Saturday, April 26, 1919 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE An Answer to Germer Criticism.
italism.
I! IS easy to asume attitudes, particularly the attiBy Louis Fraina party issues as matters of principles. It has not retude of righteous indignation. It is easy to resort sorted to defamation of characteras Comrade Gerto slander and vituperation. These are familar The decided to send delegates (in imp crowd of moderates have not: hence their peculiar mer does. We have a strong case; Germer and his weapons of the man who has no case, of the man who is in the desperation of despair, lication, affiliation) to the Congress of the Great Be tactics.
is precisely what Comrade Germer does. His trayal at Berne, the Congress of pro war Socialists, Our charge against Comrade Germer is that of criticism of The Revolutionary Age is not a criticism, social patriots and counter revolutionary Socialism.
obstructionist tactics, not that he refused to reises violent assaulte; but it is the assault of a desper convention, but it did ise to call for an Amnesty when the received the Local Boston motion for a të using gas. But the artillery and machine guns of our facts Socialist organizations, a clear abandonment of the not ate weakened enemy, depeneling whollys uponu pricina Convention together with bourgeois liberal and none ferendum on a Party Convention, he knew that it was class Conrade Germer fights shy of the essentials of the struggle. Germer says it would cost money to Boston Comrades! Instead, he sends it out for arguments that The Revolutionary Age has been mak hold a Party Convention, and the Party is broke: fv properly framed: why did he not immediately notiing against him and the National Toxecutive Committee. but wouldn it cost money to hold an Amnesty thereby wasting time and sabotaging the Emergency. for five months. Let us re consider arguments.
Convention. Party official should facilitate the proOn November 26, 1918, two weeks after the Gerin considering the international crisis, equally and cesses of the membership, not obstruct them.
inan Revolution, Local Boston adopted a resolution necessarily consider our class war prisoners. Comrade Germer grandiloquently declaims that the for an Emergency National Convention, declaring: This is our indictment of the National Executive Party Constitution is the will of the membership Of The revolutionary crisis in Europe, the campaign of Committee of the Socialist Party. This is the story of course. But why, then, does Comrade Germer and the imperialistic press for armed intervention in Rus its treason to international proletarian solidarity and the violate it? It was unconstitutional for sia, and for armed intervention in Gerinany and Austria should Socialism conguer, projects a crisis in the moveSocialism, or, in charity, shall we say incompet the to elect delegates to the Berne Conment of the American proletariat.
ency. geres Gernier quotes the Constitution: The duties The international situation is a call to action the Comrade Germer whole letter reeks with declarfinal struggle is coming between Socialism and Capations and insinuations that we are liars. Yet upon shall be. a)
tent the in all National In this great crisis, it is imperative that the Social what does he base these serious accusations? Upon and International Precisely; but where the ist Party prepare itself, that it unify itself, that it form one thing: You add that you have been informed Constitution does not otherwise provide. And the ulate a policy expressing the requirements of the crisis and the mature judgement of the membership. County resolution. To me at least it will be interesting more of the membership. The accordingly, by referendum That resolution was a clear expression of party necessity and párty action. That was five months ago. What The Revolutionary Age said was this, in its deliberately violated the party fundamental law.
What did the National Executive Committee do, during article of March 8: Why? Comrade Germer says there was no time to these five months of crisis, of the agonized call of the We have been informed that Comrade Germer has elect by referendum vote. The was in a hury European proletariat to international Socialism, of the now made an objection to the Local Queens County to participate in Berne, bụt not in a hurry about giving collapse of Capitalism and the proletarian revolution motion on the ground that it was initiated by a delegate body.
the membership an opportunity to express, itself in action? Let us re capitulate (and shall simply through an Emergency Convention. Why did not the re state the arguments that The Revolutionary Age But this statement was preceded by a passage which suggest a referendum in November, knowing has been making for five months. clearly indicates that we didn depend upon that in that an International Congress would be held. During the greatest crisis in all history, the formation. This is the passage: Facts are facts. And the facts are that the AmnE. was dumb and inert. It did not isstie any The resolution offered by Local Queens has, howesty Convention has been used (unsuccessfully) to flaming call to the party for action. It dodged all vital ever, now received the requisitive number of seconds sabotage the Emergency Convention.
issues. It decapitated the party. It clung to petty and must be put to a referendum of the membership. It is disgraceful for Germer to insinuate that we bourgeois Socialism an infamous betrayal of trust.
