LETTERS from the MILITANTS Letter of a Deported Oppositionist ON THE PARTY TURN IN THE NEEDLE TRADES BOSTON. At the last council meeting of the Needle Trades Workers Industrial Union, Finegold reported for the National Board on the change in policy for the union. He declared that the had decided to start building oppositions in the old unions since we call and call the workers and they don come to us, because the old union still controls their jobs and they are afraid of losing them. He pointed out the disadvantages laid upon us by being far away from the workers, letting the Amalgamated raise the dues, and many other things that were done over the heads of the workers. Were we to have had fighting oppositions, these things would not happen and we must now begin to work there energetically. We are not sending anybody back, he said, but intend to work through our sympathizers in the old unions.
He also made a long speech on the change in the governing of our union, about more democracy, about having separate branches for the various trades. But that was not a decision. We were still to get a communication and then discuss it.
Nevertheless, we had a discussion on working in the old unions. They always told the workers: We have nothing to do with the company unions and to work in the old unions means to give up our own union.
They had to say these things to discredit the Opposition. There was, they said, no difference between us and the Lovestone policy. We both said that work must be carried on in the old unions.
Comrade Eva Weiner and took the floor and spoke for the policy. We told them that it is about time they woke up.
We should have done this work long ago.
We do not mean that the workers must go back and liquidate the Left wing union, as some have expressed themselves, but that we are going to build oppositions of the workers who are there. party member tried to attack our standpoint but we replied that the Opposition had said that this should be done some time ago, and that it the workers want to understand what the policy of the Oposition is, they should read the Militant.
Then Finegold tried to save the day.
When the Opposition said we must work in the old unions, it was not yet time to do it. He attacked our open letter to the party on unemployment, where we proposed to ask the socialist party and other labor organizations for a united front.
The meeting was well advanced by then, and so it was adjourned, but announced that if this question was to be raised we had something to say about it.
Last Monday, we had a membership meeting where the report was given again and a hot discussion took place. The workers are against it. They have been so much confused that they cannot get it straight. took the floor again to present our viewpoint to the well attended meeting where it could not be distorted. It seemed as though everyone opened his eyes wide and Iboked at me as though to say: We heard quite a different pry about you When comrade Bleeker spoke here a few weeks ago, a worker attacked us by saying that our policy was like Lovestone s, to liquidate the union. Well, at the union meeting he rose and said: few weeks ago heard Sylvia Bleeker and she said the same thing now hear from Finegold. was the only one there to attack her.
Now wish she was here and speak from this platform. Why don you say you are adopting their policy? What are you afraid of?
In his summary, Finegold replied to everygody. Toward the end, he said: Now in regards to Sylvia. wish se were here for would have something to say to her.
But she has a representative here and will say this to her: When they proposed to work in the old unions it was ridiculous, for we controlled most of the workers how long ago was that. or a great many. The same applies to the Five Year Plan in Russia. When Trotsky advocated it, it was not yet the time and therefore he was dangeorous. Furthermore, we are not going to care what anybody says about our taking policies from this side or that. As long as the policy is a good one for the union we are going to use it. asked for the floor to answer his speech, but was not given it. The meeting was adjourned. But answered many privately after the meeting and the opportunity will still present itself to answer Finegold and the others at coming meetings. It is clear that our position had not only been confirmed but immeasurably strengthened. JENNY unless they blindly support the with the revocation of charters and destruction.
Their boundaries are encroached upon by loyal members from other localities, and all sorts bargains, many of them Muscovite has recently arrived in our MUSTEISM AND STALINISM AT THE below the wage scale are struck with the MINERS CONVENTION bosses. The leaders have no desire to ormidst. communicate to you the essence CHRISTOPHER, ILL.
ganize any more men, and the initiation fee of his remarks, even though, from all apThe St. Louis miners convention ended has been raised to 250. 00 in the Metropol pearances the facts are a bit out of date after three days of deliberation. On the itan district, while the apprenticeship comand are known to you; he was incarcerated whole, the convention was a real rank and mittee recently appointed by the Council is file gathering, with the ideological control hard at work to limit, if not to abandon, for some time before being exiled.
in the hands of the Muste forces. In evthe apprenticeship system altogether.
