The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-08-16

| lHe WORKERS demands III Ine Sl4OII "
avert the menace of war, are doing
their utmost to curb this struggle Of
the workers.
The death blow to the militant
plans of the imperialists against the
USSR and the revolution in China
will be dealt the moment that the
unity of the trade union movement
upon the platform of the class strug-
gle shall be achieved. But the Ger
man reformists are the leading bat
talon of the international troop of
saboteurs of the united front.
Now as before they are continu-
ing the practice of eXpelling revolu-
tionary workers from the unions, and
of repressions against Communists.
1t was only a month ago that the
conference of the Central Union Of
Employees, l. e., the leading organiza-
ton of the German free union move
ment among the employees, endorsed
the famous "Kassel decision" that the
Communists have no right to occupy
official positions in the union.
The whole tactics of the reform
lists are detrimental to the labor
movement, and advantageous only to
the bourgeoisie.
It would be wrong to think that
the reformists of the free unions
were combining themselves only to
passive support of the designs of the
bourgeoisie, or that they were bash
fully Disgusting their position Moth
ing of the kind Whenever for one
reason or another they did express
themselves on the subject of the war
menace, they spoke precisely in the
"Vorwaert's" tone. Among the num-
erous trade union papers expressing
themselves on the Anglo-Soviet rup-
ture, the transport workers paper,
DER Deutsche-V erkehrsbund, had
the following to say:
England has broken up diploma
tic relations with Russia. On
this subject all the Rote Fahne' pa
pers are sounding the alarm about
the alleged menace of war.
England wishes to go on trading with
Russia, and therefore she does not
even think of war, whilst the Soviet
bureaucracy knows that a war would
be like it's death-knell Russia does
not even cancel her orders in Eng
land. =" oder Deutsche Verk-
ehrsbund," June III
Now, can there be any talk after
this about the menace of war?
The war menace was deliberately
ignored by the conferences of the
different unions which recently took
place in Germany. On May 80 in
| Frankfort the conference of the Ger
man stonemasons' union was held.
The Berlin delegation moved pro-
test against the actions of the Bri-
fish government in regard to the
USSR, and in favor of establishing. a
united front with the Soviet trade
unions. This proposal was rejected
upon the insistence of one of the
leaders of the reformist trade unions,
IIlS Well-hIONH ISlOIIIISI ERS6EI.
Similarly the resolution moved by
Comrade PECK at the conference of
the German Woodworkers' Union to
include in the agenda of the confer
ence a special item con the tasks of
the trade unions in the defense of
revolutionary China and the USSR"
was rejected.
Noting the attitude of the German
trade union bureaucrats on the war
menace, it was necessary to empha
size that these people did not find
any words of denunciation for the
deserters into the camp Of Italian
fascism, Messrs. D'Aragona, Colon
bino, & Co. 1t should be remembered
that the reformists of the free unions
are tolerating similar fascist desert
ers in their own ranks. At the con-
| ferences of the stonemasons' and the
woodworkers' unions, earnest pleas
were made by Eggert and Winkler,
Leipart and Tarnow to retain in lead
ing positions in their respective
unions such people as had been ex-
PEELED as fasciSts even from the So
cial-democratic party.
All this goes to show that the re-
formist leaders of the German trade
unions realize their close affinity to
the fascists, with whom they will
make common cause in the event OF
war. Only the vigilance of the work
ing masses organized in the trade
unions can prevent the reformists
from placing the class organization
of the proletariat at the service Of
the military adventures of capitalism.
The war menace and the position
of the reformists in the face of such
menace imposed upon the revolution
airy wing of the German working
class the specific task of arousnig
and modelling the masses of the
workers. The German Communist
Parry has unfolded a wide anti-Sili-
tarist campaign, tirelessly exposing
before the workers the fragrant
,r.l of 10 s.ts IL