The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-09-19

dropped, or at least play only a secondary
role. But if you pose the question this way,
we do not develop the movement Merely
putting forth the slogan of self-determina-
ton is not a sufficient basis upon which to
develop the struggle for a mass movement
But by developing the struggle all along the
line for the emancipation of the Negroes you
are leading it to the point where it becomes a
movement against American capitalism itself;
these things are not realizable without
struggle against the very citadels of capital
ism here in the United States.
The slogan of self-determination must be
conceived of as the Highest expression of the
struggle of the Negro masses in the United
States. The slogan of self-determination
means that we say to the Negro masses, "Un-
der capitalism, under the domination of Amer
lean imperialism, you are enslaved and OPP
pressed, your right is the right of self-deter-
mination, the right of separating yourselves
completely, even to the point of setting up
a government of your own in those places
where you are majority" This is what the
slogan means, and we must advocate it to the
Negro masses, must prove to them that we as
felow-workers are fighting for their right to
self-determnation even to the point of sepa-
ration. The slogan of self-determination can
mean nothing else than this for our Party
comrades.
Some of the comrades have put forth the
contention that if we say to the Negro masses
you have the right of setting up government
of your own. that this means segregation, that
this means that We, also, like the bourgeoisie
propose that the Negro masses separate by
themselves, that they set up their own govern
ment, and that we will have nothing at all to
do with them. We mean nothing of the kind
adec We i've hot
have been oppressed for centuries, we know
that the Negro masses feel this oppression to
the point where they have lost confidence, not
only in the white ruling class, but in the
whites as whole, and to prove to the Negro
masses our sincerity as workers, as revolu-
uomsts, 1t is up to us to show them that our
policy will not be one of depressing the Ne
groes, but of fighting for their self-determina-
ton to the point of separation SO in no sense
can our policy be considered as one of segrega-
ton. Ours is fight against segregation by
giving the Negroes the right to complete sep
araton if they desire it, but in doing this we
do not force separation on the Negroes, we
do not force the setting up of a separate re-
public, we fight for thei right to set up such
republic if they see fit.
In the course of the struggle that is devel-
opng we put this forth in such a wav that
we constantly advocate the unity of the white
workers and the Negro workers, the unity of
the revolutionary movement of the Negroes
and whites 1t is necessary to bear in mind
what Lenin said at the Third Congress, that
the workers of an oppressed country must be
most militant, most energetic in fighting for
the right of the oppressed peoples to self
determination At the same time the workers
of the depressing nation, while putting forth
he nfc off
on the most energetic struggle to convince
them of their unity with the workers of the
depressing country.
Then come to the question of the relation
ship of the struggle of the workers for ma
tlonal self-determinaton to that of the proe-
tartan revolution. 1t has been stated that
there is conception on the part of some COM
rades that the proletarian revolution is en-
tirely separated from the national revolution.
that the national revolution can be carried
through separately. Nobody has any such con-
cept The Party recognizes that in the course
OF the struggle in the United States the ma
tlonal revolutionary movemect of the Negroes
VIII become merged with the proletarian rev.
olution, and the two of these will go on to-
gether.
Also the conception of stating to the Negro
masses now that you can only realize self
determination through the Iroletaran revolu-
ZION, IL accepted, such a viewpoint as this
would lead you into the same kind CT an error
as that which states, you only have to ap-
proach the Negroes on a class basis 1t
means you give up the possibility of mob
lllzlng the Negro masses on a basis of strug-
gle against. inequality, for sef-determnation
1t means that you would go to the Negroes
IN the South that you could not convince the
Negro peasantry that it should fight against
the conditions there, but that it should fight
only IN the hour of the proletarian revolution.
Such an Interpretation is incorrect. comrades.
BY putting forth the slogan of social and
poiltlcal equality, with the slogan of self
determination, you draw into the struggle the
Negroes OF the South, the Negro peasantry,
certain sections of the Negro bourgeoisie-all
OF the elements that are prosecuted and op-
pressed under capitalism in the South can be
drawn into the struggle. You extend the
forces that are available as allies in this
struggle against American imperialism. That
is why the Party insists on putting forth the
slogan of self-determination. Peppers slogan
of Soviet Republic in the South, that is, Civ
ing the Negroes the right to set ur a Soviet
Republic of their own, is also a leftst slogan,
revolutionary slogan, but it has exastly the
same effect of doing away with the immediate
struggle. 1t is opportunistic slogan
In the present situation we have to recog-
nze the two-fold character of the Negro oues-
ton. You have to approach the Negroes as
race and you have to approach them as
workers. You have to remember that they
are not only workers, they are also Negroes
who have been prosecuted by the whites for