Opponents of Declaration Hold Meeting in Philadelphia
Opponents of Declaration Hold Meeting in Philadelphia??
PHILADELPHIA. — About 150 aetive Socialists, representing Bine states, met here Sunday to organize the campaign to defeat the so-called...
...The way had been cleared for such action by the NEC's submitting the Declaration to a committee of law...
...The meeting unanimously adopted a statement expressing its position with the understanding that ' it should be given only to the Socialist press...
...Goebel, New1 Jersey...
...An attempt is to be made to get together leaders on both sides and submit these suggestions to them...
...An Administrative Committee of members living in the vicinity of New York to carry on daily activities and to work under the direction of the Executive Committee was also elected, composed of Schwartzkopf (Connecticut), Lib-ros and Stark (Pennsylvania), Goebel (New Jersey), Polin (Maryland), Hedman, Chanin, Weinberg, Panken, Lee, Waldman, Solomon, Lewis, Vladeck, Kahn Low, Guskin, Feinstone, Cassidy, Kritzer, Brom-berg, Gillis, Orr, Hendin, G. A. Gerber, Esther Friedman, Rifkin (New York...
...organisstion was then set up and temporary officers elected...
...It ignores the application of these basic principles to the most' vital i-mics that today confront the American people and particularly the working class...
...We believe that in no better way can the Socialist Party measure up to the unprecedented opportunities which now confronV it...
...By announcing their intention to seize political power, whether in defiance of the will of the majority or not...
...The group decided to organize under the name of the "Committee for the Preservation of Socialist Policies Within the Socialist' Party...
...Hutton, Vermont...
...Conference to Promote Unity In Ranks of Socialist Party...
...Unfortunately, the ardor of conflict, the passions aroused by battle, the haste and hysteria at the convention and the intemperatenest of discussion and action tince have in many cases persuaded leaders and rank and file on both sides that they must dig in ajid refuse to bud<»e the fraction of an inch...
...At this time to create a schism within the party on commitments that have no bearing upon the immediate problems facing the Socialist Party and the labor movement Is indicative of the nature of the Declaration of Principles...
...it (the Socialist Party) unhesi-tjt>'<g|y applies itself, to the task •i replacing the bogus democracy...
...Although no statement or manifesto of principles was adopted, the following sums up speeches made by several of the comrades which seemed to meet with general approval...
...The following resolution was unanimously adopted: "This conference registers its earnest opinion that in the present crisis it is the duty of members emphatically to insist on the unity of the party no matter what the outcome of the present referendum may be and to discourage and condemn any course that may tend to disrupt this unity...
...Roewer, Epstein, Reivo, Eisenberg and Arkin, Massachusetts...
...Vladeck, Davidow and Roewer were elected a committee to take up with the National Executive Committee the procedure and manner of voting upon the pending referendum...
...About 150 aetive Socialists, representing Bine states, met here Sunday to organize the campaign to defeat the so-called Detroit Declaration of Principles in the coming referendum...
...Lee, Vladeck, Waldman, Panken, Solomon, Kahn and G. A. Gerber, New York...
...The proposed Declaration is inadequate and confused as a statement of basic Socialist principles...
...We have no desire to force changes down anybody's throat...
...They (the Socialists) will Iheet war and the detailed plans tor war already mapped out' by the war-making arms of the gov-, jrnment by massed resistance...
...George Turitz, Robert Tyler and Julius Umansky, plus the officers...
...We categorically deny any such intention and we affirm most emphatically that we are determined to continue fighting within the party for what we consider true Socialist policy...
...We are aware of the fact that the battle today is not merely one of principles...
...Among the speakers at the conference, practically all volunteering from the floor, were Dr...
...With brief addresses by Panken, Oneal and Lee the meeting closed...
...baum, Minkoff, Tyler, Steinhardt, Gross, Levy, Umansky and the two Friedmans...
...Bertha H. King, District of Columbia...
...We call upon the Socialist Party membership to join with us in bringing about the defeat of the proposed Declaration of Principles and thereby to permit the Declaration which was reaffirmed at the 1932 convention of the Socialist Party to stand as the party position...
...The point was made at the con-ference that the personnel of the committee included comrades from branches all over the city who had been in both groups and in no groups—so-called rights, lefts and centrists—but all united in service and devotion to the party...
...Schwartz, Berger, Stark, Maurer, Weisberg, Van Essen and Wilson, Pennsylvania...
...Davidow and Ruskind, Michigan...
...all expressed the necessity of defeating the resolution in order to prevent the Socialist Party from deviating from Socialist policies...
...Unanimously adopting a resolution calling for unqualified loyalty to the Socialist Party and repudiating all action from whatever source looking toward disintegration, the group proceeded to plan for bringing together discordant elements and to map out a course of action for the immediate future...
...An Executive Committee was elected consisting of McLevy and Plunkett, Connecticut...
...The matter is then to be carried to the NEC and the party membership...
...He declared that the sole purpose of the meeting was to carry on the fight within the So-aHp Party for its defeat...
