SOCIALIST APPEAL FRIDAY, JUNE 30, 1939 In the World of Labor War Crisis Quits Joins Growing Parade Toward the Party Convention Simmers on of Revolutionists On the Relation Between Mass Europe and Agitation and Trade Union Work Asia Fronts Party to entise in care Society COUNCILMEN IN ATTACK ON OTTO POPOVICH guard On the Line.
By Paul Stevens Declaring that she was that French friends of the expect to Aftermath of Belgian Elections: joining the growing parade carry the fight against it with considerable of revolutionists who are An Attack against the Miners support leaving the Communist Taking heart from the rightward trend in Voice in the Wilderness: the recent elections, the Belgian bosses are By JAMES CANNON ist. Workers Party, Betty launching a large scale onslaught on the conAnti War Speaker at Southport Fisher, for the last five By JAMES CANNON whose jurisdiction covers precisely the heart ditions obtained by the working class of that Most of the speeches at the recent Southport years a member of the New Practically all the serious articles contrib of the field of the great new unions of workcountry during the great strikes of 1936. As a conference of the British Labour Party were York Communist Party and uted to the party pre convention discussion by ers in the mass production industries, take a first step, the mine barons are proceeding of course, in favor of the War against the Continued from Page 1)
Young Communist League, individual comrades, groups or party com rather cross eyed view of this question. They against the coal diggers of the Borinage sec aggressors and in defense of democracy. Hitler must plunge ahead, resigned this week from that mittees emphasize the same point: Mass work. permit themselves to advocate a program of tion, in an attempt to scale down present con laying the ground for the acceptance of con forced on his course by the inorganization.
Different proposals are made. There are dif action which, they say, can be conducted inditions in the new agreement.
scription. One of the most rabid war mongerssistent pressure of a starving and France Recent events, she de ferent evaluations of the past activity of the dependently of the limitations and uncertain The Borinage section is known as a hot bed was party leader Hugh Dalton. Apparently nation. Britain clared, have opened my party. Some comrades offer more ambitious Dalton spiel was too much for one old time have their two million men ties of the trade union movement. Socialist of militancy. As such it has been chosen pureyes to the truth. The Com plans, and some betray more impatience than Appeal, June 27. militant who found his way to the conference ready for war and the Champosely, to test the ground for the great strug.
munist Party has renounced others. But all apparently pursue the same No doubt, the members of the Ohio Michigan gle ahead. If they succeed here, the bosses cal by chance. Here is how one of the British berlains and Halifaxes and Its militant past. It has beaim, the decisive turn of the party to mass District Committee, who have seen and taken Daladiers emulate the Goebculate, half their battle is won papers reported his reaction: come the tail of the New work and the more efficient organization of part in workers demonstrations of power When the new terms were offered the min Mr. Wood (Moseley. a self styled old sol bels and Goerings in spewing this work. From this we can see that the party through their unions, knew better. Perhaps ers of the Levant and Produits du Fienu pits, dier who waved the Guards necktie to the del threats across the air waves of Deal kite. It has become a bulwark of the status quo is united at least to this extent: It knows what they just took Sunday off for a manifesto Europe.
they were rejected out of hand. The bosses egates said: it wants. So far, so good.
17 million unemployed, inse My greatest enemy during the war was spree. Or, possibly, they sought by this highreplied by locking out the workers of these Many Sarajevos curity, and the threat of But that does not solve the whole problem. sounding formula, and the ambiguous verbipits, some 5, 000 miners. The reformist lead not the Jerry on the other side of No Today world crisis doesn Fascism and war. And like It only, poses the problem. The aspiration to age which follows it, to make a concession ers of the miners union have, up to the pres Man Land, but my own Sergeant Major. eed Sarajevo. During the direct all attention to the broad masses and all defenders of capitalist to stil more radical comrades who are tired ent, contented themselves with appeals for aid Let Sergeant Major Dalton do his own last three or four years there democracy. It has no re to gain a wider influence over them is not of waiting for the trade unions. But this sort to King Leopold, calling on the workers to dirty work when the war comes. m not 80 have been Sarajevos ten thousgard for democracy within of concessions and compromises will not do.
ing to do it not Pygmalion likely!
new or original with us. There is nothing in and times multiplied, but the remain calm and accustom themselves to the its own ranks.
this aspiration, of itself, to distinguish us from The party convention must determine the corunemployment relief to which they are en The Labour Party Daily Herald did not boss politicians have held back, other parties. Leaving aside the sects and muComrade Fisher declared see fit to include titled as a result of the lock out. Since, as is speech in its accounts fearful on all sides of the fightrect approach to mass work and firmly reject tual admiration societies, which habituate the false. Otherwise we will have a smash up that her recent experiences self evident, no family can very long subsist of the conference sessions.
