The Daily Worker Newspaper, January 7, 1933, Page 4

Page views left: 0

You have reached the hourly page view limit. Unlock higher limit to our entire archive!

Subscribers enjoy higher page view limit, downloads, and exclusive features.

Text content (automatically generated)

Page Four DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 1933 | | Published by the Comprodaily Publishing Co., Ine., da! 1sth St., New York City, N. ¥. Telephone ALgonquin Address and mail checks to the Daily Worker, 50-E. 1 except Sunday, at 50 & 56. Cable “DAIWORK.”” SUBSCRIPTION RATE One year, $6; six months, $3.50; 8 months, §2; 1 menth, Te | ugh of Manhattan and Bronx, New York City. Foreign and da: One year, $9; 6 months, $5; 3 months, $3 For WhomIsTechnocracy Fighting? ers. a slight variation on increasing radicalization of the forced to invent decoys which ear to be attacking capitalism. em.” In reality it is fig! risis and for the preserva- rines find ‘ead unemployme of the ay out of the Morgan-con- gs. The first use of the econd is that the greatest calamity revolution, whereby the working tical and economic power. Such a leads directly to fascism, to the open class in an attempt to preserve cap- m out its inherent contradictions. The om the ultra-reactionary New York Evening o that the capitalist class understands s such wide publicity to the “radical” eracy ) leaves them offering mathematical formulae f lism about the machine civilization in which we ugly necessity of handing over that civilization to the ‘radical phrases about the “price system” there hatred of the revolutionary way out of the crisis. The ni S produce elaboraté calculations to prove that the could be shortened to three hours, that there could be a rapid unemployment could be abolished—if the forces were properly utilized. This is the “radical” ines. But already more than 75 years ago, Marx and d the inherent contradictions of capitalist production which ly utilize the available productive forces. Where- rise in in then, rence between Marx and the Technocrats? The profound Marxism and Technocracy is precisely in this fact: that Mar at it is the legal-political structure of capitalism which ‘e to utilize the productive forces, are “experts” in discussing the advance of the pro- are blind alike to causes and the effects of the forces, and the inevitable development of pe- < proved that the advance in technology is an in- mpetition among the capitalists in their struggle cost of production and in order to maintain and increase “the growth, accumulation, and concentration 2 their train an ever more detailed subdivision of labor, provement of old machines...” Then Marx asked the the Technocrats do not ask, and cannot answer, conditions,‘which are inseparable from the growth capital, have upon the determination of wages?” Marx italist cl r greater numbers of workers out into the streets, supplan abor by unskilled, men by women, adults by children.” Marx showed t net result of the advance in technology, under cap- italism, is 2 steady increase in the rate of expioitation of the workers, that the “more the worker produces, the less he receives in wages.” The Piling up of lus values in the form of profits—which is the essence loitation, is completely ignored by the Technocrats. This pitalist nature of all their theories. ed that the struggle against this exploitation, against unem- ployment, poverty and war, is a struggle against the political power of the capitalist state. Marx showed that the workers and farmers must seize the political power of the State, smash it, ahd set up in its place @ prolet n dictatorship. But this is precisely what the “radical” Tech- nocrats fear. They pretend that they are not interested in politics, that they are equally indifferent “to Fascism, Socialism, Communism, or Cap- italism.” But when they say that they are indifferent to politics, they are merely attempting to inoculate the workers with an indifference to po- litics, to prevent the workers from developing their own independent po- litical action. This pretended indifference to politics is a manouver to keep the workers from realizing that the struggle against capitalism, against the “price system,” is a political struggle against the capitalist State. All the mathematical and technical mumbo-jumbo of Techno- eracy is merely a smoke-screen to conceal this fact. reveals the c: ARX pi Above all, the Technocrats wish to hide from the workers the revo- Tutionary significance of the victorious October Revolution and the Soviet Union. In the Soviet Union the productive forces are being developed by the workers at a tempo which has never been equalled by any cap- italist country. But it is this Soviet way out of the capitalist crisis that the Technocrats wish to