SOCIALIST APPEAL TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1939 The Fourth International Leads the Fight Against War AUSTRALIA The Fourth International in Action Thousands of These Were Distributed to Protest correct. The organizations of the Fouren intere Frank Watson Conviction crew Appeal Issued by Comrades Teils Workers: The Enemy In other columns of the Appeal we are printing the story of the arrest and conviction of Frank Watson, Canadian anti war militant, and the activity launched around this Is in Your Own Country case by the Canadian section of the Fourth International. But Canada is not alone in giving proof of the vitality o four movement as the only international organization upWe are in the shadow of the new imperialist holding the banner of Lenin, Liebknecht, and Luxemburg in the uncompromising strugslaughter. As in 1914 we are asked to defend gle to oppose imperialist war.
democracy, to resist aggression, to defendBelow we reprint manifestoes published by our comrades in France and in Australia not poor little Belglum but heroic Poland, and upon the outbreak of war.
behind the speeches is the same grim mockFrom all sections of the world communications are pouring in indicating that in ery: the imperialists of Britain and France are this hour of crisis the groups of the World Pary of the Proletarian revolution are acting as one. These incipient actions augur well for the fight to create a world socialist federaabout to fight, not for the defense of a sacred tion, which is the only realistic solution to the holocaust that has been unleashed by the cause but to preserve the loot of centuries, decay of the capitalist empires.
gathered together in Asia, Africa and India.
In succeeding issues the Appeal will carry news from the Third Front the front German fascsim fights not for honor, or for of the Fourth International as a regular feature.
living room, but for its share of imperialist plunder. Hitler is your enemy. YES. So are ENGLAND The Stalinists are losing ground rapidly, Chamberlain, Daladier, Menzies, and all their Their fellow travelers, the Duchesses, etc.
left them high and dry when they found that Workers of Germany and Italy are your Despite the Restrictions Stalin had betrayed the British Empire They are still demanding. although in a the cause of the war is in the will of the Ger Imposed by War Time Rule, shamefaced manner, a pact with Russia. For man people to dominate Europe. le. The Revolutionists Carry On the rest they demand a more vigorous milltary policy and a new People Government. tions is the desperate greed that is prepared LONDON, October The party office at Red whatever that means. But their days are num.
to countenance the slaughter of millions to Lion Court is now closed.
bered. The Daily Worker is reduced to half its safeguard profits, dividends and markets.
The organization functioned very well durformer size and we have received reliable in Workers of Germany and of Italy desire a war ing the crisis period. Thousands of leaflets formation that some of their local organizers no more than you do.
have not been paid for several weeks. It looks were distributed and bill posted. special isas if the well has run dry.
sue of the Militant was brought out. Many As in 1914 the workers of the world are flow. The government is permitting the Moseley ing to the trenches, caught up in the wave of meetings have been held.
Fascists to conduct a demagogic campaign hysterical propaganda that disguises the im In many areas the Militant Labour League against the war which they say is for the benebranches demanded and obtained special perialist real aims, but in the horror and de fit of the Jews.
struction of this war the masses in the meetings of their local Labour parties and reThe Militant Labour League is concentrat trenches will be forced to recognise their real ceived considerable support for their uncom enemies far more clearly and quickly than promising line of revolutionary struggle ing on the tasks of endeavoring to keep the against war.
workers organizations functioning. on de.
in 1914 1918 The ILP and the Scottish Socialist Party a mands for the maintenance of our democratic The so called Labor Parties, as in 1914, aidrights and on economic issues centrist organization affiliated to the Labour ed now by the corruption of Stalinism, have assisted the capitalist war mongers by even Party have declared against the war offlmore hysterical demands for war, but the cially, although their parliamentary represen.
GERMANY iatives continue to act in the role of a pacifist issue now les nakedly clear. Millions of workers have believed that in a world war in which left wing of the capitalist politicians. Which the Soviet Union was engaged they could pro is about what can be expected of the centrists Letter from Our German in critical times.
tect her by siding with her imperialist allies.
