Next Steps in the Needle Trades The Daily Worker Explains Some Differences Potash is now proposing with the discredited labor skate Sorkin (of the Furriers. It seems that the Potashes have learned nothing from the past betrayals. Again we hear the voice of the Lovestone ideology The four weeks strike of the New York By SYLVIA BLEEKER shops, will be for the same improvements. in the party :United fronts with progresdressmakers (February 18 March 18) atTo be more specific, all the enumerated sive cliques. Lovestone unites with Levy ford us a lesson from which every Left the struggle of the workers who had been groups will have to make the same demands and Potash proposes that the wing worker should draw necessary con corralled again by the Right wing unions in order to regain the lost standards and unite with Sorkin schooling in Loveclusions. As has already been reported, the and not to leave them a prey to the bosses further to improve conditions.
stoneism seems to be hard to live down.
results of the strike were miserable. The agents, the Schlesingers, the Kaufmans, the We know now, without a shadow of a We want united front with the rebellious lost a great deal of preg Hillmans and others.
doubt, that the reactionary officials will not workers in the ranks of the Right wing tige among the workers, thereby weakening Subsequent events have borne out this promote such struggles. On the contrary, unions. The Left Opposition will fight with the whole Left wing. Numerically, the policy to An organized and developed they will do all in their power to divert the help of the Left wing workers against Industrial Union did not lose anything. The opposition in the Right wing union, would the militancy of the workers. Therefore, such united fronts as are proposed by number of shops under its control remain afford moral and organizational help for it remains for the Left wing to help the the Lovestone Right wing or the Stalinist about the same, with a slight increase in every struggle of the workers in the old unions to organize and Potashes.
membership. But the morale of the workers Through such an opposition we would have fight side by side with the other militants Sterriny clear of corrupting intluences was lowered to a great extent, and spread been able to carry on a united front policy for their own interests. From this strug. in our own ranks, the Left wing can win still further the spirit of pessimism and with the workers in the old union. Not a fle, new oppositions will emerge, with whom its struggle to build one powerful indusapathy in the ranks of the membership.
fake rank and file united front committee the will have to carry on trial union of the needle trades workers Due to the strike, the Left wing was un to snatch a few workers away from the fights for improvement on the basis of un it it is able to adopt a course that will doubtedly weakened. But it has not yet great majority, but a genuine united front ited fronts. Not such united fronts as lead it with sureness in the right direction.
been crushed.
to carry on a fight against the bosses on The objective conditions under which the basis of specific demands, for instance: the strike was called must be taken into a shorter working day, the abolition of piece odnsideration. We cannot lose sight of the work, improved conditions, etc.
the deep going crisis, which worker in South Bend, Washington, fact that vested with the cloak of official authority The Industrial Union, which is a minof the fact that the deep going crisis, which the Daily Worker (3 17 1931) informs its and backed by an unprecedented apparatus ority section, must follow the path of united affected every industry, the needle trades readers, writes: What is the difference for listribution.
front action. The hesitation and delay of included, the prolongeel and extensive perbetween a Lovestoneite and a Musteite? Falsehood No. is at distorted quotatthe leadership (party and to iods of slack time, paralyzed the fighting adopt this course, contributed largely to the have been reading the Daily Worker for a tion from an old Militant in which we said capacity of the workers to a considerable year now, but have never seen this ques that the communists must establish conpresent weakened condition of the degree. The workers conditions in the ortion answered.
tact with the workers in the ranks and The fundamentally erroneous ganized shops, under the control of either policy combine with them for a common struggle.
of: Hands off the company unThe perplexity of the South Bend workthe Right or the Left wings, declined about er is easily to be understood and sympathWithout the communist leave the new ions. a medicine given to the workers in thirty five to fifty percent. To settle down ized with. After reading the Daily Worker progressive movement will have no backbig doses at very short intervals, is coming in the shops and make ends meet this has fer a year, he has not been able to find hone. Without asking anybody perback to the same leadership at present. The been the prevailing sentiment among the an explanation of the difference between mission the Communists must become a workers. In such situation becomes a workers are confused. Only yesterday, the the Right wing of the Communist move. part of it, influence it from within, push it workers were told to keep away from the duty of the leadership to much seriously, ment and the Left wing of reformism. That to the left and help to share it into an social fascist company union. without any deliberately and consciously prepare to the oracle who replies to him in the effective fighting force. Ruthless criticism explanation, they are told today by the strengthen the morale, and the unity of the zig zagging leaders, that the policy must be Questions and Answers column tacitly of the Muste leadership is an indispensable workers as a prerequisite for the strike.
