A Reply to Max Kastman
A Reply to Max Kastman ffi\x EASTMAN Is one of our most valued and popular contributor*. Our editors are happy—si our jeederi must he—to receive any comment from him. Xad thu letter comes...
...Even if there are certain overtures to the extent and timing of the Russian drive through Central Europe, that leaves one wondering whether it was entirely military in scope and tonception, nevertheless, it has achieved a definite military valuej and hence, is of supreme importance in our War strategy...
...The military observer's function would be to report whether all the action taken by the Russians were purely military, the civilians to report whether punitive measures and arrest of war criminals were directed against persons other than Nazi Party members or legitimate culprits...
...The General Council of the Italian Railwsymen's Union, comprising representatives of all sections of liberated Italy meeting in extraordinary session in Rome for the purpose of considering the tragic moral snd material situation in which all railwaymen find themselves, and considering: • That the continuation of the present fsmine conditions will inevitably lead to one definite result: the total breakdown of what is left of the will to make, by sacrifice and work, a new justification of life...
...For the »le *f these leftists is almost hopeless, without parallel in Europe, trapped as they are by mortal enemies to the north, east, south, west...
...There he would have found comprehensive statements of what New Leader editors thought about the campaign...
...Our portion seems to us s perfectly logicsl one...
...Italy's Unions Call to World Labor I N a moving and dramatic appeal, the Italian Railwaymen's Union, in a document released through its affiliated International, the International Transport Workers Federation, calls on world labor for help in fighting the hunger which is driving Italian women and children into prostitution...
...He has never taken a hand in thu anti-totalitarian struggle...
...ideal and process west of the Arlberg in Switzerland No one knowing the history of the battle waged by thi Social-Democrats in Austria after the last war to survive during the gory Bela Kun occupation of Hungary ran contemplate with an easy conscience, the fate of the Austrian liberals under Russian occupation...
...It seems to us that this is an act of pure faith on Mr...
...Keeping in jaind the tendencies, connections and interests of these candidates and their supporting groups, we asked which candidate and which group would do the best Job in ending the war, in setting up a world organization to prevent future wars and in leading our domestic industrial system through the mase of demobilization without a plunge into disaster...
...In view of the peculiar circumstances arising out of the presumed prior occupation by the Russian, it is necessary to take these unusual steps...
...Eastman is against these things...
...When he comes to reflect on the whole matter he will probably come to the conclusion that Governor Dewey is not really on his side in this matter...
...Looking at the alternatives in these broad terms, practically the whole American labor movement supported the President...
...That it is no longer possible, and would be unjust and inhuman to remain deaf to the cries that rise up in ever sharper tones from all sides...
...His fellow campaigners were not at all backward in tying this issue in with anti-Semitism —which gave the game away...
...What then is our obligation to tur allies, our war-aims and lastly to the Austrian people themselves...
...Apparently exactly what this country is to look like depend* in large measure upon the measures tat Austrians will take to rid their country of their •invaders...
...Decides further to submit this resolution to the head of the Government and to the Ministers—without portfolio—who represent the parties in power, asking them whether it is of any use for them to remain in a government prevented from protecting the most vital interests of the working masses...
...So are we...
...Signed) For the Central Committee of the Italian Railwaymen's Union CA8ANTI, General Secretary...
...The way in which he did it was reminiscent of Know-Nothingism...
...It Is notable that Max Eastman's quotations frees New Leader editorials are aU from the very last one before the election...
...Hut It seems more useful to attack the business in a positive way...
...Probably the nub of the motive* back in Max Eastman's mind led him to write this letter is the issue of Communism...
...Boundary questions aside, therefore, it is quite an important matter for the United States, exactly what kind of a country it will occupy...
...We hope thst some of them will come from the spirited pen of Max Esstman...
...If we permit for reasons of con venience or even of necessity the slaughter of tbousandi of liberal-leftists in the center of Europe, very littli hope can be held out to the expansion of the democrat...
...It will be noted that when these matters were distasted and arranged, it was not foreseen that the Russians would be the first in Vienna and have first licks St the Austrians...
...It is our suggestion to keep faith with ourselves and the Austrians, that attached to the Russian staff there should be an'American military observer and two representatives of the State and Labor Departments...
...If it is challenged that this is an indication of distrust against the Rut sians, the answer is that we as the occupying powei have the responsibility towards the Austriana to set that their development to a freedom-loving nation, goei forward unimpeded...
...The Declarations of Moscow of 1943 pledged an independent Austrian State of indeterminate size and boundaries...
...That the position in which they find themselves has harmful repercussions on the traditional rectitude, dignity and loyalty of the railwaymen as a class...
...Let us try to view the picture as a whole...
...The Bolshevik record of a >«licy of extermination of all Socialists and other left liberals is too well known to be repeated here...
...We shall continue to criticize him now that the campaign is finished...
...f) That children who tearfully beg for bread, only bread, cannot be put off with empty and misleading promises...
...Certainly nothing that the Russians have done or said leads one to any contrary conclusion...
...That everyone of us feels his hopes betrayed and himself mocked by lies...
...What Governor Dewey was up to was fishing for votes...
