The Right Wing of Spanish Communism EDITORIAL NOTES of PAGE THE MILITANT SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1932 where only the first skirmishes of the great class struggle have so far taken place, and Morgenstern and Goodmdan are only two more added to many. Yet the departure of these militants represents a unique development and has an The Truth Conceringn the Actual Policy and Influence of the Maurin Group exceptional significance. It fell to them LEARN FROM THE WORKERS The Spanish Communist movement 18 une and blundersomeness of Stalinism, an idea for Spain which has few if any you must elther help to defend them or to be the first to fall victims to direct divided into three distinct groups. Right, literally drove bundreds upon hundreds rivals in recent revolutionary blstory.
The sound Impulse of the of the best Communist workers into the He approaches the with the plan workers to maintain solidarity with per results and wthout altering our funda them was purely political militant without any musions as to the possibile ary wing of the party. The case again Left and the Conter representing the camp of the confusionists and opportun that it should take the indiet official wing of Communism. In these ists. Skillful leader, popular figure in more or less. The patent ridiculous of power! Neither socuted members of their class under all conditions has gain been demon united front In general.
mental conceptions on the subject of the ment was based exclusively on the condivisions, the Spanish movement is not at the party and among the workers, rev the very Idea being propounded to prestrated by the latest actions of Local tents of our unemployment leaflet. all unlike the movement in every other olutionist of long standing and prestige, cisely those elements anarchists and Another point needs to be considered Hitherto this persecution has been re important country. Where it difters Joaquin Maurin, with his associates Arsyndicalists subsequently made it nec2000 of the carpenters union in recard in appraising this conditional, limited tracted through the distorting lens of the In the relative strength of each of the landis, Arquer, Sese, Miravitiles, and essary for Maurin to retreat a bit on to the marine workete dodense At the and from our point of view unavota oentrolling centrism, which is a form of three wings. In distinction from most others, was able to win the leadership the slogan.
has shown again how tar upstart bureaucrats, holding office able united front action. That Is Ita ex allen class influence upon the movement. other countries, the Left Opposition in over the whole Communist organization Maurin spent some time trying to conby appointment and freed from account perimental character. Our part in the In the persons of Morgenstern and Spain can easily stand comparison with of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. vince me that his group had never raised ability to the ranks, can depart from the at the moment.
We never guaranteed struck directly at the Left Opposition than one endeavor was concelved as a class duty Goodman, American capitalism has the official party from more standpoints to such an extent that the official party the slogan of All power to the principles they claim to espouse, and the results of the effort. So far they Thereby it has conferred a singular group in Spain at least at the time. phenomenal speed in other parts of the the slogan of All Power to the ProletarIn addition, the Right wing today, while it grows with sometimes They had proposed, he claimed, even to monopolize.
Local 2000 contains quite a few pro are good, far better in fact than was to honor upon them and upon the cause they visited the country: learn that the land, has practically no strength what int! Unfortunately for Maurin, read gressive and militant unionista, lucluding leate predictions as to the final outcome be expected. But we are willing to symbolize and represent.
ratios have since changed considerably soever in Catalonia, where the Maurin that very evening a copy of the popular a number of sympathizers of the oficial to others. We will draw our conclusions many more to follow in the stormy times district as the official party is nationally. Agure has increased since left) in the tongue and edited by Beyond all doubting there will be in favor of the party Is a large in one ists have some four to six thousand (the agitational organ printed in the Catalan Communst Party, The has had at the end of the experiment.
Miravitlles, in a strong support there and the carpenters that must intervene between the present which the slogan of All Power to the Nevertheless the experince up to date perlod of preparation and beginning and jos practically a monopoly on the com havo responded every time to its appeals The structural relations between the was repeated and elaborated for class war prisoners. They took the has all tended to confirm in practice the the day of the anal victory. Our doc munist movement so far as Catalonia is Federation and the Bloc are reminiscent upon. Later on, copy Maurin idea of non partisan labor defense more conceptions we held in advance regard trines which are destined to become the concerned.
to an American Communist of the fab official organ, La Batall, reprints an inseriously, apparently, that the officials ing the difficulties of carrying through Aghting Ideas of millions will receivel The Spanish Right is organized into ulous plan of Pepper Co. to bulld a terview which he granted the Buenos of the who had talked to them a united front action without the parts. thetr verification in the heat of mighty the Catalonian Balearle Communist Ped mass party in the United States by the Alres La Nacion, in which he says iitso much about it. Consequently when of the situation works against its sue and oppression will be neglected by the Workers and Peasants Bloc which in erated Farmer Labor Party on a mass The Trotskyist faction 18 insignific an appeal was made marine workers they responded just as cumstances and the limited character of of the revolutionary vanguard will be Federation. The Federation was the into the Communist Party. In Catal or less unknown intellectuals. Its spe It is made up of a few dozen more loyally as they had done in other cases, 100 and the tow taerbero, inspired by consideration beforehand, that preventedl vetime. The example of Morgenstern Catalonia until a short time ago when Bloc, and is led by precisely the same the Spanish revoution, they take a coma disruption of the present action.