accepts the implication of the worker part of this work for the future of the to work within these organizations. NaThe conditions won by the dress makquestion is already an illuminating revela movement (9 15 1929. We have not turally, there is skepticism and further coners through many bloody fights against the fusion. The proper way to make the worktion of the confusion and ignorance that changed our opinion on this point. The bosses, such as a minimum wage, a nominStalinism sow in every important political party lenders, who change their opinions ers understand the significance of the new ally established piece rate, shorter hours, question? Hoy could it be otherwise? To every week, will yet be compelled to accept policy is to admit to them that the comhave been continually taken away and abpany union theory was wrong from the expect clarityo such problems from these our point of view without understanding olished. The Industrial Union failed to beginning, and to inaugurate a thoroughprofessional incompetents is to look for it, it is true, and without being able to carry on an intensive drive in the shops to going discussion on how to carry on the milk from a bull. Is it not the beginning execute the policy is Bolsheviks, resist the lowering or breaking down of the and end of all their wisdom that there is Falsehood No. is the alleged ummer building of an opposition in the unions conhard won condition, and to extend the strugno difference between anybody and everyof 1930 conversations between Cannon and trolled by the reactionaries.
gle into the unorganized shops and into the What is the situation now? The prebody who opposes the line that prevails Lovestone to negotiate a common base shops where the Right wing, with the help for the moment, regardless of nature of struggle against the Comintern. Why of the bosses and the police, ained consent situation is by no means hopeless, even of opposition? not every workin 1930? Did the inform trol, and where the process of elimination though the wrong policies have driven the er know. that Hoover, Fish, Borah. Green. us for a year prior to that late that the of working conditions has been going on Union into isolation and made the struggle Thomas. Hillquit, Muste, Lovestone and Trotskyites and Lovestoneltes have conwith the same rapidity and determination.
more involved. The existing unions, on a Trotsky are one and the same person, mascluded a united front of renegacy against The workers felt that during these hard craft basis, have not solved the problems of quernding as many only with the mischie the party. If it was concluded early times the Industrial Union allows the same the workers. The problem of building an vous purpose of confounding philosophers in 1929, why the 1930 conversations? Are state of affairs to exist in the shops under Industrial Union embracing all needle trades of the third period. It would appear that we to draw the daring conclusion that the workers is still on the order of the day.
its control as do in those under Right wing questions settled so long ago by the Daily Worker was lying about the united front domination. The average worker looked Whether the present unions will constitute Worker no longer required the elaborate at least between the summer of 1929 and upon both unions in the same way. The the foundation for one industrial union or reply which it devotes to the South Bend the summer of 1930? Rash as such it de endeavor of the present leadership to make whether it will be built through the vast worker, especially when the reply consists cluction may appear, we can come to 110 up for these shortcomings with an ill premajority of the unorganized through united principally of the usual superficial journalother! And while conversations are being front struggles cannot be decided in adpared strike, put the Industrial Union into istic denunciation of Lovestone and Co. discussed, will the Daily Worker he kind further isolation.
vance. But our course must be to build which are repeated all the more violent?
enough to inquire of comrade Bittelman Further, the Union leadership created, one industrial union, the tactics to be deterthe more the author seeks to make his read about some conversations that a certain at the very outset, a widespread confusion mined by prevailing conditions. To achieve ers forget that only yesterday the Stalin representative of Comintern had not by its vacillation and uncertainty on the this aim. we must not relax for one momists were so amorously celebrating with in 1930, but in the late winter of 1931 with question of strike demands. leadership, ent, nor must we capitulate before the hardLorestone the their joint pogroms against the Right wing in Canada about a common to be successful, must have at least a measships. The tendency of the Right wing has the expelled Left Opposition. And these base of struggle. Such a report would ure of definiteness, so that the workers feel always been capitulate before the settled questions would really require make more interesting, more valuable and confident in entrusting this leadership with fakers, expressed today by the Lovestone no reply but for two reasons: the fact that more truthful reading.
the conduct of its struggles. The Union group proposal to liquidate the Industrial they are not yet settled. and secondly, the Assorted falsehoods: Just where did Union. This proposal aims at the liquidafirst proposed the conclusion of economic need felt by Stalinism, in order to hold its the spirit of cooperation on the basis of the demands, entirely essential under the cir tion of the organized Left wing, and inown head above water, to promote the Muste program become prevalent in our cumstances. Then, under the pressure from volves a submission to the Right wing burcampaign of slander and falsehood against group, and require Cannon. on pressure of the Right, the party decided upon giving eaucrats or their Left assistants. Such the Left Opposition. That is why, in the Shachtman. et al (who is this et al. to up the demands for week work and the a way out of the situation must be repudimidst of his reply. the anonymous writer castigate his followers. Which of the ated.
shorter working day. Our comrades of the in the Daily Worker presents his readers Oppositionists went too openly into the Opposition, fighting in the General Strike The Left wing and Communist workers Muste camp. or into that camp at all?
