The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 15, 1925, Page 14

| The War Against Riffs and the Socialist Party of France It does not matter to them if a few workers leave the party; the support of those in power today will bring |them a number of new place-hunters which will exceed the number of those By ANDRE. ‘MARTY (Paris) The Painleve government decided under the hypocritical formula: ‘Respect for treaties and the sover- | eignty of the Sultan!” (an insignifi- | cant puppet of the French govern- ment) to carry on war against the Riffs’ It could not have been other- wise, When among the most import- ant members of a ministry there are men such as Briand, an upstart adven- turer, Caillaux, a typical banker, Schrameck, a born — policeman and Steeg, a slaveholder, the hand of | capital does not need to pull the wires very firmly with which it controls its | marionettes, in order to guide them as it desires; a breath is sufficient. Every bourgeois government of this country feels. itself compelled to de- stroy the Riffs by military means and | by the blockade, for the following chief reasons: 1. The greed of the banks desires at last to “bestow peace’—as they call jt—on Morrocco, so that they can ex- ploit #t to their heart's content. 2. The tree Republic of the Riffs would spur on all the oppressed Arabian peoples of North Africa, Morocco and Tunis to a revolutionary fight for freedom. This however would be a fearful blow to imperialism, es- pecially to the French. This is ‘why the bourgeois govern- ment felt compelled at a moment's notice to carry on war to the end. The leaders of the socialist party (including Blum, Renaudel, Bedouce) who really belong to the left wing of the bourgeoisie, have joined in. The attitude of the socialists was dictated by their anxiety to remain a government party. Why? Because since May 11, 1924, the socialist party (Ss. F. 1. 0.) has, with almost incred- ible rapidity, drawn close to the bour- geoisie. When it became a government party, it attracted a large number of electors of the cartel who took their | Ls ‘of membership not out of en- thusiasm for the socialist party, but to innsure for themselves the protec- tion of the mighty ones of the day. In nutherous communities it has absorb- | ed those “radical” elements, whick form a number of election committees, but no party. Many young lawyers and young doctors “with a brilliant fu- ture” have joined the party and, in the majority of the socialist provinc- ial sections, a “brilliant” general staff discusses policy from the point of view of merchants, which has nothing atiali in common with the “empty and interminably long discussions of old Guesde who only began to realize the seriousness of the times in the fire of war.” (These are the words of a young and “brilliant” advocate of the socialist party). As early as ten months ago—on the occasion of vot- ing with regard to the secret funds— this development became clear in the eyes of those who are Jess informed. ‘Today it alarms even the old socialists to such a degree that one of them (on June 12 in a leflet of the S. F. I. O.) writes as follows: ‘It (the S. F. I. O.) is assuming more and more the aspect of a bour- geois democrat party of the left.” A dreadful saying, for it takes up again Zionviev’s thesis, about which there was such a hue and cry years ago and accordinng to. which social- democracy is classified as belonging to the left of the hourgeoisie and not to the right of the proletariat. (A pro- posal that party comrade of Renaudel may have been accused. by Renaudel of having sold himself to Moscow.) The socialist leaders are in a‘dillem- mia from which they see no issue. The one possibility is for them to continue to suppoft the government; in this case they risk losing their last labor elements which will go over to the Communists. Renaudel does not seem to mind very much, as he showed at the session of the chamber on May 27, when he said to our Com- rade Doriot: “Let them go to you.” And Poucet, in order to emphasize his contempt for the working class added (session of the chamber on the 27th of May): “We shall not lose much by it.” | departing. The other possibility is for them to / join the opposition, then however they | will become an election party and a | void will be formed as they will have |no chance of rising, the party will be discouraged, and the really revolution- ary workers will, more than ever, go over to the Communists, This is the reason for the vacillat- ing, oscillating attitude of the social- |ist party since the end of May. Their | traction in parliament which is guid- jing them, and that dictatorially (see |the last national council) has allowed | its internal dissensions and its con- fusion in all votings stnce that of May 29, with regard to the Morocco ques- tion to become evident, on'the one hand by violent disputes in the full hall of assembly as at the division on May 29 for the