January 22, 1938 SOCIALIST APPEAL Page New Party The Hangman Year Letter From China Given Lead By Reveals Harsh Facts The Convention On Far Eastern War and Traitors Everywhere The traitors were as numer ous as ants. S0 numerous that it was impossible to exterminate them. Each day we had to YoBy Victor Serge pair telephone lines more than ten tines Sometimes even oper The Soviet year 1937 opens in leaders of the forced collectivi judges. Now we understand ative orders were delayed. Had January with the Trial of the ration ordered by Stalin in the bizarre Yenukidze affair of the masses been organized, not 1935 and the dissolution, at the only would the traitors have been of the Sixteen in August 1936.
same time, of the Society of Old unable to conceal themselves On the First of February several Shoots Boyhood Friend Bolsheviks. The Secretary of the and other tasks solved (such as (Continued from page 2) ought to be and must become, of Lenin companions and friends Aveli Yenukidze is shot.
He Bureau of the Executive of the protection of communications, possible the party most effect bot primarily from the realistic are lowered into their graves, too, was a founder of the Bol. Soviets, devoted though he was transport, guide and intelligence to Stalin, might have hesitated The following letter, received from a Chinese comrade in work. but infinite aid could tive participation in the class present time, what forces are at Among them is the leader of the struggle.
Victim of Purge to reject the appeal for pardon Shanghai, throws into bold relief some vital aspects of the cur have been given to the army. By its disposal, and what tasks it Ukraine victory of 1918, the of the Sixteen. The Old Bolshe.
We cannot ignore the fact that can reasonably accomplish in the great contrast with the period of the industrializex Gregory viks might have muttered against rent war situation in the Far East. It shows how the governNorthern Expedition (Chiang the past development of the coming period. We are not yet Piatakoff; the leader of three the decapitation of the old ment of Chiang Kai shek, in alliance with the Stalinists, has Kai shek 1926 27 campaign Fourth Internationalist movement a mass party and therefore can insurrections in Moscow party. Russia Twenty Years brought Chint struggle against Japan to an impasse, how liv. which brought most of China in this country has prepared it not assume all the responsibil Muraloff; the party founder, SeAfter, pp. 253 254. to meet the great tasks that now ities incumbent upon such a morebriakoff; the director of the ing forces have been wantonly sacrificed in actions foredoomed under the sway of the Kuominface it chiefly in one sense, navement.
tang Ed. we were unable to Purge Goes On It is only in certain chemical industry. Rataichak; to failure because of the Kuomintang cowardice, incompeteney find any civilians, pdasants or mely, in that it has provided the localities and they are not nu. Drobnis and Boguslavsky, faThe Old Bolsheviks don mutand fear of the masses, how the burdens of the war have been city folk, who were willing to party with its thought out and merous that our party has firm mous fighters in difficult day.
ter any longer: they are dead. loaded onto the backs of the toilers, while the exploiters and cooperate with us, that we proven principled foundations. At contacts with the organized labor The year continues with the exA few days after the elections the same time, it must be re movement.
oppressors of the people have grown fat from graft and war even had to buy salt from ShangFor the most part, ecution of eight army chiefs, of December 12 (if one can speak hai, for example. But means of cognized that the intensely po however, the party still operates haloed with the memory of Civil of elections when only official profiteering. Our correspondent makes it clear that for the transportation were searce and litical and polemical life of the as a large propaganda organiza. War triumphs: Tukhachevsky, candidates are presented) several successful continuance of the war against Japan the Chinese we received instead comfort movement in the past, its en tion. It is necessary to take de Yakir, Kork, Eideman, Putna.
of the candidates the official forced isolation from the main liberate measures to pass beyond The year, or rather, the massacandidates and members of the masses must be aroused and organized around a program of from Shanghai. To those who brought these comforts we say: stream of the working class mo these confines. The main task of cre of the founders of the government, to boot, suddenly revolutionary struggle. Ed.
Organize the masses to support vement, has produced not only the party in the coming period continues with the execudisappear: among them are the us instead.
certain sectarian tendencies is not the impossible one of be tion of the old Caucasian Bol.
Shanghai, Dec. 13, 1937.