The capitulators are splitting up into ery major instance the convention carried Still ignorant of their economic surnumerous groups according to the particular into effect the line of the Musteites which roundings, the bulk of the men are still phases of their decay. Radek is rotting was purely negative, evading the real fight under the influence of the and they away indivdually at an accelerated pace.
and further disintegrating the fighting front conceive the problem before them as one Not only the rank and filers but also the of the coal miners.
of selecting and limiting the organization to capitulationist chiefs are doing all in their The role of the official party represen such a number as will not compel them to power to show that, from the point of view tatives in the convention was very bad. take up the question of reduction of hours, of personal and political relations, they have After calling upon the miners not to send not to speak of organizing the vast army nothing in common with him. The most delegates to the convention, they finally en of unorganized carpenters.
sincere say openly: Radek has set himself tered it with their disruptive tactics, slan This is to be done, of course, at the the task of assuming a dirty and traitorous dering, villifying and generally making a expense of the militant members, and see rôle. Some try to turn away the Radekprovocative attempt to get kicked out of the ondly of the members: the militants ists from the baser abominations. Radek hall, which might have happened had it not ceaselessly denounce the fakers for bargain is trying with all his strength to penetrate been for our own clear cut constructive ing with the sses, and therefore endanger the govern ental circles. wants to have spirit.
the fakers jobs; the old aged, of whom his inlets everywhere, and to be considered foresaw the possibility of the Mustethere are over 35, 000, all within a few years as one of their men (a man in the old ites taking the course they did. Many comof being eligible to their disability donaRussian sense of the word. You know his rades misjudged or overestimated the real tion or death benefit of 400. 00, must be literary works well enough for me not to motives of Musteism. They were for a dealt with before they can receive the have to expatiate upon them. would like while (before the opening of the convention)
money.
to tell you of a little characteristic fact impressed with the idea that the Musteites And here is how it all happens: On acof (how shall say it mildly. Radekist would unhesitatingly form a new union.
count of their old age, they cannot get work, cynicism. Upon the request for aid to a The political line and achievements of the and without work they are unable to keep deported and grievously ill Bolshevik, Radek Musteites prove their total bankruptcy in in good standing for any length of time, refused and added. He will return all the leading the workers in militant struggles.
sooner. His methods are brief adn foul.
There is a huge difference between what since this requires an annual fee of 28. 00.
There are they say and what they do.
no provisions in our by laws We are all informed of the ideological The convention had before it these four whereby they can receive job protection; demonstration of the capitulators. They problems; not even the special privilege card (which allows them to work under the wage scale)
see things through very dark spectacles and Clean out all the fakers within the by that seek to find an excuse for themwill help them any longer because they find ranks: selves. The well known capitulator said many of their younger brothers working on To build a class struggle industrial to a restricted circle: The situation is the jobs without the privilege cards, but union. hopeless. Everything is on the brink of the under the scale and with the full knowledge The right for minorities to exist; abyss. We will swing with you (that is, To lay the basis for the broadest and consent of the business agent and the with the Bolshevik Leninists) from the possible unity of all rank and file miners, same lantern. One must deduce from this which naturally includes the West Virginia Take, for instance, our old age Pension that he capitulated in order to aggravate union, the Southwest union and the Nation Home, at Lakeland, Florida, where every the hopeless situation. It is true that, al Miners Union.
member past the age of 65 who has been leaving his exile, Radek said the same thing.
The Stalinists fought against this line in good standing for 25 years, and is un It is needless to add that we view the perof action. Dan Wainniger, the only dele.
fortunate enough to be unable to provide spectives otherwise.
gate supporting the party, actually support for himself, is entitled to go. It would ed our position.
seem that anyone with such a record would We have learned of a curious fact, re As to Howat, he gave us the same old have the use of the home cheerfully granted garding Preobrazhensky. Telling us about him.
thing. His Kansas boys, the revolutions in But what are the facts? Only one it, the new arrival guaranteed its authenSouth America, Central America and Spain out of every 500 members gets that chance, ticity with his head. It happened before and how does he get there? First, he must the as great acts without an analysis of the Sixteenth Congress. Preobrazhensky real forces at work in these revolutions or be well recommended by his local officers thought that the resolution of the Central explaining that they were bourgeois revoluto the General Executive Board (no furCommitee on the exportation of grain (the tions. His political incompetence was further explanation needed. His case will large quantity of the exports) would lead ther demonstrated by his failure to men be investigated and the findings given to to an acute and inevitable civil war. etc. etc.
tion the Russian. He wanted to come forward at revolution.
the Directing Board of the Home with reOn these points, it should be acknowledged that commendations. There again the machine the congress at all costs in order to warn against it.