...We have helped elect an active and successful politician who, on the whole is on the liberal and progressive side...
...Stslinist Russis is building a great empire and thus standing in the way of setting up a democratic and effective world organization...
...At least half of them remain...
...The Railwaymen, the first free union constituted in Italy, submitted the resolution to the Cabinet asking them "whether it was of any uie for them to remain in a government prevented from protecting the moot vital interettt of the working maeeee," The language of the statement was interpreted as a slap against the Allied Control Commission which retains final say over sll msjor policy derisions in Italy...
...It is a part of our business U bring what pressure we csn to bear in favor of th< things that we believe in...
...Austria then will be the first, if not the only country the Allies will occupy after "liberation" by the Russians...
...Eastman's part...
...be possible to show that these were not the matters which seemed vital to most voters...
...He neglects mention of our state* ment of July 16, called Mootevoit— Without /fines***, and that of October SI, Gentlemen, Thero Art Cast* s«tf» /«•***, or the argument published on October tt...
...We must record the fact that we fail to share Mai Eastman's enthusiasm for Governor Dewey's sddreeses In dignity of manner and in weight of substance the} are far from measuring up to those delivered by th< President Historians and persons with long memoriet agree that the campaign as s whole wss the dirtiest since the Cleveland Blaine tilt, and some of the most serious perversions originated in Governor Dewey'i own addresses...
...Our debt to those •*»t fighters against the fascists in February, 1934, ¦¦st not remain unpaid, for there the first real strugtjt in Europe by the workers to resist oppression took We cannot, therefore, rest content to be guardian •f the picked bones of the Anstrisn chicken...
...The Communists in this country have infiltrated into the government, the trade unions and other sectors of our organized life...
...In the State of New York the m»»i progressive liberal and labor men and women formed the Liberal Party, drew up a program which freely criticised the shortcomings of our foreign and domestic policies and then gave the President enthusiastic support...
...That the spectre of hunger has taken material form and, repulsive and horrible, slinks into our homes, deprising them of the only thing they still possess, their honor...
...Max Eastman seems to be convinced that had Governor Dewey been elected he would have done more than President Roosevelt to head off the designs of Stalin and of our domestic Communists...
...The Impending Austrian Dilemma By Clifford Forster WITH the Russian drive through the Balkans and Hungary nearing the Austrian borders, it is time to consider the political situation of the as-called Anstrisn State and the future of the Austrian gorislDemocrats, labor and other liberal forces...
...One way to go about answering him would be to take these up seriatim...
...Powerful reac tionary forces are constantly pulling and hauling U carry him their way...
...The Editor...
...We do, however, need to remember that there were well over l^MO.OOO men in that category in pre-Anschluss Auswia...
...Wi criticised the President,before the csmpsign snd durini the campaign...
...t> Decides to inform the Government that the railwaymen, if they have to choose between hunger snd fighting, will choose to fight...
...So are most of the liberals and trade unionists who supported the President during the campaign...
...For the Postwar Pull Wo Need Roooovelt...
...The Italian Railwaymen's Union denounces to the civilized world the inhuman treatment which tends to place the worker below the slave, and appeals to the international working masses to intervene with active solidarity...
...The full text of the message told in blunt words the tragic position of Italy today...
...9 That prostitution of the spirit and the body hss only one origin, hunger, because it is not, nor will ever be, possible to tackle social problems before solving those of an economic character...
...At Teheran and afterwards, when the pretumed division of Germany for occupational purposes was .agreed upon, the United States was supposed to have been allotted along with Southern Germany, the territory known as Austria...
...That issue aside, however, if we are to implement the Pour Freedoms so that when, as and if, the United ¦Wes occupies Austria after the war, there will be a ¦inimum of Austrian Socialist, Social-Democratic and Catholic Centrist corpses lining the streets and forests, •teps now must be token to protect the really "lost hattalion" of anti-totalitarian.underground workers still •perating in the "Ostmark...
...But just as he endeavored desperately to garner in the Polish vote, the Italian vote and the Townsend vote—to he made a fervent bid for the antiCommunist vote...
...Most opinion on our (octree in the campaign has been on the other side, liberals and trade unionists have blamed us for resuiting critieal of the President in the midst of the hortatory heat Max Eastman does something to redress the balance...
...Practically all the leaders of this movement agree with Mas Eastman in many of his views, yet when it came to a choice between Roosevelt and Dewey they came to the same conclusion as The New Leader...
...Xad thu letter comes opportunely...
...In the first place, we can certainly find no fault with the Russians undertaking the bloody business of chopping Germany loose from her satellites...
...Mas Eastman Unas up seven issues which seemed to teat important...
...We all took part in a campaign in which two candidates, with different records and philosophies and with different sorts of groups and interests grouped about them, were competing for support...
...Thst mesne, among othei things, that we shall continue to publish the most realistic and effective articles which we can get about the Soviet government and about our domestic followers of Stalin...
...It would, it seems to us...
...We are, of course, assuming thst ths Russians will overrun Hungary and continue onward through Austria, meeting the Allied armies in Innsbruck or Salzburg st the time the war in Europe ends...
Vol. 27 • December 1944 • No. 48
