The Revolutionary Age Vol. I, No. 20 Price Cents Chronicle and Interpretation of International Events Saturday, March 1, 1919 The Bolshevik Call for an International Communist Congress. HE Congress of the Communist Party (BolsheTranslated by Andre Courland ty (those nearer to us are the elenrents represented by MacLean. 28. Great Britain. 29. 1919, has decided to send out an urgent call for 11. It is also necessary to rally the groups and England. 30. Great Brithe meeting of the first Congress of the new Revolu proletarian organizations who, though not in the tain. 31. The revolutionary elements of labor orgationary International. This is the call: wake as yet of the revolutionary trend of the Left nizations of Ireland; 32. The revolutionary elements Wing, nevertheless have manifested and developed a of Shop Stewards (Great Britain. 33. The Ist Section.
tendency leading in that direction. 34. The elements of the Left Wing of AIMS AND TACTICS 12. We. propose that the representative of parties the American Socalist Party (tendency represented In our estimation, the acceptance of the following and groups following these tendencies shall take part by Debs and the Socialist Propaganda League. principles shall serve as a working program for the 35. Industrial Workers of the World. International: ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE!
America: 36. The Workers International In1. The actual period is the period of the dissoluThe men, women and children who are on strike in dustrial Union (U. 37. of Austration and collapse of the whole capitalist system: Lawrence, Mass. remaining firm in their determina lia: 38. The Socialist groups of Tokio and Samon The first task of the proletariat consists today tion to stay out until victory, the mill owners are be represented by Sen Katayama. 39. The Young Peoof the immediate seizure of government power, subs coming desperate and the police are increasing their ples Socialist International Leagues.
tituting in its place the power of the proletariat; terrorism as a means of breaking the strike. This new governmental apparatus must incorOn Saturday a warrant was issued for the arrest of 3d Section.
Louis Fraina, editor of The Revolutionary Age, on porate the dictatorship of the working class, and in THE ORGANIZATION AND NAME OF some places, also that of the poorer peasantry together the charge of inciting to riot. On Monday evening, THE PARTY Preina surrendered voluntarily, was released on bail, with hired farm labor, this dictatorship constituting pleaded not guilty on Tuesday. trial being set for 13. The Congress must be transformed into a comthe instruntent of the systematic overthrow of the ex March 12. While in the court, one of the police called mon organ of combat in view of the permanent strugploiting classes.
Fraina a vile name and said: d like to break your gle and systematic direction of the movement, into a The dictatorship of the proletariat shall comliearl for you, and hope get the chance to do it.
center of International Communism which will suborl raina answered: And you are the fellows that mainplete the immediate expropriation of Capitalism an: clinate the interests of the movements in everyone of lain order! This is characteristic of the police spirit the suppression of private property in means of pro in Lawrence.
the different countries to the common interests of the duction, which includes. under Socialism, the suppresTuesday afternoon. upon Fraina suggestion, the Revolution from an international point of view.
sion of private property and its transfer to a proletaGeneral Strike Committee decided to organize its own The concrete forms of organization, representaton.
police, the Striker Guard, to maintaiat order, aird prove rian state, under the Socialist administration of the et de etalowested in the Congress.
that it is the police who provoke violence. Permission working class, the abolition of capitalist agricul was asked of Director of Public Safety Carr to hold tural production, the nationalization of the great a parade, hut this was again refused. The strikers Exbusiness firms and financial trusts; ecutive Committee asked that the police stay away from the opinion of The Revolutionary Age, this call In order to insure the Social Revolution, the the parade to avoid violence, the strikers guaranteed of the Bolsheviki for an International Congress of the maintenance of order with their own Guard.
disarming of the bourgeoisie and its agents, and the revolutionary Socialism must be accepted by every general arming of the proletariat, is a prime necessity.
The strikers have determined to hold a parade any Socialist who is in accord with the new epoch of revway, of the women and children who are on strike.
olutionary struggle into which the world has emerged.
2nd Section.
