THE MILITANT WORKERS OF THE WORLD.
UNITE Weekly Organ of the Communist League of America (Opposition IV Entered as second class mall matter, November 28, 1928 at the Post Office at New York, under the act of March 3, 1879.
VOLUME NO. 25 (WHOLE NO. 84 NEW YORK, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1931 PRICE CENTS Our Second Conference War Clouds Dark in Manchuria Milestone in the Progress of the American Opposition Steel Wages Slashed Throughout Land Expulsions Campaign Begins in small The delegates from all over the coun. widening circle of Communist workers. Kal Shek by imperialism for his services The political lease granted to Chiang try who come together for the second National Conference of the Left Oppoul gratifying consolidation, especially in the seems to be at an end. The coincidence Our own ranks have experienced aas butcher of the Chinese proletariat tion will asemble under the banner of an realm of our ideas in which lies out of several important internal and exterorganization which has not been so greatest strength. Questions upon which nal development in Chinese affairs has strengthened in every respect, so sure of lack of clarity existed, upon which we forced Nipponese capitalism to dispense its ground, so confident of its victory, at even had a false position, or which were with the services of their Chinese bour any time since its foundation. Through disputed for some time, now approach a xeois lackles and to take matters into all the vicissitudes and weak points final and correct conclusion, and there their own hands.
that stand recorded in the more than two is no doubt that the conference will put The heaviest single blow dealt in the not ignore such a handicap as o 10 per. are not affected. according to the presiyears since our first national conference, its definite stamp of approval upon the Chinng Kai Shek was linked to the Japan capitalist class has just been delivered will be necessary for us to take similar that the steel trust announcemnt of As has been well known for some time, national wage cutting campaign of the cent wage reduction by other firms. It dent, Mr. Sloan, but it will be recalled we look back over a period of the con resul so that they Bolidation and growth of our influence regarded as settled questions for Luenceforth beese by all sorts of political and personal Dthe United States Steel Corporation, action to keep our operating costs at the wage cuts was preceded by an exactly The Marutan wing of the movement, re The Opposition was not and could not lationship. The fact that Chiang is at Ist, wages of all its employees, approxl virtually identical wage cut was ago similar announcement a number of weeks duced to a numerically small section by be born as a full fledged, matured politi present being undermined by his imper mately 220, 000, would be cut ten percent. announced simultaneously by the United The steel Industry euts were forecast stances, has established a place for it of its growth by the invaluable experialist patrons marks the seriousness of the few hours later, the second largest states Rubber Company the largest in and analyzed in the Militant two weeks pression and slanders of the Centrist av Opposition groups in other countries, and and that of the Central government at hem, announced a similar cut, effective Ave day week is to be established in Wages per ton of Anished steel have paratus have been unable to tear it.
primarily the experiences of the Rus: ably by the tenacious and persistent The Youngstown Sheet and Tube Com wages which would amount to about one in 1022. wagas pr ton were 42. 36, from in declined steadily, during the same period.
The voices of the prophets of doom are active internationalism participation in struggle of the partisan detachments of pany has followed sult cleventh of the present scale.
which they dropped to 27. 45 per ton by To cap it all for the most ruthless 1929; last year, the company could not Which, while in power in the party. com of the movement as a whole the past allance of the Kuo Min Tang Left at have already announced that the cut will and widespread wage reductions ever antire workers as fast as the demand for uw. summartly from the party, Is itself mergea would undoubtedly have been tages heaped on top of these. such as the be universal throughout the fndustry. The nounced in one day, the General Motors steel declined, and the average wage per out of the ranks today. At the bottoa even by crises which we were able to to recent flood disaster. All of which, by pang expressed the sentiments of the in ranging from ten to of its defeat lie the invincible ideas of twenty percent. Ing to the steady decline in wages has avoid.
the Left Opposition, from which the Cen(Continued on Page 4) dependents by saying that we could Hourly wage rates of the corporation been an increase in the proportion of trists were compelled to borrow whole The second conference meets with a profit to the gross sales of the corporation sale in order to combat the liquidators. firm Marxian nucleus establshed in this As recently as 1924, th Steel Cor In a remarkably short time in the country. The struggles we conducted poration paid out in wages 35 cents out country, at least, the march of events against the Right wing and Centrist facof every dollar that it took in, and rehas revenged itself upon the Lovestone tions have steeled our faction in intran tained as profits 12 and a half cents. By ita in so conclusive a manner that it no sigeance and in principle. To no 1929, the share of labor had declined longer brooks discussion. When they ex degree was this process advanced by our steadily to 28 cents, and the share of pelled us, it was with the declaration own internal struggles, against the facile few days after Hacker, the New, activities. It was plain that the mach D. to rid itself of those who prevent bondholders and stockholders had in that we were, or soon would be in the confusion of Weisbord, for instance. Of York district organizer, of the inery had been well oiled to railroad us its growth. creased just as steadily to over 17 cents.
