The Daily Worker Newspaper, January 4, 1928, Page 6

” ; Dene I eee ae PS Pace Six THE DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1928 my - « ae « rn es es THE DAILY WORKER Published by the NATIONAL DAILY WORKER PUBLISHING ASS'N, Inc. Daily, Except Sunday 83 First Street, New York, N. Y. Cable Address: “Daiwork” SUBSCRIPTION RATES By Mail (in New York only): By Mail (outside of New York): $8.00 per year $4.50 six months $6.00 per year $3.50 six months $2.50 three months. $2.00 three months. Phone, Orchard 1680 Adar mail oup checks to 33 First Street, New York, N. Y. .. ROBERT MINOR .WM. F. DUNNE . under “class mail at the post-office at New York, the. act of March 3, 1879. Stop the Butchery in Nicaragua! In all the history of despotism there is no more vile record than that of the government of the United States in Nicaragua. Impudently invading the country, overthrowing a duly constituted government expressing the wishes of the majority of the popula- tion, and placing in the presidential chair a puppet president, sub- servient to yankee tyranny, the Mellon-Coolidge-Kellogg admin- istration has written one of the bloodiest chapters in modern times. | After placing the servile usurper, Diaz, in the place of Sacasa, an ever increasing force of marines and bombing planes has been | necessary to keep him in power against the will of the population. | After every frightful slaughter the chief butchers, the ma- rine officers, announce that the “bandits” have been subdued and that peace reigns—the peace of the desert, the peace of death. But just so often does life give the lie to such boasts. The ferocity of the butchery is matched by the admirable | heroism of the natives of Nicaragua in defense of the right to | exist independent of the imperialist despots. | Henry L. Stimson, who tried to use the customary dirty, con- | temptible, underhanded diplomacy of the state department to force the population to disarm and supinely submit to dollar des- potism, announced his program a success and for his services the | Mellon-Coolidge regime has awarded him the job of trying the same stunt on a larger scale against the Philippine islands, where | his success will be as brilliant as in Nicaragua. | General Sandino, the mine worker leader of the national lib- | eration forces, is apparently the sole remaining defender of Nica- | ragua against the ravages of imperialism and is giving a good | account of himself. Pronounced hopelessly defeated, the head of | a defunct army of ill-equipped workers and peasants with only | ancient rifles and machettes, Sandino came back stronger than | ever. The marines on foot and the professional cowards who} bomb helpless populations from the air, were engaged in the | heroic task of “wiping up” what they imagined were the last rem- | fants of the defenders of Nicaragua, when they met with the resistance of last Friday and discovered they were face to face | with high-powered machine guns, automatic pistols and dynamite | bombs. Now the state department and the marine officers are issuing denunciatory statements accusing friends of the liberation move- ment in other countries of equipping Sandino’s forces with instru- ments of modern warfare. Marine headquarters at Managua, Nicaragua, declare they have “information that radical organiza- tions in the United States” are involved. The Hearst papers state: “While the navy department was advised of the origin of the weapons, a striet censorship was imposéd against any officer divulg- ing it, It was generally understood, however, that they must have come overland through Guatemala and Honduras since the navy has maintained a patrol of both coasts which would have made it im- possible for them to have been received by ship from any European or. oriental nation.” Whether the Hearst sheets report the matter correctly is | not known, but there can be no question that the article implies in the broadest possible way that Mexico equipped the Nicaraguan | nationalists. Certainly if Mexico was in a position to equip the | forces fighting against American imperialism it was her duty to do so, as a simple measure of defense, for if the predatory cam- paign of Wall Street’s government in Latin America is not resisted with all power at hand a second canal will be built through Nica- ragua in order to have an additiona] powerful military and naval base from which to carry on ravages against all the southern re- publics as well as to prepare for another titanic imperialist con- quest that will be waged for further redivision of the world be- tween the imperialist powers. As to the support the Nicaraguans receive from the radicals in the United States, the marine officials are probably infuriated because the Communists have ripped the hypocritical mask off the | face of the Coolidge-Kellogg state department and exposed it to the world as a bloody monster. Our denunciatory articles have