The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-04-23
ORGANIZING THE LEFT
WING OF LABOR,
(Continued from mage u


Communist problem is to be able to
convince the backward, to work in
their midst, and not to set up bar
rier between US and them, barrier
of artificial, childishly Left slogans.
"There can be no doubt but that
Messrs. Gompers, Jouhaux, Hender-
son, Legien, etc., are very grateful
to such Left revolutionists who, like
the German Opposition principle
Party (Heaven preserve us from
such 'principlesO or like revolution
lists in the American Industrial
Workers of the World preach the
necessity Of quitting reactionary
Trade Unions and Of refusing to
work in them. Undoubtedly, the lead
ers of opportunism will have recourse
to all the tricks of bourgeois diplo-
macy, will appeal to the help Of
bourgeois governments, to priests,
police, courts, in order to prevent
Communists from working in the
Trade Unions, by all and every
means to put them out, to make their
work inside these organizations as
unpleasant Is possible, to insult,
hound and persecute them.
at is necessary to be able to with
stand all this, to go to the whole
length of any sacrifice, if need be,
to resort to strategy and adroitness,
illegal proceedings, reticence and sub
terfuge-do anything in order to
penetrate into the Trade Unions, re-
main in them and carry on Conmun-
ist work inside them, at any cost.
I Under Czarism until 1905, we had
no legal Possibilities but when Zu-
batov, the secret service agent, or
ganized Black Hundred workers
meetings and workmen's societies for
the purpose of ferreting out revolu-
tionists and fighting them, we sent
members of our party into these
meetings and societies. Il personally
remember one such comrade, Babush-
kline, an eminent Petrograd workman,
who was shot by the Cars generals
in 1906) They put us in touch with
the masses, acquired much skill in
conducting propaganda, and succeed
ed in wrestling the workers from
under the influence of Zubatov's
agents. Of course, in Western Eu-
rope, which is soaked through with
inveterate legalist, constitutionalist,
bourgeois-democratic prejudice, it is
more difficult to carry on such work;
but it can and should be carried on,
and carried on systematically"
("Left Communism--Lenin. J
1t is high time for the class-con-
scious elements in the ranks of labor
to effect change in tactics in re-
gard to trade union work. Many of
those who hitherto were opposed to
work within the unions are now real
izing that it is important that the
militant Lefts in the Labor move
ment organize for action without
further loss of time. 1t is our duty
to approach the workers from every
possible angle.
The function of groups working
within unions is to formulate
feasible policy of organization and
to utilize every crisis arising in the
union to propose definite policy Of
action to the masses.
1t is a waste of time merely
shouting Revolution, Revolution"
1t is the business Of revoluticnst
to lay down definite line Of policy
to be pursued by the workers in any
crisis. To give the masses barren
formulae instead of revolutionary
guidance may be an easy way Of
avoiding thought and trouble, but il
leads nowhere in the long run. II
the unions within an industry arc
craft in form, then there should be
linking up Of the various unof-
ficial groups within the industry. II
there are other groups operating in
other unions within the industry,
then it would be sound sense to link
them up together and formulate a
common policy, so that an unofficial
group working within one craft union
would not be propagating policy
dissimilar to another group working
within another union in the same in
dustry, thereby multiplying each others
efforts. It might be necessary for
such groups to work IN conjunction
with the unofficial shop committees
and groups, to force mass action
within the industry during a crisis,
even II no reorganization Of the Of
ficial organizations has taken place.
II is, therefore, necessary that all
Trade Unisn propaganda groups
should be knit together as closely as
possible.
In this manner, having the mill.
tants in every local organized and
centralized on industrial, then on
district, and finally on national lines,
we shall be ready for action. Using
method, dehberation and caution,
md oneratinu on n largo senie nnd. |