Wicks: SP National Convention Delegates Remain Silent [June 2, 1923] 1 Socialist Party National Convention Delegates Remain Silent in Face of Attack on Soviet Russia: Cahan Rages in Attack on Soviet Rule. by H.M Wicks Published in The Worker [New York], v. 6, whole no. 277 (June 2, 1923), pg. 5. A compilation of the most loathsome back stairs first asserted that most of the leaders of the Russian gossip against Soviet Russia, emanating from the jour- Revolution were sincere and then proceeded to con- nalistic house of prostitution of the entire capitalist tradict himself in the most flagrant manner. world, combined with the vapid ravings of his own Stooping to the gutter for epithets of degrada- distraught mind, constituted the keynote speech at the tion to hurl at Communism, Cahan declared that opening of the 11th National Convention of the So- Trotsky is a “bombastic windbag” and that his present cialist Party in New York City, Saturday, May 10 physical condition “is undoubtedly due to his earlier [1923]. complete moral collapse.” Then, in order no one could Abraham Cahan, notorious Bolshevik baiter and mistake his cowardly attack upon Lenin, the mounte- editor of the Jewish (Socialist) Daily Forward, deliv- bank Cahan screeched deliriously that the great leader ered this opening address in place of Morris Hillquit, of the Bolshevik revolution was a “muddlehead luna- who is now in Europe. tic.” Cahan, although not a delegate, was introduced In almost any gathering of workingmen on earth by Algernon Lee as “that old, loved and trusted fighting this vile assault would have been the signal for vigor- Socialist comrade,” and immediately launched in a ti- ous protests from at least a part of the audience, but in rade that was so acrimonious, intemperate, and obvi- this Socialist Party convention the few workers sat ously false that the majority of the delegates were aghast, scarcely believing that one professing to speak stunned. for the working class could sink so low, while the petty Only the immediate satellites of Cahan — the bourgeois elements remained motionless, refusing to scribblers of the New York Call and others who owe respond to Cahan’s obvious pause for applause. their existence as ornaments of the Socialist Party to “Did you see in the papers about that $13 mil- the Hillquit machine — appeared pleased. lion fund sent out by the Bolshevik government to Otto Branstetter, the National Secretary of the corrupt the world?” asked Cahan. Then he recited the Socialist Party, smirked in the most cringing and ser- latest piece of capitalist propaganda going the rounds vile manner, while Lee, as chairman grimaced like a against Soviet Russia. Bukharin, who is said to have trained baboon at each barrage of billingsgate hurled asked for a report on expenditures, was denounced as at the leaders of the World Revolution. a “simple-minded fellow — a mere baby in intelli- gence.” Defames Lenin and Trotsky. Karl Radek, according to Cahan, is an adven- turer who has a shady past in various European parties Prefacing his attack with the declaration that the and cannot be considered an honest man in any sense Bolshevik revolution was at first an experiment and of the word. that he was anxious to see it carried out, even though Gregory Zinoviev, President of the Executive it was under the leadership of Communists, Cahan Committee of the Communist International, is the 1 2 Wicks: SP National Convention Delegates Remain Silent [June 2, 1923] “rotten egg” of the whole Communist movement. “He in this country. As there are no hereditary kings here shot 300 in Petrograd” and “some say he has depos- in the British sense, Cahan would have to content him- ited enormous sums in a bank in Switzerland for fu- self with the spectacle of Victor Berger and Morris ture use.” Hillquit pirouetting before Warren G. Harding and In dealing with the Communist movement in the First Lady of the Land. America he again repeated the infamous lie to the ef- After this digression his disordered mind soon fect that the Friends of Soviet Russia, the only work- wandered back to his pet aversion, Soviet Russia, and ing class organization in the United States effectively he concluded by asserting that a group in Russia had fighting the famine in Russia, are a gang of thieves got hold of a good thing and did not want to give it and that the treasurer has now “skeedaddled,” and that up, as most of them were grafters. hundreds of thousands of dollars were stolen outright. “In dealing with the Communists we must al- Cahan shamelessly boasted that his activity was respon- ways fight them. Never show them any favors, but sible for the failure of the tool drive of the Friends of knock them in the head.” This advice seems to have Soviet Russia, an admission that, if true, brands him been followed by the yellow leaders of some of the as more contemptible than any other capitalist