been used in the southern republics to show the peoples there that the policy of the Washington government is opposed by large sec- tions of the masses of this country whose interests in the fight | against imperialism are one with the oppressed semi-colonials who | are being murdered wholesale in order that the American plutoc- racy may realize super-profits from the money they have invested in those countries, We can and we will aid Sandino and all other fighters against imperialism by waging a determined political fight | against it right here on American soil. In the coming campaign every worker and every impoverished farmer must be so aroused against this murderous government that it will become despised of all. This butchery can be stopped only by the masses here demanding immediate withdrawal of all armed forces from the Southern republics in such terms that no government will dare ignore it. MacDonald Makes Propaganda in America for the Betrayal of the Indian People _ Late in December, 1927, the British foreign office refused to allow Madame Sun Yat-sen to enter India to attend the All-India Nationalist Congress. ; Karlier in the year, the official leadership of the British La- bor Party supported the tory government’s creation of a commis- sion to make recommendations for revising the Indian constitu- tion. On this commission not a single {ndian was appointed. But two members of the Labor Party accepted appointments and were supported by Ramsay Macdonald and the rest of the right wing leadership in this united front with imperialist reaction against the Indian people. In The New York Nation for January 4, Ramsay Macdonald writes on “The New Indian Constitution.” For sheer sophistry and reformist jesuitism this article is hard to beat. ~~ Maedonald takes tip the cudgels for a policy which almost produced a split in the Labor Party—that of supporting a govern- ment commission which carries out the imperialist tradition of British superiority over all colonial peoples. Speaking of some criticism leveled in the United States NEW YEAR’S GREETING TO THE BOSSES “We welcome the opportunity of giving our collective skill, training and technique to the development of industrial and individual efficiency.” —From the New Year’s statement of President William Green of the American Federation of Labor. The Problems Facing the Soviet Union | the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.) (Artcile III in the series on the Opposition in overthrow the workers’ state unless aid comes from other lands—in any case believing that the revolution can- not long endure and march forward on its own strength but must degen- erate and perish unless the revolution comes to a successful conclusion soon in other countries, the opposition has By BERTRAM D. WOLFE. (Continued from Last Issue.) Pessimism of the Opposition. 1] Sioa to analyze correctly class forces in the Soviet Union, believ- ing that the peasants are a counter- revolutionary class, unable to adjust themselves to the fact of stabiliza- ion, lacking faith in the constructive | powers of the wirkers and peasants of the Soviet Union, exaggerating the importance of state aid of success- ful proletarian revolutions as the only form if aid from the workers of the world, underestimating the other forms of support that the workers of the world can give, terrified by the many and difficult problems raised by the next stage in the building of socialism, underestimating the prog- ress so far made in the building of socialism and exaggerating all of the difficulties faced, denying that state and cooperative industry in the Soviet Union are basically socialist in type (the Russan expression is more ex- actly translated—“of logically social- ist type”), denying that Russia is heading towards socialism and believ- ling that it must degenerate and move backward toward a capitalism unless it intensifies the exploitation of the peasanjry to the breaking point in which case the peasants will rise and succeeded in terrifying itself into a panic state by its own gloomy pro- phecies and predictions. The Line of the Party. 'HE party on the other hand neither minimizes nor exaggerates the dif- ficulties faced by the Soviet Union. It does not give way to despair merely because there are so many dif- ficulties and the world revolution is retarded in its development. It sets itself to the difficult task of building socialism on the basis of the constructive power of the work- ers and peasants and its own resour- ces and products. It does not permit itself to be daz- zled. by get-rich-quick schemes, by short-cuts to socialism, by proposals which sound revolutionary but would give a death blow to the revolution. Nor does it become panicky and propose demoralized retreats and sur- renders. It declares that the workers and peasants of the Soviet Union can and must, by the accumulation of their own slow saving, by denying them- selves