THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE Saturday, August 2nd, 1919 What of Amnesty?
WHAT can say in answer to your cry? Letter from a Left Winger to a Left over. cipation and self rules Our purpose, as revto to the cious proletariat and build working class solifate of our bravest and best beloved ComradeThe ranting reds, as some of our mistaken darity. Thus, by coalition with the bourgeosie our Genie, would you believe if, in the very comrades have joined the bourgeoisie in nam. for amnesty or any other political purpose same breath, added but must put all my ing us (the Left Wing Section of the Socialist and the resultant confusion to the workers, energies into the organization of the Com Party soon to be the Communist Party) are munist Party and into the industrial organwe defeat the very purpose for which we suffer convinced that the most effective work they can ization of the working class? Would you do for the successful release of our comrades be the strangest of contradictions for revolu imprisonment gladly. Would it not, therefore.
not think that, perhaps, like the Pharasees of is to agitate like mad for the industrial organ tionary Socialists to take part in such a conold, was offering merely lip service? That ization of the workers and give the workers vention as the official Socialist Party had proI do not really care what becomes of him who a consciousness of their own power. The or posed? Imagine: here we have worked for has devoted his long life to the workers that ganization of a Communist Party will do more years and bitter years, to build up the class they might set themselves free, and is now to force the capitalist government into a new solidarity that would set the workers free. As imprisoned for their sake? Nevertheless, it is attitude toward our prisoners than would a true that care terribly, even though am the struggle becomes more clearly defined, the dozen Amnesty. Conventions. There are a inevitable happens. many of us are thrown into not giving any of my time and energy to the few comrades who believe that the way to prison. Then we rush into an Amnesty conpulling of wires, seeing people of influence, working up amnesty sentiment among the help is by getting together with the best vention, taking into our arms and falling on. liberal elements, or drawing up, and getting petitioning the president etc. etc.
the necks of the historic foes of the workers and smash goes a good bit of the structure signed, petitions to the President.
We have no illusions on this score. We we have so painfully reared!
May hope, dear Comrade and friend, that know that power lies with a conscious, unified All honor to the comrades who are of the you will nevertheless believe that am con vinced am doing more toward the freeing working class; we are letting no grass grow Left Wing, who refuse to lend themselves to: of our Gene than those who work by the under our feet before setting to work to instill such a policy of betrayal. With their attitude means above enumerated? Years ago, left that consciousness and aid that unity. We am in full accord. might myself have been confused on this issue, but for the fact all the charitable and philantropic work want the prison doors open, and we are conwas then intensely engaged in, and joined the vinced, this is the only way, it can be done.
that my own wandering (in 1917. blindly and in confusion, has given me clearer sight.
Socialist Party, to which gave all my devotion and service. This did not mean that If were to be asked to enter the prison gates Knowing where was weak, now prefer a was a lover of my kind or less charitable tomorrow, would be selfishly glad, as well longer term of prison for myself, rather than (though it seemed so to the superficials. It as glad for all the imprisoned workers, that to expose the weakeness of my own fellow only signified that had found a more funda outside, was a new Communist Party and a workers to the same banal influences that confused and blinded me for a while, mental means of helping the poor. Instead of working through surface reforms, began gathering industrial unity in the country, see no other way. There is no royal road to hammer at the root of the evils my char the only power in these United States that to emancipation. We shall beg of none of our ities never touched.
can ultimately get and keep us out of prison. enemies, in the Government or out. will believe that today am taking the same If all who were busy flirting with the agree with you that there are many sincere fundamental attitude toward the question of of officialdom and with the bourgeois lib people, not of the workers, who are friendly.
the release of our class war prisoners. Let eral elements had instead busied themselves but we are not concerned with individuals.
who will putter with Amnesty conventions, making inroads upon the consciousness of the struggle. We must build our proletarian ranks We must work on the clear line of the class petitions, sympathy of liberal bourgeois refor rank and file, the Convention in Atlantic City conscious, determined, numerous as the sands mers, it is my business to go to the root of power the working masses the proletarian might have demanded the release of all political of the sea. They shall be invincible. Upon That would have them we rely for their freedom and our own ranks with whom, and with whom alone, and class war prisoners.
If there is no help in them, there is no help power lies.
some significance. Let the industrial unions wish that, somehow, you could be savedl grow strong enough, and the Communist Par anywhere. While the class conflict lasts tana that must continue, with increasing intensity from the bitterness with which misunderstandty formidable enough and the working class until the proletarian revolution is an accomping of the great issues involved in the party will command the opening of all the prisons, lished fact. we may not hope for freedom.
divisions threaten you. If you had clear una command that none will dare disobey. We Released from jail one day by the friendly derstanding of these issues, you could not enemy, we shall surely be clapped into jail believe that petty quarrels, senseless quarrels. shall not go begging on bended knee kowagain the next unless we desert the struggle!
rithin the party, are preventing the early re towing to the enemies of labor, for justice to No, there is no hope for help anywhere, except lease of Gene and all our class war prison our own class justice to their enemies. No in the workers. The worker, conscious, unified, ers. vital difference in tactics is not a petty compromise with them is possible. We must determined, is to be our deliverer. And him senseless thing. Tactics. know with what we have yet to create! Can you wonder then, a scornful curl of the lip the word is echoed stand alone a working class depending on its by some. Yes, tactics, we say. Can there be power a power that is gathering to the point that believe in going to the task without any more delay? want Gene out of jail want unity and harmony between those who, for of invincibility. Until then, we must be willeveryone of my comrades out of jail, when example, approach the social question, some ing to suffer imprisonment, death, if need be. am in jail, shall want myself out at the from the point of view and theory of the am sure that Gene, himself, the clearest of earliest possible moment, and want the work charity worker, others from the viewpoint and class conscious rebels, would agree to every ers out of the jail of their slavery. That is conviction of the social revolutionists? Only why am with the Left Wing, and shall be word here uttered.
a question of tactics, isn it? Yet the two with the Communist Party.
elements cannot conceivably work together. know some of the arguments offered in Either the one is right, or the other. They favor of coalition for amnesty at this particular why he too is of the Left. It is naturally Gene with his clear vision, sees this. That is cannot both be right, and the wrong, if pur time, but no immediate advantage is worth harder for some of us to keep our vision clear, sued lead, to futility or disaster.
the confusion that would result to the workers. because our eyes are blinded with tears. We We of the Left Wing, have no faith not We, in effect, become traitors to the working suffer too intensely for him, to think or see the slightest scrap of it in the many sided class if for whatever laudable purpose we clearly with him. Without true vision, howgame of appealing to the logical enemies of the worker. Be they called liberal, radical, or gloss over or ignore irreconcilable class antaever, there can be no right action, and without anything else under the sun, we know that no gonisms make the workers feel that their ecoright action no emancipation no hope.
power lies in that direction; and not only no nomic enemies are their political friends. Not Please believe that am yours with the dear power, but worse than that: betrrayal for that wa love of Comrades, lies power.
That lies only every real or apparent favor granted! There confusion. Confusion the one thing in the is only one power that can safely release our ROSE PASTOR STOKES.
worker consciousness that causes him to prisoners; that is the power of a conscious proletariat allow exploitation and delays the day of emar July 28, 1919.