The toiler. [volume], March 05, 1921, Image 1

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

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LIBRARY
.MMMHHBM t L HHiMB III II I
NO. 161
CLEVELAND, OHIO, SATURDAY
IN THIS ISSUE
Who Are the Traitors?
Hy ROBERT MINOli
The Labor Crisis In America
By MILNER
The Red Labor International Appeals
to American Workers
Dictatorship of the Proletariat
By N. BUKHARIN
MARCH 5-tis, 1921.
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
News
Comment
Editorials
The Labor Crisis in America
By Milner
Under the auspices of the Amalgamat
edSlarment Workers of Cleveland, n
feeture on the above subject w.-is li'
livorei by Scolt Venrlng, Feb. 24. As
there i- no question that American
Labor really in in :i very utave crisis,
1,., .ltiniwuinn nf Hint snliiort is (if
vital importance, Searing's knowledge
of the facts, pertaining to this situation
eiunmt be iuestioned: vi';uiii;r bus
tlisit l.novlele iiml t'nl I v " -' rei intes
the gravity i which American Labor
finds Itself at present.
Why American Labor Is Backward.
The reason for the backwardness of
American Labor, Nearing Bnys, is due
to the unique American conditions. The
plentifulness of free land m this
country, imbued the workers with the
Idea that it is possible to rise out of
the condition of the wage Inboring clnss
and become independent, These things
were conceivable, to some extente, in
the 19th century, now they are entirely
out of the question, but Labor still
reasons along these lines. The old
traditions rest heavily on the miiiils
of the pie, and keep them down
physically and mentally, without tlio
peoile themselves realising that their
(Continued on "page 2.)
Who Are The Traitors?
EDITORIAL NOTB: Recently therel
occulted in New York i-ity a debate
between Robert Minor, the cartonisl
ami journalist) and .lames Oueal one of
the l-Mitors of the New Vork Call. Ilir
nig this debuts in winch Minor w.m
all the laurels, lie Bade I certain state
ment to the effect that 'hiring tiir trial
of the House of the Masses case in De
troit, when the Socialist Party under
took to retain legal pontrol of that
property bought by former unit of
that Party, Seymour Stedmau, Sori.ilisr
Party attorney, had stated in court
that the Communists were guilty of at
tempting to overthrow the govern
ment by force and violence. This i,-f.
Minor branded as I traitorous one.
Stedman and the Socialist Party have
denied in written official statements
that Stedman made itwh g charm. In
the followiug article, comrade Minor!
points to the court documents filed by
Stedman as proof thgt he 'li.l brand
the Communists as favoring such action.
TO THE NATIONAL OFFICE OF THE
SOCIALIST PAKTY, OTTO BRAN
STETTER. EXECUTIVE SECRETARY.
20 South Ashland Boulevard,
Chicago, 111.
(Attention of National Office Press
Service)
Hi, Pebrutry 12th you Issued to the
1 . . ..
I Socialist press :i story in which you'
I characterized n certain statement of
Inline as u "plain, unvarnished lie."
W ilii
store von issue. I a letter bv
THE UNMERCIFUL PHYSICIAN.
Seymour Stedman, Socialist ex-can-ilidate
for the vice presidency, in which
Stedman alleged that "Robert Minor
has deliberately lied." Von also issued
a letter from LaRoYus S. Dnvidow in
which he conditionally applies to me
the term "deliberate liar."
The matter at issue is m statement
thai I made in debate with .lames Onenll
of the National Executive committee
of the Socialist Party on the subject
of the Third International. My state
ment was thai at a time when 700-odd
Communis'" were under arrest, in the
city of Detroit, threatened with BO-year
sentences and deportation, Seymour
Stedman went into a civil court and
here said that these men were guilty
if seeking to overthrow the American
Government by force and violence. This
Statement Stedman, Dsviddw and the
custodian' of the maehinerj nt tbeSoe,
Party flat ty deny, seyHij tl at nothing
of the hind occurred. The issue is very
simply joined. If these denials by 8ted
man, Davidow and the Socialist Party
National Office are not true, then S
considerable number of the leaders nf
of the Siici:ili-t Party are deceiving the
Socialist Party membership in a most
dangerous manner. If I cannot prove
reliable sources for the statement I
made, then I am a charlatan.