the Party and bureaucrats, who and Goodman will have its value for the split took place between the Catal people dressed in different uniforms as pletely Right. position. They advoThe rude provocations of the Stalin those who are to follow. We can all be onians and the Madrid Executive Com occasion requires. But there is one fea cate that the working class cannot yet tried to sabotage the actiun succeeded ists could only have the effect of nour confident of this because those who carry mittee of the party over the insanely ture of it which is worse than what the aspire to taking the power when it has only in damaging their own prestige ishing and strengthening the anti Com our flag into the Pennsylvania all are sectarian trade union policy which the glittering Pepper conceived. While the no constituted Soviet organization. They It might be thought that this warning munist elements, which are present in not strangers to us. We know them as latter sought to impose upon the party sitli born was at least for propose as a solution that the Socialist would have been suficient to put a stop this case as they will always be. The, Alghters. These young and unassuming members against the will of a majority mally conceived as a bloc composed of party should assume the power. Their to such triding, at least in this union. Staliniste, by their whole course, pre and yet stalwart revolutionists take of them. The trade union dispute which various organizations otherwise indepen reformist social democratie past weighs But the stalinist generals and field mar. pared the ground for the transformation with them our affection and our faith. was of such vital importance at the dent of each other, and admitting no in down upon them enormously. The Workshalls have hard beads, very little of the defende committee into a concen shame and absolutely no respect for the tration point against Communism. This Goodman have already Despite their youth, Morgenstern and height of the revolutionary upsurge dividual membership, the Workers anders and Peasants Bloc contends that Intelligence of the workers. They thought aid no happen, and it is not likely to hap standing in the Communist movement earned thelt involving as it ald the whole future of Peasants Bloe is a bloc in no real the working class should take the power.
the National Confederation of Labor sense of the word. The Communist Fed. And through the medium of hypo het there must be some mistake, and they un. pen. There were and remain certain there are six or seven years of activity which was belng resurrected was ren eration directs It: like the Federation. tle Soviets but with the ald of the exdertook correct it. Hacker, the dis safeguards against it. By the nature of bebind them. They belong to the found dered increasingly acute by the extra the Bloc is based upon individual and Isting organizations. Without being syn trict organizer of the took an the case and the origin of the movementers and organizers of the Left Oppostordinary bureaucrattereglme prevalling not group membership: In. word, it 18 dicaliats, we believe that the syndicates evening off from his ardurus labors for the Communist are in a position to fight tlon in America, and before that they in the party. The attempt of an irrean enlarged caricature of the Federation (trade unions) can be powerful Instruments in the taking of power by the pro.
classwari Prisoners to go to the unto ton. The principle of units against fought on the elde of the proletarian terem telesend representative clique. itself, and nothing more Yet there is something more. The letariat. We propagate the taking of case. Haying learned by the power by the We will lend experience that the carpenters could noted in the policy and work of the combuished by their qualities of stability and willy ntly. met with obdurate resist ganizations is that the Federation should all our aid to a syndicalist goveriment.
the previous munist Party has been firmly establish the Opposition they have been distin. tee to fost itself upon the membership. Maurinist justification for the two ore be turned aginst the prisoners, he switch. mittee and will not be easy to change.
endurance, by their stubborn adherence ance, particularly from the Catalonian be pure and take in only educated What syndicalist government to go Communists.
revolutionist, Communists; It must be would look like, what it is, what its inod the attack to their defense committee And finally, this direction is strengthen to principle and their combined al and proposed that the unton sbould with ed by the attitude of the prisoners who against the stream. They The result was that, as has happened somewhat narrow. But as Leningredients are, what it resembles remain for our ideas everywhere else, the bull headed arrog taught. the Communist party. e, the secrets sealed with seven unbreakable draw its support from that body. have a decisive word and bave spoken against heavy odds with the modesty that Federation, must surround Itselt with seals which not even the syndicalists can ing any prejudice one way or the other. All of this goes to show that we are befits the young revolutionist who doesn loyalty. their violence and their slan. even non Communist elements may be is hard to believe that Maurin does not The ruse did not work. Without show it clearly for this policy.
