davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-16
CONTINUED next week.

effort to counteract the strategic irn-I
portance of Jamaica.
Why this ungodly haste? Why "thes
biggest navy" program?
The imperialists of the U. S. are
openly preparing for the next world
war with the only serious competitor
left-England.
When Harding and Admiral Huse
declare that war with England is un-
thinkable, they knowingly are talking
bunkum to the people. Baron Lee of
the British navy, for instance, has
just declared that war with America
is neither unthinkable nor impossible.
The workers must not be taken in
by the bluff of our capitalists and
their henchmen. The working class
must also prepare. They must pre-
pare, by their own action as class,
to prevent this new imperialist war
or to cut it short.
England's ruling class is too we'll
aware Of the inevitability Of robber
wars under capitalism and of the
strategic Importance Of Jamaica, to
fall in with the proposition of Senator
James A. Reed. AS the parrot Prince
Of Wales has put it: "The subjects Of
England are not on SALE"
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-16
THE PHILADELPHIA
RED RAIDS.
Continued from page ~

prisonment for twenty years, the Act
being apparently one of many hyster>
ical and ill-digested measures grow
ing out of the war;"
And further:
"On May 10th, 1921, the Act was
amended solely by striking from the
definition aforesaid the words (which
tends, ard substituting the words
"the intent of which is".
ut can hardly be denied that the
change wrought by the amendment is
so radical as to create in effect diff
ferent crime"
"The constitutionality Of the Act is
strongly assailed on sundry grounds;
but in the limited time at our disposal
we will not undertake to determine
this question which is now pending
for decision in Philadelphia. For the
reasons above indicated, the motion
to quash is allowed"
Following this sweeping victory, il
became evident what would be tht
ultimate end Of the Sedition Act. 1
the Act could not stand its first tes
it logically had to fall through in tn,
following one. Though the trial Judg,
refused to set bail pending the deci
sion on the appeal for a new trial ant
arrest Of judgement after the convic
tion Of Belavsky, there was goo,
grounds for hope that his indictmen
would be quashed. Five weeks he sa
in Jail and finally the expected de
cision came. 1t was Judge Andrew
Smith of Philadelphia this time I
give another mortal blow to the Flyn
Act.
Needless to say. the constitutional
ty Of the Act was not decided upol
In his decision Judge Smith asks III
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-16

out passing what Is common to both State Capital
ism and Socialism-national accounting and control
that to frighten others and oneself by talking about
evolving towards State capitalism is absolute
theoretical stupidity That to allow ones mind
to stray from the actual path of evolution In
practice this is equal to dragging back to small
private capitalism.
In order to convince the reader that my "high"
valuation of State Capitalism is not made here for
the first time, but made by me previous to the
Bosheviks taking power, will quote the following
from my pamphlet "a Threatening Catastrophe and
How to Combat It'--which was written in Septem-
Der 1917:
I'm place of junker capitalist government, try
and put revolutionary democratic government i.
e., government that will in a revolutionary man
ner destroy all privileges and not fear to employ
revolutionary methods in order to realize the most
complete democracy. You will then see that State
monopolist capitalism, under really revolutionary
government, will inevitably mean step towards
socialism.
For Socialism is nothing else than an i'm
mediate step forward from State Capitalist mono
poly.
State MOnopost Capitalism is the most COM
plete material preparation for Socialism, it is the
pOrcn 10 II; II is one OF the steps IN the ladder OF
history between which and the step called Socialism
there is no intervention step" Opp. 27-3S).
The reader will observe that this was written in
the period of Kerensky, that speak here not of the
dictatorship of the proletariat not of Socialist
State but of revolutionary democracy" Surely it
is clear therefore, that the higher raise ourselves
on this political step, the do we approach to
Soviet Socialist State and to the Dictatorship of
the Proetariat and the less imperative is it for us
to fear "State Socialism? Surely it is clear that
in the material economic, industrial sense we have
not yet reached the porch" of Socialism, and there
is no other way of entering socialism except through
this yet unreached porch"
AGRICULTURAL TAX AND FREE TRADE
In the above quoted arguments of 1918, there are
a number of errors in connection with periods
Periods have proved to be much longer than was
then assumed. This is not to be wondered at but
the basic elements of our economic life have re.
mained as they then. The peasant poor" (pro-
letarians and semi-proletarians) in large numbers
have become converted into middle-class peasants
Out of this the small private ownership and petty
bourgeois movements have increased meanwhile the
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-16

