The daily worker. [volume], August 08, 1925, New York Edition, Magazine Supplement, Page 3, Image 9

About The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958

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Are the Finns Social-Democrats?
(Continued from page 2)
tile short cuts* which, in a final analy
sis at*e nienshevlki tactics pure and
simtddi inore simple than pure. We
fought against that policy, but when
our party decided in favor of such ah
adventure) like good Communists we
obeyed. And then when several Un
succesful attempts were hiade and the
party with the aid of the Comintern
finally rejected such a policy, we were
delighted. And we hoped that at last
our party has gotten over its men
sb'evism and leftism and begins to
work earnestly for Communism.
But our joy was short lived. Our
party executive was split. A major
ity and a minority began functioning
and theses after theses were given
out! declaration on principles and pol
icies, statements and “facts for work
ers” were given out, even personal at
tacks appeared in our party organ.
And the only given reason for all of
that was: "shall we continue our (men
shevikl) policy of advocating the
farmeiMabor party” when historical
and purely American objective factors
are against that kind of policy. Ninety
nine per cent of our membership Is
Cannon Replies to Henry Askeli
By JAMES P. CANNON.
Comrade Askeli’s article follows the
two statements published by the Fin
nish Branch of Superior and is direct
ly related to them. The Central Ex
ecutive Committee has declared that
these statements contained a non-
Communist tendency and represented
the beginning of an ideological prepa
ration for a split in the Party. Com
rade Askeli’s article is another mani
festation of this sentiment. It shows
the same tendency in a clearer form
- and forces us to draw the conclusion
that it amounts to an attempt to sub
stitute a program of his own for the
program of the Party and the Com
munist International. At the moment
when the serious Communist workers
are striving to unify their ranks on
the platform of the Communist Inter
nation, Comrade Askeli comes forward
with an attack on the Communist In
ternational. Such propaganda tends
to discredit the Communist Interna
tional before the membership.
Comrade Askeli has presented a
platform without one sound Commun
ist plank in it. No one can accept
this platform without first throwing
away the platform of the Party and
the Communist International. The
loyal followers of the Communist In
ternational in the party, and espe
cially those in the Finnish Federation, 1
have no choice but to take up at once
the most resolute struggle against the
political platform of Comrade Askeli.
The unity and integrity of the Party
demand such a struggle.
Incitement Against the C. I.
The Communist International is the
most priceless acquisition of the revo
lutionary proletariat of the world. The
authority of the Communist Interna
tion is the surest guarantee that the
unity of our party will be preserved
and strengthened, that disintegrating
opportunism will not be allowed to
get a string foothold, that mistakes
will be corrected and that faltering
leadership will be assisted, strength
ened and equipped for its tasks. To
make a breach between the party and
the Comintern is the aim of those ele
ments in all countries who shrink
from the implications of a policy of
determined revolutionary struggle.
Comrade Askeli is following a policy
which leads in this direction. His at
tack is directed first of all and above
all at the authority of the Communist
International. He opposes in a more
or less direct way all the propositions
put before the Party by the Commun
ist International in its recent deci- 1
sions. He then unites his opposition
to the varlqus specific proposals of the
Communist International into a com
plete and systematic opposition with
the declaration that he wants a Cen
tral Executive Committee with suffi
cient "nerve’’ and "responsibility” to
against that kind of policy. “Let’s be
something first. Then talk about man
euvering and federating with the other
groups.” This Is what our federation
rank-and-filers say. Our membership
does not want the high sounding
phrases and useless talk about the
absolute and correct Communistic pol
icies. We know that the correctness
of all the policies of the labor move
ment is only relatively true and cor
rect. Then when some group of mem
bers talk that they are suitable ma
terial for the party leadership, be
cause they are true Marxians, and
scientific analysists of the conditions,
honest, sincere, and characterize
themselves with all kinds of adjec
tives, it reminds us of the controversy
we had in 1913 and 14, when we also
had such big headed members, who
were badly stricken wltn Infantile
sickness and the leadership bug.
The amusing feature aeout this con
troversy is that the minority of the
party Is so deadly against us, and de
nounces us with very hitter terms.