broad mass organizations into which nor have they ever cared to spen. It the carpenters decided to bear both sides dealing here with an exceptional situs know it all. In them there is not alder we will also present our bill for taken. Such an organization, the Bloc know better. It is the plan of the before coming to their final They invited the defense committee to to draw hasty and general conclusions those academie upstarts who conceive of their trenchery to Morgenstern and is supposed to be. It is much larger than Right wing opportunists, however, to win decision. tion from whle it would be most unwiso trace of the ugly presumptiousness of the Federation; it takes into its rank the syndicalist workers by this slogan revolutionary education as a set of schol Goodman.
send speaker to the next meeting. Af for the future. We must rather concenastic exercises. The jail will not hurt In their actions au this case there is all sorts of elements, including Catalan what is gained, in actuality, Is the mudpremonitory flash, Left supporters and people to the right dying of the waters and the spread of their support of the marine defense comtreacherous maneuvers of the Stalinists Morgenstern and Goodman, it will only revealed, as by a what these people will be capable of in of even this bourgeois group.
confusion among the workers. In this mittee until the end, without slacken have been branded As served to be make them stronger events will put the The whole point, however, is that the respect the Catalonian ng any of their help to the cases defend. The task now is to hold the defense As is known, the Stalinists, who dis the future ed by the elever movement to the basis of principle upon wegen den til en party press and the defense see the het bele edecesoremosa te ben Pation crestere pe dominates the Fed different from its latere under the skin lessons to the bureaucrats. On the one alone could maintain its class unity and the good faith of the workers who sup hide or to evade The day of reckon assuming for the moment that the whole enough, by the way, not to affiliate with In this action the workers gave two which it has worked up to now, which organization of the L. and abuse no one will be able to dissimulate, to eration. Instead of vice versa. that is in other countries, Meurth hand they showed that what they are Justify its extatence.
port them, refused any assistance to our ing will come. Let us hope that it will den is not a vulgar derision of Lenin the Brandlerist two Philadelphia comrades. They de come before thelr course unfolds its ult. teachings. In the election. It is not would guin him absolutely nothing for really concerned about is workingmen in which she knows what this International is serted them in the court of the class en mate logic in a catastrophe for the the Communist, organization Jall and not the auspices of thelredeworth, and it might shut the door for emy and gave not a published word of movement. The names of Morgenstern presented, but the candidates and platfense. On the other hand, rejecting the MORGENSTERN AND GOODMAN notice to their conviction and sentence. and Goodman will be a banner for us form of the Workers and Peasants him to re entry into the official party sabotaging tricks of the Hackers, they Bloe. In this case, substance marches on his own terms, 6, as party leader.
In the final ac in the fight to hasten on that day.
maintained their solidarity with the revolutionary We will not forget that.
The imprisonment of side by side with form. The critical He told me that Brandider had sent a prisoners defended by the in workers is nothing new, even in America counting for their rudeness, their disminority which Maurin finally expelled, letter of Inquiry, and that Volfe, spite of the Hackers. In both cases we sharply assalled the whole polley of the of the Lovestone group, had also weltbelieve they were right. Their actions Right wing leaders in the elections ten to attempt to establish relations.
show a line of principle, and that is what Wherever the Bloe was active and most But the wily Maurin wants to have noth1s needed to find the right answers to of its militants are also Federationists ing to do with the rest of the Right questions of the class struggle.
the face of Communism was heavily vell wing, although he is blood relative to The lesson will be lost on the bureauthem. Yet he is like Brandler and Lovecrats of Stalinism because these people portunism. Instead of advancing and stone in that he is prepared to criticize The Disarmament Conference of the and willing to cooperate. If there was the capitalists of your country contem od with the more attractive colors of op think only of instructing the workers, great imperialist powers is taking place any distinction between his proposals and plate continuing in the future the same popularizing the revolutionary slogans, the effects of Staliniam in any country never of learning from them. But we at a time of the moral collapse of bour those of the French or Italian delegates, the Communists in the carpenters unton Sino Japanese conflict, the bankruptcy of not in essence. As put by the New York with profits from China and Siberiation to playing upon the petty bourgeois where, apparently, the ordinary Siews Porta have no doubt it will have its effect on seols pecifism. In the face of the bloods that distinction was only technical, but polley of conquests, and of exaction of the Bloc organizers devoted their atten organization by their attempts to carry and the various other designs of the pletes the clrcle of these suggestions part of the Japanese capitalists they are it is no exaggeration to say that the the physical and mental sciences no As was fitting for the delgates of the making mittary preparations in order to largest proportion of the Bloe growth It should not be thought that Maurin out false Instructions imperialists to fool the masses with 11 lugory perspectives of internationa New Russia he went to the extreme overcome the resistance which inay be has been among the petty bourgeois ele in any mood to capitulate on Staun peace, the imperialists in Geneva feel Ilmit. Litvinov repeatedly emphasized. oftered them by Japan. You undoubted ments and among the employees and office terms. He is too fushed with the proin Barcelona gress of the Bloc to do that. Already.
