SOCIALIST APPEAL TUESDAY, JULY 4, 1939 New Testimony Damning Stalin Policy of Rule or Ruin in Spain IN THIS CORNER Telephone: Algonquin 8541 FELIX MORROW JOSEPH HANSEN EMANUEL GARRETT Members: SHEMALE Danger Signal What They Say Striking a Balance of Labor told a Moscow conference of prosecutors that SOCIALIST APPEAL people had been arrested recklessly, that the Vol. III, No. 47 July 4, 1939 period of investigation had been dragged out impermissably and that suspects had been Published twice a week by the SOCIALIST APPEAL, PUBLISHING ASSN. kept for lengthy periods in jail and jail in the at 116 University Place, New York, NY.
Soviet Union of Stalin means endless weeks and months and years of moral and physical Irving Pflaum, United Press Correspondent, Adds His Subscriptions: 00 per year: 00 for six months. For torture.
Testimony to that Already Given by Krivitsky and Araolgn. 00 per year, 50 for six months. Bundle orders centa per copy in the United States: cente per copy in Russia faces the present war crisis in a posiall foreign countries. Single copies: centa.
quistain on Stalin Sabotage of the Loyalist Struggle By Max Shachtman Bronx and Manhattan subscriptions are: 60 for mix tion that is strong only in the most superficial months: 00 for one year. Reentered as second class matter February 16, 1939, at sense. The corrosive force generated by Stalin By RAY ROBBINS Siruggle in order to further lice regime of its communist June marks an anniversary that should not be the post office at New York, under the act of March has eaten deeply into the most vital organs of The rule and ruin Stalinist their factional interests. commissars. More than twopassed by without mention, Ten years ago apthirds of the most ardent and the country. Its effects will become visible when policy in Spain, most recently 1AKE CONTROL BY peared the first number of the Bulletin of the Opself sacrificing fighting men, position (Byuletin Oppositsye. the first regularly Editor: MAX SHACHTMAN the strain of war is placed upon it. Only by cut exposed in the revelations of BLACKMAIL AND THREATS On three occasions during being communist, were insufficiently supplied their printed organ of the Russian Bolshevik Leninists.
ting the Stalinist cancer from itself will the General Krivitsky and Luis ArAssociate Editors: and in Leon Trotsky, Natalia Ivanovna Sedov and their HAROLD ROBERTS his incumbency, he (Caballero)
Russian working class be able to emerge victori aquistain is once again con said, it would have been poseffect demobilized son Leon had been banished from the Soviet Union assistance was most needed.
by the a few months earlier, in January ously from the momentous conflicts that lie idence presented by Irving Sible to strike decisively, perMore and more Spaniards ahead.
1929, and had taken up residence in Istambul, haps to defeat Franco. at Pflaum United Press corres: Guadalajara. Pozoblanco, and wins: it tyranny or both say, What difference whe Turkey. Stalin decree banishing the organizer and the sword of the October Revolution was perFIGHT WITH THE SOCIALIST lines throughout the civil war. flow of munitions stopped in sides.
haps the greatest single mistake made by the WORKERS PARTY FOR: Mr. Pilaum, writing in the time to save Franco.
POPULAR FRONT Kremlin autocrat his self assigned task of inMay issue of the American POLITICIANS CONVICTED terring the world revolution. Despite the natural Job and decent living for every worker.
Mercury, tells how Stalin used Caballero says that he was When Franco reached the restrictions imposed upon a political exile in Tursea, in March 1938, Prieto, still Open the Idle factories perate them under the threat of discontinuing told by the stalinists that the key. Trotsky release from house detention in Here is a danger signal to us and to the arms shipments to the bearms shipments had held Minister of Defense, told me. the wilderness of Alma Ata, where he had been workers control.
labor movement as a whole.
leaguered Spanish workers as up by the Non Intervention Pflaum relates. It not mu confined for about a year since his expulsion from Twenty Billion dollar Federal publle works cross section of workers and political blackmail. At first. But believe. Pflaum reports nitions so much as cojones the Russian Communist party, afforded him his and housing program.
direct reliei recipients were asked by the Gallup Stalin hesitated to send muni him as saying the prolongaguts. The men don want to first real opportunity to establish contact with the tions to Spain. He wasn suretion of the war was deliberate.