They have been busy colletcing evi
dence that we are supporters of
"Loreism.” Os course they are doom
ed to fail in their efforts. We have
"settle questions without foolishly ap
pealing to higher bodies on every lit
tle question.” The practice of the
Central Executive Committee in turn
ing to the Communist International
for advice and guidance and for the
solution of disputed questions appar
ently does not commend itself to Com
rade Askeli. He regards it as “Hesita
tion, indecision and a vacillating
policy”, which, he says, is “destructive
and must be done away with.”
What is such talk but incitement
against the Communist International?
And what could be its effect, but to
lead to a break between the Party and
the Communist Internation? To let
the Party become the prey of disin
tegrating tendencies and render it
powerless?
Lore ism.
With such an attitude of general
opposition to the Communist Interna
tional, it is quite logical for Comrade
Askeli to find himself out of line with
its specific decisions on the situation
in our Party. The Comintern has put
before the Party as one of its most
important tasks the liquidation of the
opportunist ideology of Loreism. Com
rade Askeli has nothing to say on this
question, except to deny the accusa
tions of sympathy with Loreism. The
open statement and direct attack on
Loreism which all leading comrades
should make without hesitation or eva
sion is lacking. On the contrary the
article makes many concessions to
Loreism.
Comrade Askeli says the Finnish
Federation got rid of the right wing
elements and the ideology of the two
and one-half international at the' time
of the split with the Socialist Party.
We are confident that the overwhelm
ing majority of the membership of
the Finnish Federation will demon
strate that they have broken so de
cisevly with this ideology that no one
will be able to lead them back to it.
But in the light of this article we can
not be so confident of Comrade Askeli.
A remnant of this ideology has found
its way into his article.
The Labor Party.
Our most important political ques
tion is the question of the Labor
Party. The future growth and devel
opment of our Party is indissolubly
bound up with the solution of this
problem. The first decisive, steps of
the American workers in constituting
themselves as a class, and entering
the political arena as such, will be
taken thru the medium of a Labor
Party. The solution of the Labor
party problem is therefore of incalcu
able importance. It is in fact the key
to the American Labor movement.
Every member of the Party must un
derstand this.
The Enlarged Executive Committee
of the Communist International has
solved the Labor Party problem, cor
no opportunistic tendencies, but neith
er have we any leftist tendencies,
which are just as bad. Some of the
minority comrades descended so low
as to peddle lies about us. And these
slanderers and character assassinat
ors have been converted only recent
ly to a Communistic way of thinking.
Now they are usurping the authority
to denounce us, who have worked
faithfully the last twenty-five years
for revoltuionary socaillem and Com
munism.
What do We Want Now?
I feel confident that I speak for
every one of our federation members
when I say that we want:
1. Immediate cessation of factional
ism. Organized groups whtch are eat
ing the life out of the party, must be
liquidated. And we pledge ourselves
to see that machines are liquidated
and machinists disciplined, or ex
pelled
2. Only one executive committee,
not two, like we have now. We must
get over the idea of having a group
or factional representation in our ex
ecutive committee.
We also want an executive commit
tee with nerve, and a sense of re
recting the past mistakes of all groups 1
in the Party and laying down a clear
political line for the immediate future.
It is of the utmost importance that
every leading comrade take a clear
and unequivocal stand on this ques
tion. Mistaken conceptions of the past
must be openly acknowldeged and
resolutely put aside. The whole Party,
as one man, must consciously swing
its energy into the Labor Party move
ment according to the policy of the
Communist International. In order to
make this possible all leading com
radeship, the, Party, find, in the Federa
tipps jnust have a unified point of
view. A negative or half-hearted at
titude is not permissable.
Comrade Askeli confines his remarks
on this question to a couple of sen
tences that only serve to confuse the
issue. He speaks of the questions of
the Third Party Alliance, the Farmer-
Labor Party and the present Labor
Party policy of the Party, making no
distinction between them. He throws
them all into one pot, labels them all
“maneuvers” to be avoided and then
concludes with the assertion that “99
per cent of our membership is against
that kind of policy.” Such a method
of presenting the question can only
confuse the comrades.
“Maneuvers.”
