Organization Notes tions. There is, of course, plenty of oppor you are about to extend further, appears tunity left for others also to become certi to me to be excellent. We cannot seriously ficate holders.
approach the masses without steeling our The first book of be published by the own cadres theoretically in the process.
Pioneer Publishing Company will be the For my own part, shall do everything to Permanent Revolution. which is now al come to the assistance of your publishing ready well on its way to completion. The company in its development.
price will be cloth bound, and 50e paper cover.
It will contain 210 pages. CertiThe itemized contributions, including ficate holders will receive this book at a funds received for activities in the mine discount of 33. The second book to be fields, are as follows: published will be comrade Trotsky work New York br.
on the Chinese Revolution, and once the (mine fund) 75. 00 000financial support flows in more regularly, Fisher publication of additional books will follow. 00 including Marxian classics.
Boston (Miners 1, 750 The total sum received for the expan Fund) 15. 00 sion program in April 28 was 641. 75. This Geltman (N. 00 represents somewhat of a revised schedule Von Borstel as it credits on this account funds received (N. 00 500 for expenses in the activities in the mine Minneapolis br.
flelds. Those having followed the regular (mine fund) 25. 00 progress of the financial record of the pro Lewitt 250 gram will note that now comrades from (N. 00 cities throughout the country are becoming Cannon (N. 10. 00 active participants. The branches in Minn Jacob Capelis eapolis and Kansas City, however, appear (N. 00 1, 000 to have done the best so far in organizing Sol Capelis collections from sympathetic workers. 00 Onr next steps in the Expansion Program Y. 10. 00 750 are the convening of the Second National George Clarke Conference and the Weekly Militant. With a (N. 00 little more energy from our members and Toronto br.
sympathizers in such a manner that col Toronto br. 12. 00 500 lection of financial contributions takes place Shoe Worker much more speedily, we will soon reach (N. 00 the point where the Militant will appear re 250 gularly every week. 177. 00 Comrade Trotsky, in a letter to Previously dated April 4, greets our expansion program reported 464. 75 in the following words: The educational work which you are carrying on, and which To date 641. 75 us atmost The Slogan of the Six Hour Day PHILADELPHIA On April 12 comrade Cannon spoke at a very well attended meeting of the Liberal League open forum on the subject. Prospects of the American Revolution. The discussion following gave comrade Cannon the opportunity to make clear our position as an integral part of the Communist movement and to present a criticism of the bureaucrats as a necessary means of defense of Communism as against those holding the view of the degeneracy of the Communist party beyond regeneration.
In the afternon comrade Cannon had an opportunity to attend a branch meeting and work out further plans particularly for taking up effectively the defense of our two comrades, Goodman and Morgenstern, now under indictment for sedition. The local under orders from its higher ups. despite its expressed character of an organization for defense of all class war prisoners, is ttempt to get away with complete sabotage of this case. It openly refuses to furnish the same defense accorded other class war prisoners, thus endangering the position of the revolutionary movement as a whole. It does make vague promises to provide purely legal aid.
That promise came about only after severe protest had been made by workers in several parts of the country. Such protests were made, for example, by Gerry Allard of Illinois, a member of the National Committee of the by workers in Boston, New Haven, and elsewhere. Our Philadelphia branch is preparing to do its to compel the actually to function as a defense organization of class war prisoners. Meanwhile all of our comrade, including those under indictment, are continuing the work of building the Left Opposition in the most active manner possible.
MINNEAPOLIS In this city our branch is now thoroughly taking up the leadership in organizing a broad working class united front for defense of the right of free speech.
That is the burning issue in Minneapolis now and our branch has very correctly raised this slogan. City authorities, reinforced by extra policemen clubs, are continuing their efforts to break up working class gatherngs, to attempt to outlaw workers revolutionary organizations, and are thus making an attack upon the working class as whole. The local fakers of the of unions are trailing in behind as closely as possible and making all sorts of maneuvers for expulsion of our members. The active campaign of our branch has so far prevented this. call for a conference has been issued around the slogan of Fight for the right of free speech. The prestige and following our members have already attained due to their splendid militant record within the Minneapolis labor movement is sufficient guarantee that this united front conference will develop into a real effective movement.
