The Daily Worker Newspaper, December 6, 1924, Page 10

|Lore and the Comintern FIRST ARTICLE. The Moscow Decision—Accusations Against Comrade Lore—The Serrati Case—Serrati and Paul Levi. In the theses of the Comintern on the American situation and the tasks of the Communist Party in America, there is contained the following para- graph: “The Executive Committee of the ~ Communist International calls the attention of the C. E. C. also to the dangerous tendencies signalized by the articles of Comrade Lore and some of his followers who, in their estimation of the probleme of the Communist International, in their estimation of the labor government of England and of the events in Germany, are manifesting remnants of views of the Two-and-a-Half inter- national. The C. E. Ce must carry on an ideological campaign against such a tendency.” As one of those present. at the dis- cussions of the Executive Committee of the C. EL. om the American question, the writer deems it his duty to give an aecount of the circumstances wherein the decigian concerning Cam- rade Lore was adopted and of the meaning of that decision. At the meetings of the E. C. C. E, where the American problem was dis- cussed, there were three delegates from the U. S. representing three dif- ferent points of view on the American situation. The members of the Execu- tive Committee also held varying shades of opiniom concerning the * American party. But while the dis- cussion was extended and very ani- mated, while the clash of tendencies was at times quite sharp, especially among the American delegates, there mission appointed by the Executive Committee of the Communist Interna- tional adopted as a general! basis_for its decisions the memorandum on the American situation and the outline of the party’s activities in the future, which were presented by Comrade Foster. (There was only one section in Comrade Foster’s memorandum with which the commission dis- agreed). Paragraph 18 of Comrade Foster’s outline read: “The right wing and opportunist tendencies of the Lore-Volkszeitung group shall be censured and cor- rected by the Comintern.” Qne of the other two delegates prac- tieally withdrew his own memoran- dum im favor of Comrade Foster's (with the above exception), and as to the third delegate who was fundamen- tally oppesed to Comrade FPoster’s memorandum and outline of activities he was pleased by the paragraph which proposed the censuring of Com- rade Lore. Executive Committee of the Commu- nist International adopted, a policy and a plan of work for our party. The theses on the American situation were adopted by the Executive Committee unanimously. The censuring of Com- rade Lore and the declaration of the necessity to carry on an ideological campaign against the tendency rep- resented by Comrade Lore is, thus, a unanimous decision of the Executive Committee of the Communist Interna- tional. The decision was adopted be- fore the Fifth Congress of the Com- munist International, but having been present at the sessions of the con- gress and believing I understood the spirit of the overwhelming majority of the congress delegates, the writer is quite certain that, as far as Com- rade Lore is concerned, the congress, the highest governing body of the Communist International, would have fully agreed with the Executive Com- What, then, were the points of ac- cusation against Comrade Lore? Let it be understood from the very start that the E. C. C. I. did not under es- timate Comrade Lore as a Communist worker, as a man devoted to the class’ of what the C. I. considers centrism: struggle of the proletariat and as a eomrade of long standing in the labor movement. ‘Had the E.iC. doubted his Communism, he would not have been tolerated im the isiternational. But the Executive Committee said, there is a certain brand of Commu- nism, a certain tendency in the Com-, munist thovement which is known as opportunist or centrist, a tendency which, while accepting the program and the tactical line of the Communist International, has not yet relinquished from its mind the image of another organization where discipline is less exacting, the revolutionary lines are less tightly drawn and the fight against the socialist reformers is less severe. This tendency is im a con- stant eovert or overt opposition to the Communist Internationals: it is sus- picious of the decisions and policies of the Communist International; it chafes under the rule of international discipline, and it expects evil from what it terms the “lack of responsi- bility” on the part of “Moscow.” To put it in brief: This tendency is against the Bolshevik character of the C. L Such tendency, the Executive Commit- tee said, is expressed: a im Comrade Lore’s support of Serrati against the Comintern; “ b. In Comrade Lore’s support of Paul Levi against the Comintern; c. In Comrade Lore’s siding with what he understood to he the Trot- sky policy against the majority of the Russian Communist Party in the discussion of last year; d. In Comraae Lore’s attitude to- wards the German revolution in the falt of 1923; e. In Comrade Lore’s estimation of what the Communist Internation- al was and what, in his opinion, it should not have been in the first five years of its existence. 4 The Executive Commfttee of the Communist International took the po- sition that if the same general, tend- ency manifests itself in the writings of the same comrade im the course of fowr or more years under varying cir- cumstances, if the comrade only seems to be waiting for an opportun- ity to express his opinion in opposi- tiom to the stand of the Communist International and if he persists in his opinions, never repudiating what he had erroneously defended before, then this comrade must, certainly be term- eda centrist. The Executive Commit- tee, further maintains that the writ- ings of a comrade form a good basis for judging his basic position. “Why should we not judge on the basis of articles, quotations and resolutions?” Comrade Zinoviev. said in his con- cluding speech at the Fifth Congress, “Theses, quotations and articles exist just for the purpose that on their basis —of course, not on this alone—we may judge.” As nearly everyone of the comrades in the Executive Com- mittee reads German fluently, it was possible for the Executive Committee ‘o get first-hand information on the nature of Comrade Lore’s writings and on the general character of the Volks- zeitung, so that the decision cannot be attributed to “lack of