Stalin deliberale alliance with the fascist the masses are already opposed to the war, it Sees Liberation Ahead While it would be untrue as yet to say that Comrades in Copenhagen leaves opposed two camps, imperialists and can be stated quite accurately that there is fascists, one as vile as the other.
not the slightest enthusiasm among them for In 1926 in the midst of the slaughter the rev.
Dear Comrades: the war. Nor has there been any sign of flag olutionary groups assembled at Zimmerwald.
waving. It is still possible to put forward an We take this occasion to send fraternal appealed to the workers through the hysterical greetings to our American comrades and opposition viewpoint without causing a riut.
imperialists propaganda to end war by revo Among the working population there are through them to all the comrades of the Fourth lution. We issue that appeal now. Revolution.
considerable grievances already. Food prices International from the midst of a Europe em aries are pitifully small in numbers: so were are rising. unemployment is going up with broiled in war.
the Bolsheviks in 1914. We stand alone, sepleaps and bounds as a result of the dislocation Comrades, we realize full well that the outarated from the so called Socialists by our of economy. Many families are reduced to break of the second world war constitutes a Marxist principles. More and more clearly will penury because their wage earners have been terrible defeat for the international working the starving masses, made desperate by hun.
called up. These deep grievances are accen.
class and that the conclusion of the pact ger and slaughter, recognise at the critica!
tuated by the various restrictions which have between the Soviet Union and Hitler will have hour the FOURTH INTERNATIONAL as their been imposed on movement, recreation and a deep going depressive effect upon the profriends and leaders.
normal pleasures.
letariat. But we believe, on the other hand, As was to be expected. the labor movement We work steadily towards our revolutionary and can already observe in practise today that goal. Through the hysteria of the declaration is being turned into a part of the war machine.
the destruction of the 1llusions regarding the of war, we issue our appeal to the workers The nauseating speeches of the labor leaders revolutionary regime in the USSR has made to end the insensate slaughter of capitalism in in Parliament are known from accounts in the the best sections of the labor movement more its death agony. To replace it by a socialist general press. Many of the local organizations easily accessible to our ideas and principles.
order that will end war, not for a brief twenty have ceased to meet and apparently intend to The counter revolutionary policies of Stalin, years, but for ever.
stop functioning for the duration of the war.
which we had already pointed out in Spain, The Labour Party Executive is making ar has now become manifest and indisputable.
FOR THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL!
rangements for local parties to cooperate with We have no illusions that the reaction of the FOR THE WORLD SOCIALIST REVOLU the Ministry of Information.
workers to the pact has as yet a consciously revolutionary character, and that it is deterTION!
It is social patriotism naked and unashamed.
mined on the one hand by instinctive rejection of an alliance with the hangmen of the German working class and on the other hand by democratic and national illusions which have been nurtured these last few years precisely by Stalinism and its people front.
Once again the prognoses and the principles of the Fourth International have proved to be national are the only ones upholding the banner of internationalism and of the revolutionary struggle against war and imperialism at the outset of this second world war which the The following is a copy of a leaflet issued by the Canadian present generation experiences.
section of the Fourth International protesting the conviction of In the last few weeks before the outbreak of Frank Watson. Under the circumstances of war time dictatorwar and a week after its outbreak we had dl ship, the issuance of any kind of revolutionary literature involves rect communications from the comrades in the severest difficulties. That our Canadian comrades were able Germany and we shall send you detailed to publish this leaflet and distribute it in thousands of copies.
report regarding them at the next opportunity. indicates that the fight against war will be pressed by our comEven in fascist Germany the Fourth Interna rades despite the severest restrictions. And further, that the tional has considerable nuclei, which in a giv banner of revolution is still flying in Canada and will continue to en situation can form the central body of a fly there so long as a single Fourth Internationalist is left free revolutionary leadership. Six years of fascism by the war lords.
have not been able to Nazify the broad layers of the German working class. Betrayed by the On Sept. 15, Frank Watson, a young English Canadian worker great labor parties, suppressed by fascist terwas arrested after speaking to a sympathetic audience at an ror, the German working class cannot as yet open air meeting in Toronto. On Sept. 21 he was convicted of offer active resistance to fascism but making statements likely to prejudice recruiting of His Majconfines itself to passive struggle. Nevertheesty Forces. On Sept. 28 he was given the vicious sentence less even today the workers constitute the central force of the deep going defeatists sentiof months imprisonment plus another months or 300 fine.