government (six}° refraining from voting), or especially at the session of June 16, when-there were two socialist votes for the Com- munists, 84 abstained from voting and 17 gave nationalist votes (!). Finally at the last division on July 9 with re- gard to credits for the Morocco war, the socialists refrained from voting, but emphatically declared—thru Blum —that this indicated no lack of con- | fidence in the government, and that they were opposed to the evacuation of Morocco. Be it remarked that abstaining from voting is the normal refuge of those who are too cowardly to take sides. These persons who reproach the Com- munists with “thinking,” funk a dis- cussion in which it is # case of pro- nouncing a clear and consistent opin- ion on so simple a question ag that of Morocco, In recent times there has been talk of the formation of a “left” in the so- cialist party which is.grouped around | Bracke’s periodical, Spark., This epin- }ion has been confirmed by the fact that our press has published resolutions against Morocco which were signed by the socialist sections. The name |“left” seems to me incorrect. The name, however, which was recently taken by a fraction of the socialist sec- en of Beziers, is much more exact: “resisters.” The group of Spark is really trying to “resist” Renaudel, but —in favor of Bracke. It feels that the party will be compelled to join the parliamentary opposition, as Painleve and Briand have contemptuously de- clared that they can do without the socialists. The financial projects of M. Caillaux which have been “eens to those of M. Vincent Auriol (social- ist) are evidence of the poor opinion which the governm has of the so- cialists. In any cas t of the so- cialists is of n ‘ indeed in a cert e it int nent, feres with the termination of the war; they | are therefor: turned out of the major- The “resisters” are therefore trying to overthrow Renaudel and to replace | him by Bracke and Blum as the xy fear that the present tactics of the party will only bring them the real hostility of the working class and still more of the reformist trade unions of the in- dustrial districts and will drive the workers to the revolutionary trade unions, to the C, G. T. U., or to the Communist Party, thus leaving the socialist party as a handful of intel- lectuals, functionaries and opportun- ist socialists, which would be equival- ent to its decease. If this new formation were a social- ist left, if it were Marxist as it claims to be, it would not be content to de- mand peace in general terms, but it would have to demand the military evacuation of the colonies. It would not even have to make these demands according to Lenin, but simply accord- ing Paul Lafargue who, in 1883 wrote from the prison of Ste. Pelagie: “The manufacturers travel thru the world to find markets for their acca- mulated goods, they compel their gov- ernments to annex the Congo, to tak« possession of Tonkin, to make breach in the Chinese wall by canon- ade, in order to sell their cotton prod- ucts there. In the last century there was a mortal duel between France and England as to which of the two should have the exclusive right of a market for its goods in America and India. Thousands of young strong men stain- ed the sea red with their blood dur- ing the colonial wars of the 15th, 17th and 18th centuries. “There is a surplus of cupital a3 of goods. The financiers do not know where to invest it; they go therefore to the ‘fortunate’ nations and build railways for them, construct. factories and bring them the curse of work. And this export of French capital ends one fine day in ‘diplomatic complica- tions; in Egypt, France, England and Germany were on the point of flying at one another in order to know which employer should be paid first; or by the war in Mexico whiter French sol- diers were sent-in order to get the debts paid thru armed intervention ” If there were a Marxist left in the party of the S. F. I. 0., they would on the strength of these words of La- fargue insist upon the application of the proposal of the federation of the S. F. L. 0. of the Seine, dated May 10, 1911, i. e., the evacuation of the coun- try of Fes. But these brave sovialist resisters-do not even dare to demand that the right of self-determination of peoples should be observed for they ‘are against the evacuation of “French” .