The toiler. [volume], May 21, 1920, Image 1

About The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922

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CLEVELAND, OHIO, FRIDAY. MAY 21th, 1920.
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Echoes of Secy.
Wilson's Ruling
By Paul Hanna.
Staff Correspondent. Tho Feder. Press.
WASHINCTON. Secretary Wilson
Tulir.gi in favor of the Communist
I a! or Party of America is u kick that,
''ends Attorney (General Palmer reeling
a long way toward the end of his game
of bluff, bluster and secret persecu
tion of political opinion.
That part of the department of jus
ticc which received the full force of
the blow is represented by Francis P.
Oarvan, aistnnt attorney genera in
special charge f witch-burning un
der the New Freedom. It was Oarvan
who laid of the destitute wives and
c.l ildren of toon deported on the Bti
ford that they were better off without
such men, no matter what their suffer
ing and privation. Cnrvan is also
author of the celebrated statement that
the Illegal raids conducted by his of
fice had "create belief in Cod"
among the
economic .justri
tiarvan more
the department
sponsible for
bling nlley of
no now mils hiinst
ion that tho
ritatori for
''no
I M I I I 1. C
1 no ri
,Pf
held ro
up the
iv where
ueeogni
Lrv an s
Palmer has
the time bo
president ho
no following
F. of L. cabinet
is detested by
furious outcry: " Kvery I. V.
W., eoinmunist or whatv o"9 tidw
i mo in i ne i niiiiiu,!! isi i !, 'oi . :i
haven where he can continik Station
without abandon ing one of Ins theories
or purposes.
The anguish of Palmer and Oarvan
is enhanced by their chilling appre
hension that the White House, will
sustain Secretary Wilson unless the
department of justice shall lay its
cards on the public table and there
show by argument and the law why
men who aim at drastic alteration of
our institutions by peaceful, COnsti
tutional means should be declared out
laws. It, is reliably reported that Secretary
Wilson's sensntional decision is merely
a sequel to the recent cobinet meeting
at which Palmer tried and failed to
convince the president, that seizure
without warrent, imprisonment with
out trial and deportation without evi
dence were the proper and American
way of dealing with persistent agi
tators against the rule of plutocracy.
Two facts are known. Louis F. Post
wrote out his resignation when as
acting secretary of labor, he began his
policy of releasing aliens against whom
Palmer could produce no evidence ex
cept loud-mouthed innuendo and news
papei headlines.
William H. Wilson is ready to quit
"as secretary of labor' If.' without 'con
sidering the facts of the law, the
White House should give its support,
to Attorney Ocnoral PnlSSer and (Jar-van.
Politically considered,
been utterly isolated for
ing. As a candidate for
has been shown to have
anywhere. Prom the A
to the I. W. W. lo
liihor. rederal iiid"cs denounce him
from the bench as a ridiculous tyrant.
All the middle class liberals who once
supported this administration despise
and revile the attorney general. Aside
from Judge Gary's following and a
few liberty baiters in Congress he
stands absolutely alone.
To a self-respecting man in Palmer's
place there is only one course open. He
must meet and disprove the labor
department's indictment, of his meth
ods and force the President to fire
Inith Post and Secretary Wilson, or
he must resign himself. That is. if he
is a self-respecting man.
Hut nobody familiar with his offi
cial course charges Palmer with being
that. Mis real calibre is shown in the
f o called movement by Congress to im
peach Post. To the extent that the
impeachment effort had a basis at
all, it was founded upon Palmer's
tale-heuriiii; about the department of
labor. Poois and knaves in the House
took up the charges and instituted
hearing i. Post 's counsel sat through
the imitation Lusk proceedings, ami
raluiy waited for their chance to
refuso the slander and to present their
.client as a witness in hie own defense.
All-this time the attorney general kept
far in the background, lie hns not
dared associate his name or his office
directly frith any of the charges
against Post. He has known that la, ;;,
and the law were with Post and lias
studio, islv avoided a direct encounter.