some things today for the sake against the official British Labor Party leadership, Macdonald _ gays that “most of these accounts proceed upon familiar anti-Brit- ish lines.” This apologist for imperialism then proceeds to lay all | the blame upon the spokesmen of the Indian Nationalist move- | ment. It must be understood that after the tory commission has reported that the British parliament will appoint a committee to “consult” with a committee of the Indian parliament. Upon this purely formal recognition of the Indian parliament Macdonald bases his whole case—but does not forget to call attention to what he doubtless regards as the failure of the Indian Nationalists to understand and appreciate the tremendous privileges accorded them by their all-wise and merciful rulers. : Macdonald says:—“What is to be the relation between the committees representing the British and Indian parliaments? Unfortunately, upon this the Indians have given us no guidance, A political policy of boycott is like swear language. It shows poverty of resource whatever else it may express.” (Emphasis ours.) To us the policy of boycotting the imperialist commission does not appear to indicate “poverty of resource’ but rather a deter- mination to smash the theory of Indian inferiority. When Macdonald says, as he does in his article in The Na- tion, that the Indian objection to the commission “is really the emanation of a pelitical mind that has-been untouched by new ideas for a generation” he shows still more clearly the bias of the imperialist Britisher and proves that his whole approach to the question is from the standpoint of the interests of imperialism rather than that of the Indian people. There has been no protest made by Macdonald against the exclusion of Madame Sun Yat-sen but he becomes very heated, as we have seen, because the Indian Nationalists resent his calm assumption that the British government is a better judge of their needs than they are. The Indian Nationalists are by no means the spokesmen of the Indian masses. On the contrary, they represent chiefly the Indian capitalist class and middle class. If there was a powerful mass liberation movement in India making an uncompromising fight against British imperialism, Macdonald, judged by the abuse he hurls at a purely reformist nationalist movement, would be clamoring for battleships and bombardments. As a matter of fact, according to brazen statements made by Bertrand Russell, and known to be true by every well-informed revolutionary worker, Macdonald and the rest of the right wing Labor Party leadership not only did not oppose the sending of imperialist forces to China but actually condoned this murderous policy. The rise of anti-imperialist movements in the colonial and semi-colonial countries finds the social democrats like Macdonald systematically betraying them just as they betray the struggles of the workers at howe. (The general strike, the coal strike, the failure to make a real fight against the anti-labor Trade Union Bill.) " : of saving to build socialism tomor- row, by hard work, by sacrifices, by devotion to the cause they serve— by these undramatic means, must and can build up industry to such a stage where the Soviet Union can become an industrial country and where the coun- tryside can also be incorporated in the \system of Socialized industry. The program of the opposition and the program of the party ow the above questions will be analyzed in detail in future articles; This axticle I want to close by drawing some lessons for the American workers from the above matters, A Lesson for American Workers. E live in a country where capital- ism is still very powerful. We cannot even speak of a “stab- ilization of capitalism” in America because American capitalism was not at any time so shaken as to be called “unstable” in the sense that tottering European capitalism was. In fact, America is today the biggest reserve source of strength for world capital- ism, and it was largely on the basis of American loans and American aid that stabilization was accomplished in the European countries. This does not mean to say for a mo- ment that American capitalism is se- cure for all time, or that it does not face serious contradictions in its fur- ther development. But for all its weaknesses and contradictions, what stands out at the present moment is its visible strength and power. Being a Communist in U. S. In such a period as this, it is not easy to be a Communist in America, Those who are not generators of revolutionary energy, those who lack faith in the development of the revo- lutionary movement and in the cer- tainty of ultimate victory, those who lack the ability to do hard, steady un- dramatic detail work, the slow build- ing of the foundation of a movement, are of little use in the American re- volutionary movement today. Such elements here also react in one of two ways. Some of them give way