BourgeoisieCommunismCommunist PartySocialismSocialist PartyWorkers MovementWorking Class

July 19, 1919.
THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE 15 Official Left Left Wing News bosses of the Russian Federation. There is no HE Cleveland referendum proposal to rescind There is no question but tiiat the final tally of the question but that these Federation schemes will be party elections is available at the National office, the acts of the old expelling, Michigan, suspending the seven Federations, holding up sharply rebuked by their own membership at the but according to the action of the this the election referendums, and putting the national moment the true situation becomes known. Of tally will not be made known until August 30th.
headquarters into the absolute control of trustees, course it will be their policy to keep their members Meanwhile the State Secretaries have published has been seconded by 172 locals, representing 17, properly misinformed, but that sort of policy cannot enough of the votes to leave no qustion of the out800 members. These seconds come from 29 come except as above indicated. There may be states carry them along very far.
and 10 Federations. Over 12, 000 of the members There is a small group of pretentio leaders some variation also in the Fourth District, where represented are from the regular English speaking in Michigan who, while they have done some splen the votes are few and scattered. But as to 12 or branches, 2, 130 from Russian speaking branches, and did critical and educational work within the Social 13 of the new executive body there can no longer be 3, 631 from 48 branches of the Finnish, German, ist Party, are making a sorry mess of their attempts any question, and according to the party law. the Jewish and Scandinavian Federations.
to take the whole national movement into their new is entitled to control beginning July This straw vote is all the more striking by hands. The national movement will dispose of it 1st.
reason of its scattered, spontaneous character. It self at Chicago, on August 30th, with representation There can be no legality by which a defuncet is apparent that the same proposition put to the from every part of the country. self Constituted Executive Committee can keep the newly elected vote of the entire membership through the regular national organization committee will never create committee from taking office. By such constituparty machinery would result in a repudiation of a Communist Party of America when its first tionality the old body could perpetuate itself inthese acts of the C. by practically 100 per act is a repudiation of the initial national effort definitely, let the members yote as they like. Stopcent of the active party membership. As an example to draw together the Left Wing elements for com ping referendums is the method chosn to make sure of the limited reach of this expression of party mon action.
that the members consent.
sentiment, New York City is not represented at The National Left Wing Council is the immedi motion for a meeting of the new has all, nor Detroit, and only a few of the smaller ate embodiment of the National Left Wing. The been made by Comrade Katterfeld, who happens branches from Chicago, while these three cities question of the process of revolutionizing the So to be a member of both the old and new Executive have over 20, 000 party members.
cialist Party was most carefully considered at Committee. In case National Secretary Germer reNow it appears that this referendum will never New York by representatives from many States, fuses to put this motion, as is most likely, Comrade be submitted. It is unconstitutional because it and it is this decision which must govern the Left Katterfeld will himself take the vote of the newly contains comment. Sherlock Holmes, and all the force the Conference to accept their dictation now Wing Council. The insurgents who could not elected committeemen.
other great detectives, real or fictitious, never exhiThis meeting is of the highest importance. It is bited ingenuity equal to this. It was suspected that official party and the Left Wing. They expect to presume to marshall their forces against both the up to the new to keep up the continuity of some way would be found to sidetrack this refethe party. The only valid party authority today, rendum until too late for the Emergency Convensweep everything before them by the magic of the officially speaking, is the newly chosen tion, but the particular method chosen to get rid of a name Communist Party of America. That is Fundamentally, the final rarty authority is the party disastrous rebuke from the party membership was a name which deserves far greater respect than to membership, and ir. obeu ence to this authority it beyond forecast be used as bait in this sort of game. When it becomes the duty of the new committeemen to meet Except for the extreme seriousness of the party situation and the nasty temper becomes the name of the revolutionary Socialists and take up the exut ive work of the party. If of the rump officialdom, one might find in this movement in this country, it will not be by man there is any question about the elections it can only latest performance of the hold over an date of two little groups of petty, intriguers. It be raised by contests coming from any district inspired outburst of the comic spirit.
will be under auspices which held the name of where defeated candidates may claim seats on the Communism in too profound respect to make of it The uncontested committeemen must defootball as in this game for a Michigan Russian cide these contests.
THE MICHIGAN FEDERATION CALL Executive Committee private political party, There is need to make reservation for the intense FOR NEW PARTY sincerity of some of the comrades in. volved in this THE FINNISH FEDERATION LINES UP.
