San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-05
COMMUNISTS MAKING
GAINS in GERMANY;
ATTACK SOCIALISTS
Showdown Is Not Expect
ed, But Reds Are Spread
ing Propaganda.
by HIRAM X. M0DERWELL.
Special Gable to Tho San Antonio Light
and The Chicago Daily News
DOWNRIGHT 1929,

Copyright, l92J.
Berlin, Aug. 4.-Berlin Socialists
and trade unionists are going stead
lily toward the Communists as the
result of food conditions and the gen.
eral hopclessness over the results OF
moderate political policies.
This week thirty insurgent Social
list deputies gathered quietly at
Weimar and issued a public demand
that Chancellor Cuno be overthrown.
The Socialist party will enter no
parliamentary combination in which
it does not have control; workers are
forming organizations for protection
against the fascist; stern measures
are planned to control the food and
seize the wealth Of industrialists;
there will be common action with
the Communists.
The recent voting for delegates at
the annual convention of the metal
workers union, the largest union in
Germany, almost gave a clear ma
joriry to Communists. Reports from
other bodies show similar trend.
Conditions are desperate in the Ruhr
where the money shortage is acute.
Employers are only able TO pay a
part of the wages. Both sporadic
and continuous strikes show the in
creasingly dominating situation Of
the Communists.
But they do not want a revolution
now. First, they are badly armed
while the government army and police
and the fascist extremely well armed
are composed of picked troops; and,
second, because they would be unable
to assure a food supply even if a
revolution came to pass. What they
now are attempting is to rally a
majority of the working class to
their leadership. They are assault
ing not hated capitalism but rival
Socialist bodies. Also, and this is a
new thing in Communist propaganda
they are endeavoring TO gain the
adherence of the middle class, es-
pecially the underpaid clerks, the
almost ruined shopkeepers and even
the peasants.
The "boring from within" tactics
in trade unions are especially effec-
tive. They adopt a popular local is.
sue like local trade union control OF
food prices and urge cooperation be-
tween Socialists and Communists in
executing the plan.
Socialist leaders are pushed into
action from behind while Communists
withdraw into the background. leav.
ing the Socialist leaders to bear tho
! brunt of the failure. BY similar
tactics in the political field in
Saxony the Communists persuaded the
| Socialists to unite with them ant
form a labor government with the
Socialist, DIR. Seigner, the premier
Since then poor Seigner's life has
been made miserable by the Com
munists heckling accusations that HI
was "betraying the working class.
Social functionaires who form The
army of civil servants both in loca
governments and trade unions are
perplexed and frightened at danger:
q losing their jobs.
Radek is the father Of this move
ment. He mysteriously dashes about
Germany and writes long essays
dated Moscow, on current events. But
the burden of his epiStles is always
Organize now, but don't risk show
| down."
IL there are general food riots thu
Communists will be a restraining in
| fluence.