The Mooney Case and the Party PAGE THE MILITANT SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 1932 are obligated to the Schlesinger gang conception of company unionism. But or not.
still the Party generals continue to mutEDITORIAL NOTES WHAT HAPPENED TO THE COM north and south at the same time.
PANY UNION THEORY! third plank in the program a real strike under rank and file leadership is At the convention of the Needle Trades an expression of ism that flag California is now clearly revealed by the Force The hypocrisy of Governor Rolph of cratic optimism appears under the head, Freedom of LEFT WING VICTORY OR Unconditional didates, and so did the Left wing. But Industrial Union two years ago the rantly violates Communist fundamentals.
TREACHEROUS BARGAIN?
the Schlesinger group, the black and yel was branded a company unit deserves a separate discussion succession of delays in announcing de Mooney.
distinguished ion and organized work within it was cision in response to the pleas of How do the and the proThe recent elections in Local of the low gang that has been Mooney lawyers for a pardon. At first pose to force Mooney ur conditional International Ladies Garment Workers always by its voracious appetite for forbidden as an opportunist illusion. At WHY DID THE RIGHT SUPPORT an announcement appeared of a decision freedom? The Daily Worker says that Union are an event of great significance office, was overcome with modesty and that time, in our comments on the con THE LEFT And when vention, we pointed out the falsity of to be reached by the end of February, only a mass movement can force Mooney for the Left wing labor movement. In put up no slate of its own!
is con this theory and the tactical conclusions If one acquits Foster of a backroom It became next postponed to the middle release. But do they propose the creadirect lendership of the Communist Party, sidered in connection wth the result of drawn from it. Our arguments were un bargain with schlesinger the reasons of March, then to the end of March and tion of a mass movement?
Do they prothese elections the Left wing, under the this illuminating circumstance April 21. Will there be pose a series of united front conferences elected five delegates to the national con the election the victory of the weak availing and the theory and the tactics which prompted the black hundred forces now again to build this mass movement? They do vention of the union out of a total of est group over the strongest group had to run their course. This course, to support the stalinist candidates must further postponements?
not gen. That Rolph is able to postpone his de not. They propose merely This week est and most important locals in the right wing forces voted for the Left wing is just about finished. The facts of literons they don give something for cision from month to month is damning must see a special burst of protest.
candidates!
have spoken their own word against nothing. And they are not foolish el testimony to the weakness of the move what form shall it take? There must union, having approximately 000 mem these conceptions. The most revealing ther. Even without a direct agreement ment for Mooney release. This is the be a rising flood letters, telegrams, rebers (cloak finishers. the momentous Already the victory, so bright and lact of all is the election in Local they could act in this case, in the way sixteenth year of Mooney imprison solutions to Governor Rolph at Sacraimport of the election result can be seen alluring at a distance, begins to look The Daily Worker comments on this they did, with full deliberation, counting ment. No one so much as dares ot question mento, California, demanding immediate at once. On the face of things it would had and to smell worse. However it event, miserable and scanty as they are on the policy of the Staliniats to help his innocence. It is a universally ac and unconditional release. And appear that the Left wing has captured came about it is the sort of thing which leave very little to be said for the comthem as it has in the past. The Schlesone of the main strongholds of the com shames and discredits the Left wing pany union idea.
pany union. If this is really so, if the movement. The Communist leaders who If you hide a smile and admit their is being pressed hard in the pre convensymbol of capitalist class vengeance, of Are we for this rising tide of letters, the American frame up system. His telegrams and resolutions? We are.
International and compelled to form its anxious to avoid discussion of it. Per claim that the Left wing has really cand opposition.
They have observed the prevet Rolph can play cat and mouse with unconditional release? They will it they cause is dear to the American workers. Will they force Mooney immediate and own union, and then, in its convention haps that is why the Dally Worker. ried the elections in a genuine night what sent ultra radical policy of the Party not the life of an innocent man. are backed by a united, figliting working two years ago, declared the u. which usually screams a big headlines remains of the dictum of two years ago without Interest, and certainly not with And the Daily Worker can say on April class movement. Not otherwise. This to be a company union and forbade about the smallest accomplishments, real that an organized Left wing struggle in our profit. According to the ruling 11. Governor Rolph has been waiting must be organized at once. It is not too ment within it, can come out now as election on with a two inch notice on also hopeless? This Local alone has on the united front are out of date; all an unfavorable decision during a moment the lead. Their leadership is making no vention. then this is indeed an amazing that little notice contains an outright as the Industrial Union. To Win orer mediate domination of the Party are working class is more alert than ever on Ale must make its voice heard together testimony of the strength of the Left lie that cannot possibly deceive ans majority of these members for the left lumped together in one social Fascist the Mooney issue. This gem of bureau with that of the Left Opposition.
wing and of the Communists in the worker who knows about.
