7 APRIL 1, 1921. THE WORKERS COUNCIL THE WORKERS COUNCIL APRIL 1, 1921.
If Socialists were largely in control of their governGompers and Hillquit ments.
On February 8th, 1921, the Hillquit report urgAt the same convention, Hillquit thundered against the Dictatorship of the Proletariat and the ing the severance of all international Socialist relaSoviet System. Two months later at the Geneva tions was adopted by the Central Committee of Congress of the Second International, Thomas, Local New York.
Vandervelde, Scheidemann and Huysmanns likeOn March the 8th, 1921, Gompers cabled to the wise thundered against any form of Dictatorship.
International Federation of Trade Unions at Ams But the rank and file of the Socialist Party have terdam announcing the severance of relations be. long since buried the Second International, and so tween the of and the international labor Hillquit will have none of it.
movement.
For a time the would be International at At a time when the imperialists of the world are Vienna offered an avenue of escape. The more and more solidifying their ranks; at a time at first indicated its intention of sending a delegate when the need for working class unity was never to the initial conference held at Berne in December greater than at present, American Labor and Ameri 1920, but it refused in the end to be officially reprecan Socialism are urged to eschew entangling alli sented at the February conference at Vienna. It ances with Internationalism. American workers are may be that the manifesto adopted by the Centrist called upon to sever affiliation with their European parties meeting at Berne, influenced the decision comrades who would lead the American movements of the In its manifesto we find the followto destruction.
ing declaration on the dictatorship: The Russian comrades, the Hungarian comrades The dictatorship, e. the application of all the and the Italian comrades may be face to face with means of state power of the Proletariat when it has the power of Entente Imperialism and reaction, but become the ruling class, to counter the resistance which Hillquit bids the Socialist Party turn its back on the bourgeosie may offer to the realization of Socialism, their struggles and devote all of its strength and is a transitional phase in the evolution from the capital.
rescurces to build up on American soil a powerful ist class state to the Socialist Commonwealth.
organiaztion of class conscious revolutionary Socialhowever during the period of the decisive struggle for ism.
power, democracy is destroyed by the intensity of the Gompers and Hillquit are both united on a policy class antagonism, then the workers must aggume dictatorof isolation; both believe it necessary and possible ship through proletarian class organization.
to erect a barrier separating America from the onward sweep of the social and economic forces let This definite approval of the necessity of a dicloose by the World War and the post war period. tatorship in addition to the opposition within the Gompers is faced with two internationals, the party, perhaps influenced the party officials to stay Yellow at Amsterdam and the Red at Moscow. He away from Vienna.
has never made any pretense at friendliness with In Hillquit report to the Central Committee rethe Soviet savages. He has never Airted with pudiating all affiliation with any International and Bolshevism. Neither will he swallow the Amster especially the Third, a number of reasons for this dam International, Its militant pronouncements decision are given which we will attempt to analyze: against the brutal murderers pusing as the Hunga The Socialist Party has repeateilly and conrian Government, which has been engaged in a stantly declared its readiness to affiliate with the systematic campaign for the complete destruction of Communist International, with only such reservathe working class movement of Hungary, although tions as were imperatively imposed by existing consigned by his friend Appleton, were too much for ditions, it declares. The report failed to mention Gompers. He has withdrawn Amercian Labor that these reservations include every principle upon from such contaminating influences.
which the Communist International is based, but Hillquit is faced with three Internationals. The to Hillquit this means repeatedly and constantly Secon l, the Third and the would be or two and declaring redainess to affiliate.
a half. He will have none of the Second. read Affiliation with the Communist Internationing of the platform and principles he drew up for al would mean changing the name of the party to the May 1920 Convention of the Socialist Party Communist Party, which we are led to infer is would clearly indicate that that is where he really something very dangerous or terrible, thereby giv.
belongs. No European party still talks of bring ing implied sanction to the treatment by the goving about Socialism after political power has been ernment of members of the existing Communist achieved through the securing of a majority in Parties. The report fails to point out that even Congress and in every State Legislature, and the the Government has not gone su far as to consider winning of the principal executive and judicial offi the name Communist as in itself illegal, but that On in the Second International can such the clause in the Communist Party program calling phrases still be found. Hillquit even had a good for armed insurrection was the excuse given by the word to say about the learlers of the Second Inter government for its policy of terrorism, an excuse national, long since repuliated by every Socialist. which was repudiated in the decision of Federal In describing the growth of Socialism in Europe, Judge Anderson.