Ing fronts of what this war will Strike Waves Gaining had convinced her that the mean. Their trouble is that they on the meagre dole, such a course cannot help themselves to isolation as something normal and also desirable, all parties, whether bour Deeper into the Unions!
leading to a break down of the miners resist can stop it. Capitalism organ Fourth Internationalists of We cannot yield anything from the 90 trade Momentum in India ance if persisted in.
izes the world into rival gangs, the Socialist Workers Party geois or proletarian, strive to win mass support and work out for themselves various techunion formula of our founding convention Our comrades of the Revolutionary Socialist Comrade Stanley submits were the only ones carrying the following constantly muscling in on each niques of mass appeal.
not even one per cent. Mass agitation in genParty of Belgium, concentrating their forces item: other, constantly at war either on a militant and revolutioneral must be conceived, organized and develin this region, are holding successful meetings Official strike statistics for 1938 just pub to make a haul or to protect ary struggle against capital There Is No Short Cut oped, not as a substitute for the systematic in all the mining towns urging the workers of lished by the Government of India Indicate one they made a while ago. ism and war, and she called An agreement in general the necessity penetration of the trade unions but as a supthe extent of the revival in the Indian revolu. They are just like any other upon all of her comof a more decisive turn to mass work, such as the Borinage to bring pressure for the calling plement to it. Woe to the party that despairs of a general strike in support of the Levant tionary and nationalist movement.
gangs, with the same motives, rades to follow in her steps we appear to have, signifies only that we con of the trade unions and turns away from Strikes in 1938 were and Plenu miners. The movement in this direchighest on record the same greeds, the same and join in the fight for a sider ourselves ready to enter into active and them! The harder such a party works and the tion is growing. twenty four hour sympathy for the past 20 years. There were 399 of them ruthlessness. Only they rule the Socialist world.
direct competition with all political tendencies more hysterically it shouts the sooner it will strike has already been proposed in several as compared with 379 for 1937. The number of world and they can move peofor the support of the working masses. Our wear itself out.
unions. The success of such action alone, our working days on strike (not hours, as in Amer ples and armies around like success in this competition in our time will be Trade union work is not easy. Moreover it comrades argue can forestall the wholesale ican statistics. was 9, 000, 000 and the checkers on a board and bedetermined by how much we understand our is restricted in scope, not complete itselfonslaught on Belgian labor being cooked up workers were successful in 46 of the strikes. cause we let them they can own problem and apply that understanding in herein the syndicalists commit one of their by the bosses.
Textile workers the untouchables of In condemn us to die millions of practice. Here, as our party discussion has greatest errors and must be supplemented dia) again proved themselves to be the vanus to die to keep them and their disclosed, we run into difficulties and differAnother Sample of French all the time by the general political and agiof the Indian proletariat. They ac gold intact in their banks and ences of opinion.
tational work of the party. But even this genDemocracy in the Colonies counted for 39 of strikes, 70. of the counting houses.
Some of these differences are simply mat eral work of party, unrestricted in its workers involved and 71. of the working Recently we reported in these columns the Wide Front ters of emphasis. Others represent conflicting scope by any trade union rules or customs, is great election victory of the Popular Party of days spent on strike.
If the rulers of Britain and conceptions, and that is far more serious. directed primarily to the workers organized Algiers, the Algerian party which is closely Two major working class activities are now France actually decide this With others, impatience to reach the agreed into unions. They alone are capable of susallied with the French revolutionary socialists. under way in India. Both, in all likelihood, will summer that they cannot safe upon objective is giving rise to ideas which tained action, precisely because they alone are Douar Mohamed, of that party was elected as lead to All India general strikes involving the ly offer any more concessions (Continued from Page 1)
are false in conception and which, if adopted organized.
by the party, would have textile and railway workers. The former, conto Hitler, there will be war. Iftions but failed because of the atal consequences.
a general councillor True enough, we appeal to all workers. In Now the Council of the Prefecture, the agen centrated in Bombay. Allahabad. Cawnpur, a few fresh concessions are solidarity and militancy of the is the idea that One of these false ideas born of impatience some cases we appeal most directly and imcy of the French colonial office, has seen fit Ahmedabad, etc. are already preparing a gen made, the war will be post unemployed. The tone of the can find a short cut to a mediately to the unorganized who are the to annul his election on the petition of his pro eral strike to combat a proposed 12 wage poned again, but only for a relief bureau representatives mass movement over the head of the trade most exploited and deprived. But what is the imperialist opponent, Zerrouk. The latter was cut. The railway workers, solidly organized in short period. That is the sum soon changed and the most fundamental and the most dangerous.
