The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 28, 1931, Page 9

, DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, SATURDAY; FEBRUARY 28, 1ygp-s082 6 Page rive RUTHENBERG’S STRUGGLE, | APPEAL ON'THE WAR AGAINST WAR By N. LENIN e !colonies, in Persia, Turkey, China Comrade Workers: new ensiavement of nations, new By E. BROWDER. Before the United States entered the last World War, the Hillquit- O’Neal official leadership of the socialist party could well afford to “oppose” war. In this they merely reflected the indecision of the rul- with Comrade Ruthenberg as one of } its outstanding leaders, clashed with the pacifist, jingoist policies of the Hillquits. The St. Louis Conven- tion, held April 7, 1917, expressed the attitude of the members in the adopted left wing resolution against war. This resolution was opposed and after its adoption “sabotaged” | can say that in those days he came | | nearest to the following Leninist | conception that: “A propaganda of peace at the present time, if not accompanied by a call to revolutionary mass actions, is not only capable of spreading illusions, of demoral- For over a year the European War has been going on. Accord- ing to ail evidence, it will be con- tinued for a Jong while, for if Ger- many is best prepared and at pres- ent the strongest, the Quadruple Entente (Russian, England, France, and Italy) on the other hand has more men and more money, and chains for the working class of all countries. »... The war fills the pockets of the capitalists to whom an ocean of gold is flowing from the treas- uries of the great powers. The wat is provoking an unreasoning bitters ness against the enemy, end tie bourgeoisie does its best to direct izi the proletariat by imbuing | besides, it freely receives war mate-|their attention from the i class as to when, under what ; : ssienae.d ; : ; 5 tent e main as asd “Gri whose. slde’to | 2 FElquit and company. The St.| it with confidence in the humani- j rials from the richest country in|enemy, the government and the articipate in the last World War. | Louis resolution attempted to re-| tarianism of the buorgeoisie, and | the world, the United Sictes of ruling classes of their own country, veh early “opposition” of the offi- ject the jingo pacifism cf Hillquit] of making it a plaything in the America. The war, however, carrying with it cial socialist party leadership was of a purely pacifist nature. Their policy was then in harmony with that of the Wilson administration. The pacifism of Wilson was the expression of the strategy of Amer- ican imperialism to play its own Entered as'Sécond-class when it stated: “Modern wars as a rule have been caused by the commercial and financial rivalry and in- trigues of the capitalist interests in the different countries. Whether they have been frankly waged as wars of aggression or Socialist News matter Dec. 10, 1914, at the Péptoffice at Cicveland, O., under Act of March 3, 2879, hands of the secret diplomacy of the belligerent counutries. In par- ticular, the idea of the possibility of a so-called democratic peace without a series of revolutions is deeply erroneous.” And, “Whoever wishes a duurable _ . «mMembefs of the socialist party, un-}and a thorough. Leninist under- (/s 4.det the: guidance ofc the left wing, standing of imperialist war. yet we Cialist. party must be’ remembered anid eontinued. biltwas A i an What is this war being fought for? Why these unhc: ies it brings humanity? ‘The gov- every belligerent country are squandering millions of rubles on books and papers blaming the op- ponent, arousing in the people a furious hatred for the enemy, stop- ping before no lie whatever in order to picture themselves as the country that was unjustly attacked and is now “defending” itself. In reality, this is a war between two groups of predatory great powers, and it is fought for the division | Steels the best ernment and the bourgeoisie of | untold miseries and horrors for the toiling masses, enlightens and representatives of the working class. If perish we must, let us perish in the struegle for our own cause, for the cause of the workers, for the Socialist revolution and not for the interests of the capitalists, landowners, and vzars—this is what every class-con- scious worker sees and feels. Revo- lutionary Social-Democratic work may be difficult at present, but it is possible. It progresses in the whole world, and in this alone lies salvation. We Published Woekly, by LOCAL CLEVELAND, Socialist Party, 737 Prospec of colonies, for the enslavement of | Down with Cuzarist monarchy, a » ot - : iss : phi PEERS ANE Mpces $04, Blayaland, ©. other nations, for advantages and | which drew Russia into a criminal biccae a SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1917 privileges in the world market. | war, and which oppresses peoples! te : é ” . 4 This is a most reactionary war, a | Long live the world brotherhcod of tess. ‘ g ; A ; war of modern _ slave-holders| the workers and an international Siig , E fought for the purpose of retain- | revolution of the proletariat? ‘ we | : j ing and strengthening capitalist oats as i } : | 5 : slavery. England and France are : . i lying when they assert that they N. LENIN 4 ' , g fight the war for the freedom of $. 