Evening star., 1924-10-19
by JACOB SPOLANSkY.
CHAPTER 3.


When the Socialist convention as
sembled in st. Louis in April, 1917,
to select n president and to adopt a
platform two factions developed-one
taking n patriotic view of the war
the other rigidly opposing the entry
of the United States into the war
branding the declaration of war by
the American Government as "a crime
against the people of the United
States" This section not only op-
posed the war. but pledged it's CON
tinuous active public opposition to It,"
Eugene V. Debs and Victor L.
Berger led this antiwar faction and
secured the adoption of this platform.
Both men later were convicted and
sentenced to long prison terms-Debs
for 10 years for attempting to incite
disloyalty. mutiny and insubordina-
tion, and Berger for 20 years for vio-
lation Of the espionage act.
AS result of these convictions
their Socialist followers became en-
bittered, deserted the ranks Of con-
servatism and caused a split in the
Socialist party. These "deserters"
established a so-called left wing. con-
sisting of the ltra-radicals Of the or
ganization, who believed in direct
action" 1t was this
spirit which made possible the rapid
growth of Russian red" principles
in the United States.
Fluent Speakers Enter L. s.
Fluent speakers were smuggled into
the United States from Russia, bring
ing with them the radicalism of
Lenin and Trotsky. Organizers were
imported. who, working in Chicago
and other large industrial centers.
quickly swelled the ranks of the
radicals.
Workers Joined by thousands:
workers who. following the signing
of the armistice. lost their highly
paid jobs and were told by these
speakers that their misfortuntes were
the result Of a betrayal of the Gov
ernment" and "conspiracies by the
ruling capitalistic class against the
working men,
Bolshevism is a mixture Of social
ism and anarchy. 1t is revolution
ary, the extreme of democracy. 1t
is based upon ideas of absolute
equality and upon a principle that the
higher industries must be lowered
to the status of the lower classes
1t proposed to annihilate not only
large capitalists but small capitalists
as well, destroying absolutely all
property rights.
In reality the movement dates back
to 1907. when, at an international
Socialist congress in Germany, an up
heaval took place in the Socialists
ranks. The majority. under Lenin,
decided upon the adoption of the
principle that socialism. opposing
warfare. should refuse recognition of
international aspirations and agitate
for social revolution, and called
thems elves the "bolsheviki." which in
Russian means the majority"
Many Flock to Russia.
How popular was the revolutionary
idea may be gathered from the report
made to the Department Of Justice
three years ago. This report showed
that during the short administration
of Alexander Kerensky in Russia
thousands left the United States for
Russia, 400 of them from Chicago.
And among the leaders Of Russia
many were drawn from America.
George Trotsky, an anarchist who
had butchered family at Simeforo-
pol, Russia, and fed to the United
States, was made chief Of police at
Kolomna.
Morris Busheim. Chicago stock
boy. became chief of police at Nell
topel
G. Dubenik, a laborer in the steel
mills of Indiana Harbor, was named a
general in the red" army.
]. kornek. a Chicagoan with a du-
bious reputation, was made military
commandant of the fortress Of st.
Peter and st. Paul at Petrograd.
J. kievsky. once a tailor employed
by Hart, Schaffner & Marx was an
pointed military commander of all
the Russian forces on the Siberian
Railroad.
A. Tobinson, Chicago lawyer, was
declared governor of Siberia.
Movement Gains Rapidly.
That was in the late Spring Of 1918.
1t was shortly after this that the
movement began to take firm foot
hold in the United States.
With the thousands of ultra-radical
Socialists as a beginning. the move
ment gained rapidly. Before that
time the socialist party had had a
membership of more than 10000. OF
these more than 10000 bolted the So
cialist ranks to join the revolutionary
communist movement. With this as
a nucleus and with the aid Of trained
organizers. the reds" soon possessed
a membership not even to be esti-
mated.
They worked in the open. They
held meetings at specified times. And
their organization finally was consid-
cred of sufficient Importance and of
sufficient strength to warrant Rus
sia's establishing political connection
with It. For this purpose at the end
of 1918, in the City of New York, a
huraau waS formed known al Tho