The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 8, 1925, Page 9

tua icvcaisniak Wie from page 2) tile short cuts; which, in 4 final analy- sid ate niensheviki tactics piite and simplé, tiore simple that pure. We fought against that policy, but when our party decided in favor of such an adventure, like good Communists we obeyed. And then when several un- succesful attempts were made and the party with the ald of the Comintern finally rejected such & policy, we were delighted. And we hoped that at last our party has gotten over its men- sHevism and leftism and begins to work earnestly for Communism. But our joy was short lived. Our party executive was split. A major- ity and a minority began functioning and theses after theses were given out! declaration on principles and pol- icies, statements and “facts for work- ers” were given out, even personal at- tacks appeared in our party organ. And the only given reason for all of that was: “shall we continue our (men- sheviki) policy of advocating the farmer-labor party” when historical and purely American objective factors are agalnst that kind of policy. Ninety- nine per cent of our membership Is | against that kind of policy. “Let’s be something first. Then talk about man- euvering and federating with the other groups.” This is what our federation rank-and-filers say. Our membership does not want the high sounding phrases and useless talk about the absolute and correct Communistic pol- Icies. We know that the correctness of all the policies of the labor move- ment is only relatively true and cor- rect. Then when some group of mem- bers talk that they are sultable ma- terial for the party leadership, be- cause they are true Marxians, and scientific analysists of the conditions, honest, sincere, and _ characterize themselves with all kinds of adjec- tives, it reminds us of the controversy we hadin1913 and 14, when we: also had such big headed members, who were badly stricken witn infantile sickness and the leadership bug. The amusing feature apout this con- troversy is that the minority of the party is so deadly against us, and de- nounces us with very bitter terms. They have been busy colletcing evi- dence that we are supporters of “Loreism.” Of course they are doom- ed to fail in their efforts. We have Cannon Replies By JAMES P. CANNON. Comrade Askeli’s article follows the two statements published by the Fin- nish Branch of Superior and is direct- ly related to them. The Central Ex- ecutive Committee has declared that these statements contained a non- Communist tendency and represented the beginning of an ideological prepa- ration for a split in the Party. Com- rade Askeli’s article is another mani- festation of this sentiment. It shows ‘the same tendency in a clearer form “and forces us to draw the conclusion that it amounts to an attempt to sub- stitute a program of his own for the program of the Party and the Com- munist International. At the moment when the serious Communist workers are striving to unify their ranks on the platform of the Communist Inter- nation, Comrade Askeli comes forward with an attack on the Communist In- ternational. Such propaganda tends to discredit the Communist Interna- tional before the membership. Comrade Askeli has presented a platform without one sound Commun- ist plank in it. No one can accept this platform without first throwing away the platform of the Party and the Communist International. The loyal followers of the Communist In- ternational in the party, and espe- cially those in the Finnish Federation, have no choice but to ‘take up at once the most resolute struggle against the political platform of Comrade Askeli. The unity and integrity of the Party ‘demand such a struggle. incitement Against the C. I. The Communist International is the most priceless acquisition of the revo- lutionary proletariat of the world. The authority of the Communist Interna- _ tion is the surest guarantee that the unity of our party will be preserved and strengthened, that disintegrating opportinism will not be allowed to get a string foothold, that mistakes will be corrected and that faltering leadership will be assisted, strength- ened and equipped for its tasks. To make a breach between the party and _the Comintern is the aim of those’ele- ments in all countries who shrink from the implications of a policy of determined revolutionary struggle. Comrade Askeli is following a policy which leads in this direction. His at- tack is directed first of all and above all at the authority of the Communist International. He opposes in a more or less direct way all the propositions put before the Party by the Commun- ist International in its recent deci- sions, He then unites his opposition to the variqus specific proposals.of the Communist International into a com- plete and systematic opposition with the declaration that he wants a Cen- tral Executive Committee with suffi- clent “nerve” and “responsibility” to “settle questions without foolishly ap- pealing to higher bodies on every lit- tle question.” The practice of the Central Executive Committee in turn- ing to the Communist International for advice and guidance and for the solution of disputed questions appar- ently does not commend itself to Com- rade Askeli. He regards it as “Hesita- tion, indecision and a _ vacillating policy”, which, he says, is “destructive and must be done away with.” What is such talk but incitement against the Communist International? And what could be.