Political adventurism, maneuvers
that are not based on a true analysis of
all the factors in the given situation,
are very dangerous for a party. But
to proceed from this premise to a re
jection of all maneuvers is to falsify
and distort the Leninist standpoint.
One of the most incorrect and harm
ful aspects of Loreism is its opposi
tion to maneuvers* and its undialectic
conception which arbitrarily separates :
organization and propaganda from ac
tion and maneuvers. Askeli makes
this error when he says, “We are <
strong for organization and education. 1
Maneuvers do not, in our opinion i
make the Workers Party.” This con- '
ception is wrong. A fighting Commun- '
ist Party cannot be built upon it. 1
Organization and propaganda, ac
tions and maneuvers, must be united
in an organic whole. Without ability
to maneuver there is no capacity for
action and no real Communist Party.
The paralyzing dogma of "no man
euvers” must be eleminated from our
conception at all costs. The great
leaders and teachers of Leninism are 1
constantly pressing this idea as a life ]
and death struggle to the Communist
Parties. Only recently, the Executive 1
Committee of the Communist Inter- 1
national was obliged to adopt a special 1
resolution against the doctrine of "no 1
maneuvers'’ which was threatening to ‘
paralyze the Communist Party of Ger- 1
many and which had already lead It
3
sponsibility, and Communistic under
standing, so that they can settle ques
tions, without foolishly appealing to
higher party bodies on efery little
question. Hesitation, indecision and
a vacilation policy is destructive and
must be done away with.
3. We want the shop nuclei form
of organization, not so much that it
is practical, tried and true, but be
cause theoretically it appears practic
al and true and this must be shown.
4. We do not want the language fed
erations in the party. All language
federation must remain Communistic
propaganda organizations, working in
dependently under the ideological
leadership of the Workers Party.
In conclusion, I want to say that our
slanderers have no patent or copy
rights on Communism. They have
no exclusive rights on Communistic
understanding. They, as well as all of
us, make errors. I do not wish to
leave the impression that our federa
tion has not made any errors. We
have made numbers of errors, but we
have also done something. Those
pure and good "Marxians” that do notl
do anything may remain free from'
any human errors, but in my estima
tion they are bum Communists.
‘o the most serious errors in connec
tion with the question of the monar
chy. “The Communist Party of Ger
many must learn how to maneuver,”
said the resolution of the Communist
International. Our Party must also
learn and in order to do so it must
reject the standpoint which is present
ed by the article of Comrade Askeli.
Shop Nuclei.
The Bolshevization of the Party im
plies reorganization on the basis of
shop nuclei. Our Party is confronted
with collossat difficulties in this re
spect on account of its small member
ship and many national divisions. The
success of our campaign to construct
the Pgrty on the shop-nuclei basis re
quires the active, conscious and whole
hearted support of the leading com
rades of the various federations. Com
rade Askeli does not give such sup
port. He gives the shop nuclei form
of organization only a negative en
dorsement and attempts to discredit
it in advance with the statement' that
he favors it, “not so much that it is
practical, tried and true, but because
theoretically it appears practical and
true and this must be shown.” The
transformation of our Party from the
sociali-democratic form of organiza
tion to the Communist form of organ
ization, built in the work shops, will
never be accomplished by such a skep
tical attitude. The position of Com
rade Askeli amounts to opposition to
shop nuclei, under the flag of lip-serv
ice to it. The Party must oppose and
reject this standpoint.
The Federation Question.
The Communist International and
the Central Executive Committee of
our Party have come to the definite
conclusion that the existance of sepa
rate language federations must be
done away with. The language feder
ations must be fused into a single
centralized party. The organization
letter of the Communist International
gives detailed and specific instructions
on this question; and the resolution
of the Party commission takes a
clear and definite stand for the com
plete centralization of the Party and
the complete abolition of the present
federation form of the organization.
The energetic carrying out of these
resolutions is an indespensible part
of the process of Bolshevizing the
Party.
On this vital question as well as
on all the others raised in his article.
Comrade Askeli takes a wrong stand.
The letter of the Communist Interna
tional and the resolution of the parity
commission, provide for the recon
struction of the present language
branches as non-partisan workers’
clubs. The proposal of Comrade
Askeli to maintain the federations on
(Continued on page 8.)