The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-03-30
The LETTER BOX
Socialists Fear Debate on Soviet
Russia

May l make a small addition to the
already voluminous material and evil
dence of the treachery Of the socialist
party and the socialist group to the
workers in this country.
A group of students, interested in
the problems of Soviet Russia and in
the reaction to them of the various
radical groups in America, were
DESTROYS of arranging for a debate
between Scott Nearing, as represent
alive of one group, and Mr.. Morris
Hillquit, as representative of the So
cialist group. AS representative Of
this student group, / wrote Mr.. Hill
quit, questioning the terms and condis
tions under which he would undertake
the debate. On March first, Mr.. Hill
quit wrote me as follows:
have your letter of February 26th
inviting me to meet Mr.. Nearing in
public debate on certain aspects of the
Russian Soviet government. regret
to have to state that ! am not inter-
ested in such debate.
On March ninth, in response to a
query similar to that which l address
sed to Mr.. Hillquit, but addressed to
the socialist party in general, Mr.
August Claessens, as executive secret
airy of the party, whote me:
Your letter of March 9th was re-
ceived. The socialist party is not in
position to offer you the services of
one of its speakers for a debate with
Scott Nearing In the matter of Soviet
Russia. We have no interest in such
a debate.
In these communications the for
saking of the working class which has
characterized the actions of the so
cialists for the past few years is quite
evident. Soviet Russia is the one
country on earth where the worker is
receiving just returns for his work,
where the closest approach is made
to Communism, pure socialism; every
worker thruout the world necessarily
must be interested in his comrades
and in their treatment in Russia. The
socialists, proclaiming themselves adj
vocates of socialism and friends in
terested in and working for the work
ers, should at least give some external
manifestation, if only for political eff
feet, to this absorbing problem Of the
Soviet Russian government and the
system which it is introducing to the
world. But no; they have even lost
any sense of shame. They proclaim
in tones loud enuf and ominous to
warn any worker, in tones weak enuf
and yellow enuf to convince any work.
er, of their selfish, rotten, collaborat-
ing interest: we are not interested
in Soviet Russia.
Not interested, not even to the ex-
tent of taking advantage of an OPP
portunity to malign Russia. No, It Is
luite true; the only function of the
socialists in America today is to en-
terrain such perfect representatives"
Of the proletariat OF the world as Lady
Mosley and her handsome husband.
Their only function today is to stab
the worker in the back, as is plainly
evidenced in their activity in the New
York furriers' strike; as Is plainly
shown by the activity OF their papers,
truly yellow journals, in poisoning the
minds and defeating the interests OF
the working class.
The socialists are dead. The work
er must not be allowed to stumble
over the rotting corpse of these cola
borators in the capitalistic oppression
Of the working class. The socialists
are dead. Let us bury them by coming
over to the standard Of the only work.
ing class organization working for the
interests Of the working class, the,
Communists.
irwin Stearns Taubkin
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