(!) Moroceo. In order to justify this scandalous claim, they speak of the “rights earned by the French in their colonies.” . (Auguste Reynaud, du Var). Everyone knows that in the colonies the soil was taken from the natives by brute force. Only recently, last November, the “Petit Oranais” re- vealed the scanda: of the expropriation of the Zerruki tribe who, when it made claims before the administration of Mascara (Algiers), was simply driv- en back by the Spahis with fire-arms, Comrade Jacques Doriot in his ~~ bro- chure.on the Morocco war has de- scribed how Captain Huot plundered the Bendjates in Morocco and then drove them off their own soil. In that the “left” does not demand the evacu- ‘ation of Morocco, it condones the brutal exploitation of the colonial peo- ples. It tries to be’ pacifist and to “| ™ - draw the whole party into. pacifism, but it recOgnizes the right to “pro. | tect” the colonies; it is therefore fun- damentally imperialist and slave-trad- ing. By ANTOINNETTE KONIKOW., “Votes for women” was once a great slogan. Women were deeply stirred by it and hoped with their votes to make this a better world. It seems but yesterday when women on the street corners assured us that they will clean out the political stable, they will change the man-made world, they will abolish war! And now women have arrived! Ma Ferguson is governor of Texas, Mother Ross, governor of Wyoming, Ma Rogers rep- resents the fifth Massachusetts dis- triet. Indeed—we hear of*the rumors of the coming of Ma Curley (wife of our “pure in politics” Mayor Curley of Boston) and even “Mamma” Coo- lidge is suggested— * ¢ « The capitalist woman in politics does not worry any rrore about con- victions, abilities, policies, The main attributes of the great women on the political platform are “poise,” “mod- erate speech,” “a few good stories,” “refined gowns,” “appropriate flow- ers” and the measured merriment face of “Main Street” (the Mrs. Coo- lidge grin). Women who were to save the world—we find stamped and as- sorted by capitalist politicians! og We. have listhine pres where women are in politics. Women— Communist women had to make no Separate struggle for votes, they got it together with the coming of the victorious revolution, There women would not dare to ap- peal to voters on-the deeds and repu- tations of their husbands. The great- est leader of the world, Lenin, left a widow. His name is fairly worshipped by millions of workers, But Comrade | Krupskaya gets the love and admira- | tion of the workers and peasants of Russia by her own great ability and earnest endeavors. Mostly she keeps in the background, coming forth only when called upon to give account of her own work, e+e. # The great mass of women-in capi- lalist society is at present a tremen- dous help to the powers of reaction. Wherever votes for darkness are counted, women give the biggest num- ber. Should we then regret to have women in politics? No, comrades, such attitude were folly!’ Woman can only change by personal experience, Life forced her from her home into the economic hell of. self-support, ex- perience opened her eyes to the needs of politics. The same pressure of sut- fering and exploitation will open her eyes to her own fallacy of supporting the old capitalist parties and > Te- actionary api of ee church. - Our asictiolg padi women is of my “. importance. The working of . Musings of a Communist Woman economic necessity that will awaken the sleeping beauty, not with the kiss of a prince-charming, but with the whistle of the factory, the stinging in- sult from the bosses, the despair of looking for a job, the many hours of toil, and the crying of hungry babes. * * & Last week there was a business women’s conference in Maine: “Na- tional Federation of Professional Women.” Once fing ladies in ‘parlors used to chat about their servants and maids. Ndw they are in business and apply their organizing abilities to the better exploitation of the white col- lared and manicured slave tory workers in applying the black list, but somehow the pretty stenog- raphers and clerks and the white col- lared gentlemen of the offices had been overlooked. It took women to change “the man- made world” at least in this line. Bet- ter organization and efficiency must be brought about: the best white col- lared slave—oh no, not get higher wages, but will be honored by a “gold- en seal.” The “golden seal” will be imprinted upon the willing white col- lared slave to whom life is but the boss’ success. Hand in hand with the golden seal goes the blacklist, the reg- ular way of controlling your help, as one of the business-ladies sugge’ 5 Good for you ladies! “The “golden » seal” ‘will do more to awaken the* white ‘collared and manicuréd’ slave than many of our speeches! *- 2s «@ “Votes for women” will work not thru the ladies with the capitalist © mind, but thru the woman-worker. Let — her only realize her power. She will arrive! Are You Coming to the Movie Picnic? Did you buy a ac to the picnic given by the Federation of: Russian children’s schools Sunday, August 23, .. at National Grove, Riverside, I1.? Moving pictures of the crowds will be taken and shown all over the United States and in Soviet Russia. Tickets in advance are only 35c and may be obtained in the Russian Co-op. Restau- rants and at the Workers House, 1902 W. Division St. Get your tickets in advance and save your car Amp If you want to thoroughly un- derstand Communism—study it. Send for a catalogue of all Com- ‘munist literature. 4 capitalists had taken good care of fac- a