As both of the letters yon issued, snd
your National Office as well, have
challenged the source of , .justification
for my statement, I here give my
source, and I trust that you will publish
my letter a- widely as you have publish
ed the others.
Km- five days r have delayed my
answer lor the purpose of obtaining a
copy of the document which will sub
stantiate my original s,.rions ,.i.,r,,
:ijr.-i in-st stedman. I have just received
it.
The Documentary Proof
The document is ;i certified copy 'if
the P.ill of Complaint filed by Seymour
Stedman and Laxflrna S, Davidow m
'he C ! of Chancery in Detroit under
the number 7i7ss. Prom it I quote as
follows:
"The Workers' Educational Associa
tion, a Michigan Corporation, plaintiff
f Continued on pane 4.1
The Red Labor Union International Appeals to the American Workers
I iirtu if
WORKFRS: j employment crisis.
TVirt np-irp nf starvation Miaunts the The U. S Government denies the Rus-
ntn-e-worTfl. Victors and vanqmsnea oi me
iate war alike tiemble before it. This eak
down of the whole fabric of capitalism is
BCCOmpHshed by a savage drive upon ine
Workers by the massed power of the employ
ing class. The Master Class has declared war
on Labor. This war rages in all countries.
White Terror Everywhere
The white terror slnyj the Hungarian
worker. West Virginia molts lynch miners
who arm themselves hi self-defense. Hun
garian white terrorists Wfst Virginia mobs
what difference? Thejl have a common aim
the violent sup(ession of labor!
In Spain, the "civil guards" .-'hoot union
men on the streets; the militant leaders
are held as hostages of the class war. in
Maly the hired thugs of the bourgeoisie are
burning the workers' halls, destroying their
newspaper plants. The workers are assault
ed with violence and murder. In Japan a
labor union is a conspiracy.
"White terror" by molts and hired
thugs increases daily in Ameirca. But one
:tep further, in Ireland, Hungary. Spain.
Finland, India and Japan the white ter
ror is (he government it self.
To Destroy The Labor Unions
The French Govemnifnt has ordered
the dissolution of the General Confederation
of Labor. In America, the campaign for the
upon shop the desl ruction of organised
labcr marches across the land with its ac
companying army of thugs, strikebreakers
and spies. The Clayton Act, procla;med by
sian w rkers tutu peasants the tools and
clothing they n?ed. The American Workers
are thus denied the chance to work. The
same force that starves the Russian workers
thus starves the American workers.
Preparing New Wars
The world imperialists have united to
starve Soviet Russia. Fut even this unholy
alliance cannot save their tottering system.
In addition to the industrial depression we
are now Suffering from, we may be calli'.l
upon, at any time to fight new capitalist
wars. The capitalists of Fnglano. America
and Japan are deputing the oilfields of the
world. The propaganda of race hatred and
patriotism is wing intestified. Mexico, Si
beria, Baku, Mesopotamia are the bone- of
contention. Japan is casting angry glaiipes
at the Kamchatka concession to Vanderlip.
In short, every capitalist peace treaty is a
preparation for new wars.
Our Fight.
The American workers are faced with
War on three fronts Wo must fight the
employers to a finish in their Open shop
campaign. We must prevent the cutting of
our wages, We must meet the problem of
imemplryment, To do these things we must
have a lighting organization Wc cannot
meet the Open Shop campaign with a policy
of "class-conciliation". Compos. Stone, Lew
is Co., who fooled us into making peace
with the bosses and going to war for them,
cannot solve the.e problems for us. These
must cease. We are ir'" '.''7 ,rN f class- .auxiliary in the Amsterdam Federation of , Spanish Confederation of Labor
war. vvtrs cannot lie i. jen i raic t nous
forces. We must unite oim srnall detachments
into one mighty, disciplined1 army ; we iptist
straighten out our skirmish-lines into one
great battle-front ; we must unite our unions
into one General Staff of Labor.
The first duty of every worker is to
.join the union of his industry. He must see
to it that the union is composed of active
workers. Onlv the full participation by the
rank and file in the activity and manage
j ment ol the unions can develop the labor or
! ganizations into a solidly organized and dis-
i
ciplined army of labor.