The raid upon Communist head
quarters in London resulted in an IN.
terpellation by Clynes, Labor Party
member, in the House of Commons.
He was answered by Shortt, Minister
of the Interior, who said that the
raids took place because the main Of
flee of the Communist Party, of Eng
land was the center of illegal propa-
ganda, which advocated violence and
murder. However, the government
raids seem to have been general. Be-
sides Inkpin, the secretary Of the par
ty, Robert Stewart, its administrator
was also arrested. F. II. Binner, a
miner and leader Of the Communist
Party in Rotterdam was arrested and
his home searched. The secretary Of
the Socialist Labor Party, Thos Nit
chell, and Samuel Smith, contributor
the "The Socialist" Of Glasgow were
also apprehended.
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-16

counsel engaged may be, should the
necessary financial fund be lacking
faces us. The defense treasury is
empty and money is needed. Heavy
expenses are to be met every day for
both state and deportation cases and
these must be paid on the spot.
The readers of The Toiler under
stand that if the defense should be
hindered in its work by financial OBJ
stacles, it may mean a long sentence
in the penitentiary for many COM
rades and deportation for many
others. Some of the prisoners have
large families that have to be pro-
vided for, others are political exiles
from different countries and cannot
be deported without risk of life and
liberty in their home countries.
Will You Help?
So, what are we all going to do?
Leave our comrades defenseless? Let
their wives and children starye? 1t is
the duty of all lovers of liberty to
attend to this matter in the quickest
possible way.
Get busy among your friends and
comrades and collect all the money
you can for this defense. Organize
dances, picnics, mass-meetings ir
order to help this cause. Do not leave
a single stone unturned to bring this
case to successful conclusion. Go tc
it comrades and show your solidarit,
for the victims of capitalist reaction
Send all contributions to Este
Wiseman, Secr.-Treas., Workers De
fense and Relief Committee Of Penn
sylvania-S914 Poplar St., Philadel
phia, Pa.
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-16
WOULD PUT ALIENS IN
LEASH.
Continued from page ~

II can be seen from this that Phil
ander is hopelessly petrified above
the neck. Before HE will thy a new
idea it must first become hoary with
age, weather-beaten and pronounced
a bowling success-then he will have
the courage and craftsmanship to
adopt it--as a new idea. Philander is
one Of our modern statesmen and
don't YOU forget It.
We had never suspicioned It bu,
now we know that God had a lot Ia
do with setting up the U. S. govern.
ment. We suppose that He is also
responsible for selecting such light,
as Knox to keep Il running too. Kno,
likes the old Gods as we'll as he doe.
ancient governmental ideas. Knox /.
like the old farmer described by San
walter Foss, who "had gone to towr
that way SO long that to think Of
change he'd drop down dead" Tn,
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-16
STATE CAPITALISM IN GERMANY.

question, "Is the Act of 1919 uncon-
stitutional?"- he does not answer
his own query. He bases his decision
mainly on the one given by Judge
Fuller. He says:
"Under the former Act as was said
by Fuller, P. ]. in quashing an indict-
ment under it (Comth. VS.. Brukas,
not yet reported in Luzerne County;
Criminal intent is entirely eliminat-
ed" for instance as this learned jurist
illustrates "a newsboy who may in,
nocently sell a newspaper containing
any of the prescribed matters is gull
ty of felony, and in various con.
sequences although entirely innocen,
of wrong and who could spurn as in,
famous any suggestions" of wrong
doing or INTENT.
"We may conclude that what was
under the Act Of 1919, and charged
in this indictment a crime but undel
the Act Of 1921, is not. .........
........ the conviction at bar wa
without warrant of law and no valic
judgment can be pronounced thereon
there must be an arrest Of Judgment.
"And now June 9th 1921, Rule TO
arrest of Judgment in this case i
! made absolute and the defendant Har
ry Belavsky is discharged under tn
present indictment"
District Attorney Peeved.
| While these decisions call for tn
immediate quashing OF all indictment
pending in similar cases, the Distric
attorney has expressed the intent O
appealing Belavsky's case and further
more, continue with the prosecutio
of the others.
1t is now evident that long legi
battle will have to be fought in orde
to hold the gains made and secure
final victory. One Of these legi
battles that costs much and can POI
. sibly be lost, no matter how good I'll
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-16
AGRICULTURAL TAX AND FREE TRADE.
DOPE AND DUBB PHRASES
By A. W..