ment in the ranks of the people. It awaits the The chief witness against Watson was an individual who liberation from the Nazi yoke by a defeat in admitted being an ex recruiting officers and who delivered the war, but at the same time is alert to the a fascist harangue in the court room. Magistrate Browne, threat of imperialist invasion and of a new who summarily convicted and sentenced Watson, is a Tory.
and more acute Versailles.
an ex policeman without legal training, a notorious labor We beg you to communicate our sentiments hater. The War Measures Act, under which Watson was con to the international organization and to remit victed, had not been seen by anyone in the court except the our warmest fraternal greeting to comrade Crown Prosecutor and has not yet been published!
Leon Trotsky. His name is of immense signifi cance to the European working class today. WHAT DID WATSON SAY? THE TRUTH! He was sent to jail for pointing out that the Canadian Government could find a hundred million dollars to employ men at 30 a day to go FRANCE over and stop bullets but it had not found any money to help the single unemployed before the war. Watson said what the masses of this country know to be the truth that the war in Manifesto to French Workers Europe is an imperialist war, with the arch reactionary Hitler on one side, backed at the moment by the treacherous Stalin Calls for a Socialist regime, and with the imperialist governments of Chamberlain and Daladier on the other. Watson declared that the workers United States of Europe of Canada had nothing to gain by fighting and dying in such a war.
Barbarism and the totalitarian regime are triumphant in both camps. Are the workers The Canadian Fourth Internationalists support these going to participate in diplomatic disputes to views. They will continue to denounce the imperialist war discover who is or who is not the only re despite police terror. They call upon all who wish to regain sponsible party. democratic rights in this country, to join with them in de THOSE REALLY RESPONSIBLE ARE manding the repeal of dictatorial War Measures Act and THE CAPITALISTS OF ALL COUNTRIES, protesting the conviction of Frank Watson.
whose regime is bringing us to the precipice Under the plea of fighting fascism and saving democracy of all civilization.
abroad, the War Measures Act is bringing fascism and ending Responsible is German imperialism and its democracy at home.
fascist regime.
Responsible is Anglo French imperialism Trade unionists, members of CCF, CP and other workers and their so called democracy parties, introduc eresolutions of protest in your branches: Workers, are you going to risk your skins DEMAND RELEASE OF FRANK WATSON so that domination of finance capital may REPEAL THE WAR MEASURES ACT.
triumph again all over the world?
AGAINST FASCISM AT HOME AS WELL AS ABROAD.
In the hour in which capitalism identifies itself with ruin, oppression, barbarism, and RESTORE FREEDOM OF SPEECH, PRESS AND AS fascism, SEMBLY WORKERS OF FRANCE. remember the Issued by CANADIAN SECTION words of Liebknecht: of the FOURTH INTERNATIONAL The enemy is in our own country.
September 30, 1939.
Remember, the struggle for peace means: THE STRUGGLE FOR THE REVOLUTION AND FOR THE SOCIALIST UNITED STATES FEUROPE!
Executive Committee, Fourth International ÅRREAL ARMY In the Labor Unions. nationwiden ariven against the series anos e alted by a strike Fighting each other for at red cree and vetoes the legislation elected president Yor his the workers an diberi keco of excuse to muscle into the un ions.
Watson, Anti War Fighter, GOES ON DETROIT LOCAL The Sherman anti trust Inw.
SLOW WEEK FOR quantity on the streets through which is monopoled hunderbolt Sentenced to Year in Jail RECORD FOR FOR SELLS APPEAL SUBSCRIPTIONS the efforts of a couple of liveThe past week was a rather wire comrades.
restraints of trade, was given as slow one insofar as subscrip. GOLDMAN MEETINGS the legal basis for the government persecution of the unions.
tion results to the Socialist Ap. HELP DISTRIBUTION Continued from Page Hitlerism in Britain WAR POLICIES IN NEW WAY peal were concerned. 20 new The Goldman tour mass Local 639 of the IBT in Washsubscriptions and 14 renewals meetings are also being used ington and five union ofcials many. furnished living proof of Already. Watson continued.
