larly in the trade union field: the result of Dressmaker Strike Ends such an investigation could only be murs Los Angeles «Radical»
parade.
The Agrarian Congress in Puebla whole On March 18, the Dally Worker published a brief Official announcement that the New York dresmakers strike called by the Needle Trades Workers Industrial Union had been called off. As has become the custom in recent years with the incompetents foisted upon the Left wing movement, the statement makes no serious endeavor to sum up the results of the strike or to draw any intelligent conclusions from it.
We have come to expect this light hearted procedure which distinguishes the irresponsible and bureaucratic opportunists.
The statement does say, however, that the big general strike committee will be transformed into an organization committee to spread the Industrial Union throughout the industry. more pitiful instance of bankruptcy in leadership and policy than thisso characteristic of the whole strike move can scarcely be imagined. By its shamefaced silence, the statement tells an eloquent story of defeat and the policy of the party and union leadership which was calculated to guarantee this defeat in advance.
Prior to the actual calling of the strike, the leadership of the Industrial Union adopted a position which was calculated to rob the strike of its immediate interest and concern to the workers hours, wages, conditions the party leadership of the Union proceeded to drop all these demands.
It virtually confined the strike to the de mand for recognition of the Union. In other words, the strike was to be conducted along precisely those lines of business agent unionism which Johnstone, Foster, Potash and Company had virtuously condemned as corrupt Lovestoneism in their ex.
posures of almost a year ago.
As soon as this thoroughly false plan was adopted, the Left Opposition, through the columns of the Militant, declared. If it is proopsed to call a strike merely for recognition. the strike will be de void of its real objective, for which the party bureaucrats will bear the full responsibility Rather than such a strike we propose that the present strike committee be transformed into an ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITTEE with a campaign worked out to lay the ground solidly for a real strike in the future. These are the proposals which the Left wing as a must adopt. Mülltant, No. 62. Unfortunately, these proposals of the Opposition were not adopted. Ill prepared in general, its organization weakened, the membership robbed of their natural enthusiasm by a previous destructive course, and, on top of that, the devitalizing of the strike demands, the Union entered the strike with the odds heavily against it. For the results, as we declared, the party bureaucrats bear the full responsibility.
It is hardly necessary to elaborate here upon the vain misrepresentation and journalistie sensationalism the official party press during the strike. The policy of lying about successes that are non existent, about victories that are defeats, about gains that are losses, has progressively deprived the Stalinist press of any standing for truth in the eyes of the advanced workers. Certain it is that the bulk of the needle trades workers were not deceived by the boastful headlines and stories in the Daily Worker and Freiheit which announced new shops and new thousands of workers on strike every day. The needle trades workers if nobody else knew quite well that the strike, carried on as it was, brought out not the 8, 000 10, 000 estimated by the party press, but rather between 2, 000 3, 000 workers. No dressmakers strike could be conducted in New York today with so feeble a response.
The situation would undoubtedly have been a much bappler one had the party and the Union, which is under its leadership, pursued a policy that would draw closer to the Left wing the thousands of workers or ganized by the Right wing union and the even greater thousands of workers who are outside of either union. But the recent past. in which the arch stupid theory of social fascism prevailed the theory which puts every worker outside of the party and Left wing into the camp of fascism could not pass by without inflicting the greatest punishment upon the Left wing and serving as grist to the mill of the labor leutenants of capitalism.
The payment which the Left wing had to make for the obstinate comedy of errors of the Stalinists has been the alienation of the non Communist workers. And the payment has not yet been made in full.
The party leaders have not acknowledged the strike results for what they are: a defeat, a new blow at the Left wing. Without such a recognition, the past will be repeated, that is, no progress at all will be made. We can easily understand why the Fosters, Stachels, Amters and brethren are averse to undertaking a serious review of the strike policy, and even more, of the whole policy of the party, particuderous for them and their positions. But that is precisely why the Left wing and Communist workers as a whole must un LOS ANGELES, Calif.
never attempted to do anything in the situ Permit or no permit, we are going to tion. They were a last hope.
dertake such an examination.
But such a review is legally prohiThe Communists had been tried by the bited by Stalinism. At the party frac They can stop us from marching to workers and found wanting. The hungry tion, following the strike, Phil Aronberg the city hall.
workers looked to the Left wing to lead proposed an elaborate discussion of the The cop who wields the first club them to bread, they were led instead in unsuccessful demonstrations.
whole affair, with the provision that every. makes history.
body present should be given the opportunThe above are characteristie statements With each demonstration for the last ity to criticize any and all features of the made by William Busick, chairman of the ten months the futility of following the strike policy. Naturally, such a proposal executive board of the Socialist party of present leadership of the Left wing becomes found an immediate echo among the com California, to 3, 000 unemployed workers in more and more apparent and the disappointrades, for it could only produce fruitful the socialist controlled unemployed conferment of the masses in the leadership of the results. But they reckoned without their ence. These words were greeted by the Left wing is shown in the constantly de host, this time in the person of Amter, the hungry workers with enthusiasm.