the mechanism of sidereal and other
clocks, and on the perfection of our
knowledge of the heavens. His prede-
cessor had to have a subscription
given him to enable him to live. Then
our own acquaintance, who are "con-
scientious objectors," who work for
their employer with an energy and
eagerness unequalled in any field of
labor, do they do it for personal gain /?
Assuredly not! They do from a mis-
taken ideal and betraying education,
which leads them to believe they work
for the community's welfare while ii
is only for selfish hanger-on.
Then the crowning example to the
lie is the opportunity which is at pres.
ent denied to nearly two million peo.
pie of working at all.
Personal gain is the curse Of hu.
manity. The only thing worth working
! for is social gain, and that neces
states purging the body social Of it:
parasites and diseases, SO that it:
members may work for it's health
without seeing it's strength sappec
from it by these malignant growths.
The Worker (Glasgow)
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-16
OF STRATEGIC
IMPORTANCE.
By GEORGE RESTA.

Senator James A. Reed of Mis-
souri,, among Others, is demanding
tie cession of England's islands in the
West Indies to the U. S. in payment
of the debt England owes this coun-
try. There is no doubt Washington
welcomes this propaganda. 1t has
been, for century, the settled policy
of the American capitalist class to
dislodge foreign control in the West
Indies. This policy bore first fruit in
'98 when Cuba was "freed."
The Wilson administration took ur
this task with increased vigor, buying
out foreign control as in the case Of
the Virgin Islands, or seizing by force
and violence as in the case of the in.
dependent Haiti.
The reason for this persistent anc
ruthless policy is not hard to find
The West Indies command the Carib
bean Sea. The Caribbean Sea controls
the use of the Panama Canal, which
is the commercial and naval gateway
of the Western Hemisphere, and par
ticularly of the U. s.
England's most important posses
sion in the West Indies is Jamaica
Because of its inner position, it /,
the key to the Caribbean Basin, anc
therefore to the Panama Canal (Ad
miral Mahan). This is the island tha
Senator Reed has in mind. The U. S
government is frantically laying it.
hands on whatever is seizable, Of
purchasable in the West Indies in al
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-16
THE SIGNIFICANCE Of The AGRICULTURAL TAX

civil war of 1sls-1s2O extremely intensified the ruin
of the country and retarded the reestablishment Of
its productive forces To this must be added the bad
harvest Of 1920 the lack of fodder the death rate
among cattle, which still further retarded the
establishment Of transport and industry in that the
transport of our chief kind of fuel wood was carried
on by the peasants, horses As result, conditions
in the spring of 1921 were such that it was abso-
lutely essential to adopt the most determined ex-
ceptional for the improvement of the con.
dtions Of the peasantry and raising their produc-
tivity.
Why improve the conditions Of the peasantry and
not those of the workers?
Because for the improvement of the position of the
workers it is necessary to have bread and fuel The
"hodup" which exists at the present moment in
national industry IN the largest measure is due to
this, and there is other means of increasing pro-
ductivty, of increasing the stocks of corn and fuel
except by improving the position of the peasantry
and increasing its productivity 1t is necessary to
commence with the peasantry. He who does not
understand this, he who is inclined to regard this
as showing preference to the peasantry, and "de-
parture", or something similar to departure, from
the dictatorship Of the proetarat has simply failed
to study the subject, and simply gives himself up
to phrasemongering.
Thus, the first thing that is necessary is imme-
date and serious measures for raising the pro-
ductive power of the peasantry. This is impossible
without seriously altering our food policy; and the
substitution of the food acquisitions by an agrcuI-
tural tax connected with at least Free local Trade
after the tax has been paid, is such an alteration.
What is the essence of the substitution of an agr-
cultural tax for requisitons?
m.
from the peculiar military communism" made me-
cessary by extreme necessity, ruin and war; for the
purpose of proper s0cialistc exchange of products
Military Communism in its turn is one of the forms
of the transition from socialism with peculiarities
created by the predominance Of small peasantry
in the population, to Communism. The peculiarity
Of military Communism" lay in that we actually
took from the peasantry its surplus of produce and
cessary for itself, for the purpose of maintaining
the army and the workers. Mostly we took the pro-
duce on credit for paper money Thefe was no other
way by which We could defeat the landlord and
capitalist in ruined small-peasant country. The
fact that we came out victorious Gin spite of the
support given to our expoiters by the most power
full states in the worlO proves something more than
the wonderful herosm which the workers and
peasants are able to reveal for the sake Of theib
emancipation. 1t proves also what lackeys Of the
bourgeosie, the Mensheviks, the Social Revolution
lists, the Kautsky and Co. were when they blamed
us for this military Communism" This indeed
should be placed to our credit.
. (Continued next week
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-16
INTRODUCTION.