avoid at all costs, Beanies That Must Count Against Dollars CCORDING to capitalist newspaper accounts the police of Washington spent ten thousand dollars for tear gas to equip the squads arrayed against the Hunger Marchers. Unquestionably the amount spent by federal and local police elsewhere along the line of march runs into the hundreds of thousands. The ruling class spent this enormous amount in an effort to defeat the mass movement that they knew, if not checked, would com- pel them to disgorge billions for immediate winter relief and unemploy- ment insurance. Even a fraction of this sum could have furnished trans- portation and food, warmth and shelter for the hunger marchers along all routes leadir.s to Washington and in Washington. But the objective ~%was not to aid the movement, but to crush it. ‘They failed in their at- tempt to “discourage” the march by terror and intimidation. They were ' defeated by the iron determination and firm proletarian self-discipline of ~ the workers and their delegates. * Against the dollars spent by the government—tfedgral, state and local dimes, nickels and pennies of the toiling masses dipported the hunger The money raised by workers in four weeks furnished financial “aid to the masses who defeated the hirelings in the service of the Wall Street billionaire government. * * * financing of the National Hunger March is by no means the greatest sachievement connected with this splendid and historic action. But it that it will be well to remember especially at this time when the of the Unemployed Councils evervwhere frequently suffers for lack dispensable funds. In this as in all struggles of the workers, the ele- that determines success or failure, depends upon the extent to which s of Unemployed Councils in all sections of the country. Under it conditions, these must be raised in the form of hundreds of thou- even millions of pennies, or they won't be raised at all. ‘ “It is fortunate for the masses whose very lives depend upon the ability “@f the Unemployed Councils to conduct struggle, that this has been realized wthe National Committee of the Unemployed Councils. This is the basis f the plan to finance the struggle by means of a voluntary “Penny Tax”. "This “tax” which wil! be collected at all working class meetings and irs; at shop gates (on pay-days), at union and lodge meetings and in house-to-house collections, will place no great burden on any one ir. It will serve to distribute the responsibility and privilege of main- and supporting the fighting movement against unemployment the broad masses. workers will benefit through the widespread application of the y Tax” plan. We urge every worker and every workers’ organiza- support it wholeheartedly. | | | | « ¢ ory of socialism, but a theory of “Who Are the True Followers of Marxism?” ‘HE January Communist contains three articles applying the deci- sions of the 12th Plenum to this country. These are the editorial “Forward in the Line of the 12th Plenum of the E.C.C.1.”; “Struggle for Elementary Needs—the Main Link in Winning the Masses,” by Jack Stache and “The End of Capitalist Stabilization and the Basic Task of the British and American Sections of the C. I.”, by T. Gusev. oe « PENETRATING analysis of 42 Prof. Sidney Hook’s attempt to revise Marxism one of the feat- ures of the January ue of The Communist, monthly theoretical organ of the Communist Party. In is militant polemic, called “Un- masking an American Revisionist of Marxism,” rT, Jerome to their r work of M: of the American liberal philoso- hn Dewey, and in the not- s to “improve” Marx late Eduard Bern- pher, J nection with the 50th anniversary of the death of Karl Marx, which The article is published in con~ | March | occurs in PLANNING IMPERIALIST WAR sseibiols ~By Burck FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT Those Who “Rediscover” Marx to Falsify His Teachings ria By SAM DON. 'HE Socialist Parties of the Sec- ond International, whose spokes- men in the days of so-called pros- perity, and even at the beginning of the present crisis, officially de- clared Marxism to be antiquated and substituted Henry Ford for Marx, have at the present time “rediscovered” Marx. Why this somersault? The visible decline of capitalism, the growing misery of the workers is becoming so obvious that the Socialist Party claiming to be a workers’ party, in order to retain its influence among the workers, is executing this left ma- neuver in draping itself in Marx- jan phrases. On a previous occasion we ex- posed the American Socialist Party V. I. LENIN | Party announced that at its com- in its attempt to “accept” Marxism. A very striking example of this maneuver of the Second Socialist International is the following fact: The German Social-Dernocratic ing