The Daily Worker Newspaper, March 10, 1928, Page 5

rg THE DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 1928 Page Five ee ————————— \ LENIN’S REPLY TO THE Subicay ‘THE MURDER Modern Croesus Sons of the city slums . 2 There is a stench : RE ] I I ’ | \ MARX With tired hands, pasty faces; battered soul OF HASSIS of ee finality { (4) pate help fashion a new world ~ | in his rotten-leathery MATERIALISM & EMPIRICO-CRI é t ( sedly) “New Wine sn | Worlds are not fashioned lightly | IN CHINA | peer wizened frame TICISM. By vk. beanie petene eiimpotiuee ore |And much blood will flow wtder bridges OMRADE A. as is ¢ ton tional Publishers. $3. | The most interesting and perhaps | ally -bands for bones, Reviewed By JIM CORK. FE VISIONS of Marxism have been periodic in our movement. In cer- tain historical periods favorable to their outcropping, these periodic+at- tempts have been made by weak- kneed “members” of the revolutionary movement under the impact of the newest finding, the latest bourgeois fad in philosophy, psychology, or science. Such a new revisionist movement in Marxism developed on the eve of the Revolution of 1905. With the defeat- ism engendered in certain circles be- cause of the defeat of the revolution, V. I. LENIN. this movement grew apace during the reactionary period of 1906 and 1907. It was known as Machism (because it developed from the attack on dialec- tical materialism made by the bour- geois leaders of the newest “critical” and “realistic” philosophy, Mach and Avenarius) and was under the leader- ship of Bogdanov and Lunacharsky. “Materialism and Empirico-Criticism” was the outcome of the need Lenin felt of a thoro and consistent polemic against this new revisionist attempt. It was, as Comrade Deborin says in his valuable introduction, “not only an important contribution to philosophy, but also a remarkable document fo an intra-party struggle which was of ut- the most fundamental part of the book | jis contained in the chapter on “The | Revolution in Natural Idealism.” The revolution consisted in the division of the hitherto sup- the atom, into further subdivisions, electrons. This ‘created a crisis in physics. The philosophic idealists seized upon this fact and trumpeted about, “Matter is not immitable, mat- ter has disappeared.” Many physi- cists, under the influence of these ‘trumpetings deserted materialism, ‘which had hitherto been the prop of physics, and flopped into the swamp ,of idealism. Among physicists the question is an open one to this very day, with the majority still in the ‘swamp. We have Bertrand Russell, a ‘modern Machian, for instance saying in ‘his latest works, “Philosophy,” “The Analysis of Matter” and in his introduction to the 8rd Edition of Lange’s History of Materialism (1925) (which Lenin termed a falsi- fication of materialism). ‘Matter probably does not exist.” “Physics-no longer assumes the permanence of matter.” He talks about the possibil- ity of “motion without a thing that moves” and (God save us) even of “thought withoug a thinker.” And finally that “Materialism as a philo- sophy becomes hardly tenable in view of this evaporation of matter.” * 6 » The question here, however, is not the evaporation of matter, but the possibility of its ultimate destruc- tion. . The question is what brand of materialism becomes impossible in the face of this “evaporation of mat- ter” (in the sensé of divisibility into ‘smaller and smaller units). The metaphysical and anti-dialectical ma- ;terialism of the 18th century does |become impossible as a philosophy; | because it presumed the immutability /of matter, But dialectic materialism ‘is perfectly compatible with, even | vindicated, by this evaporation of ‘matter. Had the physicists known more about dialectical materialism, they would not have backslided into the lap of idealism, Lenin’s answer te the whole question must ‘be given in full. tho it is rather a long qiota- tion, because it is such a thoro sum- imation of the stand of dialectic ma- terialism. | “Dialectic materialism insists on the approximate relative character of every scientific proposition concern- ing the structure of matter and the properties; on the absence of absolute boundaries in nature; on the trans- formation of moving matter frofn one most importance in strengthening the | state to another, which from an ordi- general philosophic foundations of nary viewpoint appears evidently ir- Marxism and Leninism.” It was a|yeconcilable. All this for dialectic brilliant restatement (in larger scope) | materialism