Mezhlauk brothers, Ivan mintang. They become the ChinHow earnestly the soldiers (Ochler, etc. but also ten coming the leader of the Ameri sheviks Mdivani, Okud java and Valery, fighters of 1918 in the Dear Comrades: dency towards an exclusively can working class; that would others in Tiflis, Lakoba in Sukcse traitors who work for the desire the support of the people Volga region; one of them only internal existence enconnected he a vain In my letter of last month Japanese armies in the intelli in the fighting! They have no illusion, and would hum, still others in Batum. with the living movement of the bring both disappointment and stream of blood. One thousand recently the People Commissar promised to send you an infor gence service and as paid agents. laborers to transport their supfor Heavy Industry and Chairmative letter about the war si. Both the commanders and the plies, they are unable to pur working class. It is imperative disorientation into our midst. two hundred and three executions that this tendency be overcome Our main task is to intrench of People Commissars, high man of the State Planning Com tuation here. The rush of things soldiers complain bitterly of chase provisions which are availand that the party turn its full ourselves in the labor movement, functionaries and poor devilsmission; the other, the director has prevented me from doing this the malicious activities of the able nearby, they have a very of the institutions of higher until now. The Loukiaochiae traitors at the front. No sooner poor intelligence service, etc. In energies towards rooting itself above all in the trade unions, according to the official pressin the labor movement.
education; and the chief of the incident (the skirmish which on has some defense work been com a word, although they fight in to gain important bases in the between the middle of August The proceeds in its labor movement to consolidate and the middle of November. In air forces of the Ge. July 7, 1937 precipitated the pleted than Japanese airplanes their own territory, they have to taetics and activities not merely them, and to proceed from them November comes the finish of neral Alkanis, together with fighting near Peiping Ed. has shower heavy bombs on it. An fight alone as if they were in from the standpoint of what it to our next tasks.
JAN GAMARNIK Admiral Orloff (also disappear. opened another big chapter in other example is the fact that a desolate land. The preference the diplomats: Seven ambassadParty Composition to Be Improved ors disappear all at once, repre mas Eve with a horrible report: one of the signatories of Martory. Ten years of Kuomintang session of facts concerning the tional warfare as against mobile The accomplishment of this equal force to the organization fors, Tallinn, Kaunas, Berlin, ishte massacre were also hight:tonce. Alksnis is believed to have nated in turning China into an which are followed from place to that they are not on good terms simple, prosaic but indispensable of the youth which precisely Nanking, Bukarest, Warsaw We learn of the disappearance ers from the very first days and been shot, as well as the pioneer inferno. War atrocities have place and bombed by Japanese with the people. Cooperation between the armies and the task means a radical improve because of the decline of youth people.
ment of the composition of our in industry, has a far too small of the last among the leaders of founders of the regime, memin Soviet aircraft, Engineer Tu killed hundreds of thousands of planes. certain general has given a people is essential to the success he Communist International: Bela bers of the government only the poloft.
our proportion of proletarian ele.
of the members of the governparty. We will not succeed in ments in its composition.
day before. It is officially conNo Mass Enthusiasm vivid description of this situa of guerrilla warfare. How heavily tion: At the front there are no the Chinese armies suffer in carooting the party in the working No effective work can be done firmed that Rudzutak, u memVictim of Purge ber of the Political Bureau to Stalin Tool The war has tested the extent masses, but only traitors. We sunities by fighting under the class, much less to defend the in the trade unions and consethis day, has been declared an to which the Kuomintang still do not fear the enemy bombs cross fire of bombs and artillery revolutionary proletarian princi quently no effective work in the enemy of the people and is retains influence among the and artillery. We fear most in a territory where they reples of the party from being un class struggle unless the party doomed to the same fate. people. Despite the loud clamor of all the activities of the Chin ceive little or no support from dermined, unless the party is an is directly connected with these frightful year. Indeed, a year and propaganda, the common ese traitors. Ilustrating con their own countrymen!
overwhelmingly proletarian party, elementary organizations of the for the hangman people show little enthusiasm for cretely how these traitors are Tribute to Soldiers composed in its decisive major working class. This means that Karakhan has been shot. the war. They regard it as a new active at the front, the Shanghai ity of workers in the factories, the party must not only demand knew it; made it public more cessary evil and groan under general continues: In this war The fighting power of the mines and mills. We cannot blind a minimum of activity of all its than a month ago. The official the oppressive war conditions.
we feel most distressed over the soldiers is remarkable both on ourselves to the fact that this is members, but that it demands of communique admits it on DeWhat has the war imposed on fact that there are no organized the Northern and Southern not the case at the present time. every worket in its ranks immecember 20. Karakhan: one of the the people? Apart from the vast masses. After the arrival of our fronts. The soldiers of the 28th The party must therefore steer diate adherence to his corres.
