LETTERS from the MILITANTS Organization Notes BOSTON Our branch here is now on a better working basis. For some months difficulties existed, arising out of disagree ments on how to proceed with practical activities, with the result that the branch work suffered and opportunities available were not fully taken advantage of. These difficulties are now eliminated.
At the public meeting arranged Feb.
28th, comrade Swabeck spoke, substituting for Cannon who was unable to be present.
About 75 workers attended the meeting and several took part in a very lively discussion on the subject Prospects for the New Unions. This became the beginning toward overcoming difficulties. At a branch meeting which followed, the existing problems came up for exhaustive discussion. Complete agreement on all fundamental principles very soon ironed out all past differences and plans for future work could go ahead.
Our members in Boston are very active in the trade unions, in other workers organizations as well as in the unemployment movement. record of years of devoted work in the front ranks of the workers struggles has gained for them considerable influence, so much so that petty factional attempts by local Stalin bureaucrats could not in the least impair their standing. This is one very good promise for even better success in future activities.
CHICAGO Beginning with March first our Chicago branch has conducted a series of lectures every Sunday, 2:30 30 Wells St. with local comrades speaking on subects vital to the working class movement. The first meeting held March 1st, was a success. Hugo Oehler spoke on the subject of Trotsky, Stalin and the Theory of Socialism in One Country. little better than 75 workers attended, several of them representing their views in the discussion following the lecture.
These meetings are being continued through the month of March. By the time this issue goes to press the second and third lecture of the series will have been held.
For the second lecture the subject was Trotsky, the Left Opposition and the Five Year Plan and for the third Unemployment, the Six Hour Day and the Communist Party. The final lecture for the month will be by Hugo Oehler on March 22, on the subject The Three Currents of the Communist Movement and Revolutionary Perspectives.
ST. LOUIS, MO. From a point of intense activities, lending a substantial unemployment demonstration and conducting lectures during the early part of the present crisis, our small branch in St. Louis witnessed somewhat of relapse. Activities decreased up until almost the present moment when the comrades are again pulling themselves together and taking steps to reestablish the branch as a functioning unit.
Arrangements are now made for a speaking date in the city for comrade Oehler for which further definite announcements will appear in the next issue. His visit will also be utilized for a special branch meeting to take up concrete plans for practical activities for the future.
THE PACIFIC COAST Scattered contacts in the San Francisco and Los Angeles territories are beginning to spread our literature more effectively. It is speeded on by the general increase of working class activities on the Pacific Coast.
Comrade Curtis, who is traveling there, has utilized the opportunity to help along getting a better distribution for the Militant and for our general literature. That there is something in the offing is very definitely indicated by the increasing orders for the Trotsky pamphlets. One agency in Los Angeles, the Belmont News Company is dis.
tributing a large supply, one order alone running to 200 pamphlets.
FROM THE NATIONAL OFFICE Our Second National Conference is now definitely scheduled to be held in New York City the first week in July. Within a few weeks we will begin publication of draft theses and resolutions and prepare for a discussion based upon this material.
Our first supply of 25, 000 unemployment leaflets is now just about exhausted. Practically all of the branches have taken part in the distribution. Our publishing activities now include six different pamphlets by comrade Trotsky all of which are off the press and in irculation. Full descrip tion with price, etc. appears elsewhere.
We now have in preparation The Permanent Revolution also by Trotsky a book of about 200 pages.
THE PROGRAM OF EXPANSION CAMPAIGN Recent information from England shows the definite development of two organized groups adhering to the international Communist Left Opposition. One, a group of Indian comrades now in London and the other a group of members of the British Communist Party. With that, there has been a rapid increase of our literature sales. Militant bundle sales have trebled within the past few weeks, pamphlet sales have witnessed an almost similar increase. Both of these developments urge more speed toward the completion of our Program of Expansion.
We are, however, only just beginning.
In addition to progress formerly reported, we now have word from our small New Haven branch, each member of which will take one certificate. The Kansas City branch secretary states: we endorse the program and will do all we can to put it over 100 percent with cash also. The program sound and you will soon receive a check from us as a starter. When the Kansas City branch members speak this way we know they mean it. It is attested by their regular remittance each monh, on the dot, of 20. 00 for the sustaining fund.