3 Se ‘ Belgium. In reality, they have 3 SET Seq eEpErmenenneeEEeEe eee long been preparing the war, and Organized Labor Gives Great rr THE * they wage it for the purpose of Ovati iali 4 PAPERS LIED robbing Germany, taking away her . aon to Socialist Candidate’ The |Chriliand Pax colonies; they have made a treaty porlarhemedg oplgeland Feieration of yeu fina with Italy and Russia stipulating 2 ‘: the pillage and division of Turkey imperialist independent role, man-, have been hypocritically renre- and democratic peace must be for | and Austria. The czarist mon- euver between the allies and the! sented as wars of “defense,” they civil war against the governments | archy in Russia is waging a pred- eentral powers and at the con-| have always been made by the and the bourgeoisie.” atory war in which it strives to venient moment step in as a decid-| classes and fought by the Since 1912, when the left wing | Seize Galicia, to take away terri- ing factor in the World War. Wil-| masses.” | became to crystallize, Ruthenberg|tories from Turkey, to enslave son’s pacifism was the most im-| However, the serious shortcom-| stood close to it. The last World| Persia, Mongolia, ete. Germany perialist weapon in concealing the| ing of the St. Louis resolution is} War demonstrated most painfully wages a war for the purpose of true nature of the strategy and) that it did not give a revolutionary | and dramatically the need of acom-|Tobbing English, Belgian, and aims of Wall. Street in order to} jine of struggle against the war.| plete break with the parties of the | French Colonies, Whether Ger- mobilize the masses for a “holy”| tn fact, it sponsored pacifist mea-| Second International. It demon- | ™any wins or Russia, or whether war, The socialist leadership op-| sures of struggle, as for instance| strated the absolute correctness of | there is a “draw,” in any case the posed war as long as Wilson could | not to register in the draft, and|Lenin’s teachings and the need of | War will bring humanity new op- afford to parade as the president | qiq not see the fallacy and fuutility | the building of a Third Interna-| Pression for hundreds and hun- . “who kept us out of war.” The] of the petty-bourgeois “conscien-| tional. Lenin, in a letter to the| dreds of million of people in the Eorn 1870—Died 1924. moment, however, the U. S. joined | tious objectors’” movement. | American Socialist Propaganda Tent E ae the allies, one section-of the social- é a 3 | League, written in 1915, stated: D b O R ° R | ° 6 ee ees P| outhenbetg’s role and importance; “We do not preach an alliance eos n ussian €Vvo ution sell), wy somes rd meee oy lies in the fact that he was the| With the present socialist parties See eee i alist party an . ~ 5 a‘ ; a the atiicial badensten canaiating of | Omly one of the left wing leader- 7 . sei ~~ ~ Sec- | (Written in the Federal Peniten- | emancipation of the workers of the , 1 4 ted | Ship that favor€d and developed the | 0nd International. On the on tiary, Atlanta, and Published | world; all hail to those noble com- Hillquit, O'Neal and Lee, supported | 7" ‘ ee | trary, we insist on breaking with $ . - | first steps in a revolutionary mob- , 3 7 20 rades who have carved out American imperialism with a cloak | MTS’ Step ; the conciliators. The war is th November 7, 1926) arve it a of pacifist phrases, a la Kautsky. | ization of the masses against war. Heat chisct teaeo . hadi © | Greetings, comrades, in our glori- | people’s government on an imprez- ‘ i The anti-war activities of the Ohio | best object lesson (our emphasis). | ous celebratidn of the third anni- | nable foundation of granite that If we examine the 1916 presiden- | organization of the socialist rarty,| The conciliators, their leaders, versary of the Russian Revolution. | shall stand for all time. tial platform of the socialist party.| under the leadership of Ruthen- Sone Hea pingerciag wae rs and |e proletarian world and lovers of Comrades, you have weathered we can easily detect the chauvinist | berg, also were the most militant | Pepe eg = igo county, Ste | itberty everywhere thrilled with joy |the storm; the faithful coopera- nature of its official leadership. In| and best organized. The best ex-| in <teord . —. war; in other | ot the news of the great victory of | tion of comrades has been able to its “Measures op Rps\ire Peace, it | pression of this we find in the fa- pagers ey a ee yea the Russian people. The triumph | defeat the world-wide alliance of had the following point: “That no} mous May 1, 1917, Cleveland dem- Sr = ak bine % Sena ae of the workers’ cause in Russia is| capitalism. I am sure that the war shall be declared or waged by/ onstration, organized and led by| * oe a oo i aoe an historic milestone in the pro-|same spirit that conquered capital- the United States without a refer-|C. E. His mayoralty campaign of | 1s sear € ro ctarian | press of the world and its influence | ism will develop the geniuses tnat endum vote of the entire people| that year