The question of the Agricultural Tax at the present
moment is attracting considerable attention and
the subject of considerable discussion. This is quite
understandable for ii is indeed of the most i'm
portant questions of policy under the present con-
ditons.
1t will be all the more useful, therefore, to at
tempt to approach this question: not from its every
day aspect but from the point of view of principle
In other words, to examine the background upon
which we are sketching the plan of the definite,
practical measures of policy of the present day.
In order to make this attempt, permit myself to
quote extracts from my pamphlets, Tasks of Our
Times, On Left Childshness, and Petty Bourgeois
ISM"
The polemic is now unnecessary and leave it out
but retain what relates to the discussion of State
Capitalism and to the basic elements of the econo-
mics of the present period of transition from capital
ism to socialism.
This is what wrote:
THE PRESENT ECONOMIC POSITION
OF RUSSIA
(From pamphlet published in 1879
80 state Capitalism would be step in advance
in the present state of affairs of Soviet Repub-
lie IT, for example, State Capitalism could establish
itself here during the next six months, it would be
an excellent thing and guarantee that within
year Socialism will have established itself and be-
come invincible."
| can imagine the noble indignation with which
some will scOrn these words What! The transition to
capitalism in Soviet Socialist Republic a step in
advance? Is this not betrayal of Socialism?
1t is precisely with this point that one must deal
in detail.
In the first place, must analyze the nature of
the transition from capitalism into socialism, which
gives us the right and the foundation for calling
ourselves Socialist Soviet Republic Secondly, one
must expose the error of those who do not see that
the chief enemy of Socialism with us is the petty
bourgeois economic conditions and the petty bour-
geois ideas rampant in the country.
Thirdly, must properly understand the dis
tnction between Soviet and Bourgeois State.
Let examine these three points.
There is not single person, it seems to me, who,
examining the economics of Russia, would deny their
transitional character There is not Communist,
it to me, who would deny that the expression
Socialist Soviet Republic" means the determination
of the Soviet Power to realize the transition to So.
calism, and does not by any means signify that the
present economic order is regarded as sOciaistic
What is the meaning of the word-transition? Does
il mean, when applied to economics, that in the pres
ent system there elements partly capitalism and
partly So lism"? Everybody will recognize that
this is out not everybody who recognizes this
thinks of the numerous kinds of elements of the
various socio economic strata we have in Russia.
And this is the very crux of the question.
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-16

