SOCIALIST APPEAL JULY 20, 1940 In the World of Labor SOCIALIST APPEAL Vol. IV, No. 29 Saturday, July 20, 1940 PubMehed Weekly by the SOCIALIST APPEAL PUBLISHING ASS at 116 University Place, New York, Telephone: Algonquin 8547 Workers Cannot Be Isolationist With Regard to War Editorial Board: FELIX MORROW ALBERT GOLDMAN Japan Hires Ryan General Manager: GEORGE CLARKE Subscriptions: 00 per year 00 for six months.
Foreign. 33. 00 per year, 50 for six months. Bundle orders: cents per copy in the United States; cents per copy in all foreign countries. Single coples: cents. Reentered as second class matter December 4, Act of Marcons. 116New York, under the Fight with the Socialist Workers Party for: JOB AND DECENT LIVING FOR EVERY WORKER OPEN THE IDLE FACTORIES. OPERATE THEM UNDER WORKERS CONTROL TWENTY. BILLION DOLLAR FEDERAL PUBLIC WORKS AND HOUSING PROGRAM THIRTY THIRTY 30. WEEKLY MINIMUM WAGE 30 HOUR WEEKLY MAXIMUM FOR ALL WORKERS ON ALL JOBS. 30 WEEKLY OLD AGE AND DISABILITY PENSION EXPROPRIATE THE SIXTY FAMILIES. ALL WAR FUNDS TO THE UNEMPLOYED. PEOPLE REFERENDUM ON ANY AND ALL WARS. NO SECRET DIPLOMACY.
10. AN INDEPENDENT LABOR PARTY 11. WORKERS DEFENSE GUARDS AGAINST VIGILANTE AND FASCIST ATTACKS.
12 FULL SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC EQUALITY FOR THE NEGRO PEOPLE By ALBERT GOLDMAN Too many class conscious workers accept and spread the idea that since the war now raging in Europe is an imperialist war, therefore it is not a war in which the American workers should be interested. All that the American workers should do is to struggle for better conditions in this country and for get about what is going on across the Atlantic.
Such an attitude towards the war might be termed working class isolationism. As sincere as this attitude is, it is far from being correct.
It is obviously true that the war is bankers war, a war in which rival imperialist forces have hurled millions of human beings into terrible misery and cruel slaughter for nothing more than their own profits. It is obviously true that the working masses will gain nothing out of their sacrifices by the victory of either side.
But it is not true that the American workers should not be interested in the war. It is not at all correct to say to the American workers: Let them fight and die over in Europe; we here are interested only in the struggle against the boss.
That is a form of isolationism to which the American workers dare not fall victim. If they do they are doomed to be sucked into the very imperialist war whch they fear so much and which they think they can avoid by simply concentrating their efforts on the struggle at home.
If there is one simple truth that should sink into the mind of every worker it is that capitalism has developed to a point where not a single capitalist nation in the world can erect wall around itself and thus succeed in leading its own existence without taking into consideration what is going on in the rest of the world. Before Hitler came to power he shouted loudly about autarchy, about making Germany a self sufficient nation, but now he demands more and more living room by which is meant more and more countries to exploit. Imperialism has bound the whole capitalist world together economically and he who does not see that is blind to reality.
What FDR Really Said tentionally and he thought he had better come out organizations that Lebou About Sending Men But in any event no worker should guide himself by what the Democrats and Republicans say.
What do they do? They join in voting billion after billion for arms for war. They join in voting for regimenting Labor and conscripting Paul Stevens us. Their actions tell the story not their words.
British Fourth Internationalists Our Australian Section Hold Successful National Confab Outlawed by Government Right on the heels of the Emergency Confer From Australian papers we learn that the ence of the Fourth International, we receive word Communist League of Australia, Section of the Lots of people know Major General John that the Revolutionary Socialist League, British Fourth International, has been added to the list Ryan as a more or less professional super Section of the has just concluded a success of organizations declared illegal by the Menzies government. The action against our Australian patriot. Practically nobody has known, until Naturally, the meeting took place under illegal comrades was taken without an official decree, now, that he is really an economic and trade ex conditions. It had as the main point on its agenda the police simply banning them from usual places pert of considerable degree.
the problem of combatting drive against pro where they have been holding meetings.