camp of all the enemies of Communsim; incalculable aid in this, also, was our had spilt the beans about expelling all out of the and that no excuses Last year, because of the inability of the that we would soon be on the same Militant, which we have once more sue Oppositionists from the ranks of the or were needed by the organizers or by Refused Admission big corporation to adjust its activities with Muste, with Brandler, with Lore, ceeded in establishing as a weekly paper, ganization, he sent down one of his lieut Malkin. The details of the expulsion are rapidly to the shrinking market for with Balutaky, with the of bur and the series of Marxian works pamenants to Young Defenders Branch No. of value only in so far as they expose on Sept. 11, Alled out an applica steel. mentioned above, the share of eaucracy against Communism and the phlets and books which we turned out and then to the Steve Katovis Branch the manner in which the Stalinists can tion for membership at the Steve Katovis labor was 35 cents and profits 15 cents Communist party. Hardly had the ink and which found such an encouraging to expel the disrupters who had been corrupt and contract a mass organisation Branch of the was instructed. We conclude that the steel companies dried on their accusations, when they reception among the Communist workers among the most active members of their to the contines of a party appendago. by the secretary to appear at the next are about to engage in a drastie camthemselves adopted the course with which The Left Opposition is the only pro roup The Stalinist agent who pred However, there was at least one com. week meeting. The following Friday, palen of wage cutting which will place they charged us. Today, the Right wing gressive force in the Communist move the charges against comrades Bord and rade who rose to speak against our ex. appeared before the branch and was tola militant steel strike on the order of faction in the American section of the ment. The American section has al Cralne members, and active ones at puision and had the manhood enough to wait until new applicants for mem the day.
Brandlerist International. In the ready succeeded, in spite of our numerthat, of the for several monthsrote as he believed. The others voted for bership appeared on the order of bust Now the cuts have been officially anneedle traden untons it conducts strug ous and manifest shortcomings, in laying and against omrade Harry Milton who the resolution against Trotskylata, many ness.
nounced, in spite of all the pious pledges gle, hand in glove with anti Communist the solid foundation for new steps for had applied for membership in the reluctantly. This resoluiton contained The meeting began with the organiser made to the contrary. Hoover, it is rethe liquidation of the militant unions. the power of our ideas and the sureness Malkin. After having been expelled from porialists in the Soviet Union to the representative of the C. of the announcement, because of the promises and pseudo progressive cheap jacks for ward. We have an unsbakable faith in was none other than the discredited mention from intervention of the immeking special announcement that a ported, is considerably shocked by In Paterson, it sits cheek by jowl with of our victory, provided we remain true the Left Opposition for making back Paterson strice. It was deliberately was to address the meeting on made by the steel makers to maintain Muste, Salutsky, Lore and the of to ourselves. These ideas will become a stage deals with the right wing takers drawn in such a manner as to confuse the subject of the disrupters wage standards. No intelligent worker skates, playing the base role of in real power when they penetrate the mass of the of Furriers Union at the members of the branches. It con. To the astonishment of the writer, the was ever deceived by these promises, Tormors against the Communists, smoothes. This aim we will realize, not by time when the Loft wing was under tre tained the sentence to the spect that representative of the proved to made mainly for the purpose of otfering ing the road towards the betrayal of the an impatient leap ovr stages of our own he is today wearing the badge of of wince the recognizes the comfobe none other than Malkin recently pretext to the of lenders not blik workers by the trade union hier development, not by clever maneuvers tical Communism in order to hido hiatern, and the latter does not recognize expelled from the Opposlton, to mobilize the resistance of the workers, archy. The faction which, after its ex. and high sounding schemes, but by an untreachery. We have warned the party the Opposition, the D. was no The chairman introduced the speaker ut any doubts ever existed about the pulsion from the party, made the charge yielding adherence to our fundamental comrades of Malkin before this. Howing to allow Oppositionists to participato and Malkin took the floor. This is the deceptiveness of the Hoover conference of sectarianism its highest trump bino in principle, by the hard rond of ever, Malkin did manage to attack him in its work!
substance of his speech. and the solemn pledges of capitalists and against us, itself occuples place of preparing Marxlan kernel of revoulselt the name and abious honor om The closes its eyes at the That the of the had labor leaders, the recent action will retiny sect tagging along at the heels tionists, by re popularizing the ideas and being a servant to the Hackers and Foraste time to tho workers in the made a motion that every member of the move them for good. Hoover will soon of progressives. protesting the value methods of Marx and Lenin, the ideas ters.
and other reformist organizations eren of Join the and organi recover from his shock. The steel of its special kind of services against which made the Russian evolution and The bluntness with which the charges though the cominters do not recog zatlons sympathetle to the parts for the workers, who have been unemployed as the revolutionists.
