The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-08-20
Bv SAM DARCY


"a Criticism of the Left Socialist" position
towards HiIquitS suit to recover Soviet Baku
Oil for the czariSt owners0
THE recent events connected with Morris Hill
quits suit to recover for Czarist clients oil
shipped by the U.S.SaR. to foreign markets in
dictate that many people have been mised by the
hypocritical phrase mongering used by the So
cialst party, and especially the left group"
Many facts known to those who we're in 1917,
1918 and 1919 involved in the discussion around
the question of war, of the Russian Revolution,
of trade unionisrn, etc, have been too long let
to lie idle buried in the files Of libraries and
comrades homes Since the time of the original
break with the reactionaries of the Socialist
party facts about the murder of militant work.
ers by socialist" officials, facts about imperial
list intervention against the Soviet Union organ
lied by the social traitors, facts about the SELL
out of strikes, all facts have shown the con-
temptible anti workingclass role which the So
called Socialist party now plays.
Are the workers or middle class people who
support the Socialist party in full knowledge of
these facts? 1t can hardly be! The Socialist
party has succeeded in binding and prejudicing
many people against learning the truth about
it's own infamy by accusing the Communists of
fanaucism, dogmatism, ard wild-eyed eXtTem-
ISM while paradng its self-declared virtues Of
open mindedness and fairness.
That miserable sheet, the New Leader, which
holds itself up as paragon of fairness, is in
fact the most hypocritical of all. Donald Hen
derson, one of the most active members of the
Socialist party, the organizer of one of the larg-
est and most active Socialist party branches in
New York City, a candidate on the socialist
ticket for State Senate, and a member of the
Socialist party City Central Committee fed up
on radical talk and reactionary activity and fin
ally nauseated to the full by Hillquits suit
against Soviet Baku oil, wrote a letter to the
New Leader discussing the question and sug-
costing what he thought would be remedy to
the situation. For the moment we would like
to say that the remedy was left" socialist
remedy and in fact no solution for the workers
at all. However, the New Leader typical of
liberal open-m indedness refused to print even
this letter This was the last straw for Hen
derson, who resigned from the Socialist party
and joined the Communist Party. Comrade Hen
derson's letter was printed in the Daily Worker
of August 4.
Our Party certainly welcomes Comrade Hen
derson and also any sincere worker who using
his intelligence sees through the smoke screen
of pretty pink speeches, the counter-revolution-
airy acts and leaves the mis-named Socialist
party.
Comrade Henderson had been member of
the Socialist party for two years And in his
letter there are nlirrored some misconceptions
which are now being in other forms spread by
the so-called left socialists. This is not sur
prising. We do not live in a vacuum-we are
always influenced by our surroundings. Com
rade Henderson, as other workers who joined
our ranks from the Socialist party, is now going
through a period of shaking off the misconcep-
had
cialist party ranks. Recent events have opened
the eyes Of many Socialist party sympathizers
who are ready to listen to the truth about that
organization.
First let us consider the immediate issue which
aroused such storm in the socialist" ranks,
namely, the Morris Hillquit suit to seize Soviet
Union oil for the former czarist owners. So
ciaist party branches adopted resolutions
against Hillquit This was followed by similar
resolutions of the Young Peoples Socialist
League. And finally the pious faced Norman
Thomas wrote letter doubling the wisdom of
Morris action. The most militant of all the
positions taken by the opposition to HiIlqutt
within the Socialist party is contained in Com
rade Henderson's letter to the New Leader In
this letter Comrade Henderson sets forth,
amongst others, the following demand for the
Socialist party rank and file:
L. Demand the immediate dropping of this
by Morris Hillquit.
2. Demand the resignation of Morris Hill
quit as Chairman of the National Executive
Committee. Appeal to the National Commit
tee to remove this man.
This undoubtedly conveys the idea that Hill
quit violated some Socialist party principles in
filing this suit Or at least that this suit is a
departure from Socialist party practice. This
same argument was made in the resolution
adopted by the Brownsville branch of the So
cialist party where Hillquits withdrawal was
demanded. Comrade Henderson in his letter
declares:
g.. the more he (HilIquit) insists on his view
point as a lawyer the worse his position as
supposed leader of the workers becomes.
minority which has taken advantage of special
conditions to gain and hold power through
fbrce and terrorism. It's reign of blood is al
most as abhOrrent war among nations.