All these years the general has been hiding in government in the wake of the anti revolutionletarian revolutionists undertaken by the Church Members of the Communist League of Australia, says the June 17 Sydney Telegraph, were his light under a bushel of red white and blue ary actions initiated by the Labour Party bureau prevented by police from holding a meeting in the ism. But now it shines forth by itself only it cracy. The latter anticipated the reactionary Domain yesterday.
turns out to be the rising sunlight of the Jap the militant Labour League, left wing Labour crowd of about 15, 000 attended the Domain yesterday afternoon. There was a good sprinkling anese. For the general, without honor in his own organization, to whose work and publications of khaki in the crowd but, for the first time for country as an authority on international trade. The Militant, etc. our comrades have devoted several Sundays, there was no organized demonstration by soldiers.
has found a truer appreciation of his worth in their principal attention and effort. The police were acting under Commonwealth the precincts of the Japan Economic Federation In contradistinction to the pacifists and centrists of the Independent Labour Party, the conregulations issued on Saturday declaring illegal a Japanese government agency for promoting terence condemned the use of Conscientious obthe Communist Party of Australia and several foreign trade.
jectors Tribunals as contrary to militant work fascist organizations.
The Federation so fully appreciated the genclass policy. It reaffirmed the Bolshevik stand The Communist League was not mentioned in the regulations. When its members began to set of working for socialist revolutionary aims within eral worth in the field of economics that it is the armed forces amidst the masses of drafted up their platform in the Domain, they were told paying him 15, 000 not exactly pin money, proletarians.
by Inspector Fergusson that if they addressed the crowd they would be liable to arrest. The to make an economic survey affecting trade re The League had issued a resolution, the re Communist Party had made no attempt to hold lations between Japan and American exporters port of the its regular Sunday Domain meeting.
and importers. Should the general labors as an the readece in the Internal Bulletin of concerning the Russo Finnish Mr. Kavanagh, who was to have been expert extend beyond three months, he is to war which took the accepted line of the Fourth chairman of the meeting of the Communist International and had put forward the immediate collect 5, 000 per month for each additional slogan of an embargo on arms for Finland. League, said last night: Our party, followers of Leon Trotsky, was not on the banned list of month worked.
brief report on the International was given, inorganizations. We assumed that we would be These facts came to light when Gen. Ryan pute. The League actions as well as the stand cluding a summary of the American party disallowed to speak. Telegraph, June 17. Of course, the newspapers only give as much felt obliged to register with the State Department of the Fourth International towards the Soviet of the story as the censorship will permit, and a as an agent representing foreign interests. He Union were endorsed by the delegates. No minor direct report from our comrades has not yet denied in his registration that he was exactly an ity similar in views to that within the American reached here. But several things are obvious even from the Telegraph account. 1) full fledged agent because, he said, there was no element of party was in evidence.
control by his principal. We are sure that the In relation to the main practical task, the atti Belumme as a result of the ban against columns the paper raids on organization headsame modesty, which has impelled the general to the Militant tude to be adorur League, the conference voted quarters and homes of individuals are reported.
conceal his unsuspected ability as a trade expert for a resolution from which we excerpt the fol. 2) The spontaneous actions of outraged soldiers did not succeed in breaking up the meetings all these years, must have made him extremely lowing passages: of our comrades. In a previous issue we had rereluctant to register in this public manner. Per This conference reaffirms the basic straported that one such action in January was rehaps knowledge of the matter slipped out unin tegical line of the organization in the building of pulsed by workers meeting under the leaderthe new revolutionary party. This consists of ship of our comrades with complete success. 3)
Apparently, as the figure of attendance showsout with it.
and the Trade Unions, in preparation for the 15, 000 conceded by the bourgeois press the Considering all that we are hearing these days radicalization of the masses arising out of the meetings of our League were growing to such about fifth columns and treachery in the high uated by imperialist war.
political and economic crisis of capitalism accentproportions as to require government action, if they were to be stopped. 4) Our comrades had army, navy, and government quarters of many This tactic was based on a Marxist analysis also, apparently, taken over the leadership of nations, it is refreshing to think that a real of the current situation and of probable develop large numbers of workers formerly under the patriot like Gen. Ryan, with his intimate ments in the future. This analysis is in no way leadership of the The chairman of the banned knowledge of the War Department and the work altered by the Labour Party ban. What is neces meeting, comrade Kavanagh, is, as readers of this column will recall, one of the leading Comings of the army, would sell nothing to sary therefore is not a new strategical line, but a munist militants who quit the in the course of the past year.
Japan but his abilities as a trade surveyor. Maybe tactic suitable for existing circumstances.
the general really figures that by taking 15, 000 and new means of continuing the tested policy of In other words, our comrades have decided to We are not as yet in a position to know what course of action our Australian comrades are from Japan in good American money he is perworking close to the organized labor movement, contemplating under the new conditions. But our forming a patriotic act by reducing Japan forknowledge of them and of the daring and courage eign exchange balance. Nobody, anyway, would deserting mass work for the existence of a secinstead of, as some dissident groups proposo, which made possible their recent progress makes us confident that they will know how to surthink of calling him a Fifth Columnist.
mount the new obstacles on their path, how to tarian propaganda circle. While maintaining relaretain their contacts with the militant Austions with such groups which claim adherence to tralian workers, and to find the path toward the in an effort to bring them into the building the party of the proletarian revolution organization, the conference rightfully refused to in Australia. Our warmest greetings of solidarity countenance any compromises with sectarianism. to the Communist League of Australia!
The International Executive Board of the United Automobile Workers Union met in Chicago and issued a unanimous endorsement of a third term for Roosevelt.
Strangely enough the Stalinist Daily Worker has yet to comment on the UAW board action.
II The Stalinists are still) opposed to Roosevelt.
They control many UAW locals. None of them protested the board action. The board action was unanimous but a good contingent of board By RUTH JEFFREY larly in the present period, with the apologist for the Soviet bumembers are Stalinists.
The Stalinist Daily Worker, for the second imperialist world reaucrats. Can it be that Stalin What the explanation? Sheer duplicity, sheer the past several weeks, has been war already raging, the great has a plan which he is ready to Stalinist fakery. Principles are good, but union treatment of refugees in France against the penetration of careest vigilance must be observed wait for an invitation to conference. posts are better. Anyway the Kremlin seeking But for all its depth of feeling: fully planted spies and other a pact with Washington, whereupon all good the Stalinist organ nowhere sug How simple it would be to Stalinists will again become patriots.
gests that the Soviet Union res fascist agents.
show up the hypocrisy of the cue these helpless victims of capi It is interesting to note how we capitalist world by presenting a The same thing happened when the CIO execu talist terror.
answered this in the Socialist Ap feasible plan and actually offertive board unanimously adopted its statement This has been the consistent peal, December 3, 1938: ing to assume responsibility for supporting the government defense program.
record of the Stalinist press since The Jerome alibi is a gross carrying it out!
the refugee question became a fraud. He dares not and cannot Gannes and the Daily Worker burning issue with Hitler pog tell the real truth. For while the supplied the following reasons for Stalinist parties abroad still go the Soviet Union inability to act The Daily Worker waxes wroth at the foul roms against the Jews.
settlement of the demands of the aluminum today to look back on the excuses ocracies to make war on the fasIt makes interesting reading on the old line of urging the dem alone: First, workers. Its July 14 issue carries an editorial the Daily Worker fabricated for cist powers, Stalin is already pre To have the Soviet Union :80entitled, National unity hoax hurts the work the exclusion of refugees from paring the new line: rapproche. Latedly attempt to grant asylum ment with Hitler, if Hitler win to the Jewish victims of Nazi the USSR.
ers. It points out that the Mellon monopoly has barbarism would be to prove made 78 millions in aluminum in the last three own membership, the Stalinist Pressed for reasons from their only agree. That is the explanation for Hitler contention that the Jewyears. And yet, it points out, the aluminum backs finally set down, at the Stalin silence on the question of ish people are communists.
workers asking a modest 10 cents per hour in height of the Nazi pogroms of opening the doors of the Soviet Second, The Soviet Union is not crease, which would have only amounted to 38, an unsteady line.
Union to the refugees. Hitler does in a position by itself successOn Nov. 28, 1938, the Daily not approve of anyone opening fully to undertake so gigantic a 4, 000, 000 according to the company itself are Worker said, in an article by the doors to the Jews, and Stalin problem as that of the Jewish chiseled down to a mere cents per hour rise. Jerome: woos Hitler.
refugees. The Appeal of Dec.
This is what these 15, 000 workers are handed The Soviet Union has at all The December 17, 1938 Appeal 17 tore through this alibi: What also had the following to say re is there to prevent the Soviet times offered its territory as a out, after a two weeks run around.
garding line as previously put leaders from stating that they Quite true. What the Daily Worker DOES haven to refugees from all the forward by Gannes in the Nov. will assume responsibility. com.
five continents.
NOT point out, however, is that the workers 18 Daily Worker: mensurate with their ability to But the operation of this got chiseled down to a mere cents per our policy has to be understood in According to Gannes, the fault offer asylum. for the failure of the Soviet Un Third, Not only are the British rise because their union, a CIO affiliate, agreed relation both to the interna ion to speak out (on behalf of the Tories to blame for the USSR to that foul settlement. The union happens to tional situation in the present refugees) lies primarily with the failure to act, but the Jews also be under John Lewis thumb, and happens period, and to the fundamental British Tories. Why and how. must assume part of the blame to carry a hefty load of Stalinist organizers.
program of completing the con not inviting the Soviet Union to ganization has requested of the Hence the Daily Worker walks on eggs.
struction of the classless socithe Evian conference last sum USSR that the growing number You don have to imagine what the Daily ety. One must also realize mer and will prevent an invita of Jewish refugees be permitted Worker would have said about that foul settlethat there are those Jewish tion to future conferences dealing to emigrate to the Land of Sowith the problem of the refugees, cialism!
ment if the union hadn been a semi Stalinized refugees who, though fleeing thus barring the USSR from The depth of Stalinist degenfrom fascist terror, are in their making its enormous contribution CIO outfit. You merely have to read the rest of eration can be seen mirrored in class status and outlook, bour to the consideration of the refu the story of Stalinist refusal to the same editorial, which is a diatribe against the International Ladies Garment Workers Union geols or petty bourgeols, and gee question (quoted from provide asylum for the Jewish consequently, may not wish or Gannes. for having accepted a poor settlement for the refugecs and all other anti Nazi may not be able to adjust them. Appeal continued, the mere in for them to set up an outcry now Exactly how, however, the refugees. What cheap hypocricy dressmakers after a two day stoppage.
The Stalinists will go down in history as the selves to a Socialist economy clusion of the Soviet Union in any about French mistreatment of and culture. And, of course, ev conference would be able to solve suffering exiles within her bormost brazen fakers that ever ruined a union. erybody realize that, particu the problem is not made clear by dera!
Stalinist Fakery On Wednesday, July 10, Roosevelt sent a special message to Congress, proposing an additional five billion dollars for armaments, making a total of fourteen billion dollars for arms that he has asked for so far this session.
That afternoon and the next morning the papers came out with screaming headlines: FDR Pledges Not to Send Men Overseas. Bars Sending Men Abroad. Pledges Americans Will Not Fight Overseas. Roosevelt must have been grateful to the press for those headlines. For they went far to calm the fears of many who had believed that Roosevelt was preparing for war.
But Roosevelt didn say what the newspapers credited him with saying. The newspapers had interpreted what he said but theirs was a false interpretation.
What Roosevelt actually said was: We will not send men to take part in European wars.
That a very carefully phrased sentence, designed to give rise such false interpretations as the newspapers made of it but meaning actually something very different.
It is phrased that way so that, in the event that he does send troops to Europe, Roosevelt can say. have never said that would not send men to Europe. What did say was that would not send men to take part in European wars. But this war is not a European war. We are now involved in it. It is therefore our war and it is ridiculous to suppose that when we are involved in a war, we should not send soldiers to any section of the front, be it in Europe or in Asia or in South America. have never promised not to fight on all fronts in a war.
That what Roosevelt would say. And, technically, he would be right.
It a pretty shabby trick, of course. Roosevelt uses a lawyer formula, the papers deliberately misinterpret it, the people read the newspapers, sigh with relief and think they are no longer in danger of being dragged into war and that leaves it so much easier for Roosevelt to go on plunging this country toward war.
As a matter of fact, however, even if Roosevelt promised in plain English never to send our boys overseas, that would still be no guarantee that he wouldn send them. Just remember what Woodrow Wilson did! He ran in 1916 on a pledge to keep this country out of war.
Roosevelt is neither better nor worse than Wilson. When Wall Street decides we shall enter the war, Roosevelt will obey his master voice just as Wilson did, and regardless of any promises that he has previously made.
The fact that Roosevelt doesn lie as completely as did Wilson, but contents himself with a weasel formulation that can only mean that we are closer to war than America was in November, 1916! Even on the eve of a new presidential election, when every assurance of continuing peace means votes, Roosevelt cannot give even a formal assurance against war because he KNOWS how close to war we are.
USSR Closed to Refugees As Stalinists Weep For Them Three Kinds of Isolationism Three types of isolationism exist in this country.
The only type that is really entitled to the name is the one represented by the sincere person who thinks that the United States proper is perfectly able to shut itself off from the rest of the world and to create a self sufficient economy with democracy prevailing in every loophole. According to these people, who have eyes that do not see, a beautiful paradise can be created in our country keeping fascism and social revolution beyond the frontiers.
If you talk to them about capitalism with its sur plus products, its unemployment, markets, the neces sity for investment of capital and such other regrettable but real things, they can only shrug their shoulders and point to the riches of this country as evidence that it needs no contact with the rest of the world. These people are completely oblivious to the real forces dominating the capitalist system.
The other types of isolationism are in reality forms of American imperialism. Most modest of all isolationists is the one who is satisfied with the Western Hemisphere. He would leave Asia, Europe and Aus tralia strictly alone.
The third type of isolationist insists on adding the Far East as a section of the world designated by God and nature as specially reserved for American imperialism.
The world is, however, too small to permit the American isolationists peacefully to retain control over the Western Hemisphere and the Far East.
There are other imperialist countries to reckon with.
The far seeing capitalists and their intellectual henchmen understand that any kind of isolationism is impossible and that the interests of American capitalism extend throughout the world. As against any of the isolationists Roosevelt, whose policies are clearly based on the supposition that the United States must play a dominating role in the whole world, is one thousand per cent correct.
Workers understanding and accepting the international character of the capitalist system will of course not accept Roosevelt policies even though they reject the idea that isolation is possible for American capitalism. Understanding the true nature of capitalism, advanced workers will not counsel the masses to interest themselves only in their struggles for better conditions and to pay no attention to the war in Europe.
War Inevitable If Capitalism Remains For it is as certain as anything can possibly be that if the workers permit the capitalist system to exist in this country, the war which is now confined to Europe will engulf them. If it will not be the present war it will be a continuation of it in the form of a third imperialist war.
It is therefore necessary for every worker to think seriously of the problem of how to stop the war in Europe. This can not be done by an attitude of indifference; by simply saying that we must stay out of it and concentrate our attention on the struggle for better conditions this country.
We must of course fight for better conditions. It goes without saying that we must exert effort to prevent the capitalist government from dragging us into the war. Yes, we must do our utmost to prevent any social gains from being destroyed under any pretext.
But to contine ourselves to that struggle is not sufficient. Should the workers accept the idea that it is simply their task to fight the boss here and not pay any attention to the war they will end up where the French and British wokers finished. They will have the war whether they like it or not and they will lose all their gains in addition, The American workers must face the bitter truth.
They must intervene in the war in Europe. They must try to transform that war into a real war again fascism. And that can be done only by destroying capitalism in the United States.
Yes, this is a bankers war. But it is a war killing millions of workers; it is a war which is bound to reach us. It is a war which we must stop. And we can stop it only by overthrowing the capitalist systera which is responsite for it.