SOCIALIST APPEAL November 6, 1937 Reply To McDowell Tragic Lesson clique any revela mass GET SUBS!
By Paul McCormick which they imagine they will Ignace Reiss, Assassinated by the Was Only the First of the assume leadership. necessary Dear Comrade McDowell: part of their program has been Militants in the Stalinist Camp Who Will Come Over to In reply to yours of Oct. 13, the expulsion of all revolutionary the Banner of the Fourth International, wish to say that your proposal elements from the Socialist Party.
that resign from the party To ask me to take the loyalty By Leon Trotsky seems preposterous. challenge oath and remain like a whipped you to prove where have violat dog within the party or to resign In the death of Ignace Reiss there is an element of great tragedy.
ed one decision of the Chicago is nothing short of an insult. I, By breaking with the Comintern and the Reiss gave proof of his courage convention, whereas the national shall stay in the Socialist Party as a revolutionist. He knew better than anybody else the danger that threatened his record of betrayals of convention not capitulate an iota. Nor shall executive committee has a long until am kicked out, but shall transfer of allegiance from the camp of the Thermidorian hellhounds to the camp decisions culminating in the sell. stop fighting against represof revolution. Reiss conduct could have been dictated only by high ideological con out to the LaGuardia capitalist sive measures until they are abolsiderations, and thereby alone he has earned respect to his memory on the part of politicians. have spent too many ished and my fellow left wing years in the party to be frighten comrades are reinstated and have every thinking worker. Yeto ed every time a preacher like full rights within the party to an enigma still remains. thereby, renders it more difficult After he had torn himself away Norman Thomas or Roy Burt work for revolutionary socialism.
Moreover, the from the artificial milieu of the cracks his whip.
why and wherefore did to break away.
Debs said that while there was illusion remains that everything it was far too hard for Reiss remain in the service is being done in the service of him to orient himself immediately ist Party came on My first contact with the Social one soul in prison he would not an occasion be free. feel that while there of the during the the revolution. Men keep hop in the new situation. Involved when Gene Debs stood up and is one left wing comrade outside recent years, when Thermi the morrow switch the policy of weaknesses. We failed to estab tion at the height of the red counter revolutionary it reac the party through action of the dor had already conquered the ruling clique back to the old lish connections with Reiss in scare. Since that time to the best is my duty to relentlessly fight all along the line, and the rails and in this hope they keep time; we were unable to sur of my ability have carried on the right wing until he is rebureaucracy had ceased to on toiling.
mount the minor artificial bar an uncompromising fight against instated. Call upon the half dead, hesitate at any crime whatAgain, it is impossible to riers which were dividing him all forms of reaction. Today with the pre war, the christian, the overlook the enormous external from us. And so, Reiss could find in the Socialist Party is a clique lethargic, the politically illiterate, ever?
difficulties. Even in the case of no one nearby at the critical mo jof betrayers. You know who they the crack pot, and the Stalinist a complete inner readiness to ment who could have offered him are as well as Norman party members to form a united Why Reiss Broke break with the bureaucracy, there correct advice.
Thomas, Roy Burt, Jack Altman, front against the left wing.
The corruption of Stalinism, still remains a question, at first The Error of Reiss Alfred Baker Lewis, the Wisconsin Even though you technically the mendacity and perfidiousness glance, insolvable: Where to go. organization. In the United States expel us, you are actually expellWithin the any sign of of Stalin are matters of common In June of this year comrade they are preparing to play the ing yourselves from the Socialist divergences with knowledge. Member of the the ruling Reiss had already resolved firmly same role played by Noske Party of revolutionary tradition.
entails almost certain are least likely to cherish any death. Stalin is besmirched with began by writing a letter to the many when they shot down re you won have a single person to break with the Kremlin. He Scheidemann, and Ebert in Ger. By the time this fight is over illusions on this score. Ignace such horrible crimes that he Central Committee, which he volutionary workers in the streets on your side worthy to be called decades of activity in the ranks cannot but see a mortal enemy in forwarded to Moscow on July 17. of Berlin, and by the Stalinists a socialist. But no doubt of the party. Consequentely he anyone who refuse to assume Comrade Reiss deemed it neces and the Popular Frontists in Clarityite repeaters of revolutionwas not a novice. At the same responsability for these crimes. sary to bide his time until his Spain when they killed revolution ary phrases prefer association time, Reiss conduct during the organizationally with right wing Underground Work letter reached its destination, be ary workers in Barcelona.
last few months proves that he fore making it public. Gratuitous Because of the weak, vacillat reformists. There you will be could not have been guided by Go underground? No other chivalry! The letter itself, prin ing policy of the Clarityite cen: permitted for a while to mutter considerations of personal com tendency in world history has had cipled in content and firm in tone, trists, this clique is now in control left wing sentiments without fort. Careerists do not join the to conduct underground work contained only the announcement of the Socialist Party and are being called upon to put any of ranks of the Fourth Internation under such difficulties as the of the break without specifying attempting to liquidate it into a them into practice.
al, which represents today the Marxists in the today. any facts or maki reformist movement of Denver, Colo. Oct. 17, 1987.
most persecuted movement in Underground work is possible tions, and, besides, bore only the world history.
only when an active mass exists. signature of Ludwig. a name War is approaching. New per Today, this condition is almost which could not disclose a thing secutions await the Internationalnon extant in the True, to anybody. In this way the ists. Reiss could not but have the workers hate the bureaucracy had at its disposal ample understood this. Through the but they do not yet see the new time to prepare the murder.