-its effect, but to lead to a break-between the Party and the Communist Internation? To let the Party become the prey of disin- tegrating tendencies and render it powerless? Loreism. With such an attitude of general opposition to the Communist Interna- tional, it is quite logical for Comrade Askeli to find himself out of line with its specific decisions on the situation in our Party. The Comintern has put before the Party as one of its most important tasks the liquidation of the opportunist ideolOgy of Loreism. Com- rade Askeli has nothing to say on this question, except to deny the accusa- tions of sympathy with Loreism. The open statement and direct attack on Loreism which all leading comrades should make without hesitation or eva- sion is lacking. On the contrary the article makes many concessions to Loreism. Comrade Askeli says the Finnish Federation got rid of the right wing elements and the ideology of the two and one-half international at the time of the split with the Socialist Party. We are confident that the overwhelm- ing majority of the membership of the Finnish Federation will demon- strate that they have broken so de- cisevly with this ideology that no one will be able to lead them back to it. But in the light of this article we can- not be so confident of Comrade Askeli. A remnant of this ideology has found its way into his article. ; The Labor Party. Our most important political ques- tion is the question of the Labor Party. The future growth and devel- opment of our P; is indissolubly bound up with the solution of this problem. The first decisive, steps of the American workers in constituting themselves as a class, and entering the political arena as such, will be. taken thru the medium, of a Labor} Party. The solution ofthe Labor party problem is therefore of incaleu- able importance. It is in fact the key to the American Labor movement. Every member of the Party. must un- derstand this, The Enlarged Executive Committee of the Communist no opportunistic tendencies, but neith- er have we any leftist tendencies, which are just as bad. Some of the minority comrades descended so low as to peddle Hes about us. And these slanderers and character assassinat- ors have beén converted only recent- ly toa Commnunistic way of thinking. Now they are usurping the authority to denounce us, who have worked faithfully the last twenty-five years for revoltuionary socailism and Com- munism, What do We Want Now? I feel confident that I speak for every one of our federation members when I say that we want: 1. Immediate cessation of factional- ism. Organized groups which are eat- ing the life out of the party, must be liquidated. And we pledge ourselves to see that machines are liquidated and machinists disciplined, or ex- pelled 2. Only one executive committee, not two, like we have now. We must get over the idea of having a group or factional representation in our ex- ecutive committee. - We also want an executive commit- tee with nerve, and a sense of re- Are the Finns Social- Béiioceats? | sponsibility, and Communistic under- standing, so that they can settle ques- tions, without foolishly appealing to higher party bodies on e¥ery little question. Hesitation; indecision and a vacilation policy is destructive and must be done away with, 3. We want the shop nuclei form of organization, not so much that it is practical, tried and true, but be- cause theoretically it appears practic- al and true and this must be shown. 4. We do not want the language fed- erations in the party. All language federation must remain Communistic propaganda organizations, working in- dependently .under the ideological leadership of the Workers Party. In conclusion, I want to say that our slanderers have no patent or copy- rights on Communism. They have no exclusive rights on Communistic understanding. They, as well as all of us, make errors. I do not wish to leave the impression that our federa- tion has not made any errors. We have made numbers of errors, but we have also done something. Those’ pure and good “Marxians” that do not; do anything may ‘remain ‘free ‘from! any human errors, but in my estima- tion they are bum Communists. SD to Henry Askeli recting the past mistakes of all groups in the Party and laying down a clear political line for the immediate future. It is of the utmost importance that every leading comrade take a clear and unequivocal stand on this ques- tion. Mistaken