The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-08-22

GERMAN COOPERATIVE RECTIFIES ERROR in FIGHT
WITH REACTIONARIES

DRESDEN, Aug. considerable
protests have been made by several
proletarian organizations because of
the campaign of the cooperative
bureaucrats against the Communist
Executive of Schwarzenberg and the
proposal made at the cooperative con-
ference in Dresden for expulsion of
the society because of alleged in
fringement of the statutes and of the
cooperative law Up to the middle of
March, about 40 such protests had
been lodged, most of them adopted
unanimously at cooperative, trade
union and other meetings inclusive of
Social Democratic and non-Party
votes.
AS the managing committee Of the
society realized that the expulsion
question had aroused the indignation
even of Social Democratic members
against the committee of the auditing
society and as it was afraid that the
general discomfort would find ex-
preston also at the Dresden Con-
gress, it resorted to a crafty move in
order to achieve it's aims by other
means.
1t is well-known that the author
tiles adopted, apart from their dis
ciplinary measures against the
troublesome Schwarzenberg Con-
sumers' Cooperative Society, n e
methods of economic strangulation
by preventing the rapidly develop
ing society from obtaining much
needed long-term credits. When the
authorities noticed that the expulsion
methods would not come off so easily
and would probably lower their
prestige, they informed the manag-
ing committee of the Schwarzepberg
Consumers Cooperative that they did
not intend to be relentless in regard
to the credit question and that they
would also withdraw the expulsion
proposal, provided that the managing
committee and the board of directors
would declare their readiness to adopt
different attitude and would enter
into commensurate obligations for
the future.
Unfortunately the management of
the auditing society has been success
full with this trick. The responsible
comrades. in the managing committee
who had the further smooth develop
ment of the society at heart, thought
that the interests of the members
made this sacrifice necessary. They
signed the declaration which was de-
manded of them, but it must be said
that, in the history of the central So
ciety, this declaration is the most
preposterous thing which the author
tiles dared to proposed to the opposi-
ton 1t is admitted in the declara-
ton that the managing committee
and the board Of directors have in
fringed the statutes and the coopera-
tive law and that they have done harm
to the German Consumers Coopera-
tive movement, all of which justified
the expulsion proposal. The manag-
ing committee and the board of direc-
tors Of the Schwarzenberg Con
sumers' Cooperative Society under
take in the declaration:
ITO expel those members of their
society who make the cooperative an
organ of class struggle, the commits
sariat Of strike and rebellion, who
want to spend the funds of the CO.
operative for party political aims and
act up to these intentions within the
cooperative organization. The man
aging committee and the board of
directors also undertake to see to it
that in future neither rank and file
members nor members of the manag-
ing committee and the board of direc-
tors mix up CD their cooperative
with the internal affairs of other con-
sumers' cOoperatiyes."
The managing committee and the
board of directors demand expulsion
for any members Of the society who
do not act up to this undertaking.
The character of this declaration
shows clearly what the authorities
were aiming at. They were afraid
land the growing protest movement
increased their fear) that the class
conscious and at the same time bust
ness-like executive of the Schwarzen-
berg Consumes Cooperative Society
would set an example to other con-
sumers' cooperative societies. There
fore their wish was to isolate the So
ciety and, over and above this, to dis
credit and put in the wrong its exec
utive ("breach Of solemn promises") (,
In order that, on the strength of this,
The Communist executive could be
,verthrown, or that the expulsion
could take place on a subsequent
occasion under more favourable con-
litions.
That responsible omrades in
Schwarzenberg signed this declara-
ion must be deeply regretted. 1t
shows that they completely lost their