first suggestion we offer to such workers, if declared elected although he polled less than the All India Railwaymens Federation, have and substance of the situation was able to receive favorable There are numerous other misconceptions, all they respond to our appeal? We advise them 000 votes out of a total of 15. 000 cast.
presented dems month ultimatum, as the complicated and foul consideration of the 17 cases related however. considerable section of to join a trade union, or if unemployed, a The grounds for the decision are so flimsy. half of which has already passed.
game of diplomatic and mill Ridicule Unemployed union of the unemployed. We cannot go around tary maneuvering begins again in Europe, with millions of lives City Council, the Queens Coun nostrums which, ironically enough, are the the unions, and we have no desire to. Our sloAt the June 20 meeting of the our movement, in its impatience to get to the masses, is experimenting with ultra radical gan is, Deeper into the Unions! Every camat stake.
cilmen. Democratic and Re surest means of assuring paign of general mass agitation must aim to permanent isolaThese maneuvers are now publican, took advantage of the tion from the masses.
deepen and strengthen our influence in the with Bill Morgan unions.
distributed along a vast front. introduction of a reactionary In the Far East the Japanese bill by Republican Abner Sur among the youth whose leaders, apparently, These sentiments are most conspicuous No Room for Two Opinions end of the axis is bringing its pless attack severely Povo consider it fashionable to play a little bit with pressure to bear on the be vich and the unemployed move adventurism and leftist phrasemongering. If Trade union work requires patience, enOnce upon a time, long time ago, there how can they be blamed for trying to make a durance and skill. In very few unions, at preswas a young fellow on his way to visit his living and at the same time justifying their leaguered British imperialists ment.
one put his mind to it he couldn think out a Surpless proposed to divert better way of wasting the energy and courage ent, is it possible to unfold the whole program uncle who lived across the plains and over who now find themselves be?
of the Fourth International. In many unions, the mountains. This young fellow walked and And, if, in the meantime, they hang around ing ousted from their pirate 100. 000 of relief funds for an of our young militants and of guaranteeing investigation of relief. Rally, the eventual reaction of disillusionment and dominated by red baiting bureaucrats, it is walked until he came to a railroad station at the fringes of the movement trying to pick up strongholds by the young upnecessary for revolutionary militants to rethe foot of the mountains and there he saw a disciple or two, discourage one or two start pirates from Tokyo on ing behind this open theft of re: discouragement.
frain from exposing themselves to expulsion a great long train which was about to leave by advertising their political affiliations. Revfor the town where his uncle lived.
ism, well, you understand that they must have and Russia are engaged in a Queens opened an attack on to combine them in such a way that each sery olutionary trade union work, as a rule, in At once he decided to walk no more. He a following or a couple of disciples. After all, new test of strength, a new mu. Popovich who had led the pick arate division serves the others. The modern America, is quiet, mole like, unspectacular.
would ride on the train. So he went to the it is easier to impress a new comer or a tual measuring of forces. In eting of his home. He tried to proletariat is accustomed to act through its To carry on such work unfalteringly: to work ticket agent and purchased a ticket and then in the unions in piece meal fashion for parts he went out on the platform and waited for ship especially where there are people who holding Britain and France at picketers for 150 a month cash these are the trade unions. party which aims of the program while holding fast to the parthe train to get started. He waited and he fly by night brain trust with an ego as big rival from Berlin of the Ger and a weekly allowance of co strong base of support and a leading influence ty, which in its general agitation expounds and waited but still the train did not move. He man ambassador, von Schulen cents for ice. These men don in the unions. That is what the founding condefends the program as a whole to be attenwalked up and down and smoked several as his head tive to the smallest union issues of the day berg. who undoubtedly brings seem to think the unemployed vention of the party a year and a half ago had cigars until he became so impatient that he Fear Judgment of Members without succumbing to opportunism: to encould not wait any longer. Then he walked Hitler latest counter propos have to live.
in mind when it issued the sweeping slogan, trench one self and be in a position to inIt is one thing to take some inexperienced als, masked in the form of a Very Poor Humor up to the front of the train and began to cuss Ninety percent of party work must be direct fluence the whole union when the time for acat the engineer.
young student or worker aside and whisper trade agreement.