to other where the factory workers in the Right delegation of the Comintern containing the shaking of the very foundations of The only way to prevent war is genly know of similar plans of the ruling workers, particularly UNITED FRONT IN PRACTICE their peace institutions. The misses eral and total disarmament. This hairl capitaist circes with redons. Know wing organization are very few. On sach stars as Bela Kon and lumbertother the united front from critics of the Left starving and a state of fear of an ap As a Marxist, Litvinoff must know that Ing this, you will have to agree with us the countryside, the members of the Drox has visited Spain for the main We have heard a lot of twaddle about in capitalist countries who are suffering. truth is the crux of the whole problem. territories and Opposition who have described our proaching world condict of unheard of this half truth lles struggle for principle as sectarianism. almensions, have lost their confidence of bourgeois pacifism and that it is an torles, mines, banks in the hands or even small proprietors. These elements. But so compromised and discredited is ample of the united front which has not word, for an inspiring thought that would according to Marx, wars are inevitable seat means of production created by people where a fare per aver there. They exert there, that the Maurin machine was able But for all that the first concrete e thelr present rulers. They seek a new utterly false theory. He must know that private individuals, who always use the locking to the banner of the Bloc, do the official party wever, the masses of the people to export the growing petts bourgeous pressure to to nullify practically all the arduous products and capital to foreign counwhich ino workers defense committee was in some conditions. Who could be expected mention. word about the abolition of itiated by the sectarians of the Oppoel to bring them that inspiration it not the capitalist systemas a condition sine tries, to extract from them excessive pro learned from the art books of opportun thousands avalable. the got only about three score comrades, led by ArThe source of strength of the Maurin lands and Seso, who demanded of Maurtlun. so far all of its activities have representation of the Soviet Union, who qua non of the abolition of wars. He fits, provoking imperialist wars by their ism.
been of a positive character and we have could present the exploited and deceiv did not as much as suggest the neces struggle over the booty. We propose, bourgools surrender to the backwardness party instead of merely writing appeals no reason the relaterte porticipationen ed masses that vitally needed message sity for the Internationa proletas lat to therefore, Mr. President, that the expectargeon Beeclesider the rest lance its pets in that he actually under with the other not know, but this much is already clear: builders of a free working land.
it. future bring we can in not of the counin their own interests, at any rate in tries be adopted as another of the basic of the workers and peasants of Catal on the subject. Maurin, who is alway the formation of the committee carried Catalan the various other factions of democratie procedure and into life an almost forgotten principle mission was conferred upon Latvinore the contrary, he said, The sole aim of etc.
The opportunity to fulan this historie the Catalonian bourgeoisle and petty of the right to speak freely in the of It rendered a timely service to persecuted workers and therefore to the class by the Soviet Government. Litvinott dial the Soviet government is to build up! Why did not Litvinoff take this cor bourgeoisie, have all moved to the Right cial party, promptly expelled the whole socialism in the Soviet Union. In other rect stand? He could not because that since the proclamation of the republic group of Arlandis and Sese. Here, by they represent. Thereby it is justified. Cultill his mission, but in a tragic man words, the Sovlet government wished would not be in accordance with Stalin This is particularly true of Macla, the the by, a little burlesque was enacted.
ner. His proposals for peace at see shocked labor movement. Hopes well as fears that of soothing the shattered nerves not assert itself in regard to the Soviet nationalism. This morbid theory is the was formerly the Left wing of the Cat tism had gripped the vitals of the Fed future developments in the Left wins and if they had any value at all, it was ments that their capitaliste nature will whle is reversal of Leninist inter The marked shift to the Right of what with the terceat passion that bureaucra Union the original source of the opportunsin and alanists, has created a vacuum in the cration, that Maurin was a dletator, that and speculations, depending on source are spoken of all around in this of the Imperialist diplomats and morally regard. But in our opinion the hope their so called League of Nations, the dent remarks, that. In Internationl quar Communist movement is doomed by the much as nature does. It seeks to CURS the problems of the revolutionary strengthening the tottering structure of vaccuum as the rank and Ale could no longer dis.
