The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-11-08
ANSWER
By MAX SHACHTMAN

The editor of the Producers
News has been kind enouh to ask
me to comment on the indignant
letter from Mr.. H. w. Smith and
l am glad of the opportunity to
contrast a revolutionary interna-
t!onalist position with that of Sta
ilnist befuddlement.
l. The dispute about Stalin's
sales of war materials to italy.
hardly bears dwelling upon any
longer, especially in view of the
thorough and incontestable presen-
tation of facts In the October 4 is
sue Of the News. So far as the
Facts are concerned, Mr.. Smith has
chosen the wrong horse. His iudg-
ment does not improve when he
deals with the politics involved in
the dispute. 1t is an elementary
verify that, while the Soviet I'm
Ion surrounded by a capitalist
world, while the workers in the
other countries are yet the ruled
and not the rulers, Russia Is com
PEELED to deal and trade in cold
business fashion with the capitalist
nations. There is no argument over
that point, nor can there be. But
such business relations must at all
times be subordinated to the inter-
ests of the international movement
Tor the emancipation of the on
pressed. And when Mussolini laun-
cches his bestial assault on Ethiop-
Ia. the exploited masses of the
world, especially the colonial slaves
OF Africa, look particularly to the
Soviet Union for a demonstrative
stand against MussoIini. If. at tha
moment when the Fascists have in.
vaded Ethiopia, the Soviet Union
continues imperturbably to load
cargoes for Italy and blandlv re-
marks that business is business.
that may salve the doubtful revo-
lutlonary conscience of the Stain
ISL faithful, but it is of very cues
tlonable value to the embattled.
hard-pressed Ethiopian people.
2: The second argument of Mr..
Smlth-if we may be permitted TO
Halter him by calling it an are1,-
ment-namely, that only an enemy
OF the working class can utter any
crltlclsm of the Soviet Union when
II Is building up a socialist society,
is positively touching. When viii
ham Green wants to cover nm his
reactlonary tracks and ward off all
criticism of the bureaucracv off the
American Federation of Labor. he
argues that the "Reds" are attack
ing the organized labor movement.
ne often enough hints that thew
are probably agents of the Cham
Der of Commerce. When Tenin
condemned the reactionarv politics
of Czarism in the war, the auto
cracy denounced him as an enemv
OF the people and, in all likelihood.
a German agent. A conservatives
bureaucracy always seeks to iden-
THY. itself with the movement. or-
ganlzatlon or institution over
which it rules. It never aclSnow-
lodges that a criticism is directed
at itself; it hides behind the move
ment 1t dominates and demagogi-
cally assails all critics of fakerisno
as enemies of the movement itself
Now, class conscious militants
nave always had the supremest
contempt for such arguments when
Chey were made-be it bv Russian
cars or by the reactionarv GEARS
IN the labor movement. Whv should
their contempt be changed to re-
spect ard admiration when the self
same self-protective arguments are
made by the Stain bureaucracv ? |
Figure as we will, we cannot find |
4 reason whyl
3. The third point made bv Mr.
smith is that the Soviets are DOING
1obly in the League of Nations |
with all its weaknesses. do |
you see, is nevertheless an inst1u- |
nent for peace. Neither the mn |
SIC nor the lyrics are new. and aga !
ioes not add to their appeal. Tho |
anne argument was made bv the |
-eacrlonary social democrats of |
EUROPE ever since the I,eapue of |
Nations was formed. Thev said. |
VI course, the League is not ner.
.ect, but it's something. We ouoht !
@ work inside it ard help make If |
better instrument of peace IF
Vussla would join it, why, that |
you'd make the Job of refor1nin0
ne League a good deal easier. -
,enln replied contemptuousIv ~
MS siren call by denouncing the
OF Nations as the 'thieves'
ltchen of Geneva, as the "Black
International" The Third Tnterna-
lonal was formed for the purnoea
I smashing the Black Information
and the Yellow international of
oclal-patrlotism. It was not form
. Tor the purpose of BOOSTING the
Jock OF the associated imperiaIist
angsters in Switzerland. That's
little innovation. introduced into
ne so-called communist movement
Y Stain. And the concrete re
ults! Far from advancing the
ause of peace, it has advanced the
ause Of imperialist war. The Sta
nlsts now howl for Sanctions"
gainst Italy until their throats
re torn to tatters. Mr.. Smith
avs plainly that he's even for mil
airy sanctions, j. E., for war q
ainst Italy BY another imperialist
over or powers. What was the
rime of the socialists in 1917
he fact that they induced labo~
} support one set Of "good' i'm
erialists against another set of
Continued tn COIumn KN