The New York branch has proceeded to complete its part of program in a systematic manner. Each member making pledges for a cash contribution has a definite time limit set when payments are to be completed. committee has charge of organization. When a member misses a meeting he is communicated with on his payment, in similar manner sympathetic workers are being approached, first by a letter and followed up by a personal visit.
The first steps have been taken to launch the publishing company and print the certificates for the 10. 00 contributions. This is the first part of the program becoming a reality. The International Bulletin of the Left Opposition is now appearing. The first issue is out, price 15 cents, the second issue will be out in less than a week.
Thus step by step as the branches, members and sympathetic workers give the necessary support, the plan is being realized.
Contributions received since last report are as follows: Roll Call on the Program Expansion Lewitt 10. 00 Capelis 15. 00 Sterling 10. 00 Engel 15. 00 Rose 00 Cannon 00 Basky 10. 00 STALINIST DECAY IN ENGLAND who accused Lenin of. Trotskyism) is to understand the enormous obstacles Lenin LONDON. found in the way of swinging the party suppose the situation over here must chiefs to his point of view which was, of seem rather perplexing to one abroad, and course, identical with Trotsky Had it it would be very different explain in a not been for Lenin historic struggle inletter. At the present time dissatisfaction side the party, which culminated in the exists everywhere. It doesn matter with final adoption of the famous April theses, it whom one comes in contact: members of is open to considerable doubt if the Bolshthe Labor Party, Minority evik party would have accomplished in time Movement, trade unionists, and so on, disthat ideological re armament of which content is everywhere. The question is of Trotsky speaks. And without this rearmacourse how to harness this discontent. ment. The Bolshevik party would have In every big dispute of late, and we missed the revolutionary opportunity created have had a few miners, textile workers, by objective conditions as surely as it was etc. our crowd have been absolutely out missed by the Brandler Thalheimer leaderof the picture. could give quite a few ship in Germany in 923.
instances here in London of just local We are not partisans of the petty bourstrikes in which the workers were solid geois theory of great men and their alland prepared to fight, but the offer of assisdetermining role in history. But there is tance and help from the Minority Moveno virtue, and no Marxism, in the theory mentor Communist party was point that men, grouped together and even singly blank refused. Two good comrades whom at times, have no particular bearing on the know quite well were met only a couple shaping of history. vivid picture of the of weeks ago with the only assistance we contrary, relating especially to the point want is: keep away. The last desperate efraised by comrade Mashow, 18 given by comfort of the party here to make a splash is rade Trotsky in various sections of his the Workers Charter campaign they re book My Life. Ed. running, but from reports am of the opinion that the big conference will be a washTHE NEW YORK OPEN FORUM out. That is, as far as being a representative conference is concerned. Instructions The Open Forum of the New York have been sent out that delegates must be branch of the Communist League, on Februgot, no matter what they represent. So we ary 28 and March 7, at the Labor Temple, are going to have the usual mass meeting 14th Street near 2nd Avenue, where Max of a thousand people called delegates, and Shachtman and James Cannon respecevery group of ten or more will be allowed tively led the discussions were most interto send their number as delegates.
eating The respective subjects were closely According to the latest data, the party related, Max having spoken on third membership is now below 1, 000. It started division in the Socialist party (the Millten years ago with 5, 000, during the Gen tant gorup) and Cannon having explained eral Strike it reached nearly the 10, 000 and exposed the socalled progressives.
mark. The Daily Worker circulation has Present at both meetings were party memdropped from 10, 000 when it started to less bers and Lovestoneites. Animated discusthan 5, 000. When one thinks that at one sion took place each time.
time the Workers Weekly reached the 70, 000 The Leninist principle the united mark, and the Sunday Worker at one per front, rather than the zig zags of the Ceniod reached 110, 000, it makes one want to trists and in contrast to the liquidationist vomit.
tendency of the Right wingers, was ably BLACK DIAMOND. championed as the only means of ending the influence of the Stanleys and Mustes and THE INDIVIUDAL AND THE bring their worker supporters closer to ComREVOLUTION munism.
The more there are of such meetings CHICAGO. as these, the clearer it will become to all Of late my only source of real Com honest and intelligent workers that the munist information seems to be the Militant, political position of the Left Opposition is and so decided to ask you to be kind revolutionary to the core.
enough to clear up the following question GEO. SAUL.
for me.
One of the comrades made a statement THE ANTI RED DRIVE IN GREECE that If not for Lenin and Trotsky the (Continued from page 3)
Russian revolution would have been a failmentary propaganda and educational nuclei ure. meaning that it would not have of the same organization.
worked out to be a proletarian revolution.
The tribunal has condemned the folNow, with all the respect that have lowing Archio Marxists under the anti Comfor these two people in fact, feel that munist law: Panaghiotidos, to months in if something serious should happen to Trot prison and two in deportation. Moustakos, sky don know who there is to look to to the same sentence; Tsirigotis, to six as an authority from the Marxist point months in prison and two in deportation; of view still don think the above state Papnicolaou, to four months imprisonment ment is correct. If it were correct that an two in deportation: the others, to 75 would mean that leaders are responsible for days.
historic events and not conditions. Please The correspondent of the newspaper tell me what can read on the subject and Acropolis writes from Salonica: also express your opinion. For two years the Communists have. MASHOW. been divided into two camps, fighting each other bitterly. From this struggle have is(It is in no sense a violation of the sued forth the Archio Marxists whose Marxist conception of historical developnew theory bas on a firmer and mor ment on the contrary, it is its living esscientific organization of the followers of sence to say that objective conditions alone revolution. The Archio Marxists are workare inadequate for the accomplishment of ing on the basis of precise instructions and the proletarian revolution. Just as one complete program. They are filled with chemical reagent is required to act upon faith and fanaticism and are ready to die another to make a precipitate, so man, socupon command. They are a sort of Cheka ially organized, is required to intervene at. given stages of historical progress, is en In the house of Panaghiotides there abled to influence the course of history te were arrested the day before yesterday, an enormous degree. Man makes his own young men and women who have been inthistory, said Marx, although not out of tiated into Communism. The students arthe whole cloth; to make it, he must use rested have for the inost part confessed: the materials at hand at given moment. Yes, we have come to learn lessons in This is especially true at the moment of the Communism in order to teach others. The proletarian uprising. Given the objective working class being heavily oppressed.
conditions, without which not even the most The present régime must be overthrown.
superhuman efforts of men can make a Against the terror and the attacks of the revolution, it is possible for the most clearcapitalist class in Greece and everywhere, headed, far sighted, boldest elements of the the Communists of the entire world, no matworking class the revolutionary party to ter what faction they belong to, must pre place itself at the head of the proletariat sent a united front of revolutionary strugand establish it as the ruling class by the gle. In Greece, in Spain, in France and in overthrow of bourgeois class domination.
the United States the members of the OpThis is what happened in Russia, but the position have suffered under the lash of ground for it was laid mainly by Lenin ruthless capitalist justice, together with all after his arrival from Swiss exile. The real Communist militants. The members fact is that prior to his arrival, practically of the Left Opposition have been and always every single one of the Bolshevik party will be found in the ranks of the class leaders did not see an inch further than struggle. In our fight side by side with the the bourgeois revolution. To put on the militants of the party we shall yet have order of the day the seizure of power by occasion to propose concrete lines of workthe proletariat was far from the minds ers defense.
In the meantime, we call of Stalin, Rykov, Zinoviev, Kamenev, Molo upon all workers protest energetically tov, Nogin, and the others as the sun from against the white terror in the Balkans.
the moon. To read Lenin polemical writProtest against the reprisals of the ings at that time (particularly against Kam Venizelos dictatorship!
enev, one of the leaders of the Right wing Free all class war prisoners. Total Previously reported 67. 00 122. 00 Total to date 189. 00 Expansion Program Record HELP LIFT THE BLACK LINE. 1, 500. 1, 000. 500.
Collected to date 180.
PARIS COMMUNE AFFAIR The New York branch of the Communist League of America (Opposition) is holding a celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the Paris Commune on Saturday, March 21, 1931, at the Hungarian Hall, 323 East 79th Street. The arrangements committee has made every effort to assure an enjoyable evening for all the rebels of New York who come down to the affair.
There will be music by a capable orchestra, dancing and other entertainment. Brief remarks will be made by one of the active comrades on the significance for the working class and revolutionary movements of the Paris Commune of 1871. Tickets for the affair are fifty cents in advance and sixty cents at the door (hat check included in the ticket. All friends and sympathizers of the movement are very cordially invited.