creasing number attending the demonstraparty district organizer, who put the burThe city council, however, refused the tions. The Socialist party, an untried faceaucratic heel down upon the suggestion by tor, entered the situation and a staunch and permit and Busick, the bombastic, promptly announcing that there was no need for determined mass fell into line behind it.
such a discussion because the comrades changed his tune and urged the workers The workers discouraged in the would be have faith in their leadership and its to accept defeat. and march leaders of the fall easy prey policies. After such an arbitrary and to the polls, and use our organization as to glib charlatans.
contemptible ruling, there was, of course, a power for law, order and the return of Why were the socialists refused a perno discussion. Even Aronberg refused to constitutional government.
mit to parade? The answer is to be found take the floor. And the results of this This, think, is the premier attempt of with the Communists. The Communist led failure to adopt the proposals of the Op the socialists to use the unemployed, and councils have never been able to develop position for the strike, and our proposals deserves areful attention and analysis by into a real force for the struggle for an open and honest discussion in the every worker. As crisis drives deeper, misery and the city council felt that the party? The results are a greater passivity he misery of the workers increases and sim danger from this source was not great among the Left wing workers. discourage ilar socialist activity will appear elsewhere. enough for the socialists to enter as lightment, cynicism. and the loss of numerical number of questions spring to our ning reds to detract the masses from millsupport and prestige for the Left wing as mind. How come that the Socialist party tant action. They felt that the hungry, as a whole.
is organizing 3, 000 workers in three weeks, led by the Communists, could as yet be met The discussion which the Amters fear while the has not even one with gun, homb and club.
and prohibit must nevertheless be con tenth that number after 18 months of efChief of Police Steckel, in a burst of ducted, for the life of the movement is fort? Why were the socialists rensed a candor stated: If your parade is going involved. If it is not done within strictly permit to parade? Why were the rank and ahead against the wishes of the city counparty channels, it must be done elsewhere. file so docile in the face of betrayal? cil some of your people will be killed. We The Militant will serve as a forum. We The reason the socialists succeeded in have to take steps to protect constituted shall therefore return to this question in rallying the unemployed where the eft authority.
the coming issue.
wing has failed is that the socialists had. Constituted authority and government, it may be remarked, has an unbroken line of defense reaching from Steckel to Red Hynes, to Busick. state agrarian congress was held in has happened to the dozens of agrarian For his eagerness to serve the powers Puebla, Mexico, from February 1st to 4th. communities in divers parts of the state, that be by disrupting the movement (the The whole affair was very carefully organ where our party is supposed to have had socialist demonstration was called for ized by those sponsoring it and its petty such extensive influence and control. February 6, four days before the previously bourgeois character was clearly distinguish Where are the thousands of peasants of announcement demonstration. able from the first speech to the last. Atlixco and other sections of the state, who Busick received a sound drubbing.
Governor Leonidas Andreau Almazan, supported the Workers and Peasants Bloc Had there been sufficient pressure from governor of the state of Puebla, presided at in the last presidential elections? Let the the rank and file, pressure of a sort that the opening session, and numerous other party leaders explain why there was no only the Left wing could generate, possibly bourgeois politicians were present including Communist fraction at the Puebla state Mr. Busick would have carried out his threat Governor Adalberto Tejeda of Vera Cruz, agrarian congress if, as they shout from the in spite of his masters opinions. That Left the governor of Guanajuato, representatives housetops, the party is now so much strong wing was absent, had no contact with this of the governors of the states of Yucatan, er, more consolidated and more steadfast mass of eager material and Busick was left San Luis Potosi and Tlaxcala, and a host than ever before.
to carry out his betrayal unhindered. This of senators, deputies and petty politicians The Puebla congress represented a new is the reason the masses took this betrayal of all colors from the pink revolutionists so docilely.
step on the part of the Left elements of to the blackest reactionaries. The national the petty bourgeoisie to fortify their posi The sheer helplessness of the official anthem was sung by the 1, 500 delegations tions, increasing their pressure in this way leadership of the Communist party in this present and every one received food and on the federal government. These Left situation is obvious. It is due to two lodging during the period of the congress causes elements with their promises and their deat the expense of Governor Almazan. In magogy will utilize the peasants as cannon The putsch like ordering of demonshort, for those of us who have a bit of a fodder in their attempt to seize power. All strations. Demonstration has followed dememory, it appears to have been very simithat was dealt with in the congress con monstration but from each one, from each lar to any number of former Mexican agrarcerning the armament of the peasants, the attempt to reach the city hall, the workers ian congresses, in which during the Kuo democratization of the army and the contin have returned without work and without Min Tang period of the Mexican move uation of the agrarian reform, is something wages. With the decline of the workers ment, the Communist party collaborated more than simple demagogy to fool the pea support, the brutality of the police has with Tejeda, Portes Gil and others, in the sants. It indicates the determination of grown and recent demonstrations have be organization of the peasantry.