is only corroboration of of the dialectical materialism of the’ founders, Marx and Engels, and proved the death blow to Machism. It, is significant to note in this connec- ; tion that Kautsky as editor of the) chief theoretical organ of German So-! cial Democracy, “Neue Zeit,” took an/ absolutely neutral position in this! philosophical controversy, indiscrim- inately offering its columns to Mach- ians and materialists, without taking | a definite and consistent position him- | self, In the field of Marxian philoso- | phy, the lead had already been taken | by the Russian Marxists under the lead of Plechanov and Lenin, OE A Lenin, reiterating Engels, divides all philosophies into two main, oppos- ing categories, materialism and ideal- | ism. To the materialist, nature mat- ter, the outer physical world, -is-pri- mary and consciousness, mind, spirit, sensation, etc’, secondary and deriva- tive. To the idealist it is vice-versa. Between these two main, fundamental categories, lie all shades of compro- | mise, philosophically known as agnos- | ticism. An agnostic is one who does not go beyond his sensations and as- | serts that he cannot know anything | for certain about their source, their | origin, On this basis, Mach’s position is elearly reduced to idealism all along the line. In Mach’s definitions, “Bo- dies are complexes of sensations. The world consists only of our sensations.” its truth. The essence of things or their substance is relative; it expres- ses only the degree of man’s power penetrating into and knowing objects, and even if yesterday this penetration did not go any further than the atom, and today no further than the elec- tron and e‘her, then dialectic materi- alism insists on the temporary, rela- tive, approximate character of all these milestones on the road of knowledge of nature, thru the pro- gressive science of man. The electron is as inexhaustible as the atom, na- ture is infinite but it EXISTS (Len- in’s emphasis) infinitely; only this categorical, unconditional recognition of its existence beyond the conscious- ness and sensation of man, distingu- ishes dialectic materialism from rela- tive agnosticism and idealism.” s . 2 Oni the last page of the book proper we have the following significant statement: “Beyond the epistemolog- ical scholasticism of empirio-criticism it is impossible not to discern clearly the partisan stiuggle of philosophy, a struggle which ultimately expresses the tendencies and ideologies of clas- ses hostile to one another in modern society. Recent philosophy is as pertisan as it was 2,000 years ago.” There are some valuable notes on dialectics, added to the book, which were found among Lefiin’s philosophic notebooks, It remains to add that the bcok is extremely well ordered From this it follows that “there is no objective truth,” since we cannot speak of “bodies outside our sensa- tions.” Therefore “in nature there is neither cause nor effect. All forms of the law of causality fol- low from subjective endeavors. Be- sides logical necessity, there is no other necessity, no physical necessity for example.” Space and time be- come only “well ordered systems of series of sensations.” . . . e To this subjective idealistic analy- sis, dialectic mate: m answers: “There is an objective external world existing outside of us. Sensation is nothing but a direct connection of the mind with the external world. There is, then, objective reality, moving matter, independent of our mind. This matter has its own objective, order and causality. This order is reflected in the mind of man, who himself is a part of nature. And since matter is in motion, it cannot move but in space and time, Therefore space and time are objectively real.” Lenin givés us some interesting statistical evidence as to the source and origin of this new “critical” phil-” osophy of Mach’s, A judicious series of quotations from the chief works of | and extraordinarily simple and clear and that nobody interested in the Fhilusophy of Marxism and Leninism con well afford to be without it, old Bis! f 5 ae . ab " k + Science and | Arms grow so tired that they b machine become arms and not anneres ‘Arms become so tired and bellies so empty | That a nine pound rifle weighs posedly indestructible unit of matter, | See you, masters of the earth, | Pasty faces can quicken with life, And tired hands will some day build new worlds. nothing. quicken w —JOHN RAMBURG, (Drawing by Fred Ellis.) TUGWELL’S NEW BOOK Plea for Liquidatio INDUSTRY’S COMING OF AGE.