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The New York COMMUNIST Vol. I, No. New York, Saturday, June 7, 1919 Price cents Forty Thousand Expelled by Seven bourgeois office.
The following is the first of several articles hands of these directors is to be placed the entire describing the Party crisis, and the autocratic actions of the Right bring members of the National Call for a National Conference of property of the Socialist Party, including the new headquarters building upon which 10, 000 has been Executive Committee of its recent historic meeting the Left Wing paid. These directors cannot be recalled by the in Chicago. It is written and issued by Comrades Call for a National Conference of the Left Fing Party members, cannot be removed by the National Katterfeld and Alfred Wagenknecht, members of the American Socialist Party, issued by Local Executive Committee, and only cease being dirao of the National Executive Committee, and Louis Boston. Louis Fraina, Secretary. Local Cleve tors if their Locals expel them from membership is Fraina.
land. Ruthenbere. Secretary. and the Left the Party.
Ting Section of the Socialist Party of New York 7IOLATING every principle of fair play and Cuy. Maximilian Cohen, Secretary. When we remember that most of the Wilfal The international situation and the crisis the Seven, as candidates for reelection to the National stitutional provision to the contrary, the American Socialist Party; the sabotage the party Executive Committee and to the office of Interna; bureaucracy has practised on the emergency national National Executive Committee, at its session in tional Delegates, knew themselves defeated and conventior; the Caligning our party with the Chicago, May 24 to 30th, expelled the state organ.
realized that the oficial machinery of the party was social patriots at Berne, witb the Congress of the ization of the Socialist Party in Michigan, conGreat Betrayal; the necessity of reconstructing our about to pass into the hands of the Left Wing, the stituting nearly 000 members, without a trial; revolutionary element, these efforts to retain com policy in accord with revolutionary events, all this, suspended the Russian, Lithuanian, Polish, Lettish, and more, makes it necessary that the revolutionary trol become doubly despicable; for then they are forces in the Socialist Party get togetber for counsel Hungarian, Ukrainean and South Slavic Federa.
clearly shown to be brazen attempts to defy the and action.
tions of the Party, constituting more than 30, 000 This call is therefore issued, for the holding of will of the Party membership.
members and worst of all, and let it be said to National Conference of the left wing of the AmeriBut these desperate lactics must not be construed can Socialist Parts, 10 ducude: their everlasting shame are autocratically holding alone as a frantic effort of defeated officials to rp up the national referendums for the election of a The crisis in the pany, and action thereon; the tain their jobs. This is part and parcel of the con conquest of the party for the party, for revolutionary new National Executive Committee, International Socialism.
troversy upon principles and tactics in the Social Delegates, International Secretary, and upon the The New International; ways and means to ist Party. It is the struggle between the Right question of the Emergency National Wing and the Left Wing, between moderate petty prevent the party aligning itself with the IntemaConvention Never before in the history of the Socialist Party tional of the social patriols, of the Ebert ScheideSocialism and revolutionary proletarian have Party officials dared so outrageously violate mann gangster, and the wavering centre; afiliation Socialism with the Bolshevik Spartacan Communist InternaParty principles. wilful group of seven memThe moderates on the National Executive Comtional alone mittee show no realization of the problems of the bers out of a total National Executive Committee The formulation of declaration of principles membership of fifteen, ten of whom attended the and purposes of a national scope of the Left Wing International Revolution. They do not see the need meeting, usurped power which the constitution does of the American Socialist Party of reconstructing the Party policy in accord with pot grant them, and which the Socialist Party mem4. Forming some sort of national council or the experience gained by our comrades in Europe, bureau of the Led Wing for propaganda, securing bership never intended any servants of the Party or, at any rate, do not act toward that end of information and spreading information The crisis is serious. It affects the future of So to have. This wilful group of seven did not, how. To express and draw together the revolutionary ever, act as servants of the Party but as dictators cialism and the proletariat in America. We are forces in the party; to consider other means of furand tyrants to defeat the expressed will of the memibering the cause of revolutionary Socialism.
confident that revolutionary Socialism will conbership and to perpetuate themselves This call is issued to locals of the Socialist Party, quu the Party. It will prevail despite the sabotage This is the crisie. In these frantic efforts of the branches and Left Wing groups within the party. of the Wilful Seven. Let no comrade feel de The tent of admission provisionally, will be accept official bureaucracy of the Socialist Party to heartened. No one member should quit the Party ance of the Manifesto of the Left Wing of the Somaintain itself in power, we see the final attempt of cialist Party of Greater New York In fact, every member should work with might and bourgeois reformisto to crush revolutionary Social Left Wing locals are invited to send delegates ofmain to get members and build, build, build. We ism in the United States. This crisis affects the in.
ficially where a local oficially refuses to particiknow the game of the moderates. They want the tegrity and future of the Socialist Party; if our pate, branches or minority groups in the party ac Left Wing to desert the Party, leaving the Party me cepting the principles of the Left Wing should send Party is whole heartedly and unequivocally to stand chinery and property in the hands of the autocrats.
delegates.
for a Socialism which will not compro Party when Representation one delegate for every 500 mem.
