Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1932-04-14
Communism in the u. S. A.

Communism in the u. S. A
Upon the formation of the Thin
Tor ~Communist) International at Mos
COW in March, 1919, a call was issue,
for the organization of Communis
Parties throughout the world. A
about this same time in the Unites
States, the left wing Of the Socialis
Party of America seeded. Thes
secessionists held a conference in De
trolt where another split took place
the right wing THE American eIe
ment) voting to adhere to the So
cialist Convention in August 1919
while the left wing of the secession
lists 1.-THE foreign language gf,yup1
America The right wing secession
lists, or American element, were un'
seated at the Socialist convention il
August 1919, but met in convention
in Chicago in September and formet
the Communist Labor Party. Botl
these newly formed Communist Par
ties declared adherence to the Thirt
International. Later, under instruc
tions from Moscow, they united under
n head as the Communist Party Of
America.
Sen Katayama a Japanese wht
was driven out Of his own country
and came to the United States II
1916, was the first representative Of
this Communist Parity OF America
Almost Al soon as it was organized
it was driven under cover and forced
to carry ON its revolutionary activi-
Ties in secret, but in 1921 the Work
ers. Parity of America, f{knewn al
the time as Number Two) was
formed openly as a screen for the
real illegal organization known as
Number One.) which kept on func-
~tioning underground. In 1922, a 0 n
.vention of the illegal branch was held
in the hills near Bridgeman, Mich,
which most Of the leading American
Communists and several Soviet a.
gents from Russia attended. The
Federal authorities got wind Of it
and Department of Justice agents
in cooperation with State officials
raided the meeting, made a dozen or
arrests and ~confiscated barrels Of
documents.
The American Civil Liberties Union
FASTENED to the defense of those who
had been caught and wrote a letter
to the Attorney General Of the Uni
ted States demanding to know under
what laws the Department OF JUS
tice could conduct espionage against
radicals in time Of peace, with the
result that instructions were issued
to the Department of Justice to
cease all anti-radical activity. In
1924 the war measures, under which
steps could be taken against radicals.
were repealed, and, in consequence,
the Department Of Justice has since
that time had no authority and no
funds to investigate Communist pro-
poganda or activities. Due to this to-
tai cessation Of r~epressive measures
ON the part of the Government, in
1925 the name was changed to the
Workers Communist Party Of Am
erica, and in 1928, Throwing aside all
concealment, it boldly came out in
its true colors as the Communist
party of the u. S. A. combininx
its legal and the illegal branches in
to one open organization, and has
since flourished unchecked, its can
dldates on the ballot having received
and 48,770 votes respectively
in the Presidential elections OF 1924
1928, and about 100, 900 In the
State elections Of 1880.
Owing largely to opposition TO
orders from Moscow regard
purely American problems there
been splits in the party during
years. Lovestone, Gitlow, and
their followers have been ousted, and
now. under the leadership of Vim. z.
J. Louis Engdahl, and others,
1t IS completely ~subservient to, and
in executing the orders OF,
the Russian Bolsfevnt leaders.
q. Organization
As before intimated, the Politbur-
of the Communist Party in Mos
cow is the titular as well a s active
and directing agent Of the Com
munist Parties Of the world OF which
the G. P. u. s. A. is merely one unit.
This control is exercised by Stain
himself through the Internal Control
of the Komintern via the
American Secretariat in Moscow d.
upon the Central Executive
of the C. P. u. S. A. in
New York. Under the Central Elk
ecutive Committee, the United States
divided into 20 districts.
As in Russia, the fatherland Of
this Red movement, where the Conn
munist Union Of Youth and the
Young Pioneers are branches under
the immediate direction and control
the Party, 50 in this country are
the Young Communist League and
III Young Pioneers Of America. "Give
Us one generation of small children
10 train to manhood and worranhood
and we will set up the Bolshevist
Of the Soviet Government"
Mrs. Marion E. Sproul Of Bos-
on in 1919, a statement which has
the slogan and guiding light