The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-12-10

crOpperS Is however, unique N
that it is subject to amelioration
through legal processes"
Mr.. johnson devotes relatively
large portion Of his 1O3-psge book
to Communism, which he does not
attempt 10 lightly dismiss for, on
his own admission, Communism is
coming to be regarded as the in
fallible solution by an increasing
number of US" Mr.. Johnson, how
ever, attempts to conceal the fear
and hatred he shares with the lynch
rulers against Communism, behind
an implied sympathy with the So-
Wet system and the aims Of Conn
munism.
Declaring that ne holds no brief
against Communism as a system Of
government" Mr.. johnson never
theless sets out to set up all sorts
Of barriers between Communism
and the Negro people. His subtle
method Of "discrediting" Commu-
nism, does not prevent him, how
ever from digging his own traps
and falling headlong into them, or
of making himself utterly ridiculous
as when he denies that the wiping
out of race hatreds in the Soviet
Union is Communist achievement,
and attempts thereby to negate the
world-significance of the October
Revolution to the oppressed Negro
and colonial masses.
IN HIS attempt to undermine the
L faith Of the Negro masses in
the Soviet Union, Mr.. johnson finds
it necessary TO ignore completely
its successful solution of the Ma
tional Question: the emancipation
Of the more than 14S nationalities
formerly oppressed by Tsarisrn.
Here he finds himself UP against
an embarrassing fact in the changed
situation Of the Jews. Not every
one knows that the old Russia was
prison for over 143 nationalities.
but everybody knows of the bloody
pogroms and prosecutions instigated
by the former Tsarist regime
against the Jews And Mr.. John
son finds himself forced to admit
that oppression and repression Of
the Jews have been greatly absted
or entirely wiped out by Commu-
nism," However, to offset the sig
niflcance Of this fact to the OPP
pressed Negro people, he attempts
to differentiate between "Comnu-
nism in Russia and its possible
variations" in the U. S., at the same
time implying that the psychology
of the American people, and not
the economic system, is responsible
for Negro oppression.
In his lsbored pretense to "a
plain and reasoned statement Of
facts" Mr.. johnson also admits
that with the overthrow of capital
ism and the establishment of a
proletarian dictatorship in this
country, race discrimination would
be officially banned and the reasons
and feelings back Of them would
finally disappear" But he immedi-
ately falls back on the discredited
Lovestone theory Of American ex-
ceptionalism" and declares against
the likelihood Of the social reyolu-
ton in this country.
THERE is nothing in Mr.. Johnson's
book to disturb the lynch rulers
or offend the white representatives
of the ruling class who dominate
the decisions of the Board of Di-
rectors of the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored
People, with whose top leadership
Mr.. Johnson was long connected.
Mr.. Johnson's contribution to the
Negro Question boils down to a
grotesque program of outworn plati-
tudes and insipid improvisation of
the old, discredited reformist poll
cies.
To the Negro masses faced with
the stark realities of mass unem-
ployment, jim-crow denial of relief,
increasing oppression and fascist
lynch terror, Mr.. johnson mas
nothing better to offer than faith
in the lynch courts and the pious
hope that the lynch rulers may be
induced by education" to abandon
the evil of their ways.
His closing declaration that so
long as he is not spiritually jim
crowed, he is not jim-crowed, will
hardly convince the Negro masses
subjected in their daily lives to the
degrading and harassing effects of
jim crowism and segregation, with
resultant high rents, eXacted by
both Negro and white landlords, I'M
sanitary conditions and jim-crow
denials of jobs and equal pay for
equal work.