Quinn also remarked that he ed to the trade unions.
tion comes these are amog the sternest and all sorts of fantastic stories and spin strange War President understood vich meant son Was this slogan incorrect? Or, has some most important revolutionary tests today. What the hell is the matter with this train?
tales about the movement and it is something Along the Polish frontier Hit cf and wondered why all thing happened in the past eighteen months to Such tasks require courage, persistence and Why don you get under way? How can you else to come out in the open and present their ler is massing millions and in these viches didn go back change the nature of workers organizations expect people to ride on your damn railroad prudence. It is easy to shirk them, or to fail if you stall around like this? What the hell is miserably in their performance. We know ideas and charges where answers are ready the Limes line, facing France, where they came from. This and the workers habit of acting through and waiting. This they know and so they invent Switzerland, Belgium, and the low attempt at humor at the them? Not at all. But the impatience of some wrong with you? What are you waiting for?
such cases, and the super radicalism of the reasons for being inactive, for remaining out Netherlands, he is parading the expense of the unemployed who comrades for action is leading them to flirt Waiting for? asked the engineer, Why delinquents is poor consolation to the party side the party. Answers which sometimes outward signs of his strength.
must live under conditions of with the most grotesque ideas in this respect, which needs influence and support in the we were waiting for you to get on board the sound good over a cup of coffee but which in Washington sits Roosevelt, extreme misery in the richest ideas which they may consider new but unions more than it needs anything else. It is train!
could before the membershi paying out billions for this city in the world provoked which in reality as old as the Marxist easy to fight one way ut of a union by 111No Time to Be Active Inside the party, where every comrade has country war machine and bughter from the wellspendared strugele asainst anarchist adventurism, considered tactics, and still easier to talk It is an old story and you have heard it We unions one way out. But what the party needs is and to have his opinions considered by the in Europe. If war comes, his in City Hall, are too slow in responding and that we must militants who know how to dig deep into the before. But it always reminds me of the imBut their laughter was a membership, where the workers forge their coy silence about a third term go direct to the masses. The masses, it seems, patient people who cannot find time to become unions and stay there, gather a circle of symactive in the revolutionary movement and ideas into clean sharp weapons for the fight will come sharply to an end, their own expense for the are something entirely outside the unions with pathizers and supporters about them, and who are always so very critical of the party against reaction and slavery. these cowards for has cut himself out had demonstrated that their seven million or so members. The transmute their personal influence into party have no place. They fear the honest judgment the role of next war president. mass labor action can effec masses are presumably only waiting to hear support in the trade union movement.
unless the party happens to be engaged in a of serious revolutionists who are quick to rec It is in preparation for that role tively wipe the sneers from the from us, and are ready to act without the The party convention should emphasize this campaign which these people happen to think ognize fakery and personal ambition.
is a good idea at the time.
that he is jettisoning the job foces of these politicians. formality of organization. Even the Ohio necessity once again. There is no room for The party makes mistakes, it sometimes less and making terms with his They are always trying to find some reason Michigan District Committee of the party, two opinions on this question.
for not actually engaging in the necessary hesitates and it sometimes jumps ahead of bosses, the Morgans and Du Join the Socialist work of the party and at the same time they the general development. That is only to be ponts and Rockefellers, for the Workers Party proof that both sets of misleadheritage left to them by the cannot understand at least they claim they expected. The party is made up of human be next steps of his War Deal.
ers are guilty as hell on all union wreckers. It is up to them, cannot understand why the party doesn do ings and is bound to make errors but the point to be remembered is that the party can succounts of conspiring with the now to elaborate in the conthis and doesn do that, etc. etc.
shipowners, violation of the crete the program they have When pressed they swear great oaths of ceed only by trying and by making every posunion constitution and financial claimed as their own. Without sible effect to achieve its aim. If the party loyalty to the working class and to the revomismanagement. This guilt is giving any comfort to the redlutionary movement. But as to doing anymade no mistakes it would make no gains.
sufficient to read both gangs baiters, they must put the union thing well, you see they cannot agree with Only by constant activity and consistent efout of the labor movement for back on its feet and win over fort will it succeed in showing the workers this phase of the work or they cannot underail time. However it is equally to their side the misled followthe way to victory.
stand just what is holding back the outbreak significant that both gangs ers of the by a program of of social upheaval.
In the party, taking their places side by (Continued from Page 1) in Curran goon squad expedi carefully avoid the worst side with the honest and serious revolutionmilitancy that is in line with are ready and willing, you understand.