convention on March 12, 1933, none other than Hilferding would make a special report to this con- vention on “Marxism and our Present-Day Problems”. Who is this Herr Hilferding? He has the honor of having created the theory of “organized capitalism”, a the- ory which received wide influence in the days of prosverity: that ca- Pitalism has so well managed pro- duction and its system that the periodic crises of capitalism, with consequent unemployment, shut- ting down of factories, etc. has been done away with. In 1927 this arch-apologist for capitalism made a report to the congress of the German Social Democratic Party. What did he say then? “This in- dicates the change from the capi- talism of free competition to or- ganized capitalism. Thanks to this arose the conscious order and leadership in economic life.” Now in 1933 he will speak gbout Marx- ism and our present-day problems. GHOSTS OF THE PAST. In 1927 the “Marxist” Hilferding spoke of “conscious order and leadership in capitalism”; now we imagine he will, as Norman Thomas did the other day, speak about “the rapid breakdown of capital- ism”. Various “ghosts of the past”, old time, so-called American Marxists, are being revived now in the drive to reclaim Marx as part of the left maneuvers of the American social fascists. A new magazine called “Our America” has made its ap- pearance. It is dominated ideolo- gically by the Musteites—the most dangerous of the social-fascists. The magazine, let it here be admit- ted, receives the collaboration of certain elements that have on other occasions recently came for- ward with avowals of Communist sympathies, In this first issue of “Our America” there is an article by Louis Boudin, “A Marxian looks at America”, To get his concep- tion of Marxism, please read these words. “For Marxism, ‘it must al- ways be remembered, is not a the- On the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Death of Karl Marx capitalism.” (His emphasis.) ‘HY this declaration that Marx- ism is not a theory of social- ism? These “Marxists” who have suddenly awakened from their Rip Van Winkle slumber, are brave indeed now, in this period of crisis, to declare that capitalism is break- ing down. But as for socialism— that they do not see. The workers, however, want to know how to abol- ish capitalism and how to build a classless Socialist society. As to the proletarian revolution. as to the dictatorship of the proletariat, that is not found in their Marxian theory! The question of the pro- letarian revolution and the build- ing of a classless socialist society has no place for the new theoret- icians of Morxism. A Marxism without proletarian revolution, without the dictatorship of the pro- letariat, without the teachines of Marx, Engels and Lenin on the role of the state—a most convenient and useful “Marxism” for the ruling class! It is the very essence of the “left” theories cf social-fascism! Although Mr. Boudin writes his article ostensibly to attack Nor- man Thomas from the “left”, his Marxism is in perfect accord with that of Thomas, who, in his book, “America’s Way Out”, says: “Now insofar as the inverted Hegelianism of Marx found ex- Pression in the materialist con- ception of history or economic determinism, it gave men a use~ ful principle for understanding past history and a less sure means of predicting the future. It enables man to explain far better what has been than to foretell what will be in the fu- ture.” (Our emphasis.) Here Boudin and Thomas are in perfect agreement. Yes, they say, Marxism has helped us un- derstand how capitalism developed, but it is a “less sure means” of tel- ling the workers how to abolish capitalism, how to build a class- less social society. According to these “Marxian” theoreticians who speak of Marxism as only a theory of capitalism, the statement of Marx “through the dictatorship of the proletariat to a clessless social- ist society”; and that of Engels, “the proletarian revolution—solution of the contradictions” is not an in- tegral part of Marxism. Certainly the “Marxism” of Boudin and Thomas are very useful and con- venient for the canitalist svstem in its dying days! Such a larx- ism” is the surest guarantee for a non-revolutionary working class! CHIPS OF THE SAME BLOCK. The January issue of The Com- munist has a very instructive, mil- itant polemic against American revisionism of Marxism, taking up specifically the writings of Sidney Hook. We urge all workers to read it. We will deal here only with a few of Hook’s statements. There is an attempt, for instance, to fal- sify Marxism by such a thesis as: “The revolutionary philosophy of the Communist Manifesto in which the labor theory of value is not even mentioned.” (Our emphasis.) To say this is to deny the revolu- tionary historical