One of its tasks will be to focus the issue of the defense of the rights of workers during the campaign in the coming city elections. Thus the branch of the Left Opposition is already definitely the leading force in the fight for the right of the Communists to speak to the workers. It is carrying the Communist standard forwar The branch is following up energetically every step made forward with wide distribution of Communist literature.
OTHER CITIES Our Chicago branch is organizing special Sunday drives in which all members participate in an organized manner to establish new contacts, circularize literature, and gather subscriptions to the Mulltant. The branch is dividing its forces into two competing teams. The results so far are quite gratifying, as will be noticed from the report in this issue of our subscription drive. The St. Louis branch has overcome its period of inactivity which has existed for some time. It is now proceeding to plan active work and to function better in a collective sense. Comrade Oehler spoke at a public meeting in St. Louis on April 16 during the time the miners convention, and also attended meetings of the branch, helping in planning future activities. We are sure we can expect better results from the St. Louis membership as a whole in the future. The Boston branch is becoming one of our livest group.
Some of our members there are both active and influential forces in the trade unions.
Others carry on active work in labor fraternal organizations and the unemployment movement. Compared to the size of membership. Boston has been doing about the best recently of all the branches in the disposing of literature. The New York branch, while not yet so very active in subscription hunting, is still the one having some of the best accomplishments to its record.
Being the biggest unit, it naturally has better possibilities. This is one of the reasons why it has by far outstripped all the other branches in pushing forward our Program of Expansion. In financing contributions, the New York branch is the standard bearer.
HOW ABOUT THOSE SUBS. The drive for 500 new subscriptions and renewals will be extended for another three months, upon the request of some of branches who haven completed their quotas. They realize the importance of increasing the circulation of The Militant and ask for an opportunity to do their share, in this phase of our work, The total received to date are 83, as follows: Chicago 25 Boston Minneapolis 16 Toronto St. Louis 15 Cleveland New York 11 Kansas City Miscellaneous The Chicago Branch, which leads the drive, has initiated a plan which might well be copied by the other branches. This is how it works. The Branch divided itself into two competing teams. One headed Rebecca Sacharow and the other Hugo Oehler.
Each team got an equal number of members for co operation in the work. Each Sunday morning the teams go visiting with the list of expired subs which was sent to all branches by the national office. Renewals are thus secured, and at the same time new subs. and trials are solicited from door to door. At the end of the drive, the teams securing the largest number will be declared the winner by the Branch.
In this connection we might add that a note in this column, giving comrade Sacharow full credit for the good work of Chicago, was due to the fact that the Na tional Office was not aware of this plan at the time.
Comrade Goldberg of St. Louis who sent in 14 subscriptions in one mail refuses to accept the prize he is entitled to. He says this work was his contribution to the movement. Just the game the National Office is sending him one of Malkin prisonmade watch fobs, as a token of appreciation.
The Chicago Branch will undoubtedly win the copy of Trotsky My Life. and Minneapolis will most likely get the bound volume of The Militant. That is, unless New York gets busy and challenges these two branches.
Get your subs and renewals in before the inactivity of the summer months begins. Forward to 500 new subscriptions and renewals!
OUR PROGRAM OF EXPANSION We have now accomplished the first step in bringing this program forward. The Pioneer Publishing Company has been launched and certificates are being forwarded to those having completed their contribuDISCUSSION ARTICLE (Continued from Last Issue)
tions of the struggle and not by visionary The adoption of the six hour day slogan aspirations. We must fight where it is has been arrived at without considering practical for the hour day, the five day thoroughly present or future conditions, week, or whatever the situation and the the size of the Communist forces, the de industrial conditions make practical. In degree of class consciousness of the work the mine fields alone where they have for ers, etc. It is projected in an abstract vis a long time had little more than 30 hourg ionary manner. Doubtlessly it is influenced work per week and perhaps in the railby looking backward over the shoulder at road industry we can at this time begin the great eight hour movement of 1886 and an uncompromising fight for hours. The confusing the present situation with the purpose of the slogan is mainly to give conditions prevailing at that time.