TERES.
It portends momentous developments in they say despite all efforts of Schles rible contradiction between the theory with any of them. Secing this policy. gates to the convention is to frustrate they count on their refusal to combine If it is a genuine victory trades. The left delegates were elected, corbidden as a deviation, shows terments, even on the smallest questions. inger and the fake progressive anarch and the event.
and no doubt agreeing with It heartly the calculations of the Schlesinger ma with the progressive opposition, then But here we run into a number of dis list Lovestone combination. Do they And that is not all. According to the the Schlesinger forces, unable to elect chine and to clear the Left wing of sus that fact in itself is a sufficient condemturbing facts which are well known to want anywdy to helleve that the Schles Dally Worker, the victorious left dele their own delegates in Local 9, set out picion in the elections. They inust raise nation of the policy. The Party press the workers in the trade and its close inger group voted for the Progressive gates ran on a program of class strug: to cut down the representation of the there the banner of unity in the needle these dnys is full of talk about working observers. There are three groups in Bloc candidates and that the Left wingsle, a program against clique control of Progressive Bloc: To accomplish this trades, and make the convention the within the reactionary untons. but this the local which have tested their strength defeated their combined forces? That the International, for a real strike un. they voted for the Lett wing delegates starting point of a new campaign to talk doesn mean much without a realin a number of struggles. The strongest requires more faith in human credulity der rank and tile leadership. We think Did they get direct promise that the unite the needle trades workers into istic tactic. The united front of progresgroup is the so called Center. consist than even Barnum had. The best that the delegates were right in advocating Left wing delegates at the convention single organization for a common strus sive and oppositional forces against the ing of anarchists supported by the Love any needle trades worker in the market a program of class struggle. But a will fulfill their expectations that they gle. The slogan of unity is the slogan reactionary leadership is just a tactic, stoneites and thelr sympathizers in a will say for that explanation is that it company union has never yet been con will confine themselves to phrase mon of the day. It has more power to move and a most necessary one. We have no Progressive Bloe. and its strength is is just another le of the Daily Worker, verted to such a program. To advocate gering denunciation and take no prac the workers than any other because it confidence in the leaders of the Procertified by the fact that it controls the and what another lie more or less? such a program in the union is to ad tical steps to unite the opposition? This corresponds most to their needs. Ry its gressive Bloc. But the very fact that present administration of the local. The mit the possibility of reforming its pre question need not be answered in ad false policy, the party leadership, which they come out as an opposition second group from the standpoint of absolutely clear. But another question bibited organized work in the Interna the needle trades have every right to has surrendered this slogan. That is a proof of the sentiments of the workers The victory was a fake; that much is sent character. But the Stalinists pro vance. But the Left wing workers in is also the leadership of the left wing. Schlesinger and talk in radical terms is the defeat behind them. The Left wing must find constituted the opposition to the pro the Right wing fakers (Foster and Co. couldn be reformed.
Schlesinger Right wing forces who have sult of a treacherous horse trade with was company union and therefore themselves of this suspicion by their ac of the Left wing and the advances of a road to these workers.
gressive administration of the local. The have played that rotten game before. or, tions. These delegates will occupy the the reactionaries. The left delegates at To do this they must force the Prothird group, the weakest numerically was the left wing the victim of favors Further, the Daily Worker says the strategic position at a significant moment the convention of the International, act gressive Bloc leaders to the wall with Manying in accord with the Industrial union proposals of a fighting united and has played very little part in the say openly that it was a bargain. The clique control of the International. workers win Judge them and the move on the outside, have a rare opportunity against Schlesinger and his gang. Who life of the local, is the Left wing group Lovesteneites, as is their custom wheb Again we say they were right. But ment they represent, not by what they to turn the tide on this decisive question. Gains by the counterfeit radicalism which directed by the Communist Party.
This is the situation out of which the ret meeting, about which they, as usual international, you are saying thereby Loft wing workers have heard enousbot Schlesinger machine and a proof that machine on the one hand, and the an election Victory of the Left wing em have inside information. between the that you are in favor of a different con the frothy Deeudo radicalism of Stalin it miscalculated in the elections in Local archist Lorestone combination on the erged like a miracle. And as we examRight and Left leaders where the deal trol by a different leadership. What has ism. In the meantime they have been other. The left wing and the workers ine another fact the strange story beby. There are more reliable means of union is a company unton and consequ to the bosses. It is time for a decisive at the convention is to bring forward and time to turn the helm? The conven was made. We can afford to pass this this to do with the teaching that the tion to the Rights, and through them The second task of the left delegates lose all along the line. This is the bitter history of the past few years. Is it Interna united front program for the convention tion of the International is the place to ence of the three clearly defined groups, sip of the Lovestoneites. The left wing the borses and subjected to no change turn. The convention of the struggle. If the Schlesinger people can make the turn.
there were only two slates in the elec delegates will have to show by their The program of the left delegates is in tional is the place for it.
tion. The Progressives had their can stand at the convention whether they fact a direct contradiction to the whole The first duty of the Left wing dele vote for the Left wing delegates because the entire movement.
to front and one that came to life only recently it did not want? There are people who left candidates had a program against in the needle trades struggle.