he pointed with pride to the fact that in Sweden It would have to subscribe publicly to a and in Czecho Slovakia; in Germany and in Austria, program committing it to illegal activity. This is probably based upon Point III. of the 21 points The report opposes the 21 points because it which declares: calls for systematic propaganda in the Army, and it leaves it to be inferred that to engage in propa The Class Struggle in almost every country of ganda in the army would help to bring about the Europe and America is entering the phase of civil war. destruction of the Socialist Movement. The report Under guch conditions the Communists can have no does not oppose propaganda in the Army as such.
confidence in bourgeois laws. They should create every. It does not take the position that propaganda in the where a parallel illegal apparatus, which at the decisive Army is wrong, but it does assume that to declare moment should do its duty by the party, and in every ourselves in favor of propaganda in the army would way possible assist the revolution. In every country be fatal.
where, in consequence of material law or of other exIt is interesting at this point to recall that at the ceptional laws, the Communists are unable to carry 1904 convention of the Socialist Party, a motion on their work lawfully, a combination of lawful and was introduced by a delegate named Reynolds of unlawful work is absolutely necessary.
India urging that we authorize and direct the to take action for the concentrating of specialWe are to assume from this objection that Hill ized, determined propaganda for Socialism amnog quit would not have us continue our propaganda if the privates of the army and the militia over the the carrying on of Socialist propaganda was made entire country and its Colouies. The motion howillegal or was forbidden by the law. Should the ever was not adopted. Proceedings of National Conlaw forbid Socialist propaganda, we should evident vention 1904, 277. ly, according to Hillquit, then and there cease all The same resolution came up again at the 1908 efforts at spreading the message of Socialism. Point Convention, and Spargo reporting for the ResoluIII. requires that where, because of martial law or tion Committee said that the 1904 resolution on the of other exceptional laws, the Communists are un Army and Navy was brought up again, and he preable to carry on their work lawfully, then a combina sented the following resolution: tion of lawful and unlawful work is necessary. That. The Convention recommends that the according to Hillquit, means subscribing to a policy consider the question of instituting a special propeof illegal activity. This is one of the half truths ganda among the privates of army, navy, and the state that are worse than untruths. Surely, Comrade militia.
Hillquit would not be in favor of ceasing all Socialist propaganda merely because the ruling class for This resolution was carried. From proceedings bade it. No party ever did and no Socialist Party of National Convention 1908, 178. worthy of the name ever will. The capitalist class In other words, the need of carrying on systemcarries on its struggle against the workers by legal atic propaganda in the Army is by no means new.
and illegal means at all times, not hesitating even Neither has the notion emanated from the trar of at suspending the Constitution when necessary. Zinoviev. All parties have at all times realized the Comrade Hillquit however, would have the worker necessity for carrying on such propaganda. Ji: 1:117, entertain so great a respect for the laws of property, during the mayorality campaign special efforts were that he would forbid them from waging any sort made in New York City to bring the message of of struggle which was not strictly legal.
Socialism to the newly drafted soliders at Camp The Spanish Socialist Party recently addressed Upton. Jillquit himself attempted to go out and a number of questions to the Executive Committee talk to the boys although the military authorities of the Third International relating to the question interfered.
of illegal organizations within the party. The an It is true that the American standing army is not swer of the Executive Committee published in Le a conscript army as are all European armies. None Populaire, January 25th, 1921, is worth while quot of us have any illusions as to the character of the ing at this point.
make up of the American army, but neverthless, efforts should be made to reach them, as well as all The reason for the existence of the illegal organ other Americans.
ization consists in the necessity of giving to the party Fillqnit objects to submitting every platform at all times and under all conditions the possibility of and declaration of principles for approval to the remaining in existence, independent of the policies of Communist International and to submit to its dethe government and of the whim of the government cisions on all questions of party policy and party officials, and to have ready at hand the means for giv tactics. He fails to point ont that Point 15 clearly ing a systematic revolutionary direction to all of its advises that a program should be drawn up in conactivities.
formity with the special conditions of every country. The illegal organization is a sort of liason or as well as in accoriance with the resolutions of the ganization. It is subordinate, as all other activities of International: that Point 16 states that in the ailopthe party are, to the Central Committee of the Party. tion of binding resolutions, the International is The numerical proportion between legal and illegal or bound to consider the variety of conditions under ganizations depends upon political conditions. If there which the different parties have to work and struga is no interference with political liberty, the illegal or gle. Hillanit idea of an International is still the ganization will be reduced in importance, but if reac Second International, an International which contion rules, the Central Committee itself will doubtless tents itself with talk and passing compromise resolube forced to undertake secret activities. In any case, tions and then leaves each party to do as it pleases.
that part of the party which works illegally, will not That is the kind of International Hillauit advises constitute an independent organization.
the Socialist movement to wait for. The workers ces.