The active organization of the Strikers Guard is proATTITUDE REGARDING SOCIALIST There is ro party that has a right to call a congress ceeding, most of the members will be former soldiers who are stilt entitled to wear their uniforms.
for the organization of the new International other PARTIES On Wednesday night Muste and Cedric Long than the Communist Party of Russia (Bolsheviki)7. The fundamental condition of the struggle is were arrested while on the picket line at the mills the they have developed the new tactics of the revolutionpolice smashed the heads of some of the strikers, and the mass action of the proletariat, developing into ary proletariat they have conquered power and orgablamed Muste and Long.
open armed attack on the governmental powers of nized the new proletarian state, they have inspired But the strike is not broken. It is spreading. genCapitalism vral strike is about to break in the textile trades. The Socialism with new ideals, new energy, new tactics. The old International has broken into three police say it is a Bolshevik Strike. This is a challenge As the call makes amply clear, this new Internaprincipal groups: the avowed social patriots who, dur to you. Will you accept Money is needed. Send tional must be a fighting International: it must 1106 ing the entire duration of the imperialistic war lefunds to Silin, 885 Washington Street, Boston, Mass. admit petty lourgeois elements, either of the right or tween the years 1914 and 1918, have supportedl tlreir of the center: it must consist wholly of revolutionary own bourgeoisie; the minority Socialists of the cen in the Congress as plenipotentiary members of the Socialism, ter, represented by leaders of the type of Karl Kaut Workers International and should belong to the fol That this Rolshevik call omits the official Socialist sky, and who constitute a group composed of ever lowing parties. Party of the United States, is a challenge to every hesitating elements, unable to settle on any determined The Spartacus group (Germany. The Bol militant member of the party. The Bolsheviki are direction, and who up to date have always acted as sheviki or Communist Party (Russia. Other Com right in omitting the party. at present, since the official traitors; and the Revolutionary Left Wing.
munist groups of: German Austria; Hungary; leadership of the party now consists of right and As far as the social patriots are concerned, Finland. Poland; Esthonia. Lettonia. centre elements. But the membership is revolutionwho stood up everywhere in arms, in the inost critic Lithuania. 10. White Russia; 11. Ukraine; arv: and the membership must conquer the party for al moments, against the revolution, a merciless fight 12. The revolutionary elements of Czecho Slovakia; the party. for revolutionary Socialism, and become is the only alternative: in regard to the Center, 13. The Bulgarian Social Democratic Party; 14. part of the new Communist International.
the tactics consist in separating from it the revolu The Roumanian Social Democrats; 15. The Left Our party is officially pledged to participation in tionary elements, in criticizing pitilessly its leaders ing of the Servian Social Democracy; 16. The the infamous Rerne Congress of the betrayers of Soand in dividing systematically among them the num Left Wing of the Swedish Social Democratic Party; cialisin. Local after local of the party has repudiated ber of their followers: these tactics are absolutely 17. The Norwegian Social Democratic Party; 18. this Congress; the repudiation must be made connecessary when we reach a certain degree of devel The Damish groups of the class struggle. 19. Thenlete: and then the party must repudiate the men who opment.
Dutch Communist Party; 20. The revolutionary ele were responsible for dirtying the party by pushing it 10. On the other hand it is necessary to proceeil ments of the Belgian Labor Party; 21. 22. The into the Congress of the Great Betrayal.
in a common movement with the revolutionary ele groups and organizations in the midst of the French Is against Berne let iis accept the Communist Inments of the working class who thought hitherto not Socialist and syndicalist movements who are in soli ternational! Let us purge the party of its petty bourhelonging to the party, yet adopt today in its in clarity with our aims; 23. The Left Wing of the renis elements, let us revolutionize the party. Destiny tirety, the point of view of dictatorship of the pro Swiss Social Democratic Party: 24. The Italian Socalls, the great struggle call to us: are we worthy of letariat, under the form of Soviet government: in cialist Party: 25. The left elements of the Spanish the great things ahead of us?
cluding the syndicalist elements of the labor move Socialist Party: 26. The left elements of the Portu The issue is clear: Which International, comrades ments.
gliese Socialist Party; 27. The British Socialist Par of the Socialist Party?