built the Communist International. In were pressed is exceedingly remarkable. nize them. In this spirit, Malkin him purpose of disrupting and splitting them. It is, or else working only two, three or this historic task we have assumed, we The comrades were simply expelled for sell while still in the Opposition, was not That Morgenstern and Goodman had four days a week, will receive a shock As against the Stalinists of the Cen are sure to win the support of the rev belonging to a political organization allowed the floor at mass meeting boen handing out a leatlet attacking the of much more durable and disastrous trist faction, the Left Opposition has also olutionary elements in the Communist other than the Communist party, and this called for his own defense by the party and the In Philadelphia character. Signal to the Bosses urped the tremendous machinery of the we shall bend every effort in that direc not being a political organization. On man were not given defense in Philadel such renegades. That the Of Comintern, with the official stamp of the tion.
such a basis the expects to win phia with this spirit, the win in Philadelphia had built an opponent The wage cut announcements by these Soviet Union upon them, the stalinists Our conference will mark a milestone over all workers to its banner. It was not succeed in rallying the masses around organization and was fighting the huge corporations, with whom are allied have had tremendous opportunities to on this road, that will enable us to tread not until we pressed them to point out itself as the leader in the movement That when ocmrades Cannon and in one way or another virtually every advance the influence and the prestige it more surely and more swiftly in the the detailed crimes we had committed for the class war prisoners. Because it shachtman were at the band of the powerful industrial enterprise and big of the Communist movement, particu coming period.
that we were given les as to our various eyes are shut and we dared bring up D. they pursued an anti class dofam from the end of the reduction campaign larly in the last three years. But the is point, we were expelled. The bur polley and that was the reason they were it is the signal given by the masters of official stamp and the apparatus have proved to be inadequate. Correct revolucaucrats do not intend to stop here. They romoved from the leadership.
That all members and sympathizers of tion wile, relentless undercutting of the American industry for a systematic, nathreaten more expulsions and they win tionaries ideas, an ever greater absence find more Malking to do the dirty work. the Trotskyists were renegades and cour standards of living of the whole working of which is the mark of Stalinism, are Wo on car part do not intend to stop ter revolutionists and were not eligible class. When these people speak, le 15 the essential pre requisite to revolution ary progress. In this field, the appara here ether. We appeal to all those who for membership in the Land enx not the corner grocer cutting the wages The policy of clusa tus men have made one blunder after an collaboration, caused by two things: the sharp falling are in carneat about building the Lsuch individuals already members should of his clerk, but the Taylors. Morgaus, not as a Stalinist sect, but as be expelled.
other. The influence of the party in the Wobe classe bome has been the four off in trate, and the increasingly effee Farrells, Schwabs, Graces, Sloans, Dav.
great unemployed movement, in spite of way brotherhoods, will soon be con competition of passenger automo mass organization, we appeal to these. That the L of and the Opposlises the real dictatorship of the caplthe increase of joblessness, has declined fruntea by decisive conuict of interbiles and busses for the passenger tralic, comrades to raise voices of protesttion the world over were against the Sov tallet class in America who have soundto a low point. The strikes led by the esta under the pressure of the crisis. trucks for less than carload (1. against the procedure of the frresponellet Union against the and enemie ed the keynote.
party have not merely ended In defeats, in the first half or this year, gross ro freight, and barges run on land water ble bureaucrats. Wo, for our part, will of the working class.
What we have written in the past is but have been marked by fatal mistakes venues of the railroads fell off 28. ways, rivers and( canals, for carload carry on defense activities in spite of That we had united with Muste, the being realized today. The textile workwhich a correct course could easily have compared with 1929, and 18. compared 660 billion ton miles (tonnage moved can to the whether it is ac and that we were fighting the party and such violence, with the hope that the traffic. In 1920, it is estimated that over them. We will give all the support we of and the police in Patersoners and miners were driven back with avoided. The magnificent opportunities with the first half of 1921, the worst times miles hauled) of freight were knowledged or not. At the same time, the National Textile Workers Union spirit of the workers would be broken offered to communist leadership for taki previous crisis. Operating profits were transports in the United States of this we will carrs on our struggle against there.
when the wage cuts in the bigger and front movement, have been systematical 238, 000, 000, compared with 663, 000, 000 (Continued on Page 1) Hacker and his 11k, thus helping the That any organization or individual even more hasic industries would be ly sabotaged by the Stalinists, and in for the first half of 192. At this rate.
that did not support the party could not proclaimed. Today it is steel, rubber and its place, the sectarian, disastrous form for 1931 the railroads will earn 616, belong to the and it they were railroads. The next day, all the others motor care. Tomorrow it will be the na of the united front from below 000, 000, or less than on their official already members they should be expelled.
has been substituted.
valuation of over 21, 000, 000, 000.