of the were obtained with Chicago, by several locals for effective man Act on charges of obstruc speech that the first casualty only democratic rights we Thie Detroit Branch of the New York and Boston making distribution of the paper for adCINCINNATI, Ohio. Al Party has been successfully Special to the Socialist Appeal the best ting and delaying work on gov in the war for democracy is should wish to defend. In Great are as follows: meeting Jernment and private buildings democracy itself the workers Britain the Privy Council an though the vast majority of del selling numerous copies of the by citire nowing. The results vertising purposes for the Re.
by strikes. boycotts and vio ghts of free speech and as appointed, not an elected body cgates at the American Federa Appeal and establishing many In Boston the comrades now sembly. has been given powers equal New newal appear to be making efforts to lence.
Watson began his speech by to Hitler and has used them tion of Labor convention show contacts in the following man ed their antagonism to drag ner: Chicago follow up contacts and prospecBy WIDICK New York City Object Is Clear declaring the unalterable opto end civil Uberties, to rule by tive subscribers, both to the position of the Fourth Interna decree, and to break up trade the AFL executive council was rades go out at least once each Squads and groups of comBoston Socialist Appeal and The New Alarmed by the remarkable The intent of the federal govtionalists to Hitlerism not only unionism by diluting the nindus able to obtain unanimous sup. week with the latest copy of Oakland International. Should the Bos progress of the powerful teams ernment is clear. The men in Germany but in every coun trial plants with Detroit ton comrades take to this work ters unions despite stiff oppost hope to establish through the try, including Canada. For this non unionist workers. In India port for resolution which the Socialist Appeal.
Philadelphia seriously good results will be tion of the employers, the fede presente indlictments that reason they opposed the war, the Viceroy, wappointee of the backed Roosevelt pro. war Each comrade is assigned to San Francisco forthcoming.
has begun a strikes.
cover a particular apartment and vio as a war of rival dictatorships Privy Council, also rules by dewas re house, or block of homes, in a Toledo Rochester found it advisable Albany to reduce its bundle to 30 for truck drivers in the hope of breakers but blamed on union vision of the spotls stolen from of a Parliament supposed to teenth consecutive year, openYoungstown the time being, but Boston curbing them.
ists) constitute a violation of the masses of the world. represent 360 million people.
Then the actual work begins.
ed up a strong attack on the Doorbells are rung and when the Malden, Mass.
again brought its bundle back Not satisfied with trying to the Sherman anti trust law.
The Fight Is In Canada Akron CIO in his acceptance speech, potential purchaser comes to to its usual quota by restoring persecute the Minneapolis la. This would provide a legal Democracy at Nine Cents Here in Canada the same thereby indicating that the AFL the door, the Appeal salesman Wash ton, its reduction of 30.
a Day bor movement and its spear basis then for curbing all miliSt. Louis In far off Plenty wood. Mon head, the teamsters union, the tants action of the teamsters. The British Empire, he. com. ers, when they tell you to fight achieve unity only on the basis e working class, anti war news Barton, Ohio tana, John Boulds does excelDepartment Justice Los Angeles lent work in distributing both paper. After explaining the anweek obtained indictments ag alyze the union movement, and ragbas of territories stolen ply by fighting for it here. Vicious red baiting Kansas the Socialist Appeal and The ainst the teamsters union in mare possible chiseling, break from other peoples, during the right to prevent your trade in tions were also passed by the and what is stands for he asks San Diego Washington, and St. Louis. ing of contracts, reduction of last 200 years. What democrations going the way of the Brit convention, which attacked all for a small contribution to en. The various cities appear to ber of subscriptions New International, and in reTotal 14 cent weeks has sent in a numIndications were that this wages, and a return to the open land and the dominions have extend your living standards. progressive tendences within able the publication of more be functioning more other key cities AS special However, a powerful union wrested for themselves have Let the bourgeoisie give us de. the labor movement besides Appeals carrying their anti war tically in the distribution and phasize the necessity for procedure would be followed in shop in the trucking industry.
