The Adversaries of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
July 1908
Social Democrat, Vol. XII No. 7, July, 1908, pp.302-307,
In the March number of the “Social-Democrat” there appeared
an article under the title “Socialism by the Sword,” by “Mousa,” a contributor
to “Droschak,” the organ of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. This article
is written in reply to mine under the same title, in which I endeavored to show
that the Droschakist Party was not a Socialist Party before its last
convention, where the delegates decided to be called Socialists and to send a
delegate to the International Socialist Congress for the first time in
seventeen years, and adopted a new programme. I have made my point clear in
saying that the very claim that the leaders make - that it was a Socialist organization
since its birth - is misleading their members, and makes us doubt their
sincerity in endeavoring to convert them to Socialism, which they need very
badly if they are to be called Socialists.
“Mousa” in order to refute my statement that the Droschakist
Party by its original programme was solely organized for the emancipation of
Turkish Armenia and that its activities for the last seventeen years tended
toward that aim, answers: “The
Droschakist Party embraces both Turkish and Russian Armenia and for seventeen
years it has inscribed the Socialist ideal on its programme, which it has
propagated theoretically ever since because for any practical work for a ‘class
struggle,’ in the modern sense of the word, the ground is entirely wanting in
Turkey.” He forgets that this is their new programme adopted at their
convention of 1907, and that in their report to the International Socialist
Congress of 1907 there is a passage which reads as follows:
“Although bound by its
original programme to work for the
emancipation of Turkish Armenia Russia
in 1903 to protest against the confiscation of the property of the Armenian
Church by the Russian Government. He ignores that their original programme, the
fourth edition of which was published as late as 1906, was simply formed for
the emancipation of Turkish Armenia. I
fail to see in it the word Socialism, but instead I read, on its third page, a
pronouncement against it, calling it a visionary, Utopian dogma, with which the
practical Droschakist Party cannot Co-operate, and thus leave aside the
immediate demands of the people. Yes, the Droschakists have been so
practical for the last 17 years that instead of organizing the workers and
propagating Socialism, they, standing, of course, for the interests of the whole Armenian nation, all classes combined,
took into the party everybody whether he believed in the class struggle or not,
so long as he wanted to work for the emancipation of Armenia. And to-day
“Mousa” and his friends are at a loss
whether they have to satisfy their pure and simple nationalist members, or
the awakened proletarians whom they
still misinform about Socialism
“Mousa” - ignoring the facts that I brought forward in my
previous article to show that the Armenian Revolutionary Federation consciously
and unconsciously embittered the Armenians against the Mohammedans says: “Innumerable are the proclamations and
appeals, in Turkish, Armenian and French, which the Droschakist Party has
during 17 years addressed to the ‘Young Turks’ and the Mohammedan world (in
Turkey and Russia); appeals for solidarity in the common struggle against the
common enemy. “
…..the agreement of the
revolutionary elements of the different nationalities of Turkey to work harmoniously against the common enemy,
although defective in proletarian viewpoint, is a glorious achievement in
itself and none rejoiced in it more than we Socialists, not even those who have
opposed us for advocating it and proclaimed that the Turks were inherently criminal and incapable of any revolutionary ideas…
…….I wanted to show that their frantic efforts were made to bring about European intervention, just
as he says; “We are, alas! only too
conscious of the inferiority of our forces ..... We have reckoned on another factor, the European intervention.”
You see, there is no catering for the
other revolutionary forces in Turkey Turkey
“The Socialization of
the Land.” If that is Socialism, the Droschakist Party could have easily
done the same in Turkey ,
as there is plenty of land and numerous people who have been deprived of their
land. But “Mousa,” being a contributor to “Droschak,” and representing the
intellectual force of their party, ought to stop one minute and realize that by
uttering those words he is giving himself away. The socialization of the land alone is not Socialism, the dividing of
the land, which he really means, is a petit bourgeois demand. The Single
Taxers in the United States
have the same demand, but are the most bigoted and retrogressive people one
ever comes across…
…Their organ
“Hairenik” (Fatherland), their organizer and their party advised the Armenians
to vote for the strong party, the Republican Party, in order to please them
and to induce President Roosevelt to use his big stick to solve the Armenian
question. They have advocated that Socialism is a hindrance to the cause of the
Armenian revolution. The party has not even criticized their members for
breaking strikes, who justified themselves by saying they had to send money to
help the Armenian revolutionaries at home.
Among other arguments, “Mousa” brings forward the following
statement: “Our duty as Socialists
imposed upon us the necessity of defending our national culture. Our opponents,
who also call themselves Socialists, are completely indifferent to all the
class-consciousness of its members for the last 14 years of its struggles for
the defense of the imprescriptible rights of nationality.”…… let us see
what he means by national culture and imprescriptible rights to which the
Socialists are indifferent. If he means
the language, there is no Socialist on earth that tolerates any
encroachment by anyone upon the freedom of speech, including language. Our
comrades in Germany are tirelessly fighting the schemes of their Government to
impose the German language upon the Polish population, but Socialists will not waste any energy to impose the national
language upon those who, through industrial conditions, are either estranged or
obliged to talk a commercial language; they will reserve their energy to fight
the industrial system that is at the bottom of those evils.
………Socialists maintain that wherever the working man is,
regardless of his nationality, he has the right and duty to join hands with the
other workers for the common fight against the common enemy….. Socialists are
national enough in organizing the proletarians of their own nationality to
hasten the unity of the workers of the world, which alone will be able to do
away with classes and thus make tyranny impossible. Least of all are the
Armenian Socialists indifferent to the sufferings of the Armenians, but, as all
other Socialists, they are not going to be moved by the spirit of vengeance, Vengeance means perpetuation of race
hatred, which, impairing the solidarity of the workers, retards their victory.
On the other band, Socialists, without
any sentimentalism, coolly and patiently work to bring harmony between two
warring peoples, which is the best safeguard against any bloodshed.
“Mousa” asserts that in all the sanguinary and desperate
struggles of the national defense the Droschakist Party has been alone, and it
is due to this circumstance that they won't be sympathy of the masses of the
Armenian workers, and precisely this sympathy irritates their opponents and
drives them to insinuations and calumnies………..I will say this, that Socialists
are not so foolish as to become irritated
by the popularity of any party, especially
when they know that the popular party is doing everything to retain its
popularity. The Republican Party in the United States is the most popular
party, but that does not prove that it stands for the working class, and that
the working men keep that party in power because they are conscious of their
interests.
Who are those Armenian Socialists, anyhow? Most of them have
been formerly either members of the Droschakist or Huntchakist parties, who, seeing that the Nationalist movement is
not a solution of the suffering of the Armenian people but a hindrance to the
work of uniting the workers under the banner of Socialism, came out of the
ranks of those parties and occupy themselves in organizing the workers.
.. Nothing but the downfall of capitalism and the coming of Socialism can wipe
away the tears of all the oppressed and bring peace among the nations of the
world.
MARA
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