DEMOCRACY AND FASCISM by LEON TROTSKY when and where the normal police methods of re the question to whether it is better to starve under action under decay capitalism are replaced by the Hitler or Bruening. To them it is a question of under whom to starve. To us, on the contrary, it is not Whether Bruening is better than Hitler (better a question of under which conditions it is better to die.
looking perhaps. is a question which, we confess, we raise the question of how to fight and win. And doesn interest us at all. But one need only glance we conclude thus, the major offensive must be begun at the list of workers organizations to assert, Fascism before the bureaucratic dictatorship is replaced by the (Continued from last issue)
bald sociological abstraction. But the class war takes has not conquered yet in Germany. In the way of its Fascist régime, that is, before the workers organiza As regards the class content there are no dis place on the soil of history, and not in the stratosphere victory there still remain gigantic obstacles and forces. tions are crushed. The general offensive should be tinctions between democracy and Fascism, lectures of sociology. The point of departure in the struggle The present Bruening régime is the régime of bour prepared for by deploying, extending, and sharpening Werner Hirsch echoing Stalin (Die INTERNATIONALE, against Fascism is not formed by the abstraction of eaucratic dictatorship, or more definitely, the dicta the sectional clashes. But for this one must have Jan. 1982. The transition from democracy to Fase the democratic state, but, by the living organizations torship of the bourgeoisie enforced by means of the correct perspective; and first of all, one should not ism may take the character of an organic process. of the proletariat, in which is concentrated all its past army and the police. The Fascist petty bourgeoisie proclaim victorious the enemy who is still a long way and the proletarian organizations seem to counter from victory.
that is, it may occur gradually and bloodlessly experience and which prepare it for the future.
Such reasoning might dumbfound anyone, but the epi The statement that the transition from democracy balance one another. Were the workers united by Hercin is the crux of the problem; herein is the gones have inured us from becoming dumbfounded.
to Fascism may take on an organic and a gradual Soviets. were factory committees fighting for the con strategical key to the background; herein is the operThere are no class distinctions between democracy character can mean one thing and one thing only trol of production, then one could speak of dual power, ating base from which the battle must be waged: Every and Fascism. Obviously this must mean that dem and that is: without any fuss, without a fight, the Because of the split within the proletariat, because of thinking worker, the more so every Communist, must ocracy as well as Fascism is bourgeois in character. proletariat may be deprived not only of all its mater the tactical helplessness of its vanguard, dual power give himself an accounting and plumb to the bottom ruling class, however, does not inhabit a vacuum. It ing, of its social legislation, of its civil and political organizations of workers do exist, which under certain about Bruening and Hitler being one and the range developed capitalist society, during democratic these were achieved, that is, its organizations. The ing force, that is what keeps Hitler from seizing power muddle disgracefully because you are afraid of the régime, the bourgeoisie leans for support primarily bloodless transition to Fascism implies under this and imparts a certain independence to the bureau difficulties that lie ahead, because you are terrified by the great problems that lie ahead; you throw up the upon the working classes which are held in check by terminology, the most frightful capitulation of the cratic apparatus.
the reformists. In its most finished form, this system proletariat that can be conceived.
Bruening dictatorship is a caricature of Bonapar sponge before the fighting is begun, you proclaim that finds its expression in England during administr Werner Hirsch theoretical discussions are not ac tism. His dictatorship is unstable, unreliable, short we have already suffered defeat. You are lying! The tion of the Labor government as well as during that cidental; while they serve to develop still further the lived. It signalizes not the initiation of a new social working class is split; it is weakened by the reformists of the Conservatives. In a Fascist régime, at least theoretical oracle of Stalin, they also serve to general equilibrium but the early crash of the old one. Sup and disoriented by the vacillations of its own van during its first phase, capitel leans on the petty bour ize the entire present agitation of the Communist pooled. directly candy by nemali, minority of the bour: guard, but it is not annihilated yet, forces are not geoisie which destroys the organizations of the pro party. The party chief resources are in fact being geoisie, tolerated by the social democracy against the yet exhausted. No. The proletariat of Germany is letariat. Italy, for instance! Is there a difference in strained only to prove: that there is no difference be will of the workers, threatened by Fascism, Bruening, powerful. The most optimistic estimates will be inthe class content of these two régimes? If the questween Bruening régime and Hitler régime. Thael can bring down the thunder of paper decrees but not finitely surpassed once its revolutionary energy will tion is posed only as regards the ruling clan, then mann and Remmele see in this the quintessence of real thunderbolts. Bruening is fit for dissolving par clear the way for it to the arena of action.