War On The Labor Fakers
New times demand new tactics. We
must first of all attain massunity. Loyalty
and devotion to the labor movement does
not nietin loyalty and devot'on to the old
bankrupt leadership with its outworn tact
ics. Mass-unity produces mass-action. Jn Eng
land, the mass-unity achieved through the
r.iple Alliance of miners, railwaymen and
transport workers was followed by mass
action. The example of the English trade
unionists points the way to the American
workers.
Class War Is International
Capitalism is international. The class-
organized as a tail to the kite j Fr
of the Labor Bureau of the League ot Na- j Ita
tions. These traitorous leaders whose hands
are stained with the blood of 18 million
workers these betrayers of the working
class have organized the "yellow" Amster
dam "International" as a center of world
sabotage against Soviet Russia and the
awakening workers of Europe and America.
This yellow "international" is organized
not to wage class-war but to maintain class
peace. This Amsterdam "international" en
dorsed and participated in the Washington
Conference of the Labor Bureau of the
league of Nations. lis representatives to
this conference worked hand in hand with
the representatives of the employers and
agents of the governments.
This yellow Amsterdam "international"
is not the workers' organization The leaders
who dominate it are not our representatives.
They are the "labor lieutenants of the cap
italist class". They are agents of the bour
geoisie in the camp of the workers. The
workers of America must have nothing to
do with such leaders and with BUch an organization!
HOO.IM)
French Labor Unions of the "left" 3(X0O)
TFaTfan SyFdTcTirrTOTons :j(K.,0(fi
British Shop Stew. & Work. Com.. . 2M.(i(M
Norwegian Labor Unions 180,000
Jugp-Slav Confederation nf Labor . . 160,000
Bulgarian General Workers Union L:0,0ihi
German Syndicalists (Frei Arbeiler
Union) (iO.OOO
Georgian "left" unions 15,000
Dutch Transpoit Workers' Federa
tion (membership unknown)
Transport Workers ol Dutch Fast
Indies (membership unknown)
The Provisional Council ol the Inter
national Council of Trade and Industrial
Unions has called a World Congress of all
revolutionary labor unions to be held at
Moscow in May, 1921!
This call is addressed to all the 10;
volutionary workers in the labor movemi nl
of Europe and America to rally round the
banner of the Red Labor Union tnerrtational
and to .-end delegates to this I'orthcom 'fig
world congress.
Moscow Or Amsterdam?
The International Of Revolutionary
Unions
.ahor
The rank and file of the trade union s
The class-conscious workers of Europe
are answering this call in a most determined
and enthusiastic spirit. They are going to
Moscow. How about the American workers?
Shall we go to Amsterdam, with its Labor
war is international. It is not enough to of Europe and America have a deep feeling i Bureau of the League of Nations, with its
build up a strong unified lalor movement in
each country. The experience of the Russian
and Hungarian revolutions teaches us that
the working class must unite international
ly If it is to fulfill its historic mission. Un-
"leadcrs" have been advising the rank and i less united by a revolutionary internation-
Gompers an labor's "Magna Charta". in the file to "he good" in l they will be rewarded, al labor movement the capitalists of th"
world will use their combined reactionary
forces to crush the workers' movement in
each country. The labor movements of all
countries must unite to wage the class-war
on an International scale.
The Capitalist International
The capitalist have their international
the League of Nations with its inter
national army, navy and police. Through tl.
League of Nations the Imperialist Powers
have divided the world's markets among
themselves, and small weak nationalities
aiv completely at their mmcy, The offensive
i".tinst la'M)r is in full swing In France.
Italy, I ngland, Spain. Areentme. Chili,
lapan and America The Latfue oi Nations
is the instrument ol in'ei na ional reaction
to crush the workers' raoyemtnt every
where. Only the blind cannot see that the
"League oi Nations''' is the capitalist inter
national.
The Yellow Amsterdam! Iniernalional
Tlu capitalists have I very powerful
Lands ol the Supernie Court becomes labor's
"Waterloo". The same forces attack th
worker in France a?- ill America
Millions Of reemployed
In America lour milli.m UT.eippJoyed
Walk the streets. Millions more have had.
