The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-12-02

has sent an open letter to the
that the Second International ag
lists imprisoned in capitalist cou
The executive committee
exposes the hypocrisy of the "
of the Second International,
which seems to be used only to
protect counter revolutionary
traitors imprisoned in Soviet
Russia.
The open letter follows:
We address ourselves with this let
ter to the Second International and it's
affiliated socialist parties in the firm
conviction that the workers will not
allow them to leave this letter unans-
wered. The working class must re-
ceive clear and unequivocal informa-
ton on the attitude of the Second In
ternational to our concrete proposal
the purpose of which is the relief for
tens of thousands of workers who are
suffering in the prisons of the cap
italists because they fought against
capitalist oppression.
What Has Induced Us to Take
This Step?
The press and the leading bodies Of
the Second international and it's par
ties have been carrying on recently
with special persistency propaganda
of so-called "democractic pacifism"
which they say, will put an end to
the civil war and will make impossi-
BILE further imperialist wars.
Our organization which stands on a
revolutionary platform, never deceived
itself on the true significance Of this
campaign the purpose of which is to
mask the policy of robbery and VIC
lence of imperialism against the work.
ing class, against the colonial peoples
and those peoples who have been de-
feated in the world war. The happen
ings of the last months have sufici-
emily exposed this socalled epacifism."
It is sufficient to mention the en-
slavement of Germany by the Dawes
plan, the offensive of Imperialism in
China, Asia Minor and Africa, the
preparation of armed intervention on
the part of the league of nations
against the Soviet Union and finally
the continuous mass prosecutions and
acts Of violence against Communist
workers and revolutionists in the colo
MES and the refusal of the capitalists
and Of the Second International to
bring about an amnesty.
How "PacifIsm" Works.
"Pacifsm" and its defenders, the
Second International, are silent when
it is a question of plundering peoples
or depressing workers, but the Sec
ond International Immediately stands
for the counter-revolution when it is
question Of an attack against the
Soviet Union, as was the case with
the lamentable bandit action in
Georgia. The demand for the liberia
ton of the revolutionary workers in
the prisons is raised louder and
louder in all countries, but is not at
all supported by the Second Interna-
tional and it's affiliated parties. Nat
urally, also the capitalists refuse
definitely to give an amnesty. All
parties Of the Second International
show their "pacifism" only in connec
ton with the menshevists, social revo-
lutionists and anarchists who have
been arrested in Soviet Russia be-
cause Of preparation of counter-revo
lutionary attacks. Despite all reports
stating that these prisoners in the
prisons of the Soviet Union live un
der the best possible circumstances
the Second international does not stop
in its campaign against the Soviet I'm
ion and opposes this campaign to the
demands of the working class for the
liberation Of the prisoners in the
capitalist countries.
Is this onesidedness accidental or
does the Second International hold the
view of supporting the counter-revolu.
/ tionists in the Soviet Union?
Exchange Prisoners.
The parties of the Second Interna-
tional are in the governments of sew
eral states of capitalist Europe and
support number of other govern.
ments. Thus they could do much for
the liberation Of the political prison
ers in the capitalist prisons. This cir
cumstance induced us to make our
proposals. We propose the following
/. The international Red Relief and
the Second international will. after
previous agreement, see to 1t that the
fate of the victims of the civil war is
relieved.
(a) The International Red Relief
will do everything in its power to in
duce the Soviet Union to exchange
those persons in its prisons who,
without shrinking from any means,
attempted to rob the workers and
peasants of this country of their
revolutionary acquisitions, for the
prisoners of capital who suffer in the
prisons OF the capitalist states be-