That spectacle of shuffling evasion
gave Secretary Wilson his final
measure of the attorney general, who
stood recalcd as a man afraid to
finish what he had started. Members
of Congress who began the proceed
ings found themselves marooned with
Palmer, unable to proceed without
being faced by the man they strove
to destroy. So they tried to duck out
of the whole mess by concluding the
hearings abruptly.
At such a moment Secretary Wilson
strikes the hot iron with the sledge of
his Communist Labor Party decision.
I. el Palmer dodge the sparks if he
enn.
t-7 j,x,"" fr COLUMBIA TAKIN6 A
5 fy-' LAST VIEW OF THE.
-Ay 'S- ' (y I 5ETTIMO Sum
' -'v- ''s' ' (A at
The Miner and Sapper
The insatiate desire of capiitalism for
profits and yet more profits, its unquen
chable thirst for unearned increment, its
demand from industry of the iavst "pound
of flesh'' is undermining the foundations
ef the nation. Industry, the foundation
upon whieii is huilt such civilization as we
have, lias become merely a means of fattenn
ing the parasites of society, the exploit
ers of labor. American institutions are
ornttfbHng and ready to tumble into chaos
due 'to the intensified coinage of profits
from 'the ration's resources and labor.
In the imminent collapse of the econom
ic and soc'ml structure, Miss Columbia,
emblem of our one time liberal irs will be
stood on her head amid the debris. Her
tears will avail nothing. For after all, she
stood only for a fiction, or at least for
that which became n fiction when the
class struggle between the makers and
takers of wealth became acute. The sett ing
sun of our once pround liberties is reveal
ing in the glow of its hist rays how fictitiou
indeed, were the so liberties. In fact, we
know that they were not liberties at all
morely privileges granted to the workers
by capiitalism and the capitalist state
granted just so long its the workers re
mained in ignorance how to use tnem for
their own class interests. The moment thj
workers began to use them for 'themselves
and against the capitalist class, they weiv
taken from them. The dictatorship of the
capitalist class, acting thru its government,
police, court and Congress annulled these
liberties". They ceased to be. THAT sail
can rise again only in a world controlled
by the workers.
Communists have no tears to shed
because these things are so. They are the
products of the development of capitalism.
They were born in the era of capitalism's
beginning, they will die with capitalism
and what is good in them for the worker's
will be reroreoted by them in the building
at the new Industrial Democracy thai
must follow Capitalism.
Liberty, free speech, free press, cannot
exist in a society built upon slavery of the
workers to the owners of industry. Such
an incompatibility is unthinkable. And be
cause this is so, they have been ruled out,
by the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. So
called liberals and other straddlnv may
weep and rave as this sun sinks behind
tho horizon, their tears will be lost in the
sea of turmoil that is rising.
Only thru the collapse of capitalism
and all its institutions can real freedom
be born to the working class. Workers
should hail as presageing this collapse tho
destruction by capitalism of these fictitious
"liberties".
Socialist Party Convention Betrays the Revolution
' Opposed by but a small minority of 'reds" and "centr
ists" the soealist Party in Convention at New York last week
completely eradicated from its program and principles the fait
vestige of revolutionary spirit and came out Openly and en
thusiastically for a program of compromise, fusion and "'yel
low" socialism. The strength of the "rod" (lenient left in the.
Socialist Party since the split in the party fast September,
when, at Chicago the Communilst and Communist Labor Part
ies broke away from the Socialist Party, wa seen on the first
day of the Convention in the election of Morris Hilquit over
,J. Louis Bngdahl for Chairman by a vote of 91 to
The election of llilquit vwis a test
Ease which indicated the Comparative
strength of the two f net ions and all
questions before the convent ion
brought out nearly the same vote
upon the tlonr. I' or the tirst tune in
years the conservatives had everything
their own way. Having eradicated
from the Socialist Party practically
idl opponents to their .long loved
principles of compromise and political
trading, they proceeded to spread a
path of bright yellow before the feet
of the American workers.
Fight on declaration of principles.
