The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-04-14

SANA' ~ - 90 ASAASNS'
VI.
specai Differences Of Opinion with
comrade Trotzky.
now. come to the discussion of
some special differences of opinion
with Comrade Trotzky.
These differences with Comrade
Trotzly have given rise to much I'M
easiness in our ranks and are natur-
ally equally disquieting to our COM
rades of the International.
The opposition" seeing that it is
defeated, insists upon its final argu-
ment. 1t has turned to the workers
with a phrase to the following effect:
, Very we'll, you may be right in all
these things. But at least we may
ask for one thing: polite treatment
for Trotzky." Thus Comrade Radek,
for instance, delivered speech yes
terday in Moscow, in which he de-
clared that the Central Committee
was at least so per cent in the right,
and that unity is necessary. But the
Party lacks in "politeness" towards
Trotzky.
Futllity Of Opposition.
This is all the Opposition" has to
say in the present final stage of the
discussion. You see, comrades, how
weak are the foundations of this
Opposition"
But let us turn from the lighter
side of this question, for it has an
other aspect as WELL Trotzky is one
Of our most gifted comrades. You
all know how much influence he pos
sesses. / need not waste any words
on this. But must make our rela-
lions with Comrade Trotzky clear
to you.
In the first place: In 1903 Comrade
Trotzky was not only an express
Menshevik, but he was one of those
comrades who most energetically
combatted Bolshevism, and already
at that time the accusations which
he brought against the Bolsheviki
were essentially the same as he
raises today.
AZ SAaJ 4lOJLhy MlObC d pain
phlet to the effect that whilst
Lenin held the belief that he was
proletarian revolutionist, whilst he
! held himself to be Marxist and pro-
letarian revolutionist, in reality his
tory was according him the role of
leader of the petty bourgeoisie, Of
leader of the peasantry.
The Bolsheviki, in Trotzky's opin-
ion, were bound to develop gradually
into leaders of a peasants party. 1t
seems to me, comrades, that the pres
ent indictments brought by Comrade
Trotzky, especially his insinuations
as to the degeneration of the old
guard, are a renaissance of his above
named old views, of his old idea that
whilst we imagine ourselves to be
proletarian revolutionists, we are in
reality petty bourgeoisie.
What can he otherwise mean by
degeneration" Degeneration must
be founded on class basis! And
Of whom could such class basis
consist? Only of the proletariat or
the peasantry. The accusation is an
implication that we are inclining to-
wards the petty bourgeoisie.
Lenln's Stand.
From the year 1905 EDWARDS,
Trotzky was fractionless, and even
worked for our press for a time.
Later, during the period of the coun-
ter-revolution, he again belonged to
the Mensheviki, and for ten years he
aided our worst enemies.
In the year 1914, at the beginning
of the great war, Trotzky was Inter
nationalist, but in spite of this he
continued to combat our revolution
airy internationalism, and to support
the Mensheviki by aiding the Duma
faction of the Menshevik Tchenidze,
instead Of the Bolshevist Duma fac
ton.
This reminds me of similar atti-
tude adopted by Trotzky at the time
of the Copenhagen International Con-
gress in the year 1910. On the OPP
ening day Of the congress the Berlin
"Vorwarts" published an anonymous
article declaring that Lenin and his
immediate disciples we're band of
criminals and scoundrels, undertake
ing appropriations, etc. The writer
OF this article was Comrade Trotzky.
Such was the state OF affairs before
the year 1897.
In the year 1917, in about June,
Trotzky joined our Party. At that