insurgents of October 1917, pledestruction wrought at the front, troops, all the people who could Army refused to leave their poa deliberate course towards re ponding trade union, and activity nipotentiary of the Soviets at with the number of victims con support us flee. Those who resitions and were Anally moved cruiting above all from the nside of it if he is already a memBrest Litovsk in 1918, later amstantly mounting and a growing main are the traitors. As we did out of Peiping only by a strafactory proletariat, especially ber. The most correct trade union bassador to Peking, more renumber of people thrown out of not know the roads well, we had tagem. The police and Paoantut those engaged in heavy industry. policy in the world has little or cently ambassador to Ankara.
work, the war has brought about great difficulty and were unable (Peace Preservation Corps, a It is a perilous weakness of our no significance if the party is Orekhalashvilli is shot. One of speculation, high prices, more to find even one countryman of semi military police force. Ed. party that it has a very sma. not in a position to apply it the builders of the Bolshevik taxes and requisitions in kind ours to guide us. Sometimes, be in Tientsin stormed the Japanrepresentation in the mining in where it is meant to be applied.
party in 1903, a fighter in the from the peasants, forced labor cause of this, we entered enemy ese airdrome and barracks. They dustry, in steel, in automobile, These elementary measures, 1905 revolution, vice president of and conscription. The conscrip territory by mistake at a great suffered heavy casualties because etc. Our attention must there which are indispensable for the the Transcaucasian Council of tion, the commandeering of labor cost in lives. The activities of the the 38th Army, by order of the fore be turned to the most na transition from a propaganda People Commissars, a member power, carts and horses, food traitors were manifold. They commander, was removed from tient and systematic agitational group to a mass party in the of the Central Committee of the and folder are all repugnant to not only disrupted our commu. Tients in and did not join in the activity in the industries, in the American working class and its BELA KUN party. Sheboldayev is shot.
ANDREI VYSHINSKY the peasants. For how can their nications, gave signals, etc. but fight. The soldiers in Nankow shops, themselves. The winning of struggle, if carried out in okun, Piatnitsky, Ludwig, Maboyhood friend of Stalin s, onement commission which elaborat man power is levied, if their ments to the enemy and helped grenades and revolvers and sc. shevik party in the Caucasus: a families be maintained if their they also reported our move fought against tanks with hand a thousand factory proletarians nized, systematic form, enable to the ranks of the party would the party to ward off the danger Byar, Valetsky. Felix Wolf. Flexiled to Siberia with him. Se most prominent are gone. Thirty taken away from them? Howers.
ed the new constitution, the scant means of livelihood are the enemy to requisition labor ceeded in shooting down the be a triumph which would change of being sapped by triflers and berlein, Renmeie. Continued on page 4) the whole complexion of the mo dilettants, a bye purely literary execution of one of the most re Committee of the Soviets, placed candidates approximately can they pay taxes, rent and vement and both the nature and radicalism, and courtbecome are markable theoreticians of Bols at this post through Lenin con disappeared in the course of their surious interest? Wini not their class struggle. What is said the great struggle and decisive pears to be confirmed. Also the Known for his firmness, his taken precautions to make plain for default of payment. about the social composition of tests that lie ahead on the road secret, entirely mysterious, ex trustworthiness, his good nature that the purge is to continue after the party applies with at least to the proletarian revolution. police forces, the People Com moved in 1934. Apropos his case, elected although one of the most claimed: Fighting fighting, the Peasants Flee ecution of the former chief of the his great culture. Suldenly re the elections and that no sort of immunity is to spare those Therefore the peasants ex.
missar of the Interior, Stalin I wrote only a year ago trusted man, Henry Yagoda. On The proscriptions have their womerous groups of the deputies country people always stand to plebiscite organized according toration must be outlawed. What that of the high police function away from us all that we possess.
December 12 takes place the logic. The whole October gene of the two Soviet chambers is lose. The Government will take the new Stalinist constitution: ever its last representatives may aries (some co. 90 million voters vote for the be made to do, to say and to No regime in modern history shall have died of starvation.