As might have been expected, the
real fight of the two groups centered
upon the declaration of principles. Ac
cording to a decision of the conven
tion i of hist year a committee was ap
pointed to draft a Declaration of
Principles tor suninisslon at tins time.
this draft was brought in by Morns
Hilqnit, who after reading it DlOVOi
its adoption. minority declaration
was submitted by the opposing groin
thru Louis Bngdahl backed by the Il
linois delegation and scattering sup
port of radicals A bitter fight ensued
caking up some five hours of debate
before the final vote adopt in" the
Uilquit draft settled the matter.
Declaration, a "vote catcher".
Referring to the mildness of the
Hilqnit draft, which declares only for
political action, supplemented by m-
dnstnal action by the workers. Bng
dahl charged that the purpose of those
who had framed the report was lo
create something that would appeal
to the Xon-I'artisinn League and the
Labor Pait and that some of ,ts
sponsors would even go fort her to
rater votes and response from "syn
pathetic" groups. It was in the pa
ragraph of bngdahl s substitute fie
daring in a Some what miled form for
Janus Oneal probably voiced tho
rentimeitS of the majority as fully is
any when he attacked the world.
''dictatorship" and declared that tho
t'me and conditions that favored the
Russian revolution must be studied
before any attempt was made to
adopt Russian methods.
"Let it go through the country that
you tavor a dictatorship ot the pro
letariat and you will cease to bo a
political party," he said "Adopt
such si resolution, and y u must do
your work underground, for you will
be driven underground by Sweet and
Albanj and the politicians at Washing
ton. "Bourgeois democracy, with all its
shams and illusions, permits in normal
times an honest and fnir discussion.
To espouse the dictatorship program
WOOld turn "very such democracy tntO
;:n absolute SUtoeraCV."
The vote upon the principle of .1
irolctarian dictatorship as a fundament
il tactic of the revolution was 101
to .13.
Severs connectirn with Third Inter
national
One of the principles laid down by
the Third (MOSCOW) International as
a basis for membership in it of Social
1st nnd Revolutionary parties at. i
groups of all countries is the adoption
of the principle of the dictatorship
of the proletariat as a tactic during
the transition stage from capitalism
to socialism in order to Khd quicker
place all (tower in the hands of the
workers and to destroy with as little
violence as possible all opportunity for
bourgeois counter revolution against
the workers.
The recent referendum of tho so
cialist Party membership upon affilia
tion witli the Third International by
vote of H to 1 with certain rcsorv-
"the dictatorship of the proletariat" ptiors will be discarded if the p'at
as a transitional tactic of the workers form adopted at this convention is
against the bourgeois, that the artilerv j ad ptd bv the rank and file. That
of the majority was directed. "Th. it will be adopted goes with out saying.
Victory Foreseen in Communist
Labor Cases in California
lflth NATIONAL CONVENTION,
3. L. P."
will be the subject of a svmposinm by
J. Hi .mil. 0. R. Server and J D. Ooerke
delegate from Ohio
under the auspices of the
SOCIALIST LABOR PARTY
Pythian Temple, 010 Huron Road
near Prniqiect Ave., and B. !th ft.
levelaod, 0.
SUNDAY MVKMNO MAY 2'lrd, 1020
at flSO o'clock.
Questions and diseiiMion invited.
By J. G. Beed.
(Special to "The Toiler")
OAKLAND) OAL. April 10, 18J0.
We won! Yes, in spite of a six months
campaign of poison gas slinging by the
Capitalist press of these Hay Cities, in
spite of the worst kind of qlimy tactics
I nd propaganda by the "host citizens"
el this community, in spite of hnving
our headquarters milled and wrecked
by patrinmnnics and police officials
in the name of One Hundred Percent
Americanism, In spite of being (uu I
up twice by the Oakland police the
Communist Labor party in the case of
the State of California vs. James II.
Oolsen suceeded in convincing six. men
on a jury that the party wns a legal
organisation and the jury wns dis
missed because of "failure to agree"!
