The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-05-28

'f1h blank sheet theory" absolutely
= distorts the position. The inventor
of this theory argues that the selec-
ton of new central committees is de-
termined by the mood or the arbitrary
will Of the members of the Presidium
of the executive committee of the Co
mintern. OF course it is not SO. The
reasons for changing leaders are much
more profound. They reach back to
the moment Of the birth of the Com
munist International The fact that
the Third International emerged from
the womb of the Second international
had It's consequences. This is evil
dent in the struggle which many com
rades have to conduct against the So
cial-democratic survivals of their own
past. Let those who preach to us the
necessity Of sparing the old leaders.
keep their sermons for their own In
struction. To charge us with intoler-
ance towards the old leaders is entire
ly baseless. If we deserve any re-
proach at all, it is not for frivolously
tsweeping away comrades Of the old
mould. Similarly unfair and totally un-
deserved is the charge that we have
transferred the leadership to those
who are ready to sign their names to
everything that is put before them.
Consequently, we have nothing to
fear at all from presenting the ques-
ton of the leading cadres Of the move
ment to the masses of the workers.
/ Cnnnroda .oniv r,oxror FoowoI
this question openly. At the same
time, he taught us that without ca
dres of leaders deliberately aiming at
a definite goal, full of determination
and discipline, there can be no revolu-
tionary proletarian party. For de-
cades, right to 1917, in all the bran
ches of the Second International, Lee
min was charged with having dictator
ial propensities. This was one OF the
favorite charges brought against lie
min by the bourgeoisie and a consider
able section of the Second Interna.
tional. All of them howled at him:
You are dictator. You wish to have
obedient subjects; you wish to place
your will above the will Of the organ
ization. That was at a time when
Lenin was not yet recognized as the
leader Of the international proletariat.
The social-democrats joined in these
bowls. We however, know, that with
out centralized disciplined leadership,
the revolutionary workers party could
not have been formed.
TN our day of retarded revolutionary
development, this postulate is
more applicable than ever before, and
i therefore comrades, we do not hest
tate for moment to raise this ques-
ton. The E. G. C. l. has never ap-
preached the question in this manner:
you have sinned, consequently your
sin will be visited upon you and your
children to the seventh generation.
We say: If you are an opportunist,
we will fight you until you admit your
error. Frequently, it is made to ap-
pear that we wish to humble a COM
rade and demand that he beg forgive
ness, to cry: inca culpa." We have
never demanded anything of the kind.
In this article, Kreibich asks: what
sort of a habit is this to demand the
decentralization of a man who has
committed an error? This implied re-
| buke is sheer nonsense In the world
party of the proletarian revolution
there can be no talk of self-humilia
ton. Nobody has ever presented the
question in this manner.
In our theses on bolshevizing the
parties, we have passage which en-
phasizes the necessity for internal
party democracy. We need this in
ternal party democracy, not for op-
portunists, not for those who demand
freedom of criticism" in the interests
of the bourgeoisie. We will fight such
people as avowed enemies. We de-
mand freedom of criticism for those
comrades who tread the same path
with us in the quest for revolutionary
truth.
An article which / wrote on the
youth, in Czecho-Slovakia, IL l am not
mistaken, was regarded by some as
a new theory. We are charged with
desiring to obtain leaders only and
exclusively from the Young Commun-
list International. We give the Young
Communist League all the credit it
deserves. 1t has rendered great serv-
ice, and in some places has helped TO
bolshevize our parties. Under normal
conditions, the party trains the youth,
and not vice-versa The party should
help the youth to become Bolshevistic.
Let those who think that the z. c.
| C. |. desires to "select" the leaders
for the party from the Young Com
munist International, calm their fears.
ITO be continued)