mella in the international more than autonoin, complete nonthe greatest political mistake of his party intervention of the Inte ional, exclusive career, was he allowed to remain in the ly under the form of an unretricted sane leadership.
tioning of all his measures. Obviously these At the time of Mella occupancy of the are not the methods of the International general secretaryship, the for the Left first time discussed seriously a definite break The Austrian Opposition movement is organizational maneuver useful for covercertainly not lacking in surprises. Unfor ing up private factional interests. So that In Austria, considerable sections of the with the national bourgeoisie. During the tunately, these surprises are rarely rejoicing.
whole past period, the orientation of the we see in Austria a very unedifying specpresent Oppositionist groupings (above all At the very moment when, after two years party on trade union questions had contacle where, in alternating cycles, one of the group around Frey) were at one time tinually been towards work within the of efforts to overcome incredibly petty and (since 1922) already engaged within the the Left Oppostlon groups makes the best party in violent and ceaseless faction fights CROM, and in an autonomous sense only unprincipled quarrels the question of creat of its solidarity with the International Opinsomuch as a close collaboration with proing a united section of the International Left position while it hopes thereby to hit a blow which, while being objectively the expresat the other group.
sion of the regroupings in the Communist Opposition assumed concrete forms in Ausgressive state governors made this possible.
tria and the International Bureau began to camp, nevertheless revolved around specific At the time of the breakdown of the As to the letter of comrade Trotsky, inelaborate its concrete proposals, the leaderally Austrian questions. The traditions of CROM, when whole labor federations of cluding the supplements of November 16, ship of the Austrian Communist Party (Op it doubtlessly concerns the copy of a letter the old factional groupings are today still states and of trades. Puebla, printing the basis of the internal friction of the Aus trades, etc. were declaring themselves inposition) announces in a letter signed by from comrade Trotsky sent to the adminiFrey and 16 other comrades, their formal stration of the Opposition) and trian Opposition movement, and have given dependent of the reformist center under withdrawal from International Left Opthe Left slogan of against the bureauaddressed to stift and four other comrades birth to a species of Austro oppositionism, the principal character of which is the lack cracy, etc. the convocation of a unity conposition The declaration is formulated to expelled from the following these words: of international orientation based upon very ference of the autonomous unions became upon internal disputes in which, considering To the International Secretariat of the themselves as expelled, these comrades con marked fractional principles and pettiness, quite opportune. Such a step, if taken at which is well illustrated by the resignation the right time, would have served to separLeft Opposition, Paris. tinued to call themselves members of the of the administration of the ate not only our own unions of Jalisco. Since their visit to Vienna, we announ International Opposition and partisans of which came in 24 hours. But Frey and Tamaulipas, etc. from the local politicians, ced to comrades Molinier and Mille that any movement for Austrian unity, and had his comrades are not the only ones in this but also would have prevented the Obregonwhile being in political agreement this poli appealed to the International Bureau. Withcase: the Mahnruf group which, not with ists from establishing their hegemony over tical agreement still exists now we have out desiring to anticipate the formal deciout internal obstacles, declared its adher the organizations recently rebelled from the for some time considered with growing doubtsion of the International Bureau or exence to the International Opposition, CROM.
and without confidence the false and dishon pressing any final opinion on the differences est organizational methods which comrade (considering that some had attributed capinot yet come to the point of translating it in its journal, which does not appear as the Mella against the Right Wing Trotsky and the International Secretariat tulationist tendencies to these comrades. organ of the Left Opposition but as the At this time it was inevitable that large comrade Trotsky, in a most cautious manemploy in practise. organ of the workers struggle ner, had admitted the possibility of modify We hoped that this would be changed sections should reorientate themselves on ing the internal régime of the Austrian Op Frey and his comrades, in quitting, say this question, and comrade Julio Mella was after the impressions comrades Mille and position. Moreover, for the united Opposi at the same time that they are politically among the first to come forward in the Molinier obtained in Austria. But we have tion which was to be formed, he had made in complete agreement with the InternationMexico City branch in support of the callbeen greatly deceived. The letter of comquite precise proposals as to the internal ré al Left. They believe it possible substiing of a trade union unity conference for rade Mille of November 12, and above all, gime and the relations with the International tute for the community of struggle with the the formation of a new center. For this that of comrade Trotsky of November 16, Opposition. Left, which is indissolubly bound up with reason, and through a revival of the old 1930, as well as the supplements it contained, its program and its activity, the isolated Trotskyist accusations, the Right wingers have deprived us of the last bit of confid It seems that these doubts, which comrade Trotsky expressed in a very prudent existence in one country. In other words, denounced him as disloyal and he was reence they want to put a national socialist basis moved from the Consequently, we formally withdraw manner, concerning the organizational methods of the administration of the under the revolutionary program of the Left In September 1928, an emergency conour adherence to the International Left Op(O. were enough for Frey to resume his Isn it absurd to speak in such a case of ference of the party was called to discuss old lamentations on the methods of Zinovpolitical agreement? No, the International the change in the political situation. At supplement on the decision on the fev Bucharin Stalin in the International OpLeft Opposition has nothing in common with this conference, Martin demanded the ex.