to pessimism, skepticism and des- pair, in which case they often drop out of the movement altogether. Others propose to give up the revo- lutionary tasks of the movement and to adopt an opportunistic program, Or they close their eyes to the actual objective situation in the country, and live with their imaginations in the European situation instead of at- tempting to grasp realistically the American situation and adapt their program to it. Such comrades may make all sorts of ultra-leftist propo- sals, which might be in order if con- ditions were as they are in the more advanced European countries, but which are dangerous and worse than useless here in America. x pS OS CAP S200 AO MA eC Mey ohne Cooperative Delegations and’ the Congress of the Friends of the Soviet Union It is generally known that the joint British Workers’ Delegation — pro- posed, prior to its departure to the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics, to take advantage of the presence in Moscow of labor representatives from nearly all countries, and to convene a Congress of Friends of the Soviet Union. This proposal met with general approval and the Con- gress was held in the Column Hall of Trade Union House, on Nov. 10, 11 and 12, Ask Special Conference. It goes without saying that the cooperative delegations were perfect- ly free to participate in this Congress or not. However, some of the co- operative delegations—the Czecho-|ing presidium: Reeves (Great Bri- Realistic Analysis and Hard Work. HAT the movement needs in this period is calm analysis of things as they are, slow, hard, constructive work on the basis of the opportunities which present themselves and on the basis of the difficulties which we face. The work is not so dramatic, it does not rush from one big success to an- other, but there are plenty of oppor- tunities for work on a realistic basis. Opportunities for Work. We must neither exaggerate the stability and strength of American capitalism nor under estimate them. We must recognize the difficult con- ditions which we have to face for work and at the same time we must recognize the tremendous opportuni- ties that the situation in the United States presents to us, particularly in view of the fact that the field is vir- tually abandoned to us, that there is no other movement in the United States pretending to be revolutionary, that the bureaucracy has openly aban- doned the class struggle and the lead- ership of the socialist party has open- ly become a tail to he bureaucracy in the American Federation of Labor, that in all America we are the only clear voice speaking for a labor party, the only active force urging and work- ing consistently to organize the unor- ganized, the only clear fighter against war ahd against imperialism and that our daily paper, The DAILY WORK- ER, is the only American daily paper in the English language that takes a position in favor of militant class struggle. k Tremendous Role of Communist Party. Once the conditions are grasped as they are and tactics properly develop- | ed on the basis of them, it becomes clear that the Communist movement in America has a tremendous role to play in the organizing of the working class industrially and politically, in} the saving an strengthening of the unions, in the organization of the un- | organized, in the building of a labor party, in the defense of the elemen- tary interests of the American work- ing class, both native and foreign- born, in the organization and develop- ment of our class forces, in the build- ing of a party and the raising of its ideological level and the strengthen- ing of its influence among the Amer- ican masses, In viewing critically opportunism and ultra-leftism, in the opposition ranks of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, it is necessary to elim- inate any tendencies to ultra-leftism and opportunism in our own move- ment. This is one of the important lessons we can learn from studying the problems of the controversy in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Slovak, French and Latvian—ad- dressed a special letter to the chair- man of the Centrosoyuz, Comrade Lubimov, asking him to convene a conference of all cooperative delega- tions in order,to inform them about] the forthcoming Congress and to dis- cuss the question of the cooperative delegations’ participation in it. On its arrival in Moscow, the British. delegation associated itself with the three above-mentioned delegations. “The chairman of the Centrosoyuz, \dows: Corade Lubimov, acceded to the wish of the four delegations and convened the suggested Conference for Nov. 9. The Cooperative delegations which came in full force elected the follow- tain), Paquereaux (France), Isse? (Germany), Krenovsky (Czecho” Slovakia), Bolgmann (Denmark), Karhi Finland), Krumin (Latvia), and Lubimox (Union of Socialist So- viet Republics). Congress Organization.. Comrade Lubimov opened the pro- ceedings by giving brief information about the Congress, beginning with the initiative of the British workers’ delegation and ending with the for- mation, on the day before, of the “Preparatory Committee” composec .