14 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE Saturday, July 26, 1919 Correspondence Letter from Oakley Johnson, SecretaryThe Michigan Party of America work of the National Left Wing Conference Treasurer, Socialist Party of Michigan to and then brazenly turn around and scrap your National Secretary, Left Wing Section.
habit of my mind to think flippantly of this special Michigan principles in favor of our YOURS of the roth instant, suggesting that organized membership: You characterize the program in its entirety. No wonder; you want Michigan Socialists purchase dues stamps a nice little party with the Left Wing out as well as the Right Wing, because only as the from the National Left Wing Organization, inclined, on the contrary, to analyze far more thus affiliating with said organization, at hand. closely the reality of our party situation. sole English speaking group in the new ComIt will be impossible to comply with your re There are leaders in the party, and the munist Party would you have the least chance to foist upon it the Michigan idiosyncracies.
quest regarding the purchase of Left Wing oreticians, who are imitation Socialists. There You cannot be heard to condemn us by a stamps.
Michigan is issuing its own special of the party who are imitation Socalists. Yet phrase of contempt and at the same time to with the Russian and other foreign language belong to the Socialist Party. There was the and propaganda stamps, and, in conjunction today it is not so indifferent a circumstance to appropriate our program. national movefederations, and with various locals through trying period of the war, and much of the ment will quickly put you in your place.
How glibly you quote the history of the out the country, is working for the formation of a Real Socialist Party, not the capture of chaff went with the hurricane. Now there is break up of the Russian parties, as if this were the tension of a world in revolution, and anyan imitation one.
a case in point. As between the Socialist Revone who has spoken this past year to audiences olutionaries and Social Democrats we have know you regret that the Socialist Party of Socialists knows the hope and pride of the distinct representation of different social should split up, and especially that the revolurevolution which glows in their hearts.
tionary section should split into factions, but Of course know that as viewed from the these two parties we have the fundamental this process, historically considered, seems in high walls of the Proletarian University of cleavage between reformists and revolutionevitable. It has taken place in the countries America this mass responsiveness to the imaries everywhere. When you talk of four, or of Europe, notably in Russia, where the Social Revolutionists split into Maximalists and Mipulses of revolution in process means nothing. three, Socialist parties in the United States, nimalists, and the Social Democrats into BolIt is simply emotional frothiness. It does historically developed, it is up to you to show not emanate from the Proletarian University a fundamental social or tactical basis which sheviki and Mensheviki, making four Socialist parties. The same thing is happening here.
class room, how then can be of revolutionary clearly differentiates the different parties, significance?
No one desires harmony more then we do, otherwise you must admit that one or more but you cannot harmonize inharmonious prinI have had many occasions to quote Marx of those parties exists as an historical record ciples and elements. The only group that can and Lassalle to the effect that being a Soof intrigue and is otherwise without histofunction in a social crisis in a revolutionary Scientific rudiments of Socialism. have also cialist means, in essence, understanding the rical explanation.
way is one that is united on principles; any You say we cannot harmonize inharmooften taken occasion success that you may have in uniting the divers speak my sincere ad nious principles and elements. agree. We and heterogenious elements that now compose miration for the study class work which has do not want to replace an old fake harmony the majority of the Left Wing will be barren been carried on from Detroit. It is hardly with a new fake harmony. We want a party as far as permanent and useful results are necessary for me to emphasize my high esti of like minded comrades, all of revolutionary mate of economic, social and historical learn consciousness.
concerned. Hence the stand taken by the Michigan comrades on the Left Wing propoing as a factor in the building of a Socialist We will never follow the Michigan example sition.
movement.
of throwing all principle aside in order to But do not confuse the high importance OAKLEY JOHNSON, catch an advantage out of an enthusiasth of State Secretary Treasurer.
of schooling Socialists with my conceptions of certain elements for the empty flourish of a mass proletarian momentum toward revolu immediate establishment of a Communist Answer of Ferguson to Johnson. tion. The learning must take its effect through Party. do not understand why you write that the mass movement, and therefore there must After all, comrade, there is no Communist you know regret that the Socialist Party be a merger of the two: that is, Socialist Party until there is some sort of group inteshould split up. have been quite insistent learning must permeate through the revolution grated by fundamental agreement in principle.
that the Socialist Party now rightfully belongs ary masses. But the mass movement has its Between Michigan and in this do not admit to the Left Wing and that the Left Wing rank tremendous meaning and importance quite for one moment that you really represent the and file should take the party and do with it aside from the matter of Socialist schooling. rank and file of the Michigan membershipas they will. It will be impossible for the non And this is where you are now making your and the Federationists, who accept their manrevolutionary reformists to remain in a party very serious mistake. will not accuse my date from two or three Executive Committees, controlled by the Left Wing. am in absolute friends and comrades of Michigan of rank not from their membership, there is no bond of agreement with the Hillquit formula that the insincerity, but am absolutely convinced that fundamental principle. Between ourselves and time has come for the party to divide into its unless you move quickly to align yourselves the Federation membership there has been two antagonistic camps. But do not see with the general Left Wing movement you will such a bond for three quarters of a year, and why a defeated minority, with virtually no not only destroy your own usefulness to the in tendency for a much longer time.
membership supporting the hold over official proletarian advance in America but wilfully dom, should be generously tendered the So foster a state of confusion which may do great Left Wing alike you miss the crucial point In regard to the Socialist Party and the cialist Party and its tens of thousands of mem harm. Because you have lost sight entirely of bers who have not yet come into alignment on the mass movement of the American proletariat consciousness and fuller understanding, which that there is a membership, needing sharper the Right and Left sides. That would regret, as represented within the American Socialist is of revolutionary impulse. We are going to but would not press this point beyond the Party. You have become so engrossed with hold ourselves as the servants of this membertime fairly to be allowed for a final campaign the nicety of phrases that you have overlooked ship. You are going to lay down the law to within the party to bring definitely into the the intense realities of life.
them from the secluded heights, quoting them Left Wing the mass of the membership which Consider, comrade, you do not hesitate to belongs there. am still conscious of certain align yourself with ten thousand or twenty the appropriate texts. We are going to live and fight with them, today and tomorrow and advantages in developing the Left Wing inner thousand members of the Russian speaking until we die, trying to shape their instincts of campaign to the point of taking hold of the Federations? Why are these less affected by Socialist Party organization, or pushing the the imitation character of the Socialist Party munist Commonwealth.
revolt toward the goal of an American ComRight Wing to such extremes in holding on then the same number of our Scandinavian, to the party machinery that there is a clear Italian and Jewish comrades? Or our German At the Left Wing Conference and since, worried much about this factional division case of the Left Wing as the true continuity of comrades? Or even the Americans. And why this attitude of holier than thou within the Left Wing, and am vet eager to Some highly estimable comrades have given as to principles, when you have cheaply flung be done with it. But the Left Wing has no of their unstinted efforts these eighteen years away all principle and swallowed entire the thing to concede in principle. The suggestion to build up the Socialist Party organization program of Wing which you spurn? has been made that we can make more clear The essence of that organization is the solid You want a plaything all of your own a the mandate of the Left Wing Conference for phalanx of membership which is identified Michigan Socialist Party of America. You a party of Communism on August 30th, either with the militant proletarian movement of the want to make it and you want to control it. by control of the Emergency Convention or United States and the world. It is not the You piled. criticism upon criticism against the (Continued on page 13)
the party,