Before the Japanese come we (Continued from page 1) instability of the regime, plus genial leader. few days pass write, words no longer count has unleashed such a reign of In consequence, they flee from shaken confidence in the Red and the year closes on Christ Stalin knows that these men may destruction against its own lead the war zones at the first oppor invoked the threat of war as its Army, has caused France to deal soldier in the Civil War, a some day take hold of themselves ing elite. What price will history tunity. Many of those who re justification. He proposed, with more readily with Great Britain member of the Central Commit again and that, in their heart demand one day for these heca main protest in another form the approval of the Stalinists, efforts to strike a new fourtee, one of the most ruthless of hearts, they nre his implacable tombs?
against the misrule of the Kuoto include ultra con power balance of Germany, Italy, servative ex.
minister. France, and Britain with a view effice three years and during Cardenas has been pursuing the When Reynaud demanded that to isolating the Soviet Union and not at the straw men Tories the new coalition extend to the making it the chief target of the By Bernard Ross reaction with a goodly portion that time has amply shown that same policy.
against whom he rants, but at extremist right, Blum had to de coming war.
it cannot and does Recent reports desire to the officer caste belonging to from Mexico Bound to Imperialism labor. It was no accident that mur and withdraw for the time The Van Zeeland plan, which (Continued from page 1) the head of Johns Manville was being seem to indicate that the feudal. the Veterans of the Revolution. carry on a consistent struggle Effective solution of the land is actually sponsored by Great military reactionaries are pre Cedillo Heads Reaction included in the first conference.
tries to compromise and conci: problem necessitates a struggle sist in giving business what it he is beginning a drive against For Sacred Union Roosevelt has made clear that paring a coup etat. Their purBritain, provides for opening Anglo French credits to Germany pose is twofold: to squelch the The central figure of Mexican attitude towards Cedillo and his ut the national bourgeoisie, fax wants but at the same time would wage scales in the building trades The Stalinists, protesting and Italy and laying the econoagrarian reform to smash all movement and feudal reaction today is General recent accord with the notorious from opposing imperialism, is enable New Dealism to save pub under the pretence that lower their continued undying fealty mie basis for political collaboworking class orga Saturnino Cedillo, who recently ly reactionary governor of Sonseparably bound to it. The lic face. For example, business hourly wages nizations, taking away from the was forced to resign as minister nora, General Yocupicio.
will to the People Front of strike ration of the four powers. This proletariat the hard won conces. of agriculture. bitter for of Cardenas government has been opposes any kind of Wages and higher annual income. Nor will breakers and wage cutters, have however, is only symptomatic of sions wrenched from the bour. agrarian reform and the working Lessons of History geoisie, native and foreign, since class, he has systematically kid the recent confiscation of Stand get business to agree to a Wage trades. The higher annual income for entry into a new People sure an ally of Moscow as Stalinthe revolution of 1910. napped, assassinated and driven If Mexican history has taught and oil lands is given as an il and Hours Bill which, by setting doctrine, incorporated in a hast Front de Sacred Union govern. Litvinov so fondly believed.
The reactionary forces are by out of his state of San Luis us anything since the bourgeois lustration. But, almost simultane minimum wages so low and max. ily constructed economic theory, ment. They realize that unless Future Clashes their ranks a number of nation dical peasant leaders. few is that the national bourgeoisie grants large concessions to the so many exceptions and loop, onslaught against wage levels. might again take the path of This lies, in payt, behind the as a group of state governors. massacred working class demon. rian revolution. The history of senuine struggle against imper. New Deal demagogy without in example, the Hormel plant in yond their control. To this the in return, the latter may try to The important role the latter strators in the city of Valles.
may play cannot be understimat.
The leaders of the and account of the constant betrayal peasant and proletarian masses fits. Likewise, he wants to re supply plants the workers have preferring to count on its own sure, which they try to turn on and underground and off like a faucet. We can ed when one realizes that the the Stalinists, bound to the Car of the peasant masses by the to action. But that very prospect peal the surplus tax, but to do already been induced to accept General Staff to deal with the only hope that once having turnmajority are high ranking mill denas administration, and not bourgeois government and the is enough to frighten Cardenas so in a way that will not make reductions through the influence armed bands workers unions if necessary. ed on the pressure, they will be tary men who control, besides wishing to compromise the latter, continual compromise of the lat out of his wits. Likewise in the appear an outright capitula of this theory.
In addition, as an ominous their own state forces, important try to dissimulate the fact that ter with feudal reaction. Carde international arena, the Mexican tion to Wall Street. Again, he The whole question of France unable to turn it off.
the greatest threat of an armed nas, regardless of his personal bourgeoisie expressed its loyalty wants agreement on some kind paragraph in the Annual Me. foreign policy weighs heavily in caso number of fascist organiza rebellion comes from individuals intentions, represents the bour to its imperialist overseers. Can of formula which would recog. sage indicated, Roosevelt is pre upon the complicated political be marked by new clashes. As tions exist such as the Middle who today are part of the go geoisie and, therefore, cannot it easily be forgotten how at last nize the continuing need for an paring to amend the National maneuvers among the ministers our comrade Pierre Naville has Labor Relations Act and to in of the various People Front pointed out in these columns, the Class Confederation, Nation vernment, the National Revolu and will not act differently than year Buenos Aires conference, unbalanced budget.
