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8 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE Saturday, May 31, 1919 Chicago Turns to the Left!
mentarily to use Fear that been call the HE Cook County Convention of May 17 18 re.
trol has already reflected itself sufficiently in th sulted in a clean sweep for the Left Wing: It By Ferguson county organization to assure the Left Wing of was inore than a test of strength of the local fruits of its victory in relation to the local party 1)
opposing elements, yet even in this limited sense this branch units of the city. ner the able and aggress and other official activities.
Convention would be of high national significance, ive leadership of Comrade Alexander Stoklitsky, now On the other hand the demoralization of the because the Left Wing conquest of Chicago is the acting as Translator Secretary for the Russian Fed tician element displayed itself in an almost ludici best possible proof of the Left Wing conquest of the eration, the Russian speaking branches have received bolting of the Convention during its second sess whole American party wanting only another half intensive education in the principles of revolut. com of the exodus, which took about Socialism. The Lithuanian Translator Secretary, of the The akonvention, certainly less than 10. was terms of a new party officialdom and a new orienta rade Stilson, the Lettish Secretary. Comrade. quite tion in the party policies and tactics.
llie Hungarian Secretary. Conrade Frankel, and many (1) This Convention was a Left Wing victory on others in the language groups liave co operated abiy tional life. orgot liis responsibility as one of the Committee and forgot to his ou. This handful of completely elaborated Statement, in terms of platformowel its results out the Cook Courty Convention, and seen insistent for half ha elegates, who was try and resolutions, of the Left Wing movement in this is found within a few months to compel a clear align ing to split the party, when faced with the realizatio country. This Convention meant a decisive con ment of limerican party with the Communist 11 that the party was roorganised nder thei a local party unit of over 6500 members. a Ternational.
eyes, without a murinur about a secassion, decided to victory so conscious of its own purposes and so de Some of the funclumental snobbery and narrow 118 prove that there was a desire to split the party by finitely organized that it can only make rapid gains tonalism of the Right Wingers lisplayed itself in trying a little splitting on their own account.
from day to day. 3) Finally, this Convention victclumsily indirect insinuations about the alien char The Convention went through its three sessions of ory will at once be translated into a new control of Local Cook County on the firm basis of revolutionary acter of the left Wing while over protesting their May 18th without a word of curiosity about the bolt Own own adherence to Socialist internationalism. ers, and with relief from their silly tactics of time Socialism.
This much detail is given to emphasize the organized killing and obstruction. The opposition to the Lef These are confident claims, but need no argument character of the Chicago Left Wing strength. There Wing expressed itself in debate and questioning; ang beyond the textual and mathematical facts which they is not a branch in the city or county without Left Wing the opportunity for about all the writer heard of generalize. At this time the secretarial work has not adherents, but the assured control lies in the two dozen by the Left the completed which will provide the details of the or more branches which stand as units on a well de bolters was that they started a meeting in a nearby platform and resolutions adopted, but those who re fined program of revolutionary Socialism. This con hall, but soon came to the conclusion that 110 one knew program published by the Chicago what they wanted to do. It was quite apCommunist Propaganda Leage four of five months ago, to which has been added all The Most Important Book of the Year. Just Out!
parent that all except the most conspicuous figures finally found their way back to the available circumstances in the interim, will Convention.
realize that there was thorough preparation The Proletarian Revolution Only Stedman is named from among the for this Convention so far as the questions little hand of bolters because the writer is of party principles and tactics are concerned.
in Russia confident that Stedman regreted his excited Postponing this part of the report to a action within an hour after the secession; and future article, it need only be said now that By Lenin and Leon Trotzky this typifies the Convention split as not a an American Socialist Party on the basis of all a forecast of any rupture in the loc the new Cook County program would find Edited, with an Introduction, Notes organization. Stedman absolutely realized. itself in complete unity with the Communist and Supplementary Chapters the opening of the Convention that the Le.
International and with the revolutionary By Louis Fraina Wing had a solid two thirds vote, which would have easily iner at once if the Left Wing victory takes special significance This unique book traces the course of the great Russian Rer figlit had been made on principles: not only from the importance of the local olution from March 1917 to October 1918, in the words of the two of by sharpening lines by dilatory jockeying itself, and the industrial territory tributory masters of the Revolution.
which compelled a seemingly harsh offensive to Chicago, but also from this It consists of a mass of articles and pamphlets written during on the part of the Left Wing. If anything is the headquarters of the old party regime.
the Revolusion, covering every important phase of the Revolution, further is heard The Chicago movement has never had dis arranged to make a consecutive story.