Howat knows very little about the inter is put into motion, and with several hunnational situation and seems to have dred other applicants in the race, he may We must show as well as we can that urexl information from capitalist news and may not be notified to report for entry we have returned to the party. The fac paper headlines. In his address, he at the Home.
tion of the capitulators was seized with plained the refusal to join the The march towards ruin of the terror: they will expel again, they will ex.
forces because of having first to submit to with its 300, 000 membres is similar ile, too. Pressure was exerted upon Preothe dictation of New York coal miners. to that of the United Mine Workers, with brazhensky. and since he belongs to the He said he sympathized with the a membership of 500, 000 a few years ago, softies. he was dissuaded from it. This program and knew that the best fighters of with the only expection that last summer fact was held as a rigorous secret by the the coal miners were members. Lewis bargained off to the bosses, on a five capitulators because they were afraid the He did not satisfactorily explain his posl year term, one fifth of his organization, out authorities might learn of it, which would tion in the Reorganized He of about three sections of the whole Uni have been disastrous for their reputation, merely said that he had been amazed that ted States. This is all that is necessary inconsistent enough without that. The rumor Walker, Germer, Nesbit, etc. did not consult since most modern machines are operated only became public recently.
him about the reorganized movement com to supply the market with coal on the basis promise with Lewis. This nearly made me of hour day and the old wage scale, To conclude with the capitulators, there fall of my seat with laughter. is clear leaving the other 400. 000 members or remain only two words to say about the that Howat does not understand the scien members of his organizations to the merey decrepit ancestors of all this small fry: tific side of the labor movement at all and of Coolidge advice: Look for work in Zinoviev and Kamenev. Both of them have has served as a cover for the reactionaries other industries.
finally passed over into the academie in it.
President Ilutcheson aims, for next sumarena: Kamenev edits, in silence, the mer, to bargain his one fifth of the members works of Herzen! Zinoviev has been named believe that we have accomplished from all sections of the to the bosses, Rector of the University of Kazan; only results as a group within the coal miners also on the hour day basis and the preilluess prevented him from iaking up his movement. Events will prove the correct sent wage scale, with the hope that the post. For a while, they wanted to entrust ness of our position and help us lay the other 240, 000 members, under advice from Kameney with a diplomatic post (ambasfoundations for the rejuvenation of a purer Coolidge, will hunt for another industry sador to London. but they changed their Communist movement in America along cor and swell the army of the unemployed.
minds, That is how these people have rect Marxian Leninist lines.
We say to these miners and the car returned to the party.
As to future work, we hope to adopt penters, as well to the workers in the other a statement in our local union, expressing industries: Don let these labor fakers our view towards the convention, our de divde you into small groups and bargain sire to cooperate with the rank and file some of you off while others of you are WATCH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION NUMBER!
delegates of this convention and to push starving. Go your meetings find out forward the work to realize the line of what is wrong, and if any of the rank and policy for which we fought so vigorously file members makes an attack against the This issue of The Multant is No.
at St. Louis.
officers concerning grievances arising out of GERRY ALLARD.
If the number on your wrapper is less than the job or the shop, stand by him, give him your support. Do not allow your officers 66, you should send in your renewal. All THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF to censor any correspondence to the local expirations are cut off the mailing list unTHE CARPENTERS UNION union, nor allow them to deny the floor to less the renewal is received before the next NEW YORK. any delegation or committee from other issue goes to press.
Just as the unemployment situation be.
organizations on any mission for which they 00 for 52 issues. 00 for 26 issues.
comes more acute, the aristocratic leaderseek the floor.
THE MILITANT, ship of the United Brotherhood of Carpen Aim and strive to eliminate all laws ters and Joiners of America is riding its and rules which prevent the rank and file 84 East 10th St. rank and file more determinedly to an from criticizing the officers, or to discharge New York City abyss. The thirty percent who up till now them when necessary for not serving the fullest interests of the membership.
Enclosed please find.
were able to capture all the jobs in sight. for see the danger approaching when they hear If you find the industry on the bum, renewal the cries for the hour day and day when we cannot get work, let us demand the NAME week, division of work, etc. hour day without pay reduction, let us The discrimination by the District Coundemand unemployment insurance at the ex ADDRESS cil against militants is no longer limited to pense of the owners of industry and guarindividual members. Whole local unions anteed by the government.
CITY STATE ex68