24 THE WORKERS COUNCIL APRIL 15, 1921.
APRIL 15, 1921.
THE WORKERS COUNCIL 25 labor eat out of our hand by the process of un American industrial development that exports must employment and starvation. Do our statesmen at increase with a declining domestic demand. Russia Washington and Wall Street care about the fact therefore cannot be excluded from available marthat even in the most prosperous year of our blessed kets for American trade. And it does not matter prosperity 1918, 37 per cent of families in New if Russia has no export commodities today worth York and Chicago are obliged to go without meat, consideration. She has vast resources of mineral 39. per cent cannot afford to buy eggs and 18. wealth, of forests, of agriculture. In 1917 the Unitper cent must get along without fresh milk? Do ed States offered to advance Russia a credit of two they know or care that over half of the families in billion dollars, according to a statement of Senator a vestigated in these two imperial cities by the Health France in his debate with Senator King at Carauthorities, have incomes of less than 500 per year, negie Hall on March 27th. What guarantees were which is 50 per cent below the minimum subsistence required then? Certainly none more sound than the level for a family of five? What the result? Under Soviet Government offers today.
nourishment for a large part of our population, In its proposal the Soviet Government expresses andermined health, incapacity. Mr. Hoover is soli the hope that the new American government will citous about the underclad population of Rus clearly seee the great advantage for the two resia. How many children in this country have to go publics of the reestablishment of business relations without shoes or sufficient clothing!
and will consider the interests of both peoples which United States trade with Soviet Russia is an imperatively demand that the wall existing between American not a Russian problem. For the Russian them should be removed. In the opinion of some peasant and workman can, if forced to, get along editors, Secretary Hughes didn absolutely refuse without American machinery, American shoes or to remove this wall; his note, they think, invites cotton. England, Canada, Sweden and other Eu further pourparlers. The statement of Superintendropean countries can supply their pressing needs for ent Baker of the mint that Russian gold bearing many years to come Russia may simply have to the stamp of a foreign government will be accepted, reduce her ambitious program of reconstruction, would tend to confirm this opinion. Perhaps the of electrification, mining or railway expansion in American Capitalist class, in its need for foreign the next few years. The badly needed locomotives trade, preparing a scheme to trade with Soviet and agricultural machinery can be obtained in Russia without letting the world know that it is England, Germany, Italy. The enormous purchases doing so. Perhaps it expects to sell to England and which Soviet Russia would like to make will be Germany for transhipment to Soviet Russia. But postponed, and the burden for the loss of trade there, we believe, the Capitalist calculations will go will fall on the American workers and farmers. wrong. For that exactly what Soviet Russia will But the Capitalist class cannot improve labor not have. camoufloged relations or round about morale which translated means low wages and long dealings. Soviet Russia will certainly refuse to pathours, without ruining the home market. Poorly ronize the American market through no matter paid workmen and moneyless farmers make poor what agents, without proper recognition being accustomers. Hence it is obliged to look for business corded to her.
abroad. This is what happened after the crisis of American Labor must take a page from English 1893. The volume of our foreign business rose till it experience. Lloyd George, the attorney for the reached 23 per cent of domestic trade in 1897; with English Capitalist Class, was forced to come to an the improvement of living conditions in the period agreement with Soviet Russia, not because the Eng.
1897 1910, foreign trade declined to only 10 per cent lish Capitalists love the Russians more than the in that year. In other words it is the experience of American or need their gold more, but because the Working Class of England had put an ultimatum We therefore publish in full the original call for to Mr. George and was ready to back that ulti the organization of the committee. It is as folmatum with the full power of their organizations. lows: The American workingmen, dominated as they are by archaic and reactionary labor leaders, cannot FOR THE THIRD INTERNATIONAL.
hope to produce the slightest influence on Mr.
Hughes or Mr. Hoover, cannot hope to better them group of comrades, active members of the selves until they determine to fight for what they Socialist Party, propose to organize within the demand, until the power they possess is concentrated, party, and for work in the Party, a Committee for until they put on full steam ahead.
the Third International. The undersigned comrades are of the opinion that the actual process of disintegration that our party is going through can Getting Organized be arrested only by the party adopting as guidance for its action the principles and the spirit By LOUIS ENGDAHL, Secretary enunciated by the Third International. This involves unequivocal propaganda and Committee for the Third International, of the work along the lines of uncompromising class strug; Socialist Party of the United States.
gle, the open and courageous stand for the Third International and for the Soviet Government of The announcement of the organization of the Russia. Committee for the Third International of the The Committee for the Third International Socialist Party of the United States has been rewill act in the open, giving the names of the memceived with enthusiasm. The reception it has been bers, and will consider itself a legally and legitimgiven is proof of its need and assurance that it has ately functioning body within the Socialist Party.
a big mission to perform.
Headquarters of the Committee will be at Chicago, No spokesman of our party has yet gone to Mos Illinois, and Comrade Louis Engdahl is acting cow to speak officially for the American Socialist as secretary to the Committee.
Party. Yet the first and second congresses have The membership of the committee will be scatcome and gone, and the third will no doubt soon tered all over the states and will act through cortake place. Why is this so?
respond nce with the office of the Secretary, at News comes that the Detroit, Michigan, and the 1400 Kedzie Ave. Chicago, Illinois.
Seattle, Washington, Central Labor Federations There will be a system of representatives, local have voted to send delegates to the Congress of the and regional, of the Committee for the Third.
Red International of Trade and Industrial Unions, The Committee adopts the following passage as that meets Sunday, July 1st, in Moscow, at the its statement of affiliation: call of the Third International. How many more. The Party shall cease all activities and atcentral labor bodies and individual unions are dis tempts for the organization or support of the cussing this matter, at this hour, we do not know. Fourth, or any other new or old International, Their number is growing daily. Surely the masses except The Third. We favor affiliation without are moving reservations, with the Third International. The anIt is the first task of the Committee on the nounced 21 Articles of Affiliation are not, in our Third International to let the membership and the opinion, a hindrance toward affiliation.
sympathizers of the Socialist party know what We hold that all discussion as to the applic.
the hopes and aspirations of the Committee are ability in the United States at the present time of are The Socialist Party Rises to the Defesa bf Ex Assemblyman Henry Jager