Stedman and his dozen or so of official lieutinctive local character, because its leaderCoxTexts: Part One The First Stage of the Revolution by tenants will stand convicted of a pre calculship has been tinged with the party official Lenin (March 12 to May 18. Part Two The General Proated design toward that end; at least, the gram of the Bolsheviki, by Lenin (tactics, program and gendom coming in from all over the country.
eral policy. Part Three The Struggle for State Power, hy leliberate raising of the vanity of personal But the point to be emphasized is the or Lenin and Leon Trotzky (May 18 to the uprising of July 16 17. opinion, or lack of basis for intelligent opiganized character of this Left Wing victory.
Part lour The Revolution in Crisis, hy Leon Trotzky (written nion, above the level of devotion to the Soat the end of August, analyzing the Bolshevik defeat in July, the cialist movement.
To the Right Wingers and Centrists this was Moscow Conference and the problems of the future. Part Five the mystifying and annoying circumstance. Tlie Proletarian Revolution Conquers, by Louis Fraina (SeptSo much concerning the mechanics an could understand lots of more or less ember to January the coup etat of November 7, the Con history of this important Convention. Its aimless talking and more or less confused stituent Assembly: includes articles of Lenin and Trotzky and docuInents. Part Six The Revolutionary Struggle for Peace, by Leon contributions toward the working out of the voting, but the sight of a solid Left phalaux Trotzky and Lenin (December to Brest Litovsk. Part Seven solid.
new character of the American Socialist of about 400 votes out of some 650 a The Soviet Republic and its Problems, by Lenin (May, 1918. fairly uniform vote, going with a Supplementary. Foreign Relations (July to October, 1918; Lenin, movement, in terms of program, tactics, and clear cut program, carefully discussed and Trotzky and Chichcrin. questions of party organization will be concriticised for weeks ahead, that was not 77 ages More than 200, 000 Words.
sidered in another article.
their idea of a Socialist convention. aper Cover, 00: Library Edition. Cloth, 50.
One comment is maile now to counter the The first and perhaps the clearest test vote impression of an organized vote as indicating came with the election of the Resolutions The Social Revolution in Germany a follow the leader Convention, all rehearsed Committee, after Comrade William Bross in advance. As emphasized above, the main Lloyd had casily been scatel as Chairman as By Louis Fraina the Left ing candidate. The Irighest vote party issues had been thoroughly discusser fundamental study of the great struggle in Ciermany, which in allvance and the results reduced to definit for one of the official Committee was 177: one is at the same time it study in revolutionary Socialism. Indispensform, but without prompting or even the or hle to all understanding of the character of the European Revof the most popular Socialists in Chicago, olution. Including two articles by Karl Liebknecht and Franz operation of those conspicious on the floor who has failed to make clear his understandMehring Popular, comprehensive, Incisive.
for the Left Wing there were resolutions ining and alignment on the issues before the party, and may therefore be characterized at 112 Pages: 25c a Copy.
troduced touching every instant proletarian the moment as Centrist, received 236 votes; tight of revolutionary significance. The comwhile the five Left Wing candidates averaged racles abroad and our own class war comRevolutionary Socialism close to 400 votes, the high vote going to 448.
racles in the jails, the strikefs of Lawrence By Louis Fraina The representative character of this Couand Winnipeg, and the fighting vention is evident from the large number of What is Bolshevism, this left wing Socialism which is shaking the revolutionary proletarians everywhere clelegates and the high attendance, tlic basis Cupitalism? This book provides a thorough analysis of the concepts were recognized in kinship in that Convenof representatiou being delegate to 10 mem and program of revolutionary Socialism. It considers Socialism tion in the most convincingly genuine way bers. The general issues to come before the Convention has been discusseil more or less and the War, Imperialism, Socialism in Action, the Death of Demothat the writer has ever witnessed in 21 cracy, the collapse of te dominant Socialism upon the declaration of war. Socialist Roadjustment. Class and Nation, Problems of Socialist gathering. And it is this sporta there update nothing here in likie hatbranchester som State Capitalism, njonism and Mass Action, and Proletarian Dict neous sensitiveness to the world fight of th rise for hasty judgment. The main portions atorship.
rising proletariat by the conscious American of the resolutions had been published in the Son Kalance, the Japanese Socialist, declares this Chicago Socialist two weeks before the Conproletarians which is the vitality of the rev Look the finest interpretation of the noze development in vention, and a series of clebates bad been International Socinlisni.
olutionary Socialist movement in the Unite staged between representatives of the oppos258 lagres. 750 a Copy States.
ing camps.
VIress all orders The Left Aling movement in Chicago, takThe anniversary of Italy entrance into ing its theoretical initiative in the work of THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE the world war passed without any demonthe Communist Propaanda League, had as885 Washington St. Boston, Mass.
stration of celebration the press reports.
sun ed definite organization character in Apparently the Italian people are recoverabc it two dozens of the most important ing their poise.
They definite, for the Resolutions can family as candidate