The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-02-14
The Question of Liquidating the
Kulaks as a Class
By Fred Ellis

policies. The facts declare that here we have
to do with one and the same policy of re-
stricting capitalism, an essential part and re-
suit of which is the ousting of individual
groups of kulaks.
Therefore (b) the author of the article in
question is wrong when he maintains that the
ousting of the capitalist elements in the vii
lage first commenced in the reconstruction
period, in the period of the 18th Party Con-
gress. In actual fact the ousting of these ele-
ments took place both before the 18th Party
Congress, in the restoration period, and after
the 18th Party Congress, in the reconstruc-
tion period. In the period of the 18th Party
Congress the policy of restricting the exploit
ing tendencies of kulak economy was only
reinforced by new additional measures, where
by the oustng of individual groups of kulaks
was bound to increase.
2. The article states:
'The policy of liquidating the kulaks as
class entirely corresponds to the policy of GUST
ing the capitalist elements. It is continual
ton of this policy in a new stage"
This sentence is nexact, and therefore in
correct Of course the policy of liquidating
the kulaks as class could not drop from the
sky. 1t was prepared by the whole preceding
period OF restricting, i. e. also of ousting the
capitalist elements in the village But that
does not mean that it does not differ funda-
mentally from the policy of restricting land
ousting) the capitalist elements in the vii
lage, that it is, so to speak, continuation of
the policy of restriction To speak as the
author of the article speaks is to deny the
existence of turn in the development of the
village since the summer of 1929. So to speak
means to deny the fact that in this period we
have carried out a turn in the policy of our
DaYt,r ~, +ho ill G.
create certain theological loophole for the
Right elements of our Party who are now
clinging to the decisions of the 18th Party
Congress against the new policy of the Party,
just as Comrade Frumkn chung to the deci-
sions of the 18th Party Congress against the
policy of extending the collective and Soviet
Farms.
On what prescriptions did the XIV. Party
Congress proceed when it announced the rein
forcement of the policy of the restriction land
ousting) the capitalist elements in the village?
1t proceeded from the presumption that in
spite of this restriction of the kulak the kulaks
still are bound to exist as class for some
time. Upon this basis the XIV. Party Congress
kept in force the law regarding the leasing
of land although it knew very we'll that the
tenants consist in the main of kulaks. Upon
this basis the XIV. Party Congress allowed to
remain in force the law on wage labor in the
village and demanded its exact observance
Upon this basis there was once again declared
the impermissibility of dekulakisation. Do
these laws and these decisions contradict the
policy of restricting land ousting) the CAPT.
talist elements in the village? Certainly not.
Do these laws and these decisions contradict
the policy of lqudating the kulaks as class?
Most certainly! These laws and these deci-
sions must therefore be abolished now in the
sphere of compact collectivization which is
growing and extending not daily but hourly.
Moreover they have been already abolished in
the sphere Of compact collectivization by the
course of the collectvization movement itself.
Can one maintain after this that the policy
of liqudatng the kulak as a class is the con-
tinuation of the restriction land ousting) of
the capitalist elements in the village? 1t is
clear that one cannot say that.
The author of the article forgets that we
cannot GUST the kulak class as class by taxa
ton measures and any other restrictions, while
leaving in the hands of this class the means
of production, with the right to free use of
the soil, by our retaining in practice the law
regarding wage labor in the village, the law
regarding the renting of land and the prohibit
ton of dekuakisation. The author forgets
that with policy of restricting the exploit
ing tendencies of the kulaks one can only