international movement. Thirdy thirty! 80 weekly minimum wage 36 hour weekly maximum for all workers on poll: Do you think you would be better off that such an action would not Arms were held back until com sieht as they did in the early or worse off if there were a Republican adinterfere with his maneuvers munist control was assured.
all Jobs the Stalinist blight had passed Rearming the Movement on the diplomatic front with As a result of such ruthless over the army. the Spanish ministration in the White House? Thirty dollar weekly old age and disability clearing away sabotaging and blackmail tac workers would have to have mass of misrepresentation Britain and France. This cal democratic and falsehood spread by the Stalinist machine penslon.
Better off, said 24. while another 32 said culated period of hesitation, tics. Stalin been made of superhuman maabout the Bolshevik opposition in the Soviet Union during which Stalin sacrificed bloodhounds were soon in con. terial not to lose heart and wav8. Expropriate the Sixty Families.
it would make no difference. In other words, a the Spanish workers to the ex trol of Loyalist Spain. Terror er.
was the first job to be tackled and nothing in our An war funds to the unemployed.
decisive majority of the unemployed who igencies of collective securi scainst all opponents, especial. The rout of the last days of time has more closely resembled Hercules taks of cleansing the Augean stables. Inseparably con. people referendum on any and all wars. overwhelmingly voted for Roosevelt in 1932 ty covered four months, cruciai period for the whole tionists. destruction of all the fectly clear. The withdrawal of international communist movement with the prinnected with this job went the one of re arming the Ne secret diplomacy.
and 1936 have lost faith in him.
outcome of the war, Bains made by the workers and the Loyalist army from Barce10. An independent Laber Party.
The Gallup poll sampling confirms the trend SENDS ARMS peasants toward socialist conciples and traditions of Marx and Lenin, which the Moscow machine had ridiculed, discredited trol, emasculation of the army lona, handing the city with its 11. Workers Defense Guards against vigilante already evidenced in the 1938 elections. Millions AT HIGH PRICE and then solemnly banned as heresy.
and Fasolst attacks.
upon millions of workers, especially the unenFinally, Stalin decided to by the it cabal these foodstuffs to the fascists withThe accomplishment of these tasks would not ployed who constitute, with their families, 23 back the Spanish struggle, and of the Stalinist agents once stands as a condemnation of out the slightest real resistance, have been impossible without the Bulletin of the millions are turning in despair away from the began to ship arms: making they were firmly in power.
Opposition, but it would have been infinitely hardStalinism.
er than it was New Deal. And the only alternative to the status Spanish gold and paid well in In the face of the Stalinist The article by Pflaum is measures, the inevitable effect aimed solely at the Stalinists, Up to the time it began publication, the only quo that they see is the Republican party of advance.
material we could rely upon to give us a true picSomebody said a few days ago that democ.
ture of the situation in the Soviet Union and the Hoover, and they vote for it in their blind des An ironical letter sent by on the workers was demoraliza hut it indirectly convicts the Caballero, while still Premier, tion. Pflaum tells the heart cowardly policy of the various program of the Bolshevik Opposition whet ap.
racy and peace are the two most abused peration. Anything, anything, except what they to a friend, is quoted by breaking story of the last days Popular Front politicians. Why peared in the Stalinist press could of course not words in the English language. In this country already have that is the psychology of desbe relied on at all, then as now was contained in use Stalin made of the vital of both civilians and soldiers lero and Co. preserve complete the episodic scraps which Trotsky or other com 20 million starving people are asked to get along perate tens of millions. And not a few of them arms shipments.
silence when what they might rades managed to smuggle out of the Soviet Union.
on the fruits of democracy but nobody knows turn also to the fascist demagogues who lavish We would be ungrateful. General apathy took the have said would have been of From June 1929 onward, we and speak here place of the revolutionary better than those 20 millions that there is no Caballero says, and unobligthe greatest importance in the ly promise everybody everything.