Again it is necessary to emmessage.
erand juries were convened in movement of 400, 000 organized still been at the expense of dic mocracy it they want us to blasting the Stalinists.
Teamsters Dispute sale of the paper at public branches up more Cieveland, New York and else truck drivers surging forward tatorship over the 500 million fight for it.
The Detroit branch has re: meetings. bitter dispute between the ported great street gatherings promptly on their bundles ac where When the Canadian million teamsters union and the brew. friendly receptions from all The Madison, Wisconsin unit sent the publications by success and and house to house efforts. counts, in order to avoid being with gain after gain is hardly colored peoples of the Empire going to take this lying down. We are being asked to fight for aires felt that their wealth was ery workers union rocked the workers visited in this way. We of the YPSL placed on order on the whole payments are beMove Againt AFL The AFL building trades una democracy which forces are Ostensibly. the Department ions are also going to be sub women to work at nine cents a safe they turned the unemploy convention floor this week. The urge other branches to utilize ing made regularly, but severto starve without a cent of repede the progressive organiza anti war message of our revoYoungstown is now effective al large locals still have subof Justice campaign is part of lject to a heavy battery of goy. Clay in the coal mines of India, ed single workers on the streets brewery workers seek to im this method of spreading the for 25 copies regularly.
a trust busting campaign in ernment persecution. It will which compels tite Negro work lief. Now that they feel their tional drive of the teamsters. lutionary press.
le disposing of a substantial stantial debts to overcome.
it is a crudely concealed man men to clean up any bad situ a pestilential ghetto and to car: afford 30 a day and 85 cents tain court action to restrain the the building industry. Actually, not be the purpose of the Gersesti isotitch atteica a tod live air wealth is in danger, they can and even went so far as to ob euver to smash the AFL unions ation in the building trades un ry as many as eleven passes. living allowance to these same teamsters.
in this field. special committee was set HEAR. What For?
The frame up of the Minneap takes made by union officials mocracy which confiscates the unemployed to fight for Cana.
ERNEST ERBER olis strikers was the first major to crack down on the whole la land of Kenya farmers and for da. For whose Canada? Not up to consider this dispute ces them into wage labor at employed are being paid only Editor of Series of FOUR Friday Night Lectures move in this carefully laid plan bor movement.
of the men Behind the present moves of starvation rates.
to becomte the cannon fodder of The Challenge of Youth World in Flames of to We are asked to ally our imperialism. Workers, let us Speaker: strike breaking men in Min rass and intimidate the union selves with another democra first own canada before we ALBERT GOLDMAN neapolis, their vicious arrests movement if possible, is Roose cy, the French Empire, with fight for it.
Neutrality and the in the vain hope of intimidating velt desire to whip labor into a similar record, which shoots The Stalinites began by holdSt. Paul SWP Headquarters Trade Unions the workers, and the whole line with pro war policies. down strikers at home and ab ing meetings support of the 147 West 5th St.
slew of phoney charges against In the campaign to hogtie the road and drowns in blood the war and have ended in silence OCTOBER 25th P.
THURSDAY, OCT 19 P.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20 8:30 the strikers is a bint of how labor movement into the mili native movements for colonial and confusion now that Moscow at Workers. Cultural Center The World in Flames Again freedom 125 West 33d St.
The Real Meaning of the Present War scale stick has to be picked up and Canadian workers are asked to ing into an imperialist war af central committee, to be its of Aus: Needle Trades Branch Attorney General Frank thrown at the unions. The pres fight for the rescue of the de ter all. The Canadian Common, ficial spokesmen. The Fourth Murphy, self styled friend of ent man drive against the mocracy of a gang of reac wealth Federation has allowed Internationalists alone have IRVING PLAZA, Irving Place at 15th Street labor had all his high powered AFL unions is a major part of tionary Polish landlords, op its openly social patriotic par continued their organized re Join the Socialist talent find legal loopholes so this campaign, and Roosevelt pressors of Ukrainians and per liamentary group, representing sistance imperialism in war Subscription for series: 750 Individual lectures: 250 Workers Party that the men could give an is handling the Big Stick. secutors of Jews.
the MINORITY position in theas in peace. 20 systemata pay War JAMES CANNON at