hire- needle trades unions, who employ sluggers and gang- ling on earth. The creature not only deliberately con- sters against the “Left” opposition in their own unions. spired to enforce perpetual starvation upon the help- When he left the platform, six of the delegates less children of the famine region in Russia, but has applauded, the others looking at one another in be- the audacity to boast of it before a conference profess- wilderment. Especially was the effect upon the out- ing to represent a part of the labor movement in this of-town [non-NYC] delegates noticeable. They had country. never heard anything to equal Cahan’s assault upon Soviet Russia even from the most rabid capitalist pro- Admits “SP” Failure. pagandists. This outburst, obviously official, coming from As Cahan raved on, he began to perceive that one of the foremost figures in the Socialist Party, brands his remarks were making but little impression, so he them potential assassins of the working class of the glared at the delegates, few in number and scattered United States. Just as Scheidemann and Ebert in Ger- about the hall, and shouted that the Socialist Party many perpetrated outrages against the revolutionary had failed. workers that even the Kaiser and his minions shrank “The fact that so few comrades are present is from contemplating, so the Hillquits, Bergers, Cahans, proof that we are a failure.” But, in spite of the present Oneals, Lees, and others of their ilk in this country failure there is hope for Socialism in the United States crawl beneath the vilest of capitalist hirelings in their today, “the same as there was in England 30 years ago.” verbal assaults upon the vanguard of the working class. Ignorant of the vast difference in the economic life of Potential assassins of the revolutionary workers, but Britain of 30 years ago and the highly developed im- not possessing the power to indulge their aspirations, perialism of the United States today, this charlatan these scoundrels at the head of the Socialist Party con- endeavored to explain his weird notion of the creation tent themselves with repeating and amplifying the pro- of political parties. About the only intelligible thing paganda of the British government spy and newspa- he said was that “we have got to go about it in an per correspondent, Frances McCullagh, and the Ameri- Anglo-Saxon manner.” Like the balance of the ignora- can detective and union-smasher, William J. Burns. muses at the head of the Socialist Party, this fakir imag- ines that capitalism here must be overcome in a differ- Afraid of WP Communication. ent manner than elsewhere in the world. Cahan then defended the British parliamentary Secretary Otto Branstetter announced that he leaders, J. Ramsay MacDonald & Co., for dining with had a communication from C.E. Ruthenberg, Secre- the king of England and said that he would welcome tary of the Workers Party, calling for a United Front of the day when the same performance could be repeated labor. Instead of reading it he waited for action from Wicks: SP National Convention Delegates Remain Silent [June 2, 1923] 3 the floor. Evidently the machinery was not in good Then came Cameron King of California, with a working order, for after a painful pause, Branstetter peal to vote down both propositions. “Why should announced that the document was rather lengthy. Fi- we, who have less than 12,000 members, presume to nally Oneal came to the rescue with a motion to refer tell J. Ramsey MacDonald, and the leaders of the Ger- it to the Resolutions Committee. Then came a discus- man party what attitude they should take toward their sion on international relations. Under this head were own government? We should not try to dictate to these two propositions submitted on the agenda. One was great men. Why, this proposition would exclude that the delegates to the International Congress at Hjalmar Branting of Sweden, and in case Comrade Hamburg be instructed to vote in favor of unity of MacDonald entered the British cabinet, he would be Socialist and trade union forces of the world. The sec- excluded. I tell you, comrades, it is unthinkable! We ond that the delegates be instructed to support the must go in with these men and help them rebuild the reunion of Socialist forces in one International on the International, which was so badly shattered during the condition (1) that no party be admitted unless it war.” specifically repudiates Burgfrieden or Social Peace; and Cameron King himself was a jingo during the (2) that no other condition be imposed. late war, and an enemy of the “Huns.” Now that the William Karlin, a lawyer of New York, declared capitalist governments of Germany and the United that the amendment to the second proposition to refuse States are at peace, King, like all other yellow social- to admit parties unless they repudiate Social Peace ists, can again establish diplomatic relations.