— By Rexford Guy Tugwell. court. Brace and Company. Reviewed By CY OGDEN. ROF. TUGWELL is one of a grow- ing body of economists who’ are trying to save capitalism by pretend- ing that it can be abolished without a revolution, The theories of this group have been analysed by Com- rade Foster in the March issue of “The Communist,” where he showed that their real aim is to liquidate the class struggle and to persuade the workers to accept capitalist rationali- zation with its accompaniment of a Jower living standard for the masses. Tugwell tries tc achieve this end by concentrating onthe one factor of in- vreasigg production and soft: pedalling all the faeters of disintegration which accompany it. productivity of American industry he Har- | In the increasing | rationalization n of Class Struggle { with their fellow workers on a job there is a chance for the function- | ing of the idea that wages cannot | be higher than returns from sales.” His identification of company junionism with industrial unionism is ja deliberate attempt to confuse the reader as he well knows that the two have nothing in common. * * This in general is an outline of the |theories of Professor ‘Tugwell. It lis not necessary to refute his scheme of a future society further than to jrepeat that it is on attempt to liquid- ;}& painless revolution at the hands of vhe engineers. The fundamental fal- jlacy of Tugwell lies much deeper, in his failure to take into account the ,contradictions of capitalism which will nullify the effects of capitalist In a decision on ra- ith life, pull triggers, | jate the class struggle by promising: |tionalization the Communist Party of the Soviét Union has declared: “When the capitalists rationalize they thrust the whole burden upon finds evidences of a new industrial revolution which will sweep away all the economic treubles of the world and which without a political revolu- tion will bring about everything that the social revolutionists are striving for. He marshals statistics of the Departments of Labor and Commerce to show that there has been an in- erease of 26 percent in production per worker since 1914 and of 47 per- eent since 1899. Significant ‘ac- companiments of this increase he con- siders to be the continued lowering of the level of prices and the growth of the total ineome of the country which has almost doubled since the year 1909. The reason for this growth in productivity, Tugwell decides, is the application of, scientific management to industry—the introduction of the helt, the improvement in the layout of factories, the better use of power and personnel. The persons respons- ible for all this are the engineers and the plant managers, and it is they who will. be the basic factors in the coming industrial revolution. NOT the workers—for they are becoming Jess and less important in production They are merely “an inferior machine, becanse they seem cheapér, and are rapidly being displaced,” (page 229). |v In fact Tugwell thinks that the ortho- dox economists have given labor too important a part in the productive system. Instead of the old formula which recognizes four factors in pro- duetion, namely land, labor, capital, and management he offers a new formula which recognizes only man- agement, machinery, materials, and forces, He is somewhat vague about what Jin this new society. is going to happen to the workers § Apparently he thinks that they will be absorbed by management. At least they will identify their intcrests with manage- ment. The old conflict between labor and. the capitalist will disappear, for management will gradually squeeze out the shareholder entirely and all ‘that will be left in industry will be management and labor, both working together in a happy family and shar- ing among themselves the products of industry. The purpose of this little utopian picture is of course to encourage \class collaboration. To bring about the unity of personnel and manage- ment it is necessary that they begin to work together. The best way to do this, he thinks, is through the company union—which he misnames the industrial union. The craft union, he admits, is an‘iquated, altho not because it is an ineffective organ for the class struggle, but because there are no common interests be- |tween workers on different jobs. The company union is better because ~ “When the workers become re- Cea ae a ai j signed to throwing Ain their Jot Ls the working class so that capital- | ist rationalization implies longer working hours, increased unemploy- ment, lowered standards of living for the working class and deter- ioration of the broad masses of the workers.” The rationalization of American in- | dustry whicn Tugwell praises so high- |ly will merely result in increasing the javmy of permanent unemployed with greater pressure on the standard of living of the entire working class. \|Mass preduction: in huge quantities which fascinates Tugwell will result in more prolonged industrial crises and in, the more intense search for foreign markets with its inevitable accompaniment of imperialist war. Soviet Press Will Be Represented at Exhibit MOSCOW, (by mail).