The daily worker., 1934-09-03
On the
World Front
by HARRY CANNES
Where There's Smoke
Socialist Leaders
Negotiations with Fascism
Y HARRY CANNES

Fascist governments of Italy,
Germany and Austria. there
has been more than the pro-
verbal smoke which war;
rants the conclusion that something
is burning.
The original evidence that Hitler.
and the Socialist leaders, Otto Wells
and Crummenerl (on behalf 5of the
Socialist Party Executive now in
Prague) were conducting negotia- I
tions, through Intermediates, to
reach an understanding Oh the
trade union movement, camel from
the Manchester Guardian.
THE Socialist leaders in a eekner-
ally worded statement deRied
the substance of the Manchester
Guardians report, without specif-
cally denying the role of Weis and
Crummenerl.
In order to understand clearly
what follows, it must be pointed
out here that in view of the tre-
mendous rise in the anti-Fascist
struggles in Germany, Italy and
Austria, and in view of the rapidly
lowering wages and threatening
starvation this winter, the Fascist
rulers feel it necessary to enlist
certain of the Socialist leaders as
a wedge against the workers strup-
giles. The Manchester Guardians
unimpeachable report makes that
clear. Now we have further evidence
from the Havas News Agency that
the Italian Fascist rulers are work
ing towards this end.
THE following dispatch appeared
in the New York Post last Sat-
urday, and it must be recalled that
the Post has a goodly complement
OF Socialist editors and reporters
on it:
LONDON, Sept. (Wireless)-
Premier Mussolini of italy NAV
negotiate with representatives of
the former Socialist Party. which
he dissolved. and permit the crea-
ton of Socialist wing within the
Fascist Party, the Daily Telegraph
reported today.
Important positions would be en-
trusted to the Socialists in the nro-
posed cooperative organism.
Three months will be required
to bring about the change which
was said to have been dictated bv
an attempt to obtain the support
Of the working classes to counter
balance the recent reduction in
salaries. and growing unempIoy-
ment due to a fall in exports"
emphasis mine-H. GO.
so WELL did the Socialist Lead
~ ers play the role of keeping back
mass discomfort in the Bruenning-
Sleicher-von Papen period, when
wages were smashed down, that in
the face of a more bitter period
ahead, the Fascist leaders look to
them for aid, and on the most re-
liable information available they
have good reason to anticipate sue
cess in their hopes.
Doth the New York Times and
- the New York Post on more
than one occasion have reported
that negotiations were going on
between Austrian Socialist leaders
and the Schushnigg government
looking towards the same ends as
in Italy and Germany.
OF course, the usual denials have
come from the Socialist press
abroad and in this country, but we
want to offer some evidence from
two outstanding Socialist leaders
that point to the fact that some
OF them (for certain concessions)
are not unwilling to lend fascisn1
their expert assistance.
Otto Bauer, leader of the Aus
trian social democratic party, in
a recent article in the "Kampf."
discussing whether the Schushnigg
Fascist government will go to the
right" or to the cleft" (that is,
alliance with the Socialists), does
not eliminate the possibility of an
understanding" He states: "The
Austro-fascists cannot ally them
selves with the murderers of DOLL
fuss over his coffin An extension
towards the left, that is to say, a
Impeachment with the working
class, would be incomparably more
difficult today than it would have
been prior to February"
IN short, "a rapproachment' with
Otto Bauer & Co. is not out
of the question. it is only 'incom-
parably more difficult today than
it would have been prior to Feb
ruary." And who shall say that
Bauer ever shrank before such
great difficulties?
GREATER point to these reported
v negotiations is given as a ques-
ton of principle by the chairman
of the Second (Socialist) Interna-
tional. Vandervelde. Writing in
lie Peuple," Socialist organ in
Brussels, Vandervelde argues for
the participation of Socialists in
capitalist governments, pointing to
Sweden and Denmark as instances
OF great success. Then he draws
the general conclusion showing
that in precisely the conditions Of
extreme financial and economic
difficulties of capitalism. the Social
lst leaders are valuable servants.
According to the Manchester Guar
dian and the New York Post, Hit
Ter and Mussolini, have recently
been seriously considering this
point.