He then presented a resolution which will be confronted with the same fate.
Our Position Confirmed Bondholders are in a panic, not to the struggles in the future will be con. The National Conference of the League 2, 000, we expect to consolidate the foun. be said must be supported by every one unless the resistance is organized now, On virtually every occasion, the fore speak of stockholders. Banks, Insurance siderably handicapped.
The substance of the resolution was casts and the proposals made by the companies, trust funds, individually and which opened this week marks another dation of the Weekly Militant, and to Left Opposition have been confirmed by through their organizations, have sent achievement of the organization, follow begin the publication of the theoretical the events themselves. In the trade wad fate of the widows and orphana selves in the Expansion Program. Wel for our movement and every effort must revolutionary organization and enemy of Surely not the of leaders. For un delegations to Washington pleture the ing directly in the tasks outlined for our organ. These will be big steps forward to be The of A, Is a counter ter of this defense of laborsa standardní the party attitude towards a false security. They have stripped the problems of the working class is put Finally, the situation has resolved itself certain point, we should have strengthening a new period in our organization, to member of this organization is sharply to the test, the viewpoint of the Into two alternatives either an incrense ed the national office and the staff, the raise the full quota and raise it quickly. for membetulp and it already a member unions of every militant fighter who We know it can be done. few dol: should be expelled. That the of Opposition has not only been justified in railroad rates, or cut in rallroad branches of the League, and that we of and that the members of the worlement to the footstool of the capias against that of the Stalinists, but our wages. The Interstate Commerce Com would have returned the Militant to lars from every member will turn the was opposed to the principles and ideale sought to arouse the vigilance of the 1, made its way through all the bureau: sept. and is expected to hand down been realized up to now and we are de low workers in the shops and labor or engele hon olned for the pone of die alleen en even the one tebol felice comes brutal series of wage cuts, Instead of cratte barriers and finally found expresa decision next month. The railroadstermined to finish the campaign in pro gantzations, are approached on a more rupting the There was also a motion to the fola ringing call to the workers to dress turn from the extremely false posſtions and coke, on which a set of scheduled our national conference was to be held. ber will be that much reduced. Less than lowing affect. That Harry Millton, who their ranks for a bitter fight all the adopted by the party leaders at the. to be worked out may average more task helght of the third period follies. The than 15.
The fund now exceeds 1, 400. With the, and if the Militant is to be strongly e ship in the Steve Katovis branch of the ed (Hugh Frayne. the Steel latest demonstration of the power of Position of Labor Leaders balance to be raised for the total oel cablished. If the road to the monthly LA not be accepted, because he was corporation has taken a very foolish theoretical organ is to be traversed member of the of step (Joseph Ryan. It is a great misour ideas has been the turn made by The railroad brotherhoods of course The floor was then thrown open for take (John Sullivan. can only exswiftly, it we are to increase the number (Continued on Page 2)
the party in our direction, by its advo are supporting this move, and in general (Continued on Page)
NEW YORK FORUM of pamphlets and books issud by us the cacy of the development of trade re dotonding the rallroads. Last March, lations with the Soviet Union in connee Robertson of the Locomotive Firemen new series of Forum lectures, un money must be contributed generously and quickly.
PAGHETTI tion with the Five Year Plan and mans and Engineers, addressing the National der the auspices of the New York Every comrade shoulder to the wheel!
unemployment in the United States.
In general, where the Stalinists have Publie Utility Cesurities stated that erica (Opposition. will begin its third Secure the Milltant by finishing the Excontinued, with increasingly harmful re waterways, if allowed to develop at all season on Friday, Otocber 2nd, 1831 at pansion Program Fund to the last cent!
sults, to pursue their classic course of should complement the railroads under the Labor Temple, 14th Street and 2nd Since the contributions tisled in our Elg zags, condemning today what was their ownership and operation. and Avenue. Prominent and well known last issue, we have received the followTo greet the delegates to our Second National Conference.
gospel yesterday, spreading confusion on that the railroads, under regulation and leaders of the American revolutionary ing sums. New York: Meade 1, 85; Stuyvesant Casino 2nd Ave. and 9th St every question, the Left Opposition has with the proper spirit of cooperation movement will deal with the most im. Basks 00: Pelds 25. 00 Saturday Evening. September 26 1931 been able to maintain ateady course shown toward their employecs, should portant current events and interpret them Boston branch 00 Total: 28. 85.
on the fundamental principled questione control and manage the coordination of in the light of Marxism. All workers Admission Fifty Cents of the revolutionary movement, the ideas public transportation facilities.
are invited to attend and participate in Previously reported. 1, 392. 14. Grand New York branch. Communist League of America gaining in influence and support in al The acute crisis in the railroads to the discussion.
Total to date: 1, 425. 90. Opposition) R. Prepare Wage Cuts EXPANSION PROGRAM DINNER