In the Gulf district, most tion to the Gulf where, at pres crimes of both. The consistent (Continued from Page 1) the but until the party comes around to their final victory of socialism over capitalism. powerful against the shipown. enthe faces all charges for betrayal to Maritime Commis. uation members who were in six hour day and of large scale point of view on this question or that there Outside the party they can only criticize anders and least dominated by the seeing a seaman with a base. ston sea slavery receives not tent on returning the union to slum clearance projects can be can be no cooperation. The working class and find little faults which in the long run mean CP. wrecking crew, revolt is ball bat. The affairs of the en ore word in the thousands its membership regardless of come powerful means of rehab the party will just have to see things their nothing.
The snipers and tregotistica generals in full swing. The June 12 joint lire union are reduced to a poured out by the rival organs. politican seriations ilitating the union. The innerway or it no go. In the meantime, they go Partial reports from the Gulf The Stalinists may have some union structure will no doubt about their own little businesses and ease without armies and the super wise guys will meeting in New Orleans unani series of gutter brawls.
Both Guilty indicate a similar willful blind satisfaction in the fact that by undergo the democratic retheir little minds with small nothings.
one day have to answer to the workers for Imously endorsed recommendaThese events and this disness to the life or death issue their special conniving. they forms rotation system of job Revolutionary? Indeed! They are to the their failure to lend a hand when a hand was tions from the Gulf District needed.
Committee which actually cre graceful state of affairs are a facing the maritime workers managed to obtain the defeat assignment, secret ballot on left of the party, you understand. Some of them have even left the movement on the It all those who are waiting for the train etes an autonomous unit of the direct consequence of the joint and the maritime unions on all of Dennis Cronin, running for taxes and assessments, election union that area. Included King Curran misleadership of coasts.
would only realize that the train may be wait.
business agent of local on the of all officers, etc. that the grounds that the movement was too far to the The Only Course progressive ticket, who was one progressives have stood for right on this question or that. Are they left ing for them perhaps we would be on our were decisions to publish an in the union which has cooperated The continued existence of Educational of the founders of the Painters from the first.
indeed. In fact they are so far to the left way but you may rest assured that when dependent paper and to sell 100 in sabotaging crew millSociety. and that they cannot find a place in the revoluthe train is ready to start it is not going to inated paper) to the Junk and ner union democracy. drown the maritime unions, depends emong the most intransigent An article by Nathan Le.
tionary party and have not the patience to the birds who stood around refusing to emrag man at twenty cents a hun ing the tanker strike in hot oil, on consistent, uncompromising leaders of the opposition. But wait until the party and the working class can an end, worst of all, chaining the organized war against the sea that is a short lived satisfacvine on Mrs. Rubens recatch up with them.
lease from a Soviet jail and bark unless they were given personal priv. dred pounds. to call ileges.
Agents conference for the seamen to the fink hall sea slavery program of the govern tion. For their sun in the Painther interview with American Of course, if after purpose of consolidating the slavery program of the ment and against all its agents ers Union has set. The mathree or four months siderable time say suddenly blossom newspapermen will appear Gull into one compact body. Government Maritime Com in maritime union ranks. The chine rule has been broken. In in the next issue of the Soout in support of the war or in agreement with They tell this story in Germany, which con granting powers to appoint or mission. Now that the reaction course, the only course, for all the future, painters will know cialist Appeal.
some bureaucrat in the trade unions, well, cerns a rabbit which was found trying to es ganizers and to remove officers ary King clique have fallen out seamen on all coasts is fight how to accord their right places after all, you can say they didn warn the cape across the German border. What the without the sanction of New with the reactionary Curran ing unity with their brothers. to the militants who have been workers to hurry up and catch up with their idea, he was asked. Hitler has just intro York, and finally, to retain all communist Party clique over a who take a clear uncompromis. in the forefront of the struggle At Your Service ideas and theories when the catching up was duced a law banning all giraffes, said the funds collected in the Gulf for division of their joint plunder ing stand against the fink hall, for them.
good rabbit. But. Yes. know, said the Gulf organization.
from the seamen both sides are fink training, union smashing The job of the progressives is THE APPEAL 17 the working class and the party did not rabbit, but just try to tell that guy that m! It was the drastic nature of exposing each other.
program of the Government tremendous. They have a take their advice when they offered it, well, not a giraffe.
the Gulf revolt which resulted The cross fire gives complete and its Curran King stooges. frightful mess to clean up the POSTER SHOP Revolt Growing in Against Rotten Leadership PAINTERS DEAL BLOW TO MACHINE They