Tejeda, Almazan and Co. to carry the strug come ultra Leftism personified; the gatherIn the Puebla congress, the closest col gle to other fields when the opportune mom ing of a few Left wing workers, the shoutlaboration was to be noted between the ent arrives. The role of the Communists in ing of a few slogans, the raising of a few Left petty bourgeois politicians (Tejeda, the coming struggle between the two bour banners, the scattering of a few leaflets and Almazon, Cedilla) and all the closest geois factions is a question deserving of the a windup of bomb and billy. The situahenchmen of the late Galvan, our party most profound attention and study.
tion demands a digging in, organizational kulak. Communist leader of former times. In its manifesto of February 25, 1930, work and flexibility of tactics that will Among the Galvanites present in the role the central committee of our party affirmed make our demonstrations assemblages of of collaborators of Almazan, Tepeda and Co. in the mos coch that Ortiz strength and not of weakness.
were Carolino Anaya, Isaac Fernandez, Rubio would succeed in uniting whole The second factor that prevents us from Juan Jacobo Torres, Vargas Rea, Enrique of the bourgeoisie, large landowners of being effective is the absolute rejection of Flores Magon (Martinez) and Celso Cepeda. both the new and the old régimes, into a the united front tactic by the Stalinists. An Another Galvanite. Julio Cuadros, was single counter revolutionary bloc, establish appeal to the unemployed workers in the elected president of the congress. Also pre ing a complete fascist state in the service socialist council for joint action between sent, having already definitely abandoned of American imperialism. This analysis them and us would have had and can still the ranks of Communism, were several ex was completely false. Our theoreticians have telling effects. Busick would oppose Right wingers of the Mexican Communist forgot the whole series of internal contrathe united front but with the cry of solidParty including German List Arizubide, dictions within the national bourgeoisie, arity we could expose Busick an agent Raul Argudin, and Luis Monzon, all of and underestimated the remaining strength of the bosses and establish contact with the whom treated the assemblage to a barrage of British imperialism. In November 1930, rank and file.
of liberal revolutionism in the form of however, after the Jalapa agrarian congress Another tragi comedy is that those who speeches.
at which Tajeda Almazan showed their in the second period were quite willing The congress accomplished absolutely teeth to the ruling faction of Ortiz Rubio, to make a united front with any faker, in nothing for the poor peasants. Why should the leadership of our party changed its the third period can see no distinction beit? That is not why it was called together. analysis again and decided on an indepentween the mislenders and the misled, and reunion of this nature only serve the dent armed insurrection simultaneous with hold that a united front with the socialist political interests of those that organize it, the outbreak of hostilities between the bourunemployed conference would be the same and is consequently unable to be of any aid geois factions. According to the statement as a united front with the socialist misleadto the poor ejidatarians and landless pea of one of the Mexican Party leaders himself ers. It goes without saying that Busick sants. The whole affair had the aspect of (The Communist, March 1931) it was a and his ilk should be severely criticized by a comical dramatic sketch in which many of speech of Manuilsky given in Moscow that the Left wing in any united front.
the most outstanding political representa gave the first inkling to the Mexican Party By the way, the third and last period tives of the opposition petty bourgeoisie ap leadership that perhaps a putsch wasn of post war capitalism that was repeated peared as actors, the peasant delegates be quite the thing yet. The third period is in every paragraph of the Daily Worker, ing nothing but bored spectators waiting for kicking its last and the poor third periodand with which every unit literature agent the curtain to ring down and the barbecue ites of the smaller parties of the Comintern opened his report has, of late, been making to be served. There was not, as in the Vera but shy appearances few and far are just beginning to find this out.
Cruz state agrarian congress, celebrated Explain, Jorge!
What is necessary now in order to asin Jalapa at the end of October, any ComThe ultimate source of the poison that sure the party of the best utilization of the munist fraction whatsoever.
is making our movement impotent is to be The voice of developing situation in Mexico, is a real our party was heard only through the leaffound in the tactics of the revisionist CenLeninist analysis of the whole situation in lets distributed among the peasant delegates trists. Only by a return of the movement which Mexican realities are considered in by outsiders having nothing to do with the to the Marxist Leninist course pointed ou relation to the world economy in general.
meeting.
Without such a correct policy we will be by the Left Opposition can our movemer bé rendered healthy again.
Several very pertinent questions sug certain to repeat the blunders and failures gest themselves to us at this time. What of March 1929. RUSSELL BLACKWELL. CHARLES CURTIS:ly.
ne