information” on the part of Moscow, as is often claimed by C. I. opponents. In order that those American com- rades who do not remember the cases of Serrati, Paul Levi, etc., may elearly understood the Lore issue, it will be well to recall those startling moments in the history of our Communist In- ternational. The keynote to Comrade Lore’s at- titude was struck, as early as Sep- tember 29, 1920, in a Volkszeitung edi- torial entitled: “Let us not allow non- essentials to make us forget the basic problem.” In this article which is di- rected against Hillquit, Comrade Lore writes: : “We also think (like Hiliquit) that Comrade Zinovievy should here and there be more careful (grossere Diskretion ausuben) especially in his instructions to foreign sister parties. And we also agree with Hilfquit that it does not belong to the prime necessities to designate everyone who differ from us in opin- ions as a traitor.” In these casual remarks is contain-| while nominally ed the nucleus, or, rather; two nuclei, a dissatisfaction with the iron-clad discipline of the C. L., and a lenient at- titude towards social-reformists. This nucleus developed into a consistent Volkszeitung policy in relation to Ser- rati. Serrati was a leader of the Italian socialist party which had joined the ‘Communist International at its very ineeption. The Italian socialist party consisted of three wings: (1) the Turati-Modigliani group of a purely so- eial-democratic nature (against “Max- imalism,” against “destructive poli- cies,” for work in parliaments, local communal bodies and economic organ- ization in order to organize socialist society); (2) the Bordiga-Bombacci- Terracini-Graziader group of Comnft- nists who unequivocally accepted the 21 points (i €. conditions om which a party may join the C. L as adopted at the Seeond Congress), whe stood for straight revolutionary work, i‘ (3) group which, while ostensibly accept: Dolicies, refused tq split with Turat* and his followers. Serrati had beem a delegate to the Second Congress of the Communist International and a member of its praesidium. The Second Congress had passed a resolution requesting the Italian socialist party to convene an extraordinary congress to split with the reformists, in order that the Ital ian party might become a real Com munist Party, that is to say, capable of leading the workers in a revolu tionary struggle. Serrati refused to comply with the express wish of the Communist In- ternation Congress. Serrati commit- ted a flagrant breach of Communist discipline, the more conspicous by | virtue of the prominent position he oc- cupied in the party as leader and edi- tor of the Avanti. P, rs The international and the Italian sit- uation must be remembered as the back ground of the Serrati crisis. The world in general was full of explosives The revolutionary tide was running high all over Europe. The Commu- nist International had just come into existence as a leader of the werli re- volutionary movement. The Second Congress was practically the first real international congress of Communist Parties. The Secend Congress had to draw not only ideological but also or- ganizational limes between Commu- ‘nists and reformists. Only with the adoption of the 21 points could the revolutionary wing of the working elass be organized - as . Communist parties. 5 The urgent historic necessity of confidence,” said later the capitalist premier, “showed that it deserved it.”) The massés were betrayed to capital- ist hangmen by the reformists of the Turati-Modigliani faction. Even after this betrayal, Serrati re- fused to part ways with Turati and his he ing the program of the C. E and its} By Moissaye J. Ol gin Things came to a breas at the Livor- no congress, which opened on Dec.. 29, 1920. Two days previous, a letter was sent by the EB. C. C. I. to the Ital ~ ian socialist party. The letter read in part: “Once more we deem it neces- sary to remind you, dear comrades, that the C. I. will have nothing to do with men belonging te the reformist group. We categorically declare to you that you have to choose between Ser- rati, D’Aragona and the Third Interna- tional.” At the Livorno congress, Ser- rati split the Italian socialist party, f. 4. he splitaway from the Communists who were loyal to the C. I. The Communist International was in an open conflict with Serrati over the elementary problem of Communist- discipline. The Communists were agitated the world over. At that time Comrade Lore came out in defense of Serrati against the Communist Inter- national. An editorial im the Volkszei- tung January 25, 1921, named “After Leverno,” of the Executive Committee, then pro- ceeds = “Im this last letter to the Italian party, the Executive Committee of the Third International demands, as we see, the expulsion also of Serrati who played a leading role at the Second Congress of the Third Inter- national. if the Executive Commit- - tee was right in declaring that colla- boration with members affiliated to the Amsterdam Trades Union Inter- taional—which resolutely condemn- ed the Bolsheviki at its London con- gress in September—was impos- sible; if it was perfectly justified in demanding the expulsion of Turati and D’Aragona, it put itself into the wrong by tdemanding the expulsion of Serrati. Serrati may be a hot- head and a bonehead, but nobody - can dispute the fact that he is an honest revolutionary. Just as little can be disputed that he did enor- mous things for the labor movement. By throwing Serrati into one heap with Turati and Co. . ... one has Injured the revolutionary movement needlessly and, without ground,” Comrade Lore thns declared that the C. EL. was wrong, that Serrati was right and that his merits in the revolution- ary movement were his justification. It may not be out of place to recall what Lenin had to say about Serrati. In an article, “False Speeches on Free- dom,” published im the “Communist International,” December, 1920, he wrote: “Serrati, Baratono, Zanaroni, Baecci, Jaccomo, have already proven with absolute clearness and beyond ists. M. J. O:) is basically wrong.” . “In such circumstances and at such a moment the (Italiam) party will be~ come a hundred times stronger, not weaker, if the mensheviki will leave equality In general, Comrade Nobs (a Swiss left socialist, editor of the Zur- ich “Volksrecht.” M. Q. J.) and Com- rade Serrati! Speak of freedom not to carry out the decisions of the Comin- tern concerning the unconditional quotes the above letter. os