Baat, over the advocate of strict parliamentary procedure and constitutional law, except in such minor matare not interested in our class war prisoners. But we Local after local of the Party insisted upon ters as the clection of delegates to an International want action, not petty bourgeois hot air. The Revolaction, but the either ignored or sabotaged Conference or the decision to align our party with a tutionary Age is consistently carrying on a propaganda gang of international assassins, Comrade Gernier rules for our class war prisoners, for industrial mass action New ideas, new concepts of action, a new life, that the motion will first have to be published in the official Bulletin, thereby causing a delay anf 15 days or to liberate them, on the basis of the proletarian class developed in the Party; but the was as stolid more. In other words, everything is to be done to aid struggle.
as an iceberg, one member at least stigmatizing the in the holding of an Amnesty Convention, which apparent It is the that is delaying the liberation of surgent elements as anarchistic.
ly nobody, outside of a few officials, desire, while every our imprisoned comrades. If they had done their duty, Immediately after the armistice and the Ger thing is to be done to delay the referendum for a man Revolution the should have met; but it National Emergency Convention which is backed by we could have had a Party Convention in January or the requisite number of Party branches and locals. February, unified our forces and initiated a national did not meet until the end of January almost three Socialist campaign for the liberation of our class prismonths wasted, three months during which a day was In this it is clear that we knew the Queens County oners.
incompetencears of other periods. Tragic waste and motion was going to referendum. The passage that equivalent to But enough! Comrade Germer arguments are came further on was simply supplementary. It was not the real arguments against The Revolutionary Age 5: When the E: did finally meet, it was as an an error. But an error is not a lie. Why did not and the Left Wing. No, comrades of the Socialist Old Man of the Sea. It was reactionary. It refused Comrade Germer simply write us that we had been Party; the issue is one between moderate Socialism to call an emergency Party Convention, in spite of the misinformed about his alleged objection? No! His and revolutionary Socialism. The majority call of the party membership. It issiied no flaming job is to call comrades liars and to cuttle fish in the emphatically expresses that moderate Socialism whịch declaration on the world crisis. It was dead, inert, momentous issues now agitating the party. And that in Europe is counter revolutionary. That is the issue!
conservative, bureaucratic, on the great issues of a is all Comrade Germer offers to prove us liars. We are frank, Comrade Germer: our purpose is to world in revolt.
In its attitude, The Revolutionary Age has discussed conquer the Party for revolutionary Socialism.
their appeals.
Soviet Problems. an Interview with Lenin Granted to Puntevold, of Norway Civil war is civil war. It writes its own laws. It period of political and social transition is to estabis like this: Either the proletariat governs or capital lish a proletariat dictatorship in city and country, all there is hope of betterment in the immediate, future. rules. There is no other alternative. There are some with a view of tumbling to the ground the regime of Had it not been for this the situation would have been who are not pleased with our dictatorship. say to the bourgeoisie, to prevent one individual from making untenable.
them, Go to Siberia and see if the dictatorship is use of another and to establish Socialism under which We believe that the so called freedom of the press better there. We will willingly place transportation there will be no dizision into classes.
means only the right of the bourgeoisie to fool the at your disposal. Intervention becomes more difficult problem for capital of the newspapers, the printing materials and and lie to them. The bourgeoisie own the entire The idea of annihilating Capitalism without civil the Allies every day, it would also be very much hamp, machinery and the newspapers themselves. With the war is Utopian. You undoubtedly know that the numred by growing sympathy for the Soviet Government ber of millionaires in Norway has been multiplied by in Entente countries. At the same time, the Russian press in their hands they hold unlimited power over ten during the war. Do you believe that the NorKed Army is growing in strength every day.
public opinion. The freedom of the press is the sanie wegian millionaires, just because of arguments, will It is, of course, not entirely inpossible that the its freedom of capital. And we are subduing the cap capitulate without the blow of the swords Entente will attempt to intervene this spring, but this The press only for the proletariat nothing for capOr maybe you can tell me why ten to twelve million is very unlikely.
ital. That is our slogan. When the war on the bour people were killed in the world war? War until victgroups. The half fariners, or country proletariat, paper for its use we may put at their disposal a print victory ove On the agrarian question we are divided into three geoisie is ended, it a political party wishes a news ory was written on Kerensky banners. War until the bourgeoisie is the workers revision who now, as before, sell their labor and who are our ing shop as well as paper, but we are now in the midst this slogan. And there you have it all.
best supporters; the small farmers and the big farmers. of a civil war. There is no question about that. To Arming the proletariat this we must teach, and the The last mentioned are, of course, opposed to us, as establish a free press at present would be the same disarming of the bourgeoisie. Give up the disarmwe have taken their lands away from them. But their thing as to announce that the war is ended before it ament program, advised Zeth Hoglund, a Swedish resistance is broken.
really is.
Socialist, in 1910. His opinion was different from The small farmers, contrary to the more wealthy We have already legalized the Menshevik Party, mine. Now he certainly must agree with me.
class, are wabbling. They are, of course, against grain which lias its official paper, Always Forward, published my message to the National Commune on March monopoly and desire free trade for their stocks. There in Moscow. In the nearest future, believe, we will 10, said that as the time passes and the majority beis a great lack of materials in the country and of food be able to legalize the Social Revolutionary Party. The comes assured of its power, then we can raise the in the cities. Our economical situation is also very opposition press will also soon be muscled, all in the question of general suffrage before the Soviet. We uncertain. Not the least serious factor is the shortage degree to which the different partics are coilling to must keep the dictatorship in order to be able to control of fuel. As we have just conquered the coal district, work loyally and willingly with us.
the bourgeoisie.