Ihcir wages cut ana have been forced to
UCeopt part-time work. These are the same
millions who, only a few months ago, were
urged to "increase production" these are
the same millions who weie ordered t
"work or fight' We produced. And now the
capitalists claim they cannot find a "profit
bble" market for the goods we produced.
How Almul Trade With Russia?
There is a market for our prodtu I .
SOvict Russia wants locomotives, i oiling
t-tock. agricultural machinery, clecliical sup
plies, tools of all kinds, clothing, shoes, mod
ical supplies, etc. But the United States
Gover fWWenl refuses to recognize and opposes
Hade iviations with Soviet Riisala vhuh
uiiild mtl v or! and alleviation of the up-
And now we have our reward' Reduction of
wages, unemplonient. the open shop.
Uosses Powerfully Organized
Let us compare the organization of the
workers with the organization of the bosses.
We aro divided into craft unions. Our con-
l.tets juu! agreements expire al different
times. We have b e p a r n I e organisation
machinery, sc) and" treasuries, separate sets
of officials. We hv divided amongst our--I'hes
We quarrel over jurtsdictioi matters,
national and color questions. Evorywhere in
llt'o ranks of labor is confusion, division and
lack of a clenr-CUt plan of action.
Not so with the bosses. They are umted
it Chambers Of Commerce. Merchants.
Rankers and Manufacturers Associations
International trusts and syndicates. Thev
have subjected the machmory of jrovern-
nvat to their clnss. Internationally, they ir.
.inited ,u tin "League of Nations"
Close oni Rank'
In this emergency Ull such confusion
of class solidarity with Soviet Russia. This
was very clearly demonstrated last summer
when under the pressure of the toiling mass
es of France, Italy, England and Germany,
the criminal hand of the imperialist bandits
tvas stayed. On August 13th, 1020, the
British workers' "Council of Action", the
French. Italian and Orman railroad work
ers and seamen prevented their govern
ments from openly waging war on Sovi
Russia, after the heio'c Red Army had re
pelled the Polish mercenaries from its ter
i itory,
This shows how much more an orgs1
Thomas, Us JouhatlX, its Compels, with its
international policy of "class co-operation",
with its criminal sabotage of Soviet Russia'.'
Or shall we go to Moscow, with the Russian
workers and peasants who have shown
'he v.tf'd the greatest example of .vorking
dass solidarity, achievement and sacrifice;
wiilt thi revolutionary workers of Hungary.
France, Germany, England; with thoie who
have fought for yeais for the cause t.i labor?
This question the workers of America
must roon answer. Despite Gompers' official
Withdrawal, lie is still part of the Amster
dam International through the Washington
ized and disciplined International ol revolu ; Labor llureau of the League of Nation.
tionary unions could accomplish.
The Russian trr.de unions, over five
million strong, have already taken the in
itiative together with the representatives of
the labor unions of Italy. France. Huglaiid.
tfOrwav, Jugo-Slavia, Bulgaria aim Georgia.
Thev iounded on .'uly LSth, 1920, The In-trrnati-.nal
f'ouncil ol Trade and Induslrial
Unions The Red Lahor Union Intern;,
tional.
This Vanguard of the revolutionary la
bor movement began with a nuinbeisl ip ..'
OVCr ten millions. The i'ollowiii". rg.iilizativlu
haSe 'oined:
Russia) Trade Unions 5,2OPi.6O0
Ita'ian Gon, Confederal of Labor 2,000,000
I cainpaigi1 will be started Boon for al filiation
with th ' yellow international . You work
ers will have to make a choice. You CPtlCot
en ain 'uutial. There can i e no neutrality
'etvc:u the wo;l::vs and the cap'thlists,
j Yen ;t: Tor the dictatorship of the wo 'kt.-s
, . y n rte lor the dictatorship o! the eap
I itriists.
. Wt r' of V-uerici! Whete do yoo ar.d?
If you arc with the worker, i arid . : i' -t
the licsscp and tluir agents Ihen yon i e'o j
n the tnternatioanl ouneil oi Trade ;ov.J
ndus trial UniMtK
The Provisional 6otwMl cells nm- - m
I to tt.ke r,p the qutstio.: of ftfiUa'lcn a "e i
J I'-m-1 in' .:ii,r :) ' "7;