sivnificance of the Communist Manifesto. Our learned scholar, of course, com~ pletely missed this important state- ment in the Communist Manifesto wherein the labor theory of value, basic to the law of surplus value, is clearly presented: “Hence the cost of preduction of a workman is restricted almest entirely to the means of sub- sistence that he requires for his maintenance and for the propa- gation of his race.” Tt is important to expose this at- tempt of Hook to rob Marxism of the very essence of the revolution- ary struggle of the working class against capitalist exploitation. Of course to Hook who separates Engels from Marx, and Lenin from Marx and Engels, the statement of Lenin that “the doctrines of surplus value is the essence of the economic theory of Marx” is of In the same manner, the whole theory of tech- nocracy is precisely to explain away capitalist exploitation by eliminat- ing the question of surplus value. The recent report of Hoover's Com- mittee says: “Modern civilization Tests upon power, upon energy de- rived from inorganic rather than human or animal sources.” Here too, couched in abstract “scientific” terms, we have this point of con- tact between the Hoover Committee report, Sidney Hook and the tech- nocrats. Certainly a Marxism which denies that the Communist Manifesto is. based on the law of surplus value, the very substance of capitalist exploitation, is a Marxism which is very useful for the capitalist class. It is precisely on the laws of surplus value that the Cemmunist Manifesto state: “But not on’y has the bourgeoisie forged the weapons that bring death to itself, it has also called into ex- istence the men who are to wield these weapons—the modern work- ing class—the proletarians.” IDUARD BERNSTEIN, founder of the revisionism of Marxism, the leader of German social demo- cracy, died .recently. He’ is being hailed by the S. P. “Marxists” as a great socialist, thinker and leader. But they are not alone in their praise of Bernstein. Here is what Hook, the “Marxist”, has to say about Bernstein, and this really shows the source of Hook's revi- stonism: “Bernstein's merit lay in his intellectual honesty. He inter- preted Marx and Engels as they appeared to him in their seberest years—peace-loving, analytical, monocled scholars devoted to the cause of social reform with. stir- ring memories of a revolutionary youth.” Of course Hook is not simply paying tribute here to the so-called intellectual. honesty of Bernstein. He is paying tribute to the Marx- jan revisionism of Bernstein. Hook, in the words of Bernstein, pictures Marx and Engels as social reform- ers and not as the greatest of all revolutionists. Incidentally, the great “intellectual _ honesty” of Bernstein consisted of repeating the slanders against Lenin that he JOSEPH STALIN had been paid by the German bourgeoisie for the November Revo- lution. Such was the intellectual honesty of Bernstein! Hook even has a good word for the German social democracy, which took first rank in betraying the workers fm the imperialist war. Hook tells us: “And it was with the heavy consciousness of their duty as citizens(!) that the German so- cial democracy voted the war budget in 1914 for the defense of the potential Volkstaat.in the ac- - tual Fatherlands Could there be a more open ra~ tionalizing of the treachery of the German social-democracy in 1914? The New Leader, S. P. official or- gan, carried in its December 24th issue a eulogy of Bernstein. This eulogy winds up with the state- ment. “He was a great thinker, @ great statesman, a great social- ist, and a great man. Socialists walk more proudly because such men have walked among them.” The Nation, in the January 4th is- sue, has an article on Eduard Bernstein by Ludwig Lore, a rene- gade from Communism and at present a Musteite. The final sentence of this article by Lore on Bernstein says: “The world has lost a courageous and faithful ide- alist.” A “great thinker” for the New Leader, a “courageous and faithful idealist” for Lore, the Musteite, and a great man of “in~ tellectual honesty” for Hook! The praise of these neovle for Bernstein reveals them all as revisionists of the great revolutionary teachings of Marx, Engels and Lenin. The above revisionists all pay tribute to Bernstein of which social-fas- cism is the logical consequence. STALIN DEVELOPS TEACHINGS OF MARX AND LENIN. To popularize Marxism on the 50th Anniversary of Marx’s death means to apply it to the epoch of imperialism and of proletarian re- volution; it means to popularize Marxism-Leninism. (A point, in- cidentally, which is deliberately ig- nored by the entire crop of self- styled “Marxists”). In this period of the end of relative capitalist stabilization, when our main blows must be directed against