the whole fight a political character, to assist in raising it to a political level and The struggle for a shorter working day to link up the political struggle with the does not necessarily arise because of unelementary no matter from what source it employment. It can arise from many other comes. reduction the working hours causes. Therefore, it is not always a polican be won only by direct struggle with tical struggle. In connection with the praceach separate set of bosses and not by tical necessity it mbst be raised to the pressure on the government and in that level of a political struggle by the class sense it surely is much different than the conscious elements. In order to do this fight for social insurance. On the field of it is necessary to begin at the very bottom direct industrial struggle we should not using every impulse of the working class to attempt to distinguish our policy from that struggle. The slogan that focuses the of the reformists and others by the arithattention on the political aspect of metical difference between the amount of the problem must be drawn in such a our demands. It cannot be stressed too way as to link it up securely with this eleoften that we are free at all times to promentary struggle at the bottom so as not claim that in this age of modern machinto jeopardize it. The slogan should be The ery and unemployment six hours is more shorter working week with no reduction in than enough and that we intend to go on pay.
fighting until it is achieved. Also that af1886 and Today ter that is won we will not stop there either but will go on fighting for four hours We can in no way compare conditions when the need arises. The slogan of six with those of 1886. For one thing, hours a day sounds Left yet doubt if it the labor movement as a whole, over a is the proper slogan to be used at this time.
period of years, had experienced an unHistory which has its own unimpeachable precedented growth. We do not have anylogic will very likely prove it to be a misthing to compare with the zeal of the labor take. MIHELIC.
movement of that time. The struggle itself Note: The objections raised by comrade did not arise from a desire for shorter Mihelic to the position taken by the Militant working week because of unemployment but in the disputed question will be dealt with was largely guided by the idealistic ap in the reply by the editorial board which proach of hours a day for work, hours is to appear in the next issue of the paper.
for play, and hours for sleep. Again. Ed.
there was a vast army of workers who had already obtained very nearly the hour SPRING FESTIVAL OF NEW YORK day and it was only a small step from OPPOSITION BRANCH the number of hours of work previous to The New York branch of the Communthe hour day, whereas today the bulk of ist Lengue of America (Opposition) has workers are unorganized and are working announced its plan to hold a Spring Festiin most cases considerably more than val entertainment and dance at its headhours, let alone six. The gap from hours quarters, 84 East 10th Street, between 3rd to the present working hours is very large and 4th Avenues. The affair will be held indeed. In addition, the demand for the on Saturday, May 16, 1931, at p. All five day week already before the workrebel workers are cordially invited to ating class thus the six hour day means in tend the Festival to spend an entertaining actuality a thirty hour week. This makes evening and get acquainted with the New the demand seem all the more extreme when York Oppositionists. number of special compared to the conditions that exist in features are being arranged for and a good most industries.
time is assured all who come.
In raising the slogan of the six hour day in a general manner we will succeed in IN OUR NEXT ISSUE nothing but appearing visionary. This would What we really need is Weekly!
be true even if the Communists forces were Valuable material has to be held over from completely united (which is not the case almost every issue because of the pressure and is another drawback) and therefore able of space in the semi monthly. The next to make a more concerted effort. Why make isue will contain an analysis of the recent it six hours? Why not four or two? It events in the miners movement, by Arne has more than once been shown that all Swabeck; an article by comrade Trotsky on the work of the world can be done if pro the situation in China and the problems of perty organized by a four hour day. But the Left Opposition there; and a good deal we must be governed by actual condi of other important material. Watch for it.
ANNOUNCING The Permanent Revolution By LEON TROTSKY The first book to be published by the Pioneer Publishing Company 210 pages of scintillating argument on a much disputed question Cloth bound. 00 Paper cover. 500 Send your orders now, accompanied by check or money order made out to The Pioneer Publishing Company, 84 East 10th St. New York City.
One third off for certificates holders. Special prices in bundles.