TROTSKY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 14 December 1927, Page 5

TROTSKY

: —— FUGITIVE FROM ENEMIES. FORMER ALLIES ATTACKED. OPPRESSION OF WORKERS. ii CARLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPT RIGHT. Received 10.5 a.m. to-dav. BERKUN, Dec. 13. The outstanding figure m Russia at present b> Trotsky, who fearing the summary processes of the O.G.P.U. lias been living underground. He appears at a meeting of his adherents, no one ■kno w whence and vanishes no one knows whither. Although he has no.' home of his own, his supporters are so numerous that thousands of dwellings offer open doors to Trotsky. In a special inter view at Berlin Trotsky made a, remarkable attack on his former allies. Ho said : “The dictatorship of the proletariat has degenerated into the personal regime of a ruling clique which has deprived the workers of freedom of speech, of assembly and of professional defence of class interests. Russian workmen who 'defended the revolution qn the'barricades are compelled to work ten hours daily for a miserable pittance. It cannot be born longer; hence the chief demand of the opposition, namely the democra.tidation of the Communist Party and the restoration of the freedom of the workers. That is all that matters. Until the personal dictatorship of Stalin and his clique is destroyed we will not suspend the struggle. His brain loss policy has brought the country to an economic catastrophe and liis foreign policy has suffered complete fiasco. An entire new economic policy was to. be based on assistance from foreign capital. Capitalists proved less naive-than our diplomats; while continually raising our hopes with promises of credit they have made use of the armistice declared by us to strengthen their positions. As a. result the Soviet is economically isolated. This means the same old dilemma, either a •socialists’ federation or a capitalistic Europe. The promised cohabitation has proved impracticable.”