| of representatives of all countries— representatives of workers, peasants, cooperators, national minorities, col- onies and working _ intellectuals. There were to be two items on the agenda: (1) Report on the économie structure of the Soviet Union; (2) War danger. The foremost task of the present Conference, said Com- rade Lubimov in conclusion, is the question of cooperators’ participation in the Congress. Reeves Speake, In the discussion which followed, the chairman of the British delega~ tion, Reeves, was the first speaker. He said (retranslated from the Ger- man): “I think that I am voicing the whole British delegation when I say that we would have been very glad to have: the resolutions already be- fore us. The British delegation is, of course, in full sympathy with the idea of the Congress itself. “J understand, of course, that the resolutions must be prepared by the main and not the cooperative delega- tions, but I should like the final deci- sion on the forms of participation in this Congress to be postponed till the resolutions are to hand.” Growing War Danger. The next speaker was Paquereaux, chairman of the French cooperative delegation. He said that such a Con- gress was very necessary, in view of the. growing war danger, and that there was no occasion to postpone the decision re participation in it. The resolutions have to be discussed and adopted by the Congress itself, and all delegations have the fullest opportunity to take up any attitude, they like to the resolutions. 3 The British cooperator, Bolgann, © identified himself with the opinion of. the French delegation. He declared: “T fully agree with Comrade Pa- quereaux’s standpoint. I have con- ferred with the Finnish and German delegations, who are of the opinion that the resolutions to be laid be- fore the Congress will be drawn up, with a view to providing a common platform. I, therefore, move that Comrade Paquereaux’s proposal be accepted, and that the question of participation in the Congress be de- cided in a positive sense.” Bolgann’s Proposal. After further arguments, the Dan- § nish cooperator, Bolgann,, made _ the’ following proposal: Cooperative dele-~ gations agree in principle wi cipation in the Congress of Friends of the Soviet Union, and at the san! time express the wish that they b Ky given an opportunity to fémilovl themselves, before the opening of th. Congress, with the theses and fro- posals to be placed before it. This will enable the cooperative delega- tions to explain their views and to introduce remarks and amendments to the theses and proposals. When thereupon participation of” cooperative delegations at the Con- — gress was put to the vote, it was adopted unanimously. Bolgann (Denmark) made the fol- lowing statement in regard to the first item on the agenda: “On behalf of all delegates of European cooperatives assembled here in Moseow, I thank Comrade, Rykov for his report on constructior, policy. We, cooperative delegates have already toured Soviet Russia and have had an opportunity to see with our own eyes how matters stand) in regard to constructive work. I) was particularly pleased with every- thing I saw, because I have been here before, in 1928, the year of seri- ous crises. I declare with the utmost satisfaction that constructive work is proceeding rapidly and_ rationally. We have visited big cooperative shops, bakeries, schools and factories All this has convinced us that ger uine constructive work is done in a these spheres.” Has British Impressed. In addition to Bolgann, the mem- ber of the Congress Presidium, Mrs. Tucker, representative of the British, Cooperative Women’s Guilds, spoke on behalf of the cooperative delega- tions. Her yea a were as fol-- doe “Comrade, Chairman and Interna- tional Friends: It is, indeed, a pleas- ure and a very real privilege for in- ternational cooperators to be wit you here to participate in this and world history-making celebra- tion. These great celebrations =f the information we have and what we have seen depicted to us, the wonderful progress you have, made in this great nation dur’ ing the past ten years, The only nation throughout the uni-. verse that has real So cooperation and trade unionism work-| ing together as a trinity, has instilled into this great country a new out- look, a new life, and a new system of society. It seems impossible to — believe that only ten years ago the — women of this country had no eco- nomic and no political freedo: all the workingmen had very lif indeed. And then to realise today that they have real emancipation among working men and women in Russia.” i The resolutions on the two reports — laid before the Congress were adopt- | ed unanimously. A parti- / | {