The call for a new party to be formed at Chicago call for a new party. But there can be no reserIt was evident at Chicago that the main reliance on September 1st, regardless of the Left Wing vation as to their temporary loss of mental balance of the Opportunists was on the Finnish Federation, organization and procedure, is without national with respect to the general proletarian movement which has long been first in the list of Federations.
significance except as it may work injury to the in the United States upon which all that they long Now the news comes to hand that the Finnish Fcalready difficult task of the Left Wing in drawing for depends.
deration denounces the actions of the C. and together the revolutionary elements of the American demands that the August 30th Convention shall proletariat. The call comes from a little committee, PLAN FOR MEETING OF NEW E.
take no account of the expulsion and suspensions.
most of whom represent none but themselves, and The National Left Wing Council and several of The proclamation coming from the Executive Comall of whom are desperately bent on playing out a petty game of controlling the future of Socialism the members of the newly elected are trymittee of the Finnish Federation characterizes the ing to work out a plan for a meeting majority of the as petit bourgeois opporthe new in America regardless of the will and understanding of the mass of party members. E. at as early a date as can be arranged. The tunistic Socialists. Finally, comes this significant This call was formulated in the East with none election of Comrades Fraina, Hourwich, Harwood, statement: If the internal crisis created in the instructed to that effect except the delegates to the Prevey, Ruthenberg, Lloyd, Keracher. Batt, Hogan, party unavoidably leads to a division of forces, we Millis, Nagle, Katterfeld, Wicks and Herman apjoin without hesitation those that follow unalterNational Left Wing Conference from Michigan, pears now to be certain, while there is still a quesably in the wake of the uncompromising class strugand this was a Convention not a membership instruction. The others who join in this call act under tion about the third choice in the First District, gle. There shall be our place.
the direct inspiration of three or four would be Comrade Lindgren leading without the New York FERGUSON, vote.
National Sec y.
Greater New York News Erpenters they come demoncinh toan mieties of ENDING the consolidation of the locals of ly revolutionary in spirit. Local New York félt and so on. Comrade Alcinikoff asked for the floor the Left Wing has called for the immediate that it had to do something, surely, in order to get of the members, who granted it with acclaim, in rid of the revolutionary elements. Not having any order to answer Gerber. But not having asked it formation of a central committee of New York. real ground, a fictitious one would do just as well, of his august self, Gerber, the party hired secretary The New York Left Wing branches have had no in the opinion of the Right Wing.
kept on beating with his hammer. This continued centralized unifying governing body up, to the present with the result that there has been little Letters were sent out saying: inasmuch as there until Gerber and the rest of the Black Committee work accomplished along those lines.
was a disorderly element in the branch (no meetwere ejected from the hall by the members. Some We must engage in the primary fight among other activities ing had ever been topken off in disorder. inassix of his kind left the braneh with him. On going and that also requires some centralized body to much as the branch officers had been recalled this out Gerber shouted out, You ll pay for this, you carry on the work.
also a lie. the branch was to be reorganized. The are no longer members of the party.
The New York Left Wing branches are therefore Black Committeee came around and took our One month later, a masked gang of three, easily called upon to elect delegates for the Central names All activities of the branch were sus recognizable by their smell, according to the man Committee at its next meeting where they have not pepnded. Some four weeks later another letter who described them, as being Spritzer, Shub and done so already. The first meeting of the delewas sent out. This time Gerber was there and ex Extract, broke into the branch during the morning gates of the Central Committee will be held on plained that the other reorganization meeting was hours by way of the fire escape window. All the Tuesday, July 22 at our headquarters 43 29th not supposed to have taken place, was uncalled for furniture was taken out, the fixtures of the lights Street at o clock. Minutes of that meeting will were torn from the walls and ceilings, even a bookbe published in the next issue of The Revolutionary case belonging to the did not escape MEMBERSHIP MEETING their rapacity, but was jimmied open.
Age.
Some of Branch organizers or secretaries will please nothe books were stolen. We only hope that they Sunday, P. August 1919.
tify this office when and where their meetings are will read them and perhaps learn some Socialism.
held. Also their other activities of interest to the MANHATTAN LYCEUM Jacob Hillquit, the brother of Morris Hillquit, comrades of the Left Wing.
66 East 4th Street, New York was the treasurer of the branch and had some 250 of the branch money So that besides the furniRatification of the National Left Wing ture, upon which they will be able to realize quite Dear Comrade:Conference and election of officers.
a little sum, these few have the 250.
As another instance of the already over accumHow much lower must such as these fall in ulated examples of the Democratic actions of the Admission by Left Wing Application Card order to be on the same plane with the EbertsRight Wing. let me describe the one perpetrated and Socialist Party Card, Scheidemanns Noskes of Germany?
upon the 18 20 A, This branch of the did not participate in Application Cards can be secured at headthe actions and reactions between the Left Wing quarters or from Branch secretaries.
Fraternally, and the Right Wing but it was definitely decisiveWM. BOURSTEIN