expulsion of Stift is enclosed.
position and to take flight formally. To this opportunism.
pulsion of Mella for the crime of working The above letter was adopted by the call the International Left the caricature The document underlines the unanmity against the party line in the direction of unanimous decision of the Opposition lead of the Comintern is the favorite method of of the decision. is sad that among the dual unionism. The Right wing proposed ership.
the Brandler Neuraths, who have created a united front with the reformists against leading comrades nobody opposed this clear The letter speaks of false and dishonest caricacure of the pre war International un turn to nationalist Austro oppositionism.
the Obregonists (and Left wing CROM mem(that is, anti Communist) organizational der the form of a flexible union of the vari Thus, one can only hope that the workerbers) who were splitting the unions. But methods of the International Opposition, and ous national currents who are greatly con members of the will know how instead of Mella being expelled rom the above all of its secretariat and comrade cerned about their own autonomy. Frey, to defend internationalism against Austrian party at that time, he was successful, toTrotsky.
The lightness and unspeakable on his part, demands for the provincialism. JAN FRANKEL.
gether with the Mexico City delegation, in lack of scruple of this accusation which rallying the whole conference, with one exrequires no comment for any serious Left ception, to a struggle against the opportunCommunist, are shown by the fact alone ist tail endism of the Central Committee.
that accusers are in no position to give This is not the time and place to discuss at length the manner in which the their estimate a precise political expression, based on facts and couched in Communist still dominated by the Right wing, carried This January tenth is the second an posed bomb plot. They were held illegallanguage. They resort to diplomatic figures, out the decisions of the September 1928 conniversary of the death in Mexico City of ly without trial for some time in spite of speaking of growing doubts. confidence. ference. From a policy of sabotaging the comrade Julio Antonio Mella, assassinated the efforts of the workers and students to personal impressions and the like. Indecisions they soon flopped over, under the by hirelings the Machado regime in Cuba. have them freed. Finally, through a 19 day answering for their charges before stead influence of the new winds from Moscow, With Mella death the Latin America and hunger strike, which brought about a conthe international tribunal, they reveal themto an adventurist sectarian opsition. Lack world Communist movement lost one of its tinent wide protest movement, Mella libselves in a ridiculous and shameful manner.
of mobility in the most opportune moment, ablest and most devoted fighters. The mur erty was granted on condition that he im and lack of serious organization afterwards, Certainly these are not the methods of the der was only one of a long series commit mediately leave the country. He was sent International Left Opposition.
wrecked from the start what might have ted by the Wall Street supported Cuban dicIt is not the first time that Frey (we to Honduras, from which county he was become under a more able leadership, the tator on the persons of working class lead deported to Guatemala and then re deported greatest force in the Mexican labor move speak of him as the representative of the ers. Too numerous even to mention have to Mexico. The Mexican government of ment.
administration of the Opposition. been the Communist party members and Calles, at that time posing as an anti imbelieves he must feel himself greatly deleaders and the militant trade unioniste ceived. From the very beginning, Frey perialist government, offered him asylum.