The same New York Times correspon moral stagnation to which the official field. Politics abhors as well as the fears are considerably exders, the Soviet delegation was credited, Stalinist leadership. It is this spurious the vaccuum. In Catalonia, the space movement, that expulsions were a buraggerated. We think now as we thought Kellogg Pact and other schemes of de before that the problem of the united ceiving the masses. Litvinott proposals with being marked with moderation and theory that has limted the role of the left vacant in polities by the Maclans is eaucratile answer to criticism, etc. etc.
front, taking all the circumstances and may also have the effect of reinforcingae likely to increase the possibility of Communist parties to that of mere fron being occupied by the Maurinist group. Their cries had little effect, only a primarily the splits and relation of forces the hopes of the soft bonet, chicken success for the Conference. Surely, the ther guards of the Soviet Union, with the increasingly popular candidate for short weeks before their own expulsion, in the Communist ranks into consider hearted liberals and social democrats correspondent has in mind the moral sue little value and significance in the in the post of extreme Left wing of the tbey themselves, together with Maurin Catalanists. the dictator. had engineered the expulation, is a long way from solution. The who are sharing in this pacifist fraudes of the Imperiallst leaders of the ternational proletarian revolution.
with the imperialists. The workers of Conference. Thus Litvinott mission in Lenin Internationalism is consldered Not having an influence over the de sion of members of the Federation who work of the marine workens defense com the capitalist countries, the millions of stead of belng an inspiration to the in by the Stalin Leadership counter revolucisive sections of the industrial workers. sympathized with the Left Opposition and mittee is at best only a contribution, by unemployed, could not read anything out ternational proletariat has turned into its Honary Trotskyism and its place is particularly those organized in the ci insisted upon discussing the disputed is way of example, toward that solution.
Molins de Cabo and Most empty and groundless of all 18 of Litvinott proposals.
What did Litvinore propose remedy International imperialism. Such is the lan teachings on the laws and develop the strongest trade union center in others. It all depends upon whose ox Joint struggle sigolfying change of against war? He proposed disarmament of Stalinist lalectics, Litvinom ment for capitalism are substituted by Spain, controlled by anarcho syndicalists, is yoked?
polley on the part of the Communist to the capitalist governments, total als went to the extreme Imit of this logtc. pety bounceofs. paciam and putrid op and now by the pure anarchists. the The Camintern failed to break Maurshow that they know no more now than practical. How well fer fitted in with the true Bolshevik Leninist attitude taken procent but be stalin Government was a desperate efforts to main a real foothola cause the alternative it had. Folyorber uestion of program of the Conference and its ob by another represntative of the Soviet violent breach of Lenin International there. In this field too, the vulgar op caused the Communist workers to be like the united front. The defense coinmittee hectives! The Conference is out to a government, we shall quote from Chlich. Ism. Litvinoft, proposals at the Gen portunism of the Right wing group bobs away. In this case as in all othenk to the surface. In order to lend himself almost everything depends upon the is in o sense political combination. It complish just this modest task of reacherin note to President Wilson In reply eva Conference are of the same charthe appearance of a strength he does party. An incompetent party, which reis not a union for joint struggle on aing a common agreement on reducing to his message to the Congress of acter.
Wideo front of the class struggle. It is armaments. They all talk about it. They January 18, 1918, on the question of the Lenin conducted a bitter struggle be not possess, Maurin talks constantly of fuses to learn and therefore cannot teach the all saving heed of a united front in and dad, will never produce big re simple agreement to cooperate on a sin all offer plans to achieve it. Litvinott League of Nations and the conditions fore and after the world war against kle concrete Issue, the most obvious one proposals were just appropriate for the for World Peace. Dated October 24, pacism. The Stalin leadership at the the official Communist party, figures at Communist Party is being paid for today which no other organization, not even sults. The stalinization of the Spanish Geneva Disarmament Conference has and the one having the widest appeal occasion. Besides, he is moderate and 1918 all. The syndicalists and the anarchists by having thousands of militant work But the League of Nations must not given aid and comfort to the imperialista to the honest workers in all camps, and conciliatory. He is ready to compromise do not even bother to reply Maurin sors and peasants led deeper into the in a case which would brook no detay on a plan of partial disarmament so as only settle the present war. It must and their pacifist agents. Let the Comfantastie proposals and schemes. For, swamp of compromise and confusion by You cannot stall around and negotiate not to appear. Impractical to the im make all wars fmpossible. It cannot muntst workers take note!
with all the insistence upon his Lenin the line of Joaquin Maurin.
ALBERT ORLAND.
yery long when workers are facing trial; perlnlista. In a word he was obliging be unknown to you, Mr. President, that ist correctness. Maurin has developed MAX SHACHTMAN.
The Litvinoff. Stand on Disarmament th