The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-23

and we learn TO overcome our weaknesses"
Volume XVIII, End part, page 80
We must not forget these words of Lcnin.
Fourth question: Is not the struggle against
the distortion Of the Party line a step back
ward, retreat?
Answer: OF course not. Only people who
regard continuation of mistakes and distor-
tons as an advance, but consider the fight
against the mistakes to be retreat, can speak
here of retreat. To advance by pling up
mistakes and distortons-this is really a
splendid advance"
We set up the agricultural pro luction CO.
operatives as a fundamental form of the col
lective farming movement at the given mo-
ment, for which purpose we issued model
statute as instructions for the work of collec-
tive economic construction. Are we retreat
ing in face of this matter? Of course not.
We demanded the consolidation of the produc-
tion-allance (Smytchka) of the working class
and the village poor with the middle peasant
as the basis of the collective economy move
ment. Are we abandoning this matter? Of
course not We set up the slogan of liqudat-
ing the kulal as class as the chief slogan of
our practical work in the village at the given
moment Are we abandoning this matter? Of
course not.
Already in January, 1880, we adopted a
definite pact for the collectivizaton of the
agriculture of the Soviet Union, by dividing
the districts of the Soviet Union into definite
groups and laying down a special tempo for
each group. Are we abandoning this? Of
course not.
Where is there "retreat" of the Party in
all this?
We desire that people who permit mistakes
and distortions shall abandon their errors. We
want the muddleheads to retreat from their
f,r,o T. L. e
want this, as only under this condition can the
real attack on our class enemies be continued
Does that mean that we thereby take step
backwards? Of course not. 1t only means
that we wish to make proper attack and not
a muddleheaded play at attack
Is 1t not clear that only fools and Left
eXaggeraters can regard such an attitude of
the Party as a retreat
People who talk about retreat do not under
stand at least two things
l. They do not know the laws of attack
They do not understand that an attack with
out consolidation of the captured positions is
an attack which is doomed to failure. When
can an attack. say in the military sphere be
successful? When people do not confine them
selves to big forward movement but at the
same time endeavor to consolidate the CAP
tured positions, to regroup their forces in ac-
cordance with the changed state of affairs, to
see about the reserves, to develop the connec-
ton with the rear Why is all this necessary?
In order to guard against being taken by sur
prise, to hquidate breaches in the front
against which no single attack is insured. and
IN this manner to prepare to settle the enemy
completely. The mistake of the Polish armies
in the year 1920 if one considers only the mill
tary side Of the matter, consisted in the ne
glect Of this rule. This is the reason among
others, why after having advanced in a great
mass as far as Kiev, they were compelled to
retreat in equally great masses to Warsaw.
The mistake of the Soviet armies in the wear
1920. if one again considers only the military
side of the matter. was that they repeated the
mistake of the Poles in their attack on War
saw
The same thing can be said regarding the
laws of attack the front of the class strug-
gle. One cannot conduct a successful attack
having as its object the liquidation of the class
enemy, without consolidating the CAPTURED
positions, without regrouping ones forces,
without securing the front with reserves, with
out protecting the rear. etc The whole fact
of the matter is that the muddleheads do not
understand the laws of attack, while the Party
understands and carries them out.
2. They do not understand the class ma
ture of attack: They shout about attack But
against which class, in alliance with which
class is the attack carried out? We are max
ing the attack on the capitalist elements in the
village in alliance with the middle peasants. as
only such an attack can result in victory But
what is to be done when carried awav bv
their eagerness, some attachments of the
Party begin the attack, deviate from tbs right
path and turn their weapons against their al
lies, the middle peasants. Do we need any at
tack and not an attack on definite class in
alliance with definite class? Don Quixote
imagined he was attacking the enemy when he
tilted at windmills. But as is known, he only
got a bruised head as result of this "attack."
1t appears that our Left exaggerators wish
to emulate Don Quixote.
Fifth question: What is the chief danger,
the Right or the Left?
Answer With u.s. the chief danger is the
Right Does this contradict the well-known
thesis in the decision of the &C. of March
10, 1880, that the mistakes and distortions of
the left" exaegerators are now the chief
hindrance to the collective farm movement?
No The fact is that the mistakes of the Left"
exaggerators in this sphere Of the collective
farm movement are such that they create fav-
orable conditions for Strengthening and con-
solidating the Right deviation in the Party.
why? Because these mistakes present the
line of the Party in a wrong lght-they serve
therefore to discrelit the Party-and conse-
quently render easier the fight of the Right
elements against he leadership of the Party
The discreditng Of the Party leadership is the
same elementary basis on which alone the
fight of the Right deviations against the Party
can be conducted. The Left" exaggerators