—The press of the USSR will be represented at the International Press Exhibition, which is being organized in Cologne in May-October, this year. The So- t section will consist of two sub- seetions: a) History of the press and b) The press of the USSR today. The part played by the press in the construction of the Soviet State will be reflected, at the Cologne exhibi- tion, in the following three subdivi- sions: a) Economics of the Soviet’ Union; b) Soviet Regime and Soviet Publie, and ¢) Cultural Revolution. There will also be represented at the exhibition the work of the or- gans of broad information of the So- viet press, such as TASS, the news agencies of the Unon Republics, etc, New Cleveland Office CLEVELAND, March 9.—The Workers (Communist) Party district office has taken new offices at 2046 E. 4th St. The Workers School ‘also will bee at that address. By UPTON 450 pages Cloth-bound $2.00, postpaid UPTON for sev- rand polit the staff. war he ical co’ ssar Attached t After the end of th went through a Oriental langua fed by the Party fice, which he enter 1924. In February, 1925, he secretary of the consula Shanghai and later held at Han A frien to see t s with which Hassis told shooting of the worker: Shanghai strikes of 19% which he had to witness merely a spectator, owing to his official ry tion. | In December, 1926, after a period} of sick leave, he was appointed vic consul at Canton, where he met his} death on December 14 last at the] hands of the White Militarists, the puppets of Sir Austen Chamberlain in China. | He was shot, with four other Soviet | officials, in the. public square at Can- | ton, after being dragged through the streets and stoned, | Comrade Hassis and the others who | have fallen with him have given up| their lives for the Chinese revclution | and for the emancipation of the | workers in the whole world. | nilar post ites that it was moving | ss and suffering} about the} during the | MuasoliniTowerPlanned For U.S. Fascist Groups Plans for the erection of a scraper in New York to be known Mussolini Tower have been subm -| ted to Mussolini in Italy, it is report-| ed. Several sites in the Times Square | distriat are being considered. The} project is being backed by a group| of local Italian bankers. The pro- posed building would house the Ital- ian Consulate, the Italian Chamber of Commerce and other fascist or- ganizations. { Negotiate Fascist Pact | ROME, March 9—The United Italy for a new arbitration treat AHR Rn mm Announcing! No. 5— of the WORKERS | LIBRARY! | e | TROTSKY OPPOSITION Its significance for AMERICAN WORKERS tf Bertram D. Wolfe A keen analysis of the role of the Opposition in the Rus- sian Party, and a cutting expose of its counter-revolu- THE DAILY WORKER “THE BRASS CHECK” The One Complete Expose of Capitalist Journalism New Edition With Complete Index in Press, SINCLAIR tionary supporters in Amer- ica, 100-Page Pamphlet (Reduced from 50c.) Order Today From WORKERS LIBRARY PUBLISHERS 39 E. 125 St. New York 35 UVM a ULD READ SINCLAIR Paper-bound $1.00 ening grimace.) ht new dime! agnanimity !) y, where’s the ball?’’) r break. pay, ca but neve It is monstrous how this leering Croesus with one foot so deeply buried in the grave manages to keep the other foot so heavily implanted { on the shoulders of a million workers —EDWIN ROLFE. ! On the Picket Line On the picket line The morning starts with of scorn and the parade of the hu With judicial assurance to s The big Cheap buyers of life. On the picket line Peddlers sell red, ripe sliced water And workers give t red blood ‘ emen chew f y desires for live human steak. ket line we ean detect the buzzing of a bee and of elon. On the picket line Flaming conte: the mild, sleepy eyes of y rising early rush picket line ye live governors keep guard on s| of dead squirrels. On the picket line the city is being trimmed with The mass Ripenir colors of the meek. 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