"A funny sort of a victory," I
hear you repeating, but wait
Anita Whitney was convicted! John
(I. Wieler was convictcdl Hoth wero
I'oininiinist Labor Party eases, and
James II. Dolsen converted six men,
!inlf a jury, to the Idea that tho Com
tnunist. Labor Party is perfectly legal
od furthermore
Anita Whitnev's case was tried as
en ordlnorv criminal ease. 8ho admit
ted membership in tho Communist
Labor I'arty; she admitted having Ideal
contrary to the administration but she
lost out by not attempting a defense
of the party. Her lawers avoided the
issues in the case, and defended the
d fondest personally. The same was
rioro or less the case with that of
Comrnde Wieler.
On the other hand, Comrnde Oolsen,
Stnte Secretary, Communist Labor
Partv, defended the pnrtyt nnd in
cidenitly himself. He got the court to
admit it was not a criminal case. An I
he defended the case as a social one, or
still better a political and industrial.
The victory wns a clean cut one. Not
one' principle did he compromise. The
court wns turned into a schoolroom
whero lessons in economics, tactics,
propaganda, and organization wero
fully discussed. Capitalism in all its
horror wns laid barn. Tho nakedness of
the violence terror, and persecution
was shown to tho world in all its
hideousncss, but not one word of the
dimning evidence appeared in print in
the prostitute press, Their publicity
was done enrlier in the days of tho
inquisition, and thoy were determined
dictatorship of the Tirolctnrrit ".
dar-'d llilipiit is not Socialist i'oe trine,
besides being inconsistent with tho
rest of the preamble, we cannot speak
to the workers vaguely of tho class
strnggle, wage slavery etc."
The platform, declared Samuel Hol
land of Chicago, 'contains nothing
but nice phrases". while another
member of the minority faction stated
his opinion that it rend like a high
reboot essnv. Hilqnit 's rejoinder was
that the platform was being opposed
not because it was too academic but
because of the absence in it of certain
wen iieinvci ptmiscs. !ie claimed ma:
the basis for the platform was the
assumption that the Socialist Party
was a party of political action and
intimated that it was criticized be
cause its opponents found in it no
suggestion of more "violent" methods.
No dictatorship for Berger.
The fight for a declaration for
bourgeois "democratic" methods to
be pursued by the workers during 'he
transition stage from capitalism to
socialism was soon brought to a close
when Victor Herger arose and enlarged
upon he possibilities of success for a
third party in American politics. "I
don't believe in dictatorship of any
kind" he said. "I nm for democracy.
Why do we have a convention every
year for anvhow! To sprout wings left
winf.s. I b'long to the centrr myself".
Tucker, who argued that the llilipiit
leport was evidently framed to get by
the Oepnrtment of Justice, urged the
necessity of a dictatorship of the pro
letariat in order ot conquer the hour
rcois with as little violence and blood
shed as possible Irving it, Weiss, of
NVw York, declared his opposition to
dictatorship of anv bodv whether it
be Hint of the Holsheviki in Russi.i
or of the capitalist class of Amopc.i
i'or this statement lie received MMCS
from the gallery.
m -...:; I ut I'arty Uos M'iuitei
places, itsTelf outside tie1 leal revolu
tionary raovenvnt of the world and
become! a party of mild reformistie
if not reactionary measures.
The ' Party of Debs", hut will he
lead it?
With the nomination of Eugene V.
Debs as its candidate for president
and Seymour St'dinan as Vice Pros
irdnt the convention closed its deliber
ations. The question now is. will Debs
accept the nomination Opinion is
divided as to what his decision will
be, Communists point to Dtbs' state
ment before he was sent to prison,
when ill many speeches in Ohio an!
other states he voiced his entire ap
proval of the Holsheviki and their
methods of gaining control over tho
capitalists and bourgeoisie, as beang
out the assertion that he would not.
degrade his revolutionary spirit by
accepting the nomination.
Speaking of the victories of tho
Holsheviki in conquering tne enemies
of the workers, Debs said in an article
in The Class Struggle, of which he
was one of the editors in the issue of
iVbrtuiry. l'.HO, "They are scttin;;
the heroic example for world-wide
emulation. Let us, like them scorn
and npudiatt the cowardly lompromis
ers with our own ranks, chnllenge and
defy the robber class power, nnd fight
it nut on that line to victory or death!
