The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-23
DeathIess Page Has Been Written
In Struggle Of Spanish Workers

people might be reused to battle
against the government forces.
British pressmen have quoted suf-
ficiently from the illegal Socialist
news bulletin to make it certain
that such a call. If issued, would
have been noticed.
In particular there seems to have
been no call to the peasantry to
seize the land.
The third feature is that the in
formation available nowhere speaks
of any propaganda among the SOL
diers and sailors, except after sew
eral days fighting.
There is no record Of any or
ganized policy of determination with
them. Yet the examples of the
Catalan regiment which mutinied
at Corona, and of soldiers who ex-
pressed working-clas sentiments
to correspondent of the News
Chronicle" indicate that there was
fertile ground for such propaganda.
The fourth feature Is that the
Workers Alliance''-consistin of
trade unions, Socialists and (since
the end of September) Communists
was strong enough at Barcelona
to organize gigantic demonstra-
ton which forced the hand of the
Catalan Nationalist, inducing them
to proclaim the independence of
Catalonia.
What conclusion can be drawn
from these features? 1t must be
borne in mind that the Communist
Party of Spain has always regarded
the general strike as the prelim-
mary to an armed insurrection for
the establishment of workers and
peasants power, if it were to be eff
fective in a decisive struggle OF
class against class.
The Communist Party of Spain
has always carried on propaganda
among the soldiers and sailors in
favor of their siding with the
workers against the capitalists. 1t
has always agitated in favor of
the peasants Selling the land. But
the Socialist Party, which far out
numbers the Communists and
has much bigger following in
the trade unions, has always been
against this activity; so have the
Anarchist leaders.
For two years after the overthrow
OF the monarchy, the Spanish So
cialist Party collaborated with CAPT.
talist parties in Republican
Government, and as such took par,
in many repressive measures against
the workers and peasants. Large
Caballero, under the monarchy, was
Privy Councillor of the Fascist
dictator Primo de Rivera; in the
Republican" Government, as Min
lister Of Labor, he opposed strike,
and peasant demonstrations.
| In recent months, he and the So
cialist Party generally began threat.
ening the institution of a prole.
tartan dictatorship, declaring thai
they would follow the example O.
the U. S. S. r., arnling the workers
etc.
| 1A3AoJ VA OOa4oCs Hdo a WOlOOlii'
sign of the rising nlilitancy of thu
Socialist workers. But at the sam,
time the Socialist leaders (a) re.
fused to expel open pro-capitalist,
like Besteiro, Delos Rios, and 9th
ers; (b) refused to work for ;
united front with Communists ant
Anarchists; (c) opposed the forms
ton of factory committees and peas
ant committees to fight for immedi
ate demands, and still more of So
viets, ON the ground that they "hav
no tradition in SPAIN
The Anarchist leaders, again, hav
: always denied the need for tn
workers to set up their own Stats
: and therefore to create an ALIEN
bracing working class organization
like Soviets. Their idea of insur
rection was that it was not uues
5 ticn for the masses: small, well
! armed bodies of Anarchists coul
, do all that was necessary.
: In recent months the Anarchis