The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-03-11

PaflS, but these attempts enueu IN quick Ialufe,
and Paris, which had first raised the banner of
the proletarian revolution, left to it's own
sources and doomed to certain defeat.
For victorious social revolution two condi-
tons are necessary a high degree of development
of the forces of production, and preparedness Of
the proletariat But in 1871, both of these condi-
tons were lacking French capitalism in
sufficiently developed 1T was then a country, in
the main, of petty bourgeois (of master-crafts
men, peasants petty merchants, etc. On the
other hand there was not working class party,
no preparedness, and experience in the work
! ing class The large masses of it did not yet
clearly understand its problems and the means
for their solution. There was no firm political
organization of the proletariat, no broad unions
and cooperatives.
But the main factor that the Commune lacked
was time, the opportunity to gain insight into
their tasks and carry out their program. 1t had
not had the time really to begin its work before
the Versailles government, supported by the en-
tire bourgeoisie began military operations
against Paris. And the Commune was compelled
to think first of all of self-defense. And up to
the end which came in the week of May 21-2S
it had time to consider anything earnestly.
But in spite of these unfavorable circum
Stances in spite of its short life, the Commune
found time to take certain measures which were
enuf to show its real thot and aims. The Com
pom in the hands of the ruling classes, with
general arming of the people; it declared the
church separated from the state, abolished the
church budget THAT is, the state salaries to the
priests, gave popular education purely lay
character,-thus striking hard blow at the gen.
darmes in clerical robe On the purely social
field it had time to do but little, but this little
is striking enuf to-show its character as popular
government working mans government: night
work in the bakeries forbidden; the system
Of fines that legal form of robbing the workers
was abolished; and last there was proclaimed
the famous ordinance that the factories and shops
deserted by their owners closed down, were
given to the workers cooperatives in order to
start production again. And as if in order to
emphasize its character of real democratic probe
tartan government, the Commune decided that
no official member of the government could
have salary higher than the normal wage of the
workers and in no case higher than 5000 francs
vi ,20O) year. ag les
All these things show clearly enuf that the
Commune deadly threat to the old world,
based on slavery and exploitation. 1t was for
this reason that bourgeois society could not rest
peacefully as long as the red banner of the pro
letariat waved over the city hall of Paris And
when the organized forces of the bourgeois gov
eminent at-last succeeded in subduing the poorly
organized forces of the revolution the Bonapart-
ist generals, defeated by the Germans, but brave
In the face of their defeated feow-citizens those
Rennenkampfs and Meller-S akomelskis of France
0shered in such bloodshed as Paris had never be-
fore witnessed. The beastly military killed about
$4,000 Parisians, about $4,000 were arrested and
many of these were shot; thousands were SEN
tenced to hard labor or deported to the colonies
Altogether, Paris lost about a hundred thousand
of its sons, among them the best workers of all
crafts.
The bourgeoisie was satisfied 'ENow an end
has been made of Socialism for long time" said
its leader, the bloodthirsty pygmy Theirs, after
the boodshed, instituted among the Paris prole
tariat by him and his generals. But the bour
geois crows growing in vain. About six
years after the overthrow of the Commune when
many of its fighters were still jailed or in exile
the new labor movement began in France. new
Socialist generation, enriched by the experiences
of it's predecessors but not disheartened by their
defeat, grasped the standard which had fallen
from the hands of the fighters of the Commune
and carried it with confidence and bravery,
shouting: 'Long live the social revolution Long
live the Communew And after another three
Years the new party of labor and its agitation in
the country compelled the ruling class to release
the Communards who were still imprisoned by
the government
The memory of the struggle of the fighters Of
the Commune is celebrated not only by the
| French workers. but by the proletariat of the
| whole world. For the Commune did not fight
| for local or narrow, national purpose, but for
emancipation of all toilng mankind, all the
| 'down-trodden and abused. As the vanguard fight
er for the social revolution, the Commune re-
| ceiyed sympathy wherever the proletariat suffer-
/ ed and fought The vision of the life and death
| of the Commune, the sight of a workers govern
ment, which captured and held metropolis in
it's hands for two months the vision of the heroic
| fight and sufferings of the proletariat-all this