primarily about our own terribly isolated moveing to those who sell us arms zeal evidenced in the earlier military struggle? Their exThe Gallup poll is a danger signal. It means nourishment in that fruit. Our masters give us ment of those days had at our disposal not oniy arms which are paid for in period. The draft displaced treme eagerness to talk now, a dependable source of information, but a politithe democratic right to go hungry and then to that, by servilely supporting the Roosevelt ad cold, cash on the line, and the volunteer system. The when the Spanish workers are cal theoretical organ which measured up to the ministration, the official labor movement is not die or be maimed on the battlefields they will which they use even for black kind of fighting force that had finally defeated, is a two edged highest standards of the great literature of Marx trained mail, removing and installing defeated Franco weapon. Their mutual accusalifting a finger to prevent the masses from turnsend us to in the name of peace. All over the ism. Even nowadays we await each issue with imministries at their pleasure. troops and their foreign rein tions. angry and frenzied.
patience, and just as impatiently the translation world billions are being poured into ships, guns, ing to the Republicans and the fascists, Caballero. Pflaum also re forcements now gave way to sound more and more like the of the important articles, which usually means Only smug scoundrels like the Stalinists will ports, accused the Stalin gang a sullen, disciplined. and and airplanes for the purposes of peace.
falling out of thieves, each one virtually the full contents of the number.
blame these millions of workers for turning to of withholding munitions at de Roosevelt is for peace Hitler is for peace continually more spiritless eager to cover himself by uncisive points in the militaryl army, chafing under the po loading on the others. Trotsky Contributions. the Japanese generals are for peace. the Republicans and fascists. These workers are In the mouths of the rulers and their chorus not to blame. The blame is on the labor leaders It is almost an iron law of the movement, as we have observed it in the last decade, that every of chattering monkeys, preachers, ladies clubs, who offer them no real alternative.
backslider and turncoat from Marxism who is rotarians, columnists, radio abandoning its revolutionary principles, or even commentators, Either the labor movement will undertake the those shreds to which he was once attached, covnewspaper editors, labor fakers, Stalinists, so responsibility for defending the interests of the ers his retreat by squeaky denunciation of Trotcalled socialists, these words become foul poito sons, poured down the gullets tional or more of the same. Anyone acquainted the people.
jobs and relief, and that means fighting against So long as we follow them, there shall be for the relief slashing Roosevelt administration or with the early years of our international movement, back in the days of Marx and Engels, will the millions of us no democracy, no peace.
the masses will succumb to the demagogy of the With the dust of the Minnea to a support of the Democratic either the Communist Party or easily identify this refrain, if only the names in But we of the Socialist Workers Party have Republicans and fascists, polis municipal campaign still Party. It is this one factor. Martin Dies can pretend that the latter day revisionist lament are changed from settling on one of the most more than any other, that ex the Stalinists are reds. They re Marx to Trotsky a way of meaning exactly what we say. When heartening manifestations of plains the enthusiasm and the rot, they are war mongers and The most merciful thing that can be said about independent labor political ac success of labor political supporters of anti. working these critics is that they are guilty of the crime tion of recent years, and with comeback as contrasted to the class politics in every country of ignorance. They know nothing about the actual the.
the labor movement of this Farmer Labor debacle of last of the world.
We re fighting for a society in which the great functioning of our movement. Those of us who do.
state still buzzing with talk of all, when the Benson machine Eide, labor mayoralty understand how absurd is the accusation more masses of the people shall be free to thrive, to The New York State Legislature is in special he phenomenal showing of the sot snowed under when they candidate, bluntly rejected the accurately, this pretext for retreat. We who have it is appropriate to tried to sell the workers and Communist Party by stating in session at Albany as a result of the court decigrow, to flourish in minds and bodies amid the been eager to learn and fight in the revolutionary make an estimate of the politi farmers of Minnesota the tat an open letter that have not struggle, not only at high tide but also at low, plenty provided by the conquered material re sion that declared unconstitutional the so called cal struggle through which the tered remnants of the Roose sought and do not wish any Minneapolis unions have come. velt party. The 1938 elections support or indorsement from know how to appraise justly the invaluable and sources of the earth.