conceptions of the past must be openly acknowldeged and resolutely put aside. The whole Party, as one man, must consciously swing its energy into the Labor Party move- ment according to the policy of the Communist International. In order to make this possible all leading com- tades, in, the, Party,and in the Federa- Hons. must. havea -unified point of view. A negative or half-hearted at- titude is not permissable. Comrade Askeli confines his remarks on this question to a couple of sen- ténces that only serve to confuse the issue. He speaks of the questions of the Third Party Alliance, the Farmer- Labor Party and the present Labor Party policy of the Party, making no distinction between them. He throws them all into one pot, labels them all “maneuvers” to be avoided and then concludes with the assertion that “99 per cent of our membership is against that kind of policy.” Such a method of presenting the question can only confuse the comrades. “Maneuvers.” Political adventurism, maneuvers that are not based on a true analysis of all the factors in the given situation, are very dangerous for a party. But to proceed from this premise to a re- jection of all maneuvers is to falsify and distort the Leninist standpoint. One of the most incorrect and harm- ful aspects of Loreism is its opposi- tion to maneuvers’ and its undialectic conception which arbitrarily separates organization and propaganda from ac- tion and maneuvers. Askeli makes this error when he says, “We are strong for organization and education. Maneuvers do not, in our opinion: make the Workers Party.” This con- ception is wrong. A fighting Commun- ist Party cannot be built upon it. Organization and propaganda, ac- tions and maneuvers, must be united in an organic whole. Without ability to maneuver there is no capacity for action and no real Communist Party. The paralyzing dogma of “no man- euvers” must be eleminated from our conception at all costs. The great ‘leaders and teachers of Leninism are constantly pressing this idea as a life and death struggle to the Communist Parties. Only recently, the Executive Committee of the Communist Inter- national was obliged to adopt a special resolution against the doctrine of “no maneuvers” which was threatening to International has paralyze the Communist Party of Ger- solved the Labor Party problem, cor- many and which had already lead it 3 db SIE A ae a, ‘o the most serious errors in connec- .ion with the question of the monar- chy. “The Communist Party of Ger- many must learn how to maneuver,” said the resolution of the Communist International. Our Party must also learn and in order to do so it must reject the standpoint which is present- ed by the article of Comrade Askeli. Shop Nuclei. The Bolshevization of the Party im- plies reorganization on the basis of shop nuclei. Our Party is confronted with -collossaP: Miffieuttios in this re-> spect on account of its ‘small member-. ship and many national divisions. The success of our campaign to construct the Party on the shop-nuclei basis re- quires the active, conscious and whole- hearted support of the leading com- rades of the various federations. Com- rade Askeli does not give such sup- port. He gives the shop nuclei form of organization only a negative en- dorsement and attempts to discredit it in advance with the statement: that he favors it, “not so much that it’ is practical, tried and true, but because theoretically it appears practical and true and this must be shown.” The transformation of our Party from the sociali-democratic form of organiza- tion to the Communist form of organ- ization, built in the work-shops, will never be aecomplished by such a skep- tical attitude. The position of Com- rade Askeli amounts to opposition to shop nuclei, under the flag of lip-serv- ice to it. The Party must eupece: ee reject this standpoint. The Federation Question. The Communist International and fhe Central Executive Committee of our Party have come to the definite conclusion that the existance of sepa- rate language federations must be done away with. The language feder- ations must be fused into a single centralized party. The organization letter of the Communist International gives detailed and specific instructions on this question; and the resolution of the Party commission takes a clear and definite stand for the com- plete centralization of the Party and the complete abolition of the present federation form of the organization. The energetic carrying out of these resolutions is an indespensible part of the process of Bolshevizing the Party. On this vital question as well as on all the others raised in his article, Comrade Askeli takes a wrong stand. The letter of the Communist Interna- tional and the resolution of the parity commission, provide for the recon- struction of the present language branches as pon-partisan workers’ clubs. The proposal .of Comrade Askeli to maintain the federations on (Continued = page 6.)