Much of Julio Mella activity while in assassinated by the tropical Mussolini in Mexico was wrapped up in the organization gave his adherence and his confidence to his attempt to impede the growth of a In Mexico, in spite of continual disknown as the ANERO (Association of New the International Opposition on the sole constrong working class movement capable of agreements with the opportunist heads of Revolutionary Emigrés from Cuba) and the dition that the latter express a priori its overthrowing what is doubtless the most the Mexican party, Mella soon became one publication of its Cuba Libre (Free Cuba. confidence in his organization and his whole odious of all the puppet régimes of Latinof the outstanding leaders. Because of in Numerous differences arose between the past activity, and that it proscribe all the America. Assassinated on the streets, torstructions, the Mexican party practically comrades of the Communist fraction of the other Austrian Opposition groups, with tured to death in their cells, fed to the compelled Mella, as well as many other ANERO in Mexico and the o. of the which Frey had had or still has more or sharks of Havana Bay, massacred in the foreign comrades, to dedicate themselves to of Mexico, and the relations between less important differences. differences streets, the number of Cuban revolutionists anti imperialist work almost exclusively. Mella and the party leadership became exwhich, in any case, have no importance now murdered in this struggle is already legion Mella was for a considerable period general ceedingly tense towards the end of 1928. In for the International Opposition. On this and the total continues to mount under the secretary of the Continental Secretariat of the very last days of the year, barely two question, there was an exchange of letters pressure of the general industrial crisis and the All America Anti Imperialist League, weeks before his assassination by the agents between comrade Trotsky and Frey and his general mass discontent on the island.
and in this manner his energies were to a of President Machado, comrade Julio Mella friends which lasted for months, in which For a number of years comrade Mella great extent side tracked from the fields was expelled from the party by the decision comrade Trotsky, given the absence of any was the outstanding leader of the Cuban where he would have been most useful to of the They had taken advantage programmatic tactical divergences, removement. Even in his student days, he the movement. Later, however, for a period of a very rash letter in which he had decommended a broad unity move on the basis distinguished himself notably for his eduin 1928, Mella occupied provisionally the clared his inability to collaborate with the of a common platform, as the only possibilcational activities among the Havana workgeneral secretaryship of the of Mexico.
party leadership, tendering his resignation.
ity of rallying in a revolutionary manner ers with the organization of the UniversiBut upon the return of the delegation from No excuses for this great mistake on Mella the Left Communist elements. The concludad Popular José Marti. and for his leadMoscow after the Sixth World Congress of pant can be made but it goes without saysions drawn by Frey, at various periods in ership the Comintern, comrade Mella was not only a number of student movements, ing that the C. adopted anything but the correspondence, were rich in changes as so intense in their agitation against the removed from this provisional post but was the correct attitude when he was so sumto his formal attitude towards the InternaMachado régime, that Machado had to close also summarily removed from the Central marily expelled. One week later, that is tional Opposition.
the National University in 1925.
Committee, upon the insistence of the right about January 3, 1929, Mella requested a In September 1929, he declared that he Exiled from Cuba wing led by Martin (Stirner) and wanted to retain a free hand towards reconsideration, making a complete recogniCarrillo. In a former period Mella had been tion of this error on his part. It was de the International Opposition and to remain Julio Mella, together with a number of accused of Trotskyism. and only through cided to reinstate him in the party, with a sympathizing member. In April 1930, other comrades, mostly Communists was a formal renunciation of the point of view the stipulation that he was to hold no posts refused to participate in the International framed up by the Havana police in a sup of the Left Opposition which was probably of responsibility for a period of three years.
he had to settle the disputes in quesOn January 10th he was shot dead in the conference of the Left Opposition, because street by Machado assasins.
tion with the Russian Opposition. After the. RUSSELL BLACKWELL. final formal adherence, he again played (during the sojourn of the French comrades THE CLASS IN MARXIAN ECONOMICS in Vienna) with the idea of resigning, in order to preserve elbow room for settiOur class in Marxian Economics has ing the nasty Austrian affairs. Now he been reorganized, with comrade Arne Swatakes refuge in abandoning the last bit beck (recently arrived from Chicago) as confidence. This puerile and formalistic James Cannon Walter Starrett instructor.
hocus pocus can only arouse astonishment Communist League of America Road to Freedom This class, sponsored by the Communist and regret. But if one considers further League of America (Opposition)
the obstinate refusal to collaborate actively says, YES!
at the branch, is open to all class conscious workers in the international work, one concludes that LABOR TEMPLE desirous of obtaining a serious and correct Frey, by now occupying the position of na14th Street and Second Avenue Marxist education. method of student tional Communism, only quits the position of on initiative is being pursued.
a fictitious internationalism. He does not SATURDAY, EEBRUARY 14, 1931 All workers interested in taking the see in his adherence to the International Admission: 35 Cents P. sharp eft Opposition the consequence of a comcourse communicate with the inal office nunity of action and program, but a forms: AUSPICES: JOINT ARRANGEMENTS COMFITTEE.
84 East 10th Street.
DEBATE IS THE PROLETARIAN DICTATORSHIP NECESSARY?
says, NO!