They will be disappointed in this. Every radical ben. No local or group should send more than four ber must rebuke this unscrupulous action, and must day for the reinstatement of the nearly 40, 000 em delegates. Locals or minority groups with low than 500 members are entitled to one delegate.
bers the Wilful Seven bave severed from the Party.
take a stand in support of the nearly 40, 000 com.
The conference will be held starting Saturday, rades arbitrarily deprived of Party membership for Insist that the referendum votes upon the elecJune 21, in New York City Each delegate will be their fidelity to the principles of true International taxed 25 for central fund, out of which will be tion of a new National Executive Committee be Socialism.
paid the expenses of all delegates.
counted and made public. Insist that the expulsion The objects of the autocratic even are as plain as Left Wing Locals and Branches, act! Send comof Michigan and the federations shall not prevail.
daylight. Like a tidal wave, the demand for the nunciations to Maximilian Cohen, 43 Fest 29th St. Second the referendum motions to reverse the acts New York City.
tactics and principles of the kind of Socialism which of the Wilful Seven, acts unconstitutional and outstands true to the working class at all times, has rageous. Rally to the Left Wing, comrades, for to swept the Party. The thousands of comrades who betrayal and defeat of the working class, and that the Left Hing belongs the future of Socialism.
were sincerely attempting to convince Party mem only the Socialism of Liebknecht and Lenin had The slogan of the moderates Split the bers that a more revolutionary kind of Socialism within it the potentialities of success and victory. Party for moderate petty bourgeois Socialison. The Was Ducessary, were known as the Left Wing.
It was to rescue the party from this Left Wing slogan of the Left ing is. Conquer and unite the This Left Wing our party understood clearly faction, to clean out of it all who stood bravely Party for revolutionary Socialien, für the Commonsthat the Scheidemann brand of Socialism means the against pure and simple reformism, that the reven ist International.
National Executive Committee dictators threw 40, State Left Wing 000 members out of the Party.
Cleveland Protests Through caucuses held outside of regular ses May 31st, 1919.
sions, the following methods of action were adopt. ir desperate attempt to prevent the Lat Why Dear Comrade: In view of recent happenings in Local, Sute and ed by the autocratic Seven.
of the Socialist Party from capturing the National Executive Committee of the Party the existing Es.
National Party allain, the details of which you have Not yet knowing how the referendum for the ecutive Committee, whote term of office expirse a heard by this time, we believe the time is ripe for a election of a new National Executive Committee the end of June, bus arbitrarily expelled the entire sort of ientative state organization of the Left Wing would result, they decided to revoke the charter of Michigan sute organisation from the Party.
in New York State. The State Executive Committee bas begun the same tactics on a state scale which the Socialist Party of Michigan, sensing that the This action expelling 6000 members from the Local New York has been practising on local members in Michigan would vote overwhelmingly Party taken without piring the Michigan com kale; that is, the re organisation and expulsion of Left Wing locals. In order that we may counter this against members of the Wilful Seven running for rades a hearing of an opporonity to deled the relee blow it would be advisable for all local Secretaries, ro election in the Michigan district or Orranizers or representatives elected by Left Wing few days later, having found out that do Local Cuyabogo County promptly, nitiated a Locals to participate in such conference, to meet Amendment to rescind the action of the compte and drew up a plan of campaign of education and spite the expulsion of Michigan the radical candiEvery local which standa for faire and decrecy organization so that we may keep our membership dates for election to the National Executive Com within the party should read their endorsement intact and capture the Party organization wherever would win out, the Wilful Seven decided to hold up the following roolution to the national fico: ponsible. Where that is impossible, due to the wabo the entire national referendum upon the election.
tage of officer holders we may have to take Heps to HOLDDON build up Left Wing organizations within the Party, In another caucus the Wilful Seven came to Al this of course is subject to the action taken the conclusion that after all, the coming National APSOLVED. By the joint moeding of the bruci by the National Left Wing Conference on June 21x. Convention would speak its mind against these ad of Local Cuyaboga County, reprosenting an average But we cannot wait until then, working separstely, and disorganised. WE MUST ACT NOW.
tocratic acts, and would endorse Left Wing Social.
of 821 members in good standing for the year 1918, that we initiate the following motion, to be benitCan you bring this matie op before your Local, iam. And therefore the suspension of 40, 000 msm ted to rderendam of the Party membership has the or, if the time is too short, come yourself, or send bers in seven foreigo foderations was decided upon, United States BOMOODe in your place, to a state conference of Left these seven federations having supported radical Fing Local, on Sunday afternoon At o clock, Jane RESOLVED, That the action of the National Estoon Beh, at Wellington Hotel, Albany, Socialism in the Party tire Cernmittee in revoking the charter of the Social Trusting you will be present.
Feeling that despite these suspensions tho Left ist Party of Michigan be recinded and sulled Youn fraternally, MATEMILIAN COHEN, Wing might still find itself in the majority at the Sigurd: L Lorem Executive Secretary National Convention in fact, confusing that to Local Grorter New York, would they then proceeded to form a corporation, Can Hacom Seory.
Loft Wing Section the majority director of which are Socialists of the warm samp u the Wilful Seven; and in the