social democracy, when’ we must expose | shut... . You doan know nothin’, LYNCH TERROR OW they were up with her. Ter~ Tor gave way to rage as Martha turned to meet her pursuers. Grab- bing a heavy stick, eyes staring, her back against a pine trunk, she gasped, “Come a step nearer ’n I'll crack your skulls plum open!” “You will, huh?” young Haines’ face was an ugly sight, scratched and convulsed with passion and hate. As'he sprung directly at her, Gross, his companion, creeping upon the girl from behind wrenched the stick from her upright arm. Struggling and screaming she was thrown flat, Haines astride her, tearing at her clothing while Gross silenced her cries. Finally, they choked her, mak- ing sure that she would never be able to spread any ugly rumors. Wiping the blood from their hands and brushing off their clothes, they started back through the woods to the car. “Say Gross, you suppose any- body saw the car standing there?” Gradually what they had done broke through their inflamed brains, “Naw. . .. The dirty wench, to try ’n slam your bean. I choked her proper fer that!” “Dam that hoot owl. Come on, can’t you hurry faster?” Young Haines stumbled ahead. Gross snickered nervously. “Say, EI, did-ya ever see prettier breasts?” His companion shook him violently. “You dam fool, keep your mouth see?” Glumly they hurried on. Seated in the car once more, young Haines exclaimed. “By gosh. We forgot all about the dance at the Country Club tonight, and our dates. . . . Listen, Gross, that’s our alibi. We're been at the club all evening!” The motor purred, the toward town. en hed car speeded back . Rea they changed into fresh dress suits. “What're we gona do with these bloody things?” Gross whispered, “Is there a reli- able tailor in town?” “No, jackass, we'll burn ’em, to- morrow. Come on, we're late enough at it is. The girls'll raise a row for ksepin’ ’em waitin’.” While the car glided over the sandy roads, Martha’s unseeing eyes stared up out of a swollen, blotched face at the stars which shone quietly down through the FROM THE BLACK BELT By MYRA PAGE. These sketches of the life and struggle of Negto and white workers in the South are taken from “Gathering Storm”, by Myra Page, just published by International Publishers—EDITOR’S NOTE. | * tall southern pines. The birds set= tled themselves once more for the night, unmindful of thg broken body which rested on its soft bed of pine needles, “8 4 ® Ma Morgan walked nervously up their left maneuvers in drapings of Marxism, it is well to remember the statement of Comrade Stalin that “it is a fact that Lenin brought to light once more the revolution- ary content of Marxism which had been glossed over by the opportu- nists of the Second International” and “Leninism originated and grew strone in eon“ct with the op- -portunism of the Second Interna~ tional—a conflict essential to suc- cess in the struggle against capi- talism.” In this period of the end of rela- tive capitalist stabilization, in the period of the successful building of Socialism in the Soviet Union, we cannot apply the teachings of Marxism-Leninism without apply- ing it in its further development by Comrade Stalin. The role of Comrade Stalin in this respect was stated by Comrade Manuilsky in the following words: “On the basis of the law of the uneven development of imper- ialism, he (Stalin) has worked out and carried into operation the Leninist teachings on the building of socialism in a single country end this Stalinist posi- tion, which is understood by the whole of the Communist Inter- national, the task of preparing the international proletariat for @ new round of wars and revolu- tions, is actually being carried out.” In the light of the struggle for the complete victory of Marxism- Leninism, in the light of the strug- gle for the exposure of the social- fascist leaders as the carriers of bourgeois ideology into the ranks of the working class, in the light of the struggle for the revolution- ary way out of the capitalist crisis, let us commemorate the 50th an~- niversary of the death of our great leader and teacher, Karl Marx. Fight His Deportation NEW YORK, Jan. 6—John Vilar- ino, Los Angeles worker who has been in the United States for twenty- nine years, is now held on Ellis Island for deportation to Spain for militant working class activities. He wil leave behind him a family of eleven small children. The International Labor Degense and the Committee for the Protec- tion of Foreign-Born are leading a determined struggle of the workers to block “jis verte activities of Donk and his agents. throughout the county, Scien | al “With lanterns and heavy sticks they set grimly out.” . | and down near the shack, peering into the dusk for the sight of . “Pa, Martha’s swinging figure. j what you