Milwaukee.--"Poor housing con.
ditions, unemployment, and low wages
are potent factors causing anti-social
evils said Judge Charles W. Hoff.
man Of Cincinnati at the National
Conference Of Social Work.
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-16

| Let us enumeraie these elements:
/. Patriarehal, l. e. to large degree primitive
peasant production.
2. Small Commodity production. (This includes
the majority of peasants who sell corn).
g. Private Capitalism
4. State Capitalism.
5. Socialism.
Russia is so large and so varied that all these
yarying types of soco.economc strata are inter-
layed in it, The popularity of the position lies pre-
cisely in this.
The question is which is the predominating ele-
ment. II is clear that in petty peasant ENVIRON
ment nothing else but petty bourgeois ideas can
prevail The majority and the vast majority at that
of the peasants are small-commOdty producers.
Our other shell of State Capitalism Corn monopoly,
control of manufactures, merchants and bourgeois
cooperative soceties) is broken, first in one place
and then in another, by spectators, and the chief
article of speculation is corn
The main struggle developes precisely in this
sphere Between whom is this struggle conducted?
Is it between the fourth and the fifth elements in
the order in which have enumerated them above?
Certainly not. 1t is not struggle between State
Capitalism and Socialism, but struggle between
the petty bourgeosie plus private capitalism, fight
ing against State Capitalism and Socialism. The
petty bourgeoise resists every form of State inter-
ference and CONTROL matter whether it is State
Capitalism or State Socialism This is an absolutely
ndisputabe fact and the failure to understand it
lies at the root of quite number of economic errors
Those who do not see this, reveal by their blind
ness their servitude to the petty bourgeois preju
dices
State Capitalism is incomparably higher ecO-
nomcally than present economic system. That
is one point. And secondly, there is nothing in it
that is terrible for the Soviet Government, for the
Soviet State is State which guarantees power to
the workers and the poor.
STATE CAPITALISM IN GERMANY.
In order to make this question clear will first
of all quote concrete example of State Capitalism.
Everybody will know this example: Germany. Here
we have "the last word" in modern, large capitalist
technique and systematic organization subordnated
to junker-bourgeois imperialism. In place of the
military, junker, bourgeois imperialist State put
another State, but State of another social type
State with different class content Soviet, i. e.
a Proletarian State, and you viii get the sum of
conditions which gives Socialism.
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-16

Socialism is impossible Without large capitalist
technique constructed according to the last word of
science without systematic State organization, sub
jecting millions of people 30 the strict observance
of uniform standard of production and dstribu-
ton of products We Mafxists have always said
this and it is hardly worth wasting even two seconds
in arguing this point with people who do not UNDER
stand it, like the anarchists land the greater part
of the Social Revolutionaries.
Besides this Socialism is impossible without the
domination of the Proetariat in the State. This is
also pure abe matter. History (from whom nobody
except first class menshevk idiots expected that it
would smoothly, peacefully, fimply and easily pro-
duce complete socialism, has proceeded in such
peculiar fashion that 1918 it gave birth to two
separate halves of socialism, like two chickens bOrr
within the same shell of International Imperialism
Germany and Russia in h9lS embodied in them.
selves, on the one hand themost obviously material
ly realized economic, industrial and social condi-
tiOns and on the other ha the political conditions
for socialism.
A victorious proetaraH revolution in Germany
would Immediately, and with tremendous ease smash
the whole shell of imperialism unfortunately con-
structed of the finest steel and therefore unbreak
able by any kind of "chcken"), and would for
certain bring about victory of world socialism,
without or with very little, difficulty, granting of
course that difficult" is understood not in mar
row sense, but from universal-historica point of
view.
THE GERMAN REVOLUTION.
If the revolution in Germany is delayed our task
becomes clear, to learn State Capitalism from the
Germans and to exert all efforts to acquire it..
We must not spare any dictaoral methods in hasten
ing the Westernization of barbarous Russia, and
stick at no barbarous measures to combat barbar-
ism.
AT the present moment in Russia, il is precisely
petty bourgeois capitalism that predominates, from
which single road, through the same intervening
stations, called national accounting and control Of
production and distribution leads both to State
Capitalism and to Socialism. Those who do not
understand this commit an objectionable error and
either do not facts cannot look them in the face
limit themselves to the abstract contradictions
between capitalism and socialism" and do not enter
into the concrete forms and stages Of the period
through which We now passing.
II is precisely because iti6 impossible to adyahce
from the present economic position Of Russia with
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-16

The last Of May saw immense
strikes in the coal and oil fields of
Poland. Late news dispatches report
the organization of Red Army in
certain districts, and the formation
Of Soviets.
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-16

The Agricultural workers OF Dem
mark are on strike. Dairy maids are
being locked in the stables and forced
to do the milking.