was carried through on penis hinge ay that there are’ | 9. good had circled the earth and| will congucr the devactating (9) except for the nurpose of re-| a clear-cut anti-war program. The| Socialists in rannabsig who express |i direct the course of the | diseases you inherited from capital- petling invasion.” (Our emphasis.) | explanation for Ruthenberg’s pio-| themselves in favor of a war of i ‘i bak the xp def Ww inced that | future. ism in Russia and combat Thus we see that under the cover | neering in carrying through revolu- le: ee e convince: a The emanicipation of Russia and | present mad methods of alien cap- of nacifism behind the phrase of| tionary struggles against America's ees 8 cage Mh a people 33 lke establishment of the worers italistic governments who seek to admitting the need of war for re- | participation in the last war is to} © pres eae be an alli- Republic is an inspiration to the|destroy the newly emancipated pelling an invasion, there is the call| be found in the fact that he cf all| ance with the national middle hi le’ ‘of ne male workers of the world, and this} people of Soviet Ru i for participation in the eventual! the left wing leaders understood| Class and capitalists, and a break : : b fon faith a pecigte . h the international i people’s government is a bright s Have faith, comrades, yo imperialist war. In the stage of| best the imperialist nature of the| wit eas ee SEALE OCOUGOH 18 the political heavens and will] umph is complete. Other rations imperialism, all wars between capl- | war, and, we might say, sensed the | ary be ag We, On OU Juent the way of the world: it ia | will become berated and together telist nations are necessarily wars |Leninist teachings of revolutionary | part, stand for a break with the the great hope of the human race|shall form a brotherhood of the of aggression and invasion on both | struggle against imperialist war. nationalist conciliators, for an al- and its example will lead to the | world. sides: The same presidential mani-| Herein lies the difference between liance with the international = festo in many respects anticipated | Debs’ struggle against war andthat| Marxists-revolutionists, and with the 14 points of Wilson, when it | of Ruthenberg. Herein les the ex-| the parties of the working class.” stated: planation why Debs remained with # Indeed, the last war and Ruthen- viel the socialist party and Ruthenberg | bere’s struggle against it was an The government of the United became the founder and leader of | obiect lesson for him, as to the role States shall call a congress of all f th i the Communist Party. Ce) e socialist party and the need neutral nations to mediate be- . h deliv- | Of @ complete break with it. The tween the belligerent powers in Ruthenberg, in his speech deliv 7 ie urt, | Struggle against war therefore en- an effort to establish an imme- | ered in the Cleveland Federal Court, Me “ in ech de-| abled him to become one of the diate and lasting peace without | July, 1917, reproducing spe om tate § . " cd Meee blic Square, May st Leninists in the country and indemnities, or forcible annexa livered at the Pu , 3 stauunchest supporter of the Com- tion of territory, and based on a | 27, 1917, stated: | ninniaé: Tibernational. binding and enforcible interna- “This is not a war for freedom. oe ie Today, American imperialism has tional treaty, which shall provide It is not a war for the liberties : 4 matured. It is desperately fight- for concerted disarmament on | of mankind. It is a war to se- ing for world hegemony, It is land and at sea for an interna- | cure the investments and profits fighting for leadership on the im- tional congress with power to ad- | of the ruling class of this coun- Sivtaiik: | Anld-Beiiek.-Seank Ane just all disputes between nations, | try. ... with the maturing of American im- and which shall guarantee free- “I am speaking to you as Karl | periatism, its lackeys f the social- dom and eaual righis to all OP- | Liebknecht spoke to the German | ict party have matured also. It has Brqmes batons and idk vig nation, as he spoke in the par- | become social-fascist. The socialist ' “And. when: one reads this peac® |. liament of that country, when he party! is howling for: war against { - manifesto and thé policies of the|* denounced the war as a war of: |-the Soviet Union, Hillquit, O'Neal j _ Socialist party leddership, one can- |. the ruling class and stated his |pyq their left wing cousins, are the i _,not help. recalling’ the following |-ynalterdble opposition to that shock; troops of : American - impér- } » Statement: of Lenin» > fwar.” falisrh’ in its war preparations, and “Some of the means employed While at that time Ruthenberg | particularly in the war preparations to fool the working class are | suffered from the Marxian imma-| against the Soviet Union. pecifism and the abstract preach- | turity of the left wing in his ap-| Now, more than ever, Ruthen- ment.of peace.” proach in developing revolutionary | berg’s tradition of, revolutionary ‘ The cverwhelming majority of | methods of struggle against the war | struggles against war'and the so- a dis