The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-10
HlLLQUIT WANTS THE ISSUE
CLOSED
TT y. EUCEEVALD

F-ORRIS HILLQUIT is quite mad at Norman
lA Thomas and Thomas is mad at Hillquit 1t
is about the intervenUoniS5 Oil-Suit. Hilqult IS
mad because Thomas started a public discussion
about the oiI-suit, and Thomas is mad because
FiIlquit forced him to start public discussion
Eillquit thinks it's time to CLOSE this quite dis
tasteful discussion" and Thomas sanity gentle
man that he is, is ready to forgive and forget so
there be peace and unity among friends The
New Leader in its August % issue prints the
two last letters of Thomas and Hillquit on this
quite dStastefu discussion and rings down the
curtain by saying that nothing is to be gained
by further discussion" In other words, the issue
is closed.
Sorry we can't accommodate the two gentle
men of the American Socialist Party but really,
WE are not quite ready to close the discussion.
The New Leader will simply have to forgive
us for raising the curtain again. For one thing,
we should like to dwell a bit on the very two
letters which the New Leader" wants to serve as
the finale of the charming little intervention
idyl.
Hilqut writes with feeling:
1.-THE nature of my oil suit was briefly de-
scribed in the daily press and more fully ex-
planned in my statement to the New Leader.
This was the published record of the case upon
which in all decency it should have been
judged. Comrade Thomas saw fit to go behind
it and Gull two technical phrases from COM
plant of twelve typewriter pages for public
quotation and condemnation. -. During the
seven weeks of my absence the Indictment
stood unanswered and unexplained, and gave
aid and comfort to our benevolent Communist
and liberal bourgeois critics"
One of the technical phrases" stated that the
Soviet government, "wrongfully unlawfully and
by force of arms seized possession of the plain
tiffs' oil lands" and that the Czarist oil-barons
whom Hilquit represented were still lawfully
entitled to the possession of the same"
1t is, then merely a technical" matter that
Fullquit undertook to prove in an American cap
italst court that the workers revolution robbed
the poor Czarists of their hard earned oiI-lands
and that these lands still the lawful property
Of the Czarists. At the same time the suit was
filed Hillquit declared that it had mo political
significance"
The Communist press, particularly the Daily
Worker and the Morning Freiheit, lost no tirie
in taking up this very technical" Intervention
suit and in showing up its true character and
Political significance. T. was made quite clear to
TIE workers that Hillquit WIS giving apt exrres-
son to the intervention program of the British
Soviet government stole" the oil lands from
their lawful owners. 1t was explained that if
Eillquit won his suit in an American court of
justice it would have the effect of legal and
moral justification for armed intervention
against the Soviet Union. Once the wrongful
ness and the "unlawfulness' of the natlcnaliza-
ton OF the oil industry by the Soviet governments
was established, it would oe but logical that the
unlaWfully seized properties of the Cz2rist oil
robbers must be recovered by armed interyen-
ton, since those wrongful" soviets would not
return the oil fields voluntarily.
And why only the oil fields; does not the same
principle" apply to the factories and estates.
banks and railroads that the workers revolution
seized entirely without the consent of the own
ers thereof?
Inc Communist press pointed out, in other
words, that Hillquits oil suit embodied the verv
political program" that inspired" the wT,1te
bands to soak the Russian soil in the blood of ite
workers and peasants, with the gracious aid and
cooperation of the lmperialist Intervention
armies, including the American
Our exposure of the Intervention nature of the
Hlllqut oil suit aroused the indignation of the
great masses of workers who are il, svronat,v
with the Soviet Union The Socialist marty
became frightened. The more practical "sociaI,
40 NoIhlan InomaS, among them realizad
that something had to be done at once 70 conn
tsrscC the exposure of the true nature NJ the
HlAQut OIL suit. There was nothing else left for
mem 10 90 but make a show of opposition tn
Elllqut's intervention move
norman Thomas defends his action in +ba
rL4qult matter on the ground that it was not be
VINO Irst started the public discussion uo
writes ''''io'i' ne
MY letter in the New Leader did not orioi-
maze but followed public discussion of tbis
case IL followed Comrade HilIquits own NH
lie statement that the case had M no1i+ioo,
significance to which 1 replied quoting cen
sen'es from the complaint which he had filed
Ior MS chentS, which complaint was a public
document already quoted in the press"
Inc reverend gentleman merely forgot, IN
aod mat the public discussion of this casoo
originated in the Daily Worker and the Morn
ing Frelhelt and that Hillquit's complaint nm he
nan OF the Czarist oil crew was quoted in the
OohEnunist press and not in capitalist nanors
ohoer these circumstances reverend Themes
SIMPLY mad to bcstir himself in rider to save tbe
socialist" party from the truth. Listen to tbig.
was oy no means alone in the party n, he
HeWng that prompt action was necesS,r
10 avert dangerous misconception Of the
partyS position"
With due Christian humility Thomas pats
hlmsslf on the back for having accomplished
the salvation of the socialist party:
Il do not need to apologize either to Com
rade Hillquit or to the party He even more
IIncnvny &taryoE;np ord M;corv