...by declaring their intention to use mass resistance against war, a term which is subject to various interpretations and which can bring incalculable damage to the Socialist Party and subject Socialists to unnecessary persecution;, by offering to protect all who may come into conflict with the law, regardless of the nature of their offense or whether their action is in accordance with the accepted principles and policies of the Socialist Party, the majority of the convention embarked upon a new and dangerous course of action, completely and violently at variance with the methods which the Socialist Party has alwavs advocated...
...A movement for unity within the Socialist Party and for harmonization of its conflicting elements was launched Monday night in New York City when 76 active party members met to discuss grave problems confronting the movement...
...of capitalist parliamentarianism by a genuine workers' democracy...
...together and convince them that the party will be the loser if this bitter partisanship continues...
...Upon this question the proposed Declaration is unrealistic...
...It is also planned to call a meetip- of comrades in New York City soon to submit the project to them...
...yers for advice and suggestion for possible revision in case of conflict with pit-sent state laws, it was believed...
...The group, which adopted the provisional name of Socialist Party Unity Conference, is headed by Matthew M. Levy as chairman, George Steinhardt as vice-chairman, Samuel H. Friedman as seer retary and Harry Lopatin as recording secretary...
...The farmers and wage earners of the nation are beginning to respond to our appeal...
...Yellin, Weintraub and Pauli, Ohio...
...Alexander Kahn of New York reported briefly upon the activities of the Committee for the Preservation of the Socialist Party, and upon motion they were unanimously approved...
...We believe that we can get the faction...
...The consensus of those present was that the organization would not pledge anybody to vote for or against the Declaration...
...Agreement obtained among the comrades present—comprising some who opposed, others who favored, some who had not yet made up their minds about the Detroit Declaration, and still others who felt that the importance of the vote op the Declaration had been exaggerated beyond all true proportion—that the new group was not to be considered merely another way of passing or defeating the Declaration...
...After many years of work conducted in face of bitter opposition, the message of Socialism is beginning to take root...
...Henry and Wallace, Indiana...
...The proponents of the Declaration of-Principles are spreading rumors that its opponents intend to secede from the party in the event the Declaration is carried...
...Simon Berlin, James Oneal, Louis P. Goldberg, Louis Sehaffer, William M. Feigen...
...Too much stress hat been laid both upon the history and the actions of individuals on either side,-and to a certain extent the larger issue has been obscured...
...A provisions...
...On the provisional organization, conference and continuation committee are J. George Friedman, Murray Grots, Sidney Hertzbergi Mark Khinoy, Issay Minkjff, Theodore Shapiro...
...There are sincere, devoted comrades in both the so-called 'old guard' and 'militant' groupings whose only thought is to serve the movement...
...ly Samuel H. Friedman...
...What the group was determined to achieve was genuine unity based not upon surrender of fundamental principle but upon mutual agreement on the fundamentals of Socialism and mutual desire to prevent the party's being wrecked upon the rocks of partisanship or sectarianism or conflict between personalities...
...In his opening address Chairman George Roewer of Massachusetts pointed to the dangers which would result from the adoption of the Declaration and emphasized its inconsistency with Socialist principles...
...This Eastern Conference of Socialists declares its opposition to the Declaration of Principle-adopted by the recent national convention at Detroit, now before the party membership for final approval or rejection...
...If the capitalist system should collapse in a general chaos and confusion, which cannot permit of orderly procedure, the Socialist Party, whether or not in such case it is a majority, will not shrink from the responsibility of organizing and maintaining a government under the workers' rule...
...STATEMENT...
...The passages in the said Declaration to which we take particit lar exception on the ground than, they constitute a repudiation of the aims and principles of the Socialist Party as enunciated from the time of its organization thirty-four years ago until the present day rjkad as follows: ' '"friey (the Socialists) will loyally support, in the tragic event offwar, any of their comrades who for anti-war activities or refusal to perform war service come into Conflict with public opinion or the law...
...it completely disregards the reality of American life, and all it would bring about is to alienate the toiling masses from the Socialist Party...
...But we feel that there are many cases where calm, dispassionate, unprejudiced discussion in a comradely way between comrades will iron out difficulties and may make it possible to submit to the membership of the pa/ty something on which most comrades in the differing i anipi agree...
...Comrades Lee (New York), Nei-atadt (Maryland), Davidow (Michigan), Schwartzkopf and Plunkett (Connecticut), Stark (Philadelphia), Vladeck (New York), Reivo (Massachusetts), Goebel (New Jersey), Sarah Limbach (Pennsylvania), and others, explained the situation in their respective states...
...It places its emphasis, not upon the struggle against capitalism, but upon the question of war, which is but one of the evils that grow out of capitalism...
...Toole and Neistadt, Maryland...
...The statement adopted at the meeting follows...
...The conference agreed that a sensible approach to the -roblem seemed to be to suggest certain possible changes in or substitutes for disputed sections or controverted passages in the Declaration...
...The committee was given power to add other states as occasion may arise...
Vol. 17 • June 1934 • No. 26