lump sum economy budget which slashed unique contribution Trotsky has made in enrichBriefly, the balance sheet of nationally and every political the Communist Party. wish to ing the arsenal of the living movement. And unWhen we speak oi peace we mean peace, not 700. 000 from funds for state aid to schools. the campaign reads as follows: development since then indi seek the support of all groups like the shamefaced friends of the revolution, Many Pluses an armed truce. We mean a peace solidly escates that the New Deal with who are sincerely interested in With an ear cocked to the great clamor of prowhose much touted independence of thought is The platform adopted by its war mongering and relief the improvement of the worktablished by the very absence of the causes of conceived by them as Hcense for fluttering around test that has arisen over this attempt to make the April trade union and slashing is losing the support of ing conditions and living stan capitalist war. The war that menaces us all is in a thickening daze, we are proud to proclaim Farmer Labor conference, the che masses.
cards of all people who must economies by taking them out of the hides and ourselves followers of Leon Trotsky platform upon which the labor Trade Unions Lead not caused by this or that evil Fascist dictator labor for a living.
The Bulletin of the Opposition has played a treminds of the state children, the Democrats are candidates ran, marked a For the first time in many carefully distinguishing bebut by the terrific conflict between rival capitalmeasurable advance over all mendous role in the trade unio led and tween the aims of the Commun crystallizing litical ists striving for markets, for labor to exploit, making a big play of fighting for restoration ideas and in the solidifying of our movement Farmer Labor platforms of re ontrolled the campaign ist Party and the aims of orfor more profits, more wealth, wrung out of the throughout the world, the movement which our of the school cuts.
cent years. It spoke out for a shrough their members on the Ganized labor. Eide said, enemies are pleased to call It is a name we readdefense of popular civil liber Volunteer Trade Union and wish to point out that the prinbacks and bones of more people. By crushing Taking every possible opportunity to place ties and for a defense of Farmer Labor Campaign Com ciples and purposes of the Comily accept. Trotskyist.
capitalism and establishing a free socialist comresponsibility for the cuts solely at the door of cific working class rights: The nittee. The Farmer Laborites munist Party do not coincide monwealth of nations we shall abolish war and Salute to Leon Sedoy rights of labor to organize, bar on the committee, composed with a progressive and congain collectively, picket, strike mostly of Stalinists, contributed structive platform such as am No comment the Republican majority, Gov. Lehman and Mis establish a real peace.
the Bulletin can end without a mention of the comrade who was its effective tellow democrats have introduced bills for res.
and strive for better living and nothing whatsoever to the cam campaigning on.
It is to this struggle that the Socialist Workworking conditions. It op. paign, indeed they proved a Try to Knife Slate director from the very beginning, the late Leon True to their yellow record, Sedov. Soon after his banishment to Turkey, he torations of the school money and have referred posed the sales tax for the right definite handicap. It was the ers Party dedicates itself. These are the probreason, that such tax is a union committee headed by the Communist Party threw a left for Berlin, where the Bulletin was launched.
lems that lie behind the organizational problems protesting delegations to the Republicans.
burden on the people least able Seavey and Oge that raised the knife into the labor slate in the Although he lived under difficult political condiwith which our convention, in session over this tions. Lyova succeeded in editing and manag.
But Lehman and his friends are putting up to pay. It advocated a munic finances from the local unions, closing days of the campaign ing (and contributing to the Bulletin until early week end, has been wrestling. And our words ipal public works and housing opened the union headquarters by distributing a foul leaflet in nothing more than a sham battle. The Legisla program to take care of all per various wards and carried the reactionary wards of the in 1933 advent of the Hitler regime meant the mean what they say. We re democrats and end of the German publication of the review. The we re for peace, but we re not for the phoney ture is going methodically through the budget, sons now residing in homes uns en and directed the fight for city, attributing New Deal sen Such the timents to Eide and otherwise Nazis banned it, forcing young Sedov to flee to changing its form to comply with constitutional a program would have to build The Farmer Labor ward distorting the union campaign. dentocracy of the bosses and we re not for the Paris, where publication of the Bulletin was rerequirements and carrying over into it, of Mecent homes for at least elev. clubs, completely gutted bygge the minds of tens of thousands sumed kind of peace that ends up in a new boss war.
course, the economies made at the expense of en thousand persons now living disastrous defeat Those who had the privilege of knowing this Hail the convention of the Socialist Workers in squalid quarters.
the schools. As a number of Albany corresponplayed no role of workers, and Eide, after the magnificent young revolutionist could learn from The platform declared for ad The trade union committees campaign, called them on it.
