SPLIT INTO TWO FACTIONS

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 19, 18 October 1926, Page 11

SPLIT INTO TWO FACTIONS

WHOLE COMMUNIST EXPERIMENT JEOPARDISED STRUGGLE BETWEEN OPPOSING BOLSHEVIK GROUPS GOVERNMENT BY OFFICIALDOM Some remarkable disclosures respecting affairs'on the , Russian Communist Party are made by an American Com. munist. He declares that the party is torn and that the whole experiment is jeopardised owing to its being split into two factions, headed respectively by Stalin and Trotsky.

BY Telegraph.—Press association.— OoPibigHt.

(Rec, October 17, 5.5 p.m.)

New York, October 16,

Mr. Max Eastman, a noted American Communist, has written a special article intimating that the situation in Russia is much more serious than is generally known. He declares that the Communist Party is torn and that the whole experiment is jeopardised owing to iti being split into two one headed by Stalin and the other by Trotsky. He asserts that Stalin has practically assumed the dictatorship of Russia, with the aid of the bureaucracy he has succeeded ill establishing, while the majority of original leaders of the revolution are flocking to Trotskv’s banner. Further than this, he declares that Lenin’s original purpose of government by the proletariat has practically been abandoned for government bv officialdom, and he claims that Lenin's “Last Testament,” which hitherto, he alleges, has been suppressed, foresaw the danger of a split and urged Stalin’s replacement. STRUGGLE FOR CONTROL.

Mr. Eastman’s statement, in part, is as follows: —

“The most important thing happening in the world to-dav is the struggle be‘ ,,- een two groups of Bolsheviks for

control of tlie Russian ' Communist party and, through this the entire territory of the former Russian Empire. The group now holding power is dominated by Stalin and comprises Bukharin, Rykov, Kalinin, and Tomsky The belief of this group is that the victory of the revolution and fu-

ture development can be defended only by holding power firmly in their own hands and employing every conceivable device to prevent a regime of free discussion in the rank and file of the party, or real democratic election of officials controlling it and dominating the party by their personality.' . ■ « - • . ■

“At the head ; of the opposing group is Trotsky,' who now has with him not only Radek, Rakovsky, Sokolnikov, Piatakov, Preobra'shensky and Krestinsky, but also his bitterest opponent of two years, Zinovieff, and Kamenefl This group believes that the revolution can be preserved and made to move forward only if power is taken from the bureaucrats and professional party officials, systematically appointed and controlled by Stalin, and restored to the rank and file members of the party. There ,is no question with either party of democracy being extended beyond the limits of the million members of the Communist party. LENIN’S TESTAMENT. “Lenin when lying on his deathbed in 1923, deprived of the power of speech, wrote a letter predicting a struggle between Trotsky and Stalin, which has been called his testament to the party. It was locked in a safe and declared by Stplin and his associates to be nonexistent. This was because the letter vigorously criticised Stalin and demanded his removal.”

The testament follows, in part: “By stability of the Central Comms tec I mean measures to prevent a split so far as such measures can be taken. Our party rests upon two classes. For that reaon its instability is possible and if there cannot exist agreement between those classes its fall is inevitable. Tn such an event it would

be useless to take any measures or discuss stability.' But I trust that in the remote future it will be possible to

prevent talk anom what’l think, is the ■ fundamental factor in the matter of stability in such members of the Central Committee as Stalin and Trotsky. The relations between them constitute, in my opinion, but a danger of that split which is avoidable. Such avoidance might be

promoted by raising the number of members of the committee to 50 or 100. .

THE TWO ABLEST LEADERS. “Stalin, having become General Secretary, has concentrated enormous power in his hands. I am not sure that he al wavs knows how to use that power with sufficient caution. On the other hand, Trotsky, as was proven by his struggle against the Central Committee in connection with the question of the people’s Commissariat of Ways and Communications, is distinguished- not only by exceptional abilities, and is surelv the ablest man in the present Central Committee, but he is also too far-reaching in self-confidence and disposition to be attracted by the purely administrative side of affairs. these two qualities in the two ablest leaders of the present Central Committee might innocently lead to a split, and if our party does not take measures to prevent it a split might arise unexpectedly.” j Mr. Eastman proceeds: “The testament was followed by a postcript—'Stalin is too rough, and this fault, while entirely supportable among us Communists,- becomes insupportable in the office of general secretarv. Therefore I propose, comrades, to find a wav to remove Stalin from that position and appoint to it another who in all regards differs from Stalin and has one superiority, namely, he is more patient, polite, attentive to his comrades, and less capricious.’ ”

STALIN VICTORIOUS

REPORTED CAPITULATION OF TROTSKY (Rec. October 1.8, 0.35 a.m.) London, October 17.

The “Observer’s” special Moscow correspondent is reliably informed that the Communist internal controversy ended by the capitulation of Trotsky and Zinovieff, who avoid extreme disciplinary measures, but henceforth will be eliminated from influence and leadership Stalin is now free to continue his policy of co-operation with . flic peasants.

UNPOPULAR ABROAD

RED FLAG MAY HAVE TO GO Riga, October 15. The Soviet leader Stalin is doing his utmost to split the Oppositionists. He is offering privileged posts to some and arresting others. He has appointed a commission to consider the abolition of the Red Flag, as it creates unpleasantness abroad, and substituting for it a red and green flag with gold fringe, the whole bearing the emblem of the hammer, and sickle.- .