yedeiss topa Thermidor one must road. break with the bureau Meanwhile. the public opinionete Socialist Appeal and you read our program for Revolutionary Week after week you read the organ for the dissemination of have succeeded in preserving the cracy therefore presents abso the West remained in complete these appeals for subscriptions Socialism. Each day brings war living spirit of a revolutionary lutely exceptional difficulties of a ignorance. The could not and contributions. You have not nearer and the suppression that fighter. But in that case, how political and practical nature, have desired more favorable con responded. Last week we warned goes with it. Let us utilize this could he have remained so long That is the main reason both ditions for itself.
in the same camp with all the for the thunderous confessions as The sole serious defense against you of an emergency, which is comparative freedom of the press Yagodas, Yezhovs, Dimitrovs well as for the silent deals with the hired murderers of Stalin is not met might delay or suspend to the utmost to push our proand the Cain, Djugashvili?
one own conscience.
the pub Hcation of the Appeal.
complete publicity. There was no The emergency still exists des gram, to reach more readers, to To be sure, Reiss performed For the Soviet functionaries need of sending a letter to Mospite the fact that you have re. Jenlarge our paper and to make his work abroad, face to face with abroad, the difficulties have a cow. It is impossible to exert any our Party a mass Party of Rethe capitalist world. This cir different but no less acute form. influence by means of principled ceived this issue.
There is not much time to use volutionary Socialists.
decumstance acted to facilitate Agents engaged in secret work letters upon Bonapartists, Here is another blank. USE IT!
psychologically his collaboration live as a rule on false passports, generated to the morrow of their the Appeal as a propaganda with the Thermidorian oligarchy. issued by the For them a bones. On the very day of the Nevertheless, that does not touch break with Moscow implies not break, a political statement should Socialist Appeal he nub of the question. Reiss only that they will be left hang have been issued to the world 116 University Place Date could not but have been informing in mid air but that they will press. This statement should have New York City ed to what was taking place instantly fall victims to the fo dwelt not on one passing over in the Notwithstanding reign police, upon the denunciation from the Third to the Fourth enclose.
International (this question as yet for which please send me the this, the monstrous Moscow trials of the were required, and not only the interests only a tiny minority) Socialist Appeal. One year. 00. Six Months Difficult Problem first but also the second to bring but on one past work in the. 00. Reiss to the actual breaking point. the crimes of the U, What to do? The utilizes the Moscow judicial frame ups enclose as my contribution toward that in the ranks of the bureau of its representatives to extort Such We may assume with certainty precisely this hopeless situation and the break with the building the Socialist Appeal.
cracy there are quite a number ever newer crimes from them. In own name would have immediately statement signed with his Name who feel as Reiss did. They have addition, the has abroad placed Ignace Reiss in the center contempt for their milieu. They a huge agentry of a secondary of wide public attention, Address hate Stalin. And, at the same and tertiary order consisting nine thereby alone would have rendtime, they endlessly toil on and tenths of careerists in the Com ered more difficult the butcher City intern, Russian White Guards, work of Stalin.
and in general various types of The Effects of Thermidor scoundrels ready at a sign to and in our opinion, should have becek created for him the neces. courageous example. At the same In addition Reiss could have, break with the would, Ignace Reiss has set them The reason for adaptation murder anybody pointed out to in the interests of self defense very character of Thermidor, as their revelations might spoil their or Swiss police, supplying a des personal security would have been future our serried ranks between of this kind has its roots in the them, especially those who by surrendered himself to the French sary popularity. political goal time, his tragic end teaches us gradual, snail like and all comfortable existence. No, it is cription of all the circumstances assured insofar as it can be at the executioners and their intendenveloping reaction. Slowly and not so easy to tear oneself free in the case. His previous sojourn all assured under current condi ed victims. This can be done. The insensibly, a revolutionist be from the clutches of the on a false passport would have tions.
cup of crimes is filled to comes drawn into the conspiracy But it would be a mistake probably led to Reiss arrest. Unfortunately, the mistakes overflowing Wide circles of against revolution. Each reduce the tragic event of Sep. But he himself and his friends committed in this case cannot be workers in the West shudder passing year strengthens his ties tember 4, near Lausanne, to would have had little difficulty made good. Ignace Reiss was with revulsion at the handiwork with the apparatus and deeper merely external difficulties. The in establishing that the very beginning of Cain Djugashvili. Sympathies his break with the working death of Reiss is not only a loss here were only violations of of a new chapter of his political towards us are growing. All that but a lesson. We would be dis formal regulations and that life. But Reiss is not alone. In is necessary is that we learn how The bureaucracy, especially the respectful to the memory of a Reiss had been guided in his Stalin apparatus there are not to utilize them. Greater vigilance!
bureaucracy of the lives revolutionist, if did not lay activities solely by political a few who are wavering. The Bind more firmly our mutual in an artificial atmosphere, which bare the political mistakes which motives.
crimes of Kremlin lord and ties! Greater discipline in action!
the work of the it creates for itself. Each com made easier It is hardly likely that he ran master are prodding and will These are the lessons flowing premise with the revolutionary Kremlin butchers. In question are the risk of a severe sentence. In prod them to take the path of from the tragic end of Ignace conscience prepares a graver not the mistakes committed by any case his life would have breaking with a doomed regime Reiss, compromise on the morrow and the deceased comrade himself. been shielded. His courageods of falsehood and corruption. Coyoacan, September 21, 1937.
and On. the involved murdered masses.
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