Party and To work!
his conduct what a model militant should be. His cents have sagely pointed out, the Democrats, quate relief, opposed the con set up in the various wards did At the last minute the old devotion was tireless and profound. His political development he died at the age of 32 was reif they really wanted to make any kind of fight centration camp system advoyeomen work for the labor blundering tool of reaction, the markably rapid and solid. He knew in what profor the schools, would be presenting alternate taeir boss parties. It opposed campaign apparatus that must propaganda sheets throughout portions to mix boldness, courage and prudence, sources of revenue out of the pockets of those all attempts to return the cost be developed in all future labor the most conservative wards even though he never tended to lay emphasis on the last named. Despite surveillance by the who can well afford it in order to make up the of relief back to the states and campaigns, in Minneapolis and and church areas, intensely Every once in a while now the world is given and the bourgeois police, he knew his job, necessary sums. But of this there is no sign is an attempt by large income ly encouraging to note that teenth Wards, seeking to give knew how to accomplish it, and did accomplish it.
a glimpse into the dark depths of the purge The bosses don see any point any more in tax payers to. shift the re. these trade union committees the impression their cause It was not only the Bulletin of the Opposition that with which Stalin lashed millions in Russia lier burden to the backs of the have not disbanded since the would be helped by the election owed its existence to Leon Sedov.
pouring money into a school system that doesn during the past few years.
We evaluated him in life less keenly, alas, than pay them dividends. You don need to educate home owners and the small election, but are being organ of Eide. This door to door When Laurent Beria succeeded the unlaized on a permanent basis in work by the Communist pamdid the We did not realize in time how cannon fodder. You ve simply got to push them Almost all of the demands the three wards where they phlet peddlers occurred at the determined Stalin hatchet men were to rid their mented Yezhov. now a victim of his own brusame time as my opponent boss of Leon and his works. Only later we learned in front of the cannon. Education was a luxury contained in the April plat nourished Spurned Communist Party last minute city wide distributal regime it was publicly admitted that thouof the special attention the had devoted to that the bosses allowed themselves when the form were progressive as far If the labor siate silently tion of propaganda sheets took sands of workers had been falsely charged, the young militant for a long time before his falsely imprisoned, falsely tortured, and wangoing was good. It was a luxury, like bene ery Instance they could and rejected the New Deal, along place, all aimed to discredit me death. Only later was it revealed that he had been fits for the workers. But the time for luxuries should have been carried fur with the party of Stassen and without giving me an oppor! Shadowed daily and almost assassinated one day tonly put to death in the lungeons of Stalin is slipping past the bosses. The squeeze is get form from the viewpoint of the only lashed out at the Com lack of time.
criticism of the plat Lardon, it publicly and vigor tunity to answer because of at a rendezvous which, by happy accident, did not materialize. Now that Andrei Vishinsky, Stalin ting harder. They rip away the meager bene Socialist Workers Party was is. munist Party. And it didn do The enemies of the liberal Leon died in mysterious circumstances. But prosecutor in chiei, has been kicked upstairs on fits they used to throw like scraps to the work sued during the campaign, and any clownish red baiting it and progressive movement who not so mysterious that the hand of the Kremlin his way to the oblivion from which no Stalin butcher is not evident.
ers and they are cutting down on schools for will be given in the next article. called the Stalinists for what have been boring from within cool ever returns, more of the filth is rising to The most refreshing aspect they are, the most reactionary have been forced to show their His death was a stiff blow to his parents, a blow the workers children. The Tweedledee Leh of the platform and of the en force in the labor movement to toue colors and now we stand to the Bulletin, a great blow to our international the surface.
movement. On the tenth anniversary of the Buller tin we salute the shining memory of the intrepia serve the same bosses. That why Lehman none of the candidates tried to The day has passed in Minne. cry corner of Minnesota, said his post campaign revolutionist whose name will always be associsky successor, a gentleman named Pankratyeff, battle for the schools is only a sham battles olders and turn the workers backwardeverywhere in the world, where statement. is ated with 11 Leon Sedov.
we speak of deniocracy, we mean democracy: Education Be Damned our Stalin Russia The New York Times reports that Vishin serve and the Tweedledum Republicans both three labor campaign was that day.