The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-12-01
Olgin Greets
Trachtenberg
On 5Oth Year
Lauds Leading W ork
In MARKHAM Publishing
Field in U. S. A.
By MOISSAYE J. OLGN

have such literature. The Inter
national Publishers is the major
achievement of Comrade Trachten-
berg whose fiftieth birthday we are
celebrating today.
There were the publications of
Kerr (Charles H. Kerr 81 Co., Chi
cago), but outside of Marks Cap
ital' hardly any Of the MARKHAM
classics published by Kerr could be
used. For one thing, the transla-
tons were mostly inadequate. Be-
sides, the editors had made a habit
Of deleting from the works of Marx
and EngelS such passages and whole
sections as did not meet with the
approval of reformism. The Marx
and Engels that emerged from the
hands Of the American Socialist"
editors were often far from the
original. AS to the works of Lenin,
here the situation was not much
better. The Lenin translations cur
rent in America before 1924 had
been made in a haphazard way,
without due respect to the text,
quite often without a sufficient
knowledge of Russian, very often
with omissions and distortions.
Tremendous Work
AS one who was fortunate enough
to have worked with Comrade
Trachtenberg over some of the In
ternational Publishers books, espe-
cially Lenin, the writer can testify
to the Overwhelming amount of
work Comrade Trachtenberg has
put into these publications. 1t is
really hard to say what position
Comrade Trachtenberg occupies in
the International. He is known to
be the chief That means that
he is everything, from manager and
organizer to the one who discusses
with the translators every detail of
their work and who personally goes
over the translations more than
once, never okaying manuscript
before he is convinced that it is
as nearly flawless as humanity pos
sible.
Is Indefatigable
Comrade Trachtenberg is indie
fatigable in inventing ever new
means Of popularizing MarXist-
feminist literature in America. He
published Voices of Revolt" He
published a series on the American
industries. He embarked upon
pamphlets. The series of PAM
phlets published in the last few
years by the International is in it
self library every class conscious
reader will wish to possess. Not
the least of Con1rade Trachtenberg
ventures was the publication Of
Stains Foundation of Leninism, -
book OF 125 pages, at the almost
unbelievable price of ten cents. This
could be achieved only because
Comrade Trachtenberg intends to
sell 100000 copies Of this edition.
is an expert publisher, Comrade
Trachtenberg has influenced all
other left-wing publications. 1t can
be said with full assurance that if
the publishing and the sale of revo-
lutionary books, magazines and
pamphlets has enormously in
creased, this is to large extent
due to the untiring efforts of Com
radc Trachtenberg.
This, however. is only part of
Conn de Trachtenberg's work.
Comrade Trachtenberg is one of the
leaders of the left-wing cultural
front. There is hardly John Reed
Club in this country which has not
experienced the influence of Com
rade Trachtenberg. BY correspond
erlCe and by personal contact he
has helped shape the policies of our
cultural organizations, encouraging,
stimulating, advising, directing.
A Cultural Representative
If had to define Comrade Trach-
tenberg's role outside of managing
the International Publishers which
is more than a mans job would
say that he is the cultural repre-
: sentative of the Communist move
ment among the mass organiza-
items of the left front. But such
is the nature Of Communist work
that you cannot separate the cul-
tural front from all other fronts
of struggle. This is why Comrade
Trachtenberg is actually engaged
in every phase of the struggle of
the working class.
Conrad e Trachtenberg is an
American Marxist. He took his
MarXism seriously even when he
still was a member of the Socialist
Party, absorbed in the Rand School
and in the S. P. publications. This
is why he could not stay in the
Socialist Party where Marxism has
been degraded, debased, robbed of
its revolutionary contents. He had
to go over to the Communist Party
which holds aloft the banner of
Marxism. Comrade Trachtenberg
is one of the Communist leaders
who manlfests particular interest
as to what revolutionary traditions
we could inherit from the old S. P,
particularly to the revolutionary
tradition Of Eugene Debs. The i'm
preston is gained that Debs 'be-
longs" to Trachtenberg. AS if he
had taken him over from the So
cialist party and brought him to
tho younger generation of Commu-
mist workers in order that they may
find inspiration in the life of this |
splendid fighter and realize more |
clearly that the Socialist Party of
today is betraying the best there
is in its past.
Alexander Trachtenberg can look |
back upon a great amount of work |
accomplished. But he is not a man
that loves to look back. At fifty i
he is full of energy, vigor and
youthfulness. He works untiringly.
He looks ahead-to more work and !
greater achievements.
For himself, I know, he would |
wish no better tribute than a wider
distribution of MarXist-Leninist-