From the crown of my head to the
soles of try feet, 1 nm Bolshevik, and
pround of it. Tho Day of the People
has. arrived".
Will Debs repudiate that statement
by accepting the candidacy of the party
which has emasculated its platform to
the ctxent of rejecting the principle
which Debs accepted, advocated and
which constituted one of the charges
Igaiasl him bv the capitalist class
innrts and for which he was sent to
prison f
to keep the first impression intact in
spite, of the tint It.
Day after day I sat in tins ourt
of "Justice", only during this case
the court was transform) d into a
schoolroom, and followed the evidcnc.i
a... it wax unfolded, idoselv.
Durinir the first two weeks tho
schoolroom was in charge of Professors
Myron Harris (Prosecuting Attorney)
and Ponton (1. Thompson (Inspector of
Police and head of the "Loyalty
Squsl"). They conducted courses in
Law Prostituting (commonly known as
juggling the law), nnd also gave very
good lessons in "How lo I'crtorm I lie
Senile Art of Frame-up' S in good
Kiekort ian style.
First they produced a young reporter
who attended the first State Coin en
tion of the Communist Labor Party.
He described, the setting of the con
vention in the ill fated Communist
Labor Party Huilding, identified re
ports, resolutions, and sponkers attend
ing the convention; swore to having
"seen" contraband books on ryndiral
ism, Sabotage, and tho I. W. W,, nnd
testified that the assemblage sang an
"awful" song entitled "We'll Mako
the Bolsheviks Victorous", ami another
one that ended, "While Hene Lies In
Prison For Us All". The Hongs, to
be sure, were enough to dnmn us for
life Think of any convention in a
land of the free wanting to make tho
"majority victorious", or making
"Soviets victorous"! How criminal!
And to think that a convention of
Americnn workingmon would "stoop
so low" as to pay homnge in song to
n "common prison rat"! What kind
of a people could sing, "In a Living
(Continued on page 1.)
HANDS Orr RUSSIA DEMANDS
McBRIDE.
Bv Helen Aueur
NKW YORK. Several thousand peo
ple in Cnrnegio Mall rose to their
feet and cheered for a full minute
when Isnne MacHride, journalist and
lecturer recently returned from soviet
Russia, cried: "It's time to call n halt
to this murder and sav, 'Hands Off
Russia!
The purpose of the meeting, which
was held under the auspices of the
Peoples' Freedom Union, was to de
mand the immediste resumption of
trade with soviet Russia. ThBt demand
was voiced from hundreds of throat
at the climax of Mscltride's descrip
tion of the titanic miseries rnuscd by
the economic blockade by the allies.
"I saw soldiers of the Red Army
whoso heads had been blown to pieces
with shrapnel, bandaged with news
papers," he said. "I saw great fel
lows gritting their teeth to the ordeal
of having arms or legs amputated wiin
out the mercy of anesthetics. T saw
little children, nourished on tho coun
try's best ns the strategic resources of
the future state, graduall.' sickening
and dying luVnusc that best is not
enough for them. The country has no
drugs, no bandages and pitifully little
food . "
"Russia lias learned to go hungry
and still defy the world against tak
ing her liberty away. The rank and file
are ihing new for the preservation of
that liberty, and for the existeneo of
the soviet state.
"lnin told me that if he or Trotr.
ky should go out into the streets nnl
advocate the overthrow of the soviet,
they would not laat M hours alive. The
rank and file were in arms in Mnr-li
1017. and they overthrew the cr.ar's
regime. In November bv power of tho
same arms and the same will they
overthrew the Kerensky government.
Tell me, if the armed proletariat of
Russia was opposed to this government,
do you suppose it could stand for a
moment against tho power of arms and
Willi"
Ncrman Thomas, editor of The World
Tomorrow, and Harriot Stanton Rlatch,
of the Emergency Committee for Rus
sian relief scored the treatment of
Russians in America by the present
administration. One thousand dollars
was contributed to tho fund for tech
nical aid to Russia.