reckons’s keeping | Marthy?” “Nuthin, honey, ’cept you know they had a big dinner party up ta Haines‘ fer supper. Doan worry,! she'll be along soon. I'll jest walls! over-to meet her ’n we'll be back directly.” Beyond Ma’s sight, Uncle Bets quickened his pace, keeping @ sharp eye out for his daughter. There was no sign of her. Mebbe he should have gone for her toe night—no colored gal was safe in the white well-to-do section after dark.. No law would come to her aid. Martha’s smiling gentle face rose before him—the apple of his eye, Ma teased him. By the time he had reached the Haines’ estate, Uncle Ben was ale most running. ‘The big white house was all alight, from within came sounds of laughter? and singing. He made his way around the back, to the servants’ quarters. At his query for Martha, cook’s eyes grew big. “Lawsy, Mister Morgan, she left here pretty nigh two hours ago. Jest about dusk, She must've stop fer visitin’ somes whar?” Throwing a shawl over her shoulders she added, “I'll jest come witH-ya.” As they hurried along, she tried to down their growing fear. If Marthy hadn’t gone visitin’, then mebbe Jim had got off unexpected 'n the two of ’em was strollin’ home, or— “You sho’ a got @ fine gal, Mister Johnson, I set a heap by her. Sweet tempered ‘n willin’.” “That’s right, Mis’ Lancey, they doan come no finer’n my lil gal.” Mebbe he'd missed Marthy on the road, mebbe he’d find her home when they got there. oS See : S they neared the shacks, Ma ran out to meet them, “Whar’s Marthy?” “Ain’t she here?” “Lawd in heaven, what coulda’ happened?” Ma wrung her hands distractedly. “Thar, thar, Ma we'll find her in no time.” Uncle Ben tried to steady the arm he put around her, In short order a searching party was organized: Uncle Ben, Eart Perkins, who'd lost his wife and baby sometime ago, and the two Hughes boys (Uncle Joe was down with the fever). Young Phil Hep~ burn was sent after Jim, to the farm three miles away. With lanterns and heavy sticks they set grimly out. None thought of ing help from the law, Thay was for white men. 4 (To Be Continued,), By QUIRT. * Saturday, January 14. organ of the Party in 1924. BILL DUNNE WRITES IN THE SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE ee Years of the Daily Worker in American Labor Struggles", This is the subject of an article by Bill Dunne which will appear int the Special Daily Worker Anniversary and Lenin Memorial Edition next 4 1 ‘The article will deal with the achievements of the “Daily” in relae tion to the tasks set for it at the time it was launched as the central Other important articles will include “Leninism and War”, by Earl Browder; “Lenin and the Daily Worker”, by Robert Minor; “The Socialist Press in the Service of Capitalism”, by H. M. Wicks; “The Study of Leninism in America”, by Sam Don; “Leninism and the Growth of Sow cialism in the Soviet Union,” by Moissaye J. Olgin. There will also be biographical sketches of Lenin, and the edition will be illustrated with photographs and cartoons, ¢ | FINDS SILVER CLOUDS AS WELL AS GOLD New York, N. Y. Editor of Daily Worker. Dear Comrade: Typical of the manner in which capitalists seek to lead workers by the nose in order to preserve their faith in a dying social order are the following words culled from a New Year's statement by Mr. Nor- ris, governor of the Federal] Re- serve Bank of Philadelphia: “Pessimists and prophets lof evil have no trouble in finding clouds in the economic and fi- nancial sky. It would be idle to deny the presence of these clouds, but it is important to look a little further to see whether they have the proverbial silver lining, and it is gratifying to find that they have what is even better than a silver lining—a gold lin- ing.” This remark remind one of a frenzied search for the needle in a haystack; but we think in the above instance that Mr, Norris came up with a splinter. Look again, Mr.. Norris! Those Letters from Our Readers 1 clouds are red clouds! ‘They ard the harbingers of the dawn that is coming in the United States —Soviet America! —Henry Léitman { PUBLISH “ROAR CHINA PLAY BY U.S.S.R. WRITER OAR CHINA, a play by the So= vist playwright S. Tretiakov, based on the struggle of the Chie nese peoplé against imperialism, has just been issued in the first uncensored edition, by Internation< al Publishers. The play is based on an actual incident in Central China which brought sharply to the fore the struggle against imperialism. When. the play was published in Eng- land the British censorship had all reference to the British navy excluded. Al! these original’ and true references have been restored in the present edition. ‘The popular edition of this play, attractively printed and bound, can be obtained at all workers books

Other pages from this issue: