THE PROBLEM OF THE UKRAINE. BY LEON TROTSKY Build Workers Defense Guards!
Socialist Appeal Workers of the World Unite!
Official Organ of the Socialist Workers Party, Section of the Fourth International Issued Twice Weekly TUESDAY, MAY 9, 1939 VOL. III, NO. 31 Set up and Printed by Union Labor.
Application for Label Pending 3c a Copy LITVINOV OUSTER BID TO HITLER Legislators of Left and Right Timing Startles WarUnite to Slash Relief Funds Bent World Capitals National Defense PAT CiTiZkly SEMANA REFUSE OSA WE DEMAND LIVING WAGES FORD LAUNCHES PHONY PLAN OF INSURANCE Is Congress To Stay In Session?
The Problem of the Ukraine Landon Nods Accord On Diverting Money War Against the Unemployed To War Preparations Shoulder to shoulder with the Republican economy bloc. Special to the Socialist Appeal) President Roosevelt has thus far dealt the following blows to WASHINGTON, the workers: It is a remarkable fact that, 000 to last week figure of 800, 000 550, 000 workers and In eight months he cut down the rolls from 350, with both houses of Congress thelr families more than 2, 000, 000 people thrown into the in daily session, a message to streets.
that body from the President Another million were condemned to pauperism on May when Col. Harrington, Federal Administrator, has remained uncommented ordered 200, 000 more workers dropped from the rolls upon for over a week. And by May it was a message on future This slash was but the first in a series to be carried out by policies!
July to bring the rolls down to the figure of 000. 000 provided by President Roosevelt relief message of April 27 to President Roosevelt mes Congress.
sage of April 27, proposing Roosevelt message proposed a one third slash in the budget for the fiscal from the current year budget of 2, 250, 000, 000 to one for the year beginning July of 1, 477, 000, 000.
year beginning July 1, is in If Roosevelt proposals become law, 13 of those on the deed being treated like a sa rolls in October nearly one out of every two will be cred cow. And for these rea dropped from the rolls.
or those still on the rolls now, one out of three are still to sons be dropped, by Roosevelt plans. The Republican econ The 2, 000, 000 remaining will receive an average wage of omy bloc is so pleased with 13 weekly the basis of Roosevelt proposed figures.
the President message, which fulfills their fondest desires in slashing relief appropriations, that they abstain from too enthusiastic praise of it. Jest they compromise the President by revealing the actual united front which exists between them against the AN EDITORIAL workers.
Republicans Thank Roosevelt On Thursday, Senator Bankhead, a leading spokesman The Republicans demonstra of the Administration, introduced a resolution to adjourn ted their gratitude to Roosevelt by aligning themselves with Congress sinc die on June 15th.
him in foreign policy, through The meaning of this move must be brought home to the May speech of All Lan.
don. the Republican party every worker.
leader.
During the four months since the present session began, That speech would never have been made had Roosevelt Congress has done just two things in cooperation with the not paid to the Republican. White House it has carried through a brutal drive against Democratic economy bloc the unemployed; and at the dictate of Roosevelt and the the price of slashing the And since Roosevelt today sub War and Navy Departments it has voted the largest armaordinates everything else to his ment appropriations in this country peace time history.
war preparations, he consid ered it a small enough price to Roosevelt and Congress figure that these two matters of pay, especially since he will cut relief cuts and armament appropriations can be finished up anything in sight in order to satisfactorily in the next month.
find ready money for speeding armaments After that time Roosevelt wants Congress out of the Silent way in order that he can advance his war plans without The so called left wing the slightest risk of interference from any misguided Conof the New Deal is mum be.
cause like the President they gressman or Senator who, whether because of his own put the preparations for war beliefs or pressure from his constituents, may not yet be before all else. In any other 100 sold on the new War for Democracy.
period, it would be fantastic that, for example, the Work. Roosevelt is afraid that the anti war pressure of the ers Alliance allegedly the people might find some echo in the halls of Congress or in national organization of workers should say not a word the Congressional committees. He doesn want to take of criticism of a President who the chance of any kind of investigation into his secret engineers the discharge of diplomacy, any obstruction to his free hand in maneuverworkers.
ing on the international front.
But the Workers Alliance is From the past record, he would have little enough to in the firm grip of Stalinist leadership The fear if Congress remained in session from now until Stalinists solved the embarrassing prob doomsday. These contemptible, cowardly legislators have lem of the President relief sat like sheep and voted, as a rule unanimously, every dolmessage by the silence of the lar demanded for the war machine. And the rest of the tomb Covering Up Roosevelt time they have lopped every cent they dared from the relief And when, in accordance funds.
with that message, Col. Har rington ordered the mass disBut the majority of Congress, on its side, is anxious to missals to begin, the Daily get out of the spotlight of Washington. They want to Worker, central organ of the Communist Party, achieved the their own shoulders. They are afraid that if they stay in shove responsibility for the war and the relief cuts from feat of writing an editorial in it which mentioned neither session, they will be more exposed to the anger of the Roosevelt nor his , offi people directed against the war and the slashes.
cials!
Deliberately ignoring the fact The workers are being shown what can be expected that the present dismissals are from a boss government: war and starvation. serious President proposals and that program for peace and food and jobs will take a workers the New Deal bloc in the Sen government, a workers Congress and a workers Presiate and House joined the Wood. dent, to put it across.
rum Byrnes economy bloc in an amicably arranged compro But we should not let these scoundrels get away with mise on the last deficiency ap their present move without putting them squarely on the propriation for this year, the Daily Worker of May says: spot.
The newspapers yesterday Let the people demand carried a revealing and crucial item: 200, 000 more workers to Keep Congress in session, and compel it to vote the be fired from by May popular will for a peoples referendum on any war!
8, with another 200. dismis Keep Congress in session, and demand that it transier sals in June. These firings are the results of the savage slash all war funds to the unemployed. es made by Woodrum and the Open the files of the State, War and Navy Departments, other Tories in the President appropriation.
and show the people the steps whereby we are being led The President says in black into the war!
and white: want the rolls reduced to 2, 000, 000 by July Keep Congress in session, and compel it to vote the (Continued on Page 2) funds to provide a job for every worker!
Litvinov Head Marked for Ax as Stalin Puts an End to Collective Security Overtures to Anglo French Bloc By HAROLD ROBERTS The sudden removal of Maxim Litvinov from the Foreign Aifairs Commissariat at the most critical phase of the Anglo Soviet negotiations marked Joseph Stalin latest bid for an understanding with Adolf Hitler.
The purge of Litvinov has long been a foregone conclusion. One after another his chief assistants and his principal ambassadors in key posts abroad have fallen under the bloody ax of Stalin purge. Litvinov hung on by the shreds of his international reputation. After Munich, when his whole carefully nourished system of collective security fell to pieces, it became plain that Litvinov was headed for an arly one way visit to the cellars of Lubianka Prison.
It was not, therefore, the actual dismissal of Litvinov which caused surprise, consternation, glee. or furrowed concern in all the capitals of Anti Labor Magnate the war bent capitalist world.
It was the timing of the blow Hopes to Stave off that gave it such startling significance.
Unionization Drive Stalin Game (Special to the Socialist Appeal) Litvinov was the diplomatic DETROIT Following the symbol of Stalin effort from lead of General Motors, which 1934 to 1938 to line himself up instituted two loan schemes with the Western imperialist last December for its more powers in a bloc against Hitler.
than 200. 000 employees, the It took Munich to prove draFord Motor Company an matically the utter bankruptcy nounced the inauguration of an of that policy. After Munich insurance plan to cover its 110. Stalin renewed more boldly the 000 employees in the country.
attempt he had never fully Under this insurance plan, abandoned to come to some Ford workers may take out a kind of understanding, tacit or 1, 500 life insurance policy. The otherwise with the. Hitlerite company will pay half of the Reich.
cost and all arrangements will In the fresh war crisis that hinston be handled exclusively by the has been permanently boiling 4703 POS Ford Employees Social Service. since March, Stalin whole dip Why are the automobile mag. for the purpose of bargaining lomatic game has been played Reyewea without Apology from the New Masses, December 15, 1936.
nates suddenly 80 worried tentatively with Britain and about the social welfare of their France as a means of making cmployees? Why do they disa German Soviet understanding play this tender solicitude con look more attractive to Hitler.
cerning the auto workers At the same time he left the lives? Are not Ford and Gen road clear for actually entering by Leon Trotsky nies who spent hundreds of Hitler remained unpersuaded.
The Ukrainian question, which many gov for all her brilliant intellect and genuinely thousands of dollars for stool ernments and many socialists and even Moscow Reply revolutionary spirit, found it possible to de: pigeons, strike breakers, tear communists have tried to forget or to rele. clare that the Ukrainian question was the gas and guns to destroy the treating in panic from its Thus when Great Britain, regate to the deep strongbox of history, has invention of a handful of intellectuals. This union organizations of the auto Munich orientation, asked Rusonce again been placed on the order of the position left a deep imprint even upon the mobile workers day and this time with redoubled force. The Polish Communist party. The Ukrainian! Does not Ford support the guarantees, the Moscow govtheir plants? sia to join in its system of latest aggravation of the Ukrainian question question was looked upon by the official lead largest private strike breaking is most intimately bound up with the degen ers of the Polish section of the Comintern as agency, the Ford Service Deernment replied with a sweep.
eratio the Soviet Union and of the Com an obstacle rather than a revolutionary prob partment in order to terrorize ing proposal for a hard and intern, the successes of fascism and the ap lem. Hence the constant opportunist at his own employees and prevent which would compel France proach of the next imperialist war. Crucified tempts to shy away from this question, to them from forming a union of and Britain to be actually carby four states, the Ukraine now occupies in suppress it, to pass over it in silence, or to their own choosing? Does not rying out their end of the barthe fate of Europe the same position that postpone it to an indefinite future.
Ford refuse to this day to bar gain before Russia had to was once occupied by Poland; with this dif The Bolshevik party, not without difficulty gain and recognize the United budge. The Moscow counterference that world relations are now infin and only gradualiy under the constant pres. Automobile Workers of Ameri proposal also apparently sought itely more tense and the tempos of development accelerated. The Ukrainian question is sure of Lenin, was able to acquire a correct ca? Yes, this is all as true to to include Japan along with destined in the immediate future to play an approach to the Ukrainian question. The day as it was six months or a Germany as a prospective obenormous role in the life of Europe. It was right to self determination, that is, to separa year ago!
ject of the alliance operation, was extended by Lenin equally to the Won Give Relief not for nothing that Hitler so noisily raised tions.
Poles and to the Ukrainians. He did not rec The Ford Insurance scheme the question of creating a Greater Ukraine At this the British demurred.
and likewise it was not for nothing that he tion to evade or postpone the problem of an and safeguard the lives of the themselves, in the role of chestognize aristocratic nations. Every inclina will no more provide security They fancy the Russians, not dropped this question with such stealthy oppressed nationality he regarded as a man automobile workers than the nut pullers. Moreover the haste ifestation of Great Russian chauvinism. spurious lending schemes of Poles and Rumanians already Question that Must After the conquest of power, a serious General Motors The Ford guaranteed by England and Not Be Ignored struggle took place in the party over the men, working under the con France and the Bulgarian and solving of the numerous national problems stant pressure of the inhuman Yugoslavian dictatorships The Second International, expressing the inherited from old Czarist Russia. In his Ford speed up. earning on an whom the British are trying to interests of the labor bureaucracy and aris capacity as People Commissar of Nation average less than 1, 000 per draw in were inclined to won tocracy of the imperialist states, completely alities. Stalin invariably represented the year, subject to constant unem der whether absorption by the Ignored the Ukrainian question. Even its left most centralist and bureaucratic tendency. ployment and diccharge, will Reich was not preferable to wing did not pay the necessary attention to This evinced itself especially on the question not get the necessary relier aid from the hated and it. Suffice it to recall that Rosa Luxemburg. Continued on Page Continued on Page 2) feared Soviet state.
Hitler Counter Offensive Meanwhile Hitler showed NI that he was fully capable of On May at a dinner America stands ready to diplomatic drive with an offenpotentially 250, 000, 000 a will be consumed like kasosive of his own. Aiming directmeeting of representatives fight if necessary to protect year.
line soaked straw in the comly at Poland, Hitler proceeded of American Chambers of her trade with Great Bri We shall in such case ing conflagration will come to put his gun at the heads of Commerce abroad, lain, argued Mr. French.
eventually be obliged to not out of the private vaults the Baltic states with a view French, vie president of the Does not every considerawage a war of self defense of the stockholders the war to cutting Poland off. But far Chinese. American Foreign tion of self interest demand infinitely costly to us in both will cram those vaults to Trade Council, called for that we be equally ready and more important than the Baltic over flowing but from the blood and treasure.
states is the position of the Sogainst Japan. His rea prepared to protect our pay cnvel workThe millions of soldiers viet Union. German Soviet son? To protect a future trade with a country which, ers, the pitifully meager 1, 000, 000, 000 a year market bargain would completely if permitted to retain its whose blood will be spilled checks the small farmers in China and the Philippines. sovereignty is destined to be in the fast approaching doom Poland and leave the get for their crops, the funds world war will come not Mr. French declared that Anglo French coalition helpless come our greatest all time that should feed the unemthe industrialization of China as far as Central, Eastern, and customer of the future? from the small handful of ployed.
would turn over to American Southeastern Europe is conIf the Japanese capitalists dissolute stockholders who Mr. French has said what capitalists within the next cerned succeed in barring the HOW control industry, but war means for the capitalUnited generation a steady export from the teeming ranks of capitalists Poland, let it be rememists markets and profits.
trade worth at the minimum, bered, is another of the statefrom the Chinese market, the workers and farmers But for the people, war who sweat at the point of monstrosities created at Ver 750, 000, 000 a year if the then, says Mr. French, they means death on the tangled capitalists of Japan don stand to lose their monopoly production.
sailles. Its territory was carved barbed wire of a foreign seize China first.
out of Russia, Germany. Ausin the Philippines too, worth The fabulous treasure that battlefield. Continued on Page 3)
States