there is no difference. If one takes into account Bolshevist policy.
liament with its own assent; he ll do to promulgate a Bruening régime is the preparatory régime. Preposition and the inter relations of all classes, from the Nor is the matter restricted to Germany only. The few decrees against the workers, to proclaim a Christ paratory to what? Either to the victory of Fascism. angle of the proletariat, then the difference appears notion that nothing new will be added by the victory to break up a hundred meetings, close down a dozen prema tebe victory of the proletariat. This régime is of Fascists is being zealously propagated now in all papers, exchange letters with Hitler worthy of a vil for the decisive battle. If you identify Bruening with In the course of many decades, the workers have sections of the Comintern. In the January issue of lage druggist that is all. But for greater things Hitler, you identify the conditions before the battle built up within the bourgeois democracy, by utilizing the French periodical Cahiers du Bolchévisme, we his hands are too short.
with the conditions after the defeat; it means that you it, by fighting against it, their own strongholds and read, The Trotskyists behave in practice like Breitbases of proletarian democracy: the trade unions, the scheid; they accept the famous social derocratic workers organizations because he hasn decided to surrender without a battle.
Bruening is compelled to tolerate the existence of admit defeat beforehand; it means that you appeal for political parties, the educational and sport clubs, the theory of the lesser evil. according to which Brae this very day, to hand over the power to Hitler, and The proletariat cannot attaining is not as bad as Hitler, according to which it is inasmuch as he himself has no independent means of cularly the Communists, does not want this. The The overwhelming majority of the workers, partipower within the formal limits of bourgeois democracy not so unpleasant to starve under Bruening as under liquidating them. Bruening is compelled to tolerate Stalinist bureaucracy of course, does not want it but can do so only by taking the road of revolution: Hitler, and infinitely more preferable to be shot down the Fascists and to patronize them inasmuch as he either. But one must take into account not one this has been proved both by theory and experience. by Groener than by Frick. This is not the most mortally fears the victory of the workers. Bruening good intentions, with which Hitler will pave the road And these bulwarks of workers democracy within the stupid passage, although to give it due wredit régime is a transitional, shortlived régime, preceding to his Hell, but the objective meaning of one policbourgeois state are absolutely essential for the tak stupid enough. Unfortunately, however, it expresses the catastrophe. The present administration holds ies, of their direction, and their tendencies. We must ing of the revolutionary road. The work of the Sec the gist of the political philisophy of the leaders of on, only because the chief camps have not as yet pit. disclose in its entirety the passive, timidly hesitant, ond International consisted in creating just such bul the Comintern, ted their strength. The real battle hasn begun. It capitulating and declamatory character of the polwarks during the epoch when it was still fulfilling its The fact of the matter is that the Stalinists com is still to come. The dictatorship of bureaucratic im ities of Stalin Manuilsky Thaclmann Rennele. We progressive historic labor.
pare the two régimes from the point of view of vulgar potence fills in the lull before the battle, before the must teach the revolutionary workers to understand Fascism has for its basic and only task, the razing democracy. And indeed, were one to consider Bruening forces are openly matched.
to their foundation of all institutions of proletarian régime from the criterion of formal democracy, one The wiseacres who boast that they do not recognize Communist party, but the Stalinist bureaucracy atthat the key to the situation is in the hands of the acy. Has this any class would proletariat, or hasn it? The lofty theoreticians had ment. nothing is left of the proud Weimar constitu saying in reality: it makes no diference whether our tempts to use this key to lock the gates to revolu. better ponder over this. After pronouncing the ré tion save the bones and the skin. But this does not organizations exist, or whether they are already de gime to be bourgeois which no one questions, settle the question so far as we are concerned. The stroyed. Beneath this pseudo radical phraseology. TROTSKY.
Hirsch, together with his masters, overlooks a mere question must be approached from the angle of pro there hides the most sordid passivity: we can escape comrade Trotsky larger work What Next? Vital Questions trifle: the position of the proletariat in this regime. letarian democracy. This criterion is also the only defeat anyway! Read over carefully the quotation for the German Proletariat. Others whe following ucestning In place of the historical process they substitute a reliable one on which to consider the question as to from the French Stalinist periodical. They reduce issues. Ed.
canin The article Democracy and Fascism is an extract from