In general, Roosevelt alist Youth, Veterans of the tionary Party and the army. To did his predecessors. Under the Najera, the Mexican delegate, under troduce a new Bill with the aim Parties. Thorez recognized this recent revelations concerning Revolution and conglomera admit that would be tantamount continued threats of the feudal far from clamoring against im stands far better than the indus of increasing union responsibil fact openly at a rally in Paris the Cagoulards show how. far tion of clerical fascist groups to showing how the government landlords and pressure of foreign perialist domination, worked trialists the political require ity. Under this phrase the in en January 17 when he declared the preparations have gone tocalled the Social Democratic permits the reactionaries to imperialism, it is not at all un harmoniously and in accord with ments of the present situation: dustrialists include, above all, that Chautemps attempt to ward a Fascist military coup Party, whose sole function con carry on their political activities Hikely that Cardenas may event the Washington delegation. armed bands in the pay of capi.
rian reform measures and work stead, sing pucans of praise to the 1910 revolution, thus Followcillating and conciliatory, cannot frank adoption by the promovem incorporation (embodied in seve majority was inspired by Great the army and higher onderground ing classes berties. And to this the army and do not even calling in the footsteps of Madero accomplish its own bourgeoisment of the avowed program of gress. along with other measures So long as the French govern tal.
democratic revolution, le, give the National Association of Ma designed to deaden the influence ment first under Laval, then un In the coming long list we must add the most for a purge of reactionary gen Carra True it is that Cardenas has the peasants the land. History nulacturers. He is trying in of the rank and file of the unions der Blum and unitil the last year bilization of the French workers histories the forcomann Catholie never revolt. But Mexican his distributed 25, 000, 000 acres of has turned over this task to the these conference to show busi and especially to hamper both under Chautemps, continued to for struggle and their orienta.
hierarchy.
tory and tradition teach us other land among 600, 000 peasants. But Besides the already mentioned wise, namely, that the military today, 27 years after the revo The Mexican Bolshevik Leninism serves capitalism a lesson duct of strikes.
the Stalinist chose to remain from the hands of a capitalist state governors, the reactionaries has always played a predominant lution of 1910, out of a total land ists, unlike the Stalinists and which large and provincial It is these latter aims that outside the government, support class unable any longer to rule are strongly intrenched within and decisive role in turbulent surface of 2, 925 million are practical program in face of an bourgeoisie have not yet learn spokesman for the second con bolstering up French capitalism, will be the decisive factor in this reformists, have the most correct minded sections of the American dictate the use of Lewis as ing its fundamental program for by ordinary parliamentary means the national government and the Mexican polities. It will do like. 1880 millions are controlled by imminent reactionary coup etat: ed, but which Roosevelt has mas Perence. Roosevelt knows that the but appearing before the masses situation. In this the rode and state apparatus. The National wise in the near future and one about 1, 000 native and foreign independent working class action tered.
Revolutionary Party, Cardenas can easily foresee the conse landlords and imperialist enter and non reliance upon the Carmost effective way to deceive the as an independent force. growth of the the Work.
political machine, far from being quences with the army under reprises.
The bourgeois govern denas government; the immeMove Against Labor masses is with the aid of their ers Internationalist Party, will a homogeneous outfit, has quite actionary leadership.
Flirtation With Hitler ments have always adequatelydiate organization of a proletar own leaders. We may, therefore, in measure far out of proportion But there is also a sharper expect other labor bureaucrats a number of Callistas in its The liberal bourgeois govern compensated those But this situation has sharply to the small size of that party ranks. The army is a hot bed of mont of Cardenas has been in whose lands were taken over. Ition of workers militias.
landlords ian united front and the forme edge to Roosevelt sword; and to Agure prominently in conte changed. The Staliniat purgo in at the present timp, determina that edge is directed a niwnya renees to como olche Soviet Union and the obvious the future trend of events.
POPULAR FRONT CRACKS IN FRANCE Feudal Military Reaction Planning Mexican Coup To End Reform Program Roosevelt Confers