with the following information: Committe, and in the Delegates Council, should exert all pressure to eliminate such Hasn the Worker writer confused is here felt that the very foundation and the back a capitulationist ideology. Our Union has Lovestone stopped all his criticism of the Musteites and the socalled Lefts in with his yesterday comrade in arms in the bone of the strike had been removed. То suffered enough from such defeatism in the struggle against Trotskyism, Bert Miller, the socialist party long ago. Nor was Lovestrike for recognition of the union without past.
who is now fighting Trotskyigm on the stone alone in this. The Trotskyites who conditions meant the virtual disregard of The possibilities for building the new considered themselves the Communist leavother side of the barricades, as many of the unorganized workers and also of those union are at hand. There are thousands his similars will do tomorrow. en (in) the new progressive movement organized in the Right wing union. upon thousands the majority in the indusmade overtures to the Lovestoneites on the In an unguaried moment, the Worker The demand for shorter hours and week try who are unorganized. The knit goods basis of work within the Muste movement makes a damaging confession: We did not work would at least have proved to the trade, for example, is an outstanding in and against the communist party.
go over to Muste, that is, to the Left wing workers that the is champion stance. There we can begin our organiza In the summer of 1930 conversations of social democracy, because we had an ing better conditions and is ready to lead tional work with the help of those cloak were held between Cannon, leader of the international anchor. If this has any sense the workers in struggle. The strike would makers who went through a training in the Trotskyites, and Lovestone. The purpose at all, it means that our association with then have become a fight of the workers struggle and are even now, after all the of these parleys was to work out a common the Russian and International Left Opposifor better conditions, and the forerunner of defeats, still sympathetie to the cause of base of struggle against the Communist tion is keeping us in Communist waters.
the coming struggles under the leadership the Left wing. They did not exchange But, dear Messrs. Browder and Co. it is party and the Communist International.
of the Left wing. Once these demands the banner of the Left wing for that of While they had to keep this alliance more precisely because we proclaimed our solidarabandoned, the central point of the strike reformism. This industry now comprises or less secret from their followers, the ity with the Russian Opposition, because we removed, there was no valid reason for a from 30, 000 to 35, 000 unorganized workers. spirit of cooperation on the basis of the tiel ourselves to the international anchor.
general strike. The leadership could not The same is true of other branches even Muste program became so prevalent in the that you expelled us on charge of being and did not expect a response. They gam though there has been some organization.
Trotskyite group that Cannon, on pressure counter revolutionists. bled with the life of the The dress, the fur, the raincoat, the milfrom Shachtman, et al, was forced to casti Well, there nothing that can be done That is why our comrades proposed that if linery, the white goods, etc. etc. are not gate his followers who, like Bart Miller of about it. feeling of hopelessness overthe party heads insisted upon eliminating even half controlled by the Right wing.
the Lovestone group, took the cue of their comes one when confronted with these gen.
the economie demands, it would be better Here is our field for work, of course, if leader without its diplomatic trimmings and tlemen of the Stalinist school. It is polito convert the movement into an intensive we actually do the work and do not wait went too openly into the Muste camp. The tically impossible to have them stop lying organization campaign in preparation for for miracles.
flesh and blood alliance of the Trotskyites. they would first have to stop living polia really broad strike.
The organization work will have to be with the Muste group did nat mature. They tically. It is even impossible to have them While the forces of the Union in the carried on in a planful and constructive could not travel quite so fast as the Love tell one lie and stick to it. But then, that shops were declining, no new adherents way. The tactics used up to now must be stone group had done, but their hearts is the curse of the liar life: he can never were gained from the workers in the Right discarded, and instead a broad policy of were set on the distant green fields of the remember accurately the le he told yegwing union Instead of building a Left establishing contacts with the shops, of Musteite mass movement. They had an terday, and what is even more distressing.
wing in the the leadership preparatory work, of single strikes, should international anchor.
he is in the Stalinist concentration camps sang in chorus: It a company union; dont be adopted. The conditions of the workers Were it not for certain unintended with the competition of his fellow teilers bother with it; kep away from it. For more have almost reached rock bottom. The same a vowals contained in these sentences, it who are constantly trying to catch up with than a year, the Left Opposition hammered standards prevail in both union and open would hardly be worth refuting the fantasand ourstrip him in their products. Against away at the Left wing generally, and spe shops. This creates a condition where the tic fabrications out of which they are comsuch convict labor we raise our voice in cifically at the Communist party members future struggle of the workers, in both the prosed. But the Communist movement is protest. In vain. The Browders really enin the needle trades, on the necessity to lead Left and Right unions and in the open living through a period where lying is in joy their abominable labors.
to