Up to the present time the most irreconciliable enemy of the bolshevik dictatorship has been the prominent European socialist, Karl Kautsky, who recently celebrated his eightieth birthday. For this reason, the bolsheviks, during the past seventeen years, have had no other, or better name for him than renegade, traitor, social fascist, capitalist flunky, etc. All the rest of the leaders of the international socialist movement played up, and continue to play up to the tune of the Bolsheviks, which [situation] is evident from the appearance of the so-called United Front in many countries.

In connection with this situation, heated controversies arose quite frequently between Mr. Kautsky himself and other prominent leaders of the socialists in Europe. However, none of the socialists were able to dissuade Mr. Kautsky from his position. In his letter to the Russian social-democrats, published in the 2twenty-second issue of The Socialist Herald, he wrote, among other things:"....One condition made my birthday a dismal one; it was the sharp and irreconciliable controversy existing between me and a number of my closest friends, collaborators in vital party activity--in problems which must be solved before we can again take an offensive action. First and most immediate is the question: what immediate goals shall we pursue in our struggle--do we want to fight against dictatorship under the banner of democracy, or under the slogan of our own dictatorship? In this connection, I wish to emphasize the point that at present every type of dictatorhip is reduced to the dictatorship of army and police, and forces under their control."

By his "closest friends", Kautsky means O. Bauer, leader of the Austrian socialists, and F. Adler, general secretary of the Socialist International, who had justified the bolshevik dictatorship in Russia. Recent mass executions in the USSR, however, made Mr. Adler, and many other prominent socialists, indignant.

Recently, Mr. Adler, in his International Bulletin, published an article on dictatorships under the title "Hang Without Delay"; in this article he severely criticizes not only the fascist, but the bolshevik dictatorship as well. Discussing methods of dictatorship in general, and bolshevik terror in particular, Mr. F. Adler writes:

"Dictatorship is a state of war against its own people. But we will refrain from speaking of that military court procedure, which is so fulsomely invoked by European dictatorships, or of the question of abolishing capital punishment. Neither do we want to comment on the fact that after seventeen years of unlimited control, the Soviet government cannot dispense with spasmodic outbreaks of terror. In this article we wish merely to point out certain decrees--horrible in their implication--which have been promulgated by the Central Executive Committee as of December 1.

"According to these decrees, the right of appeal for mercy is denied; death 4sentences are carried out immediately. Thus capital punishment, without any delay, is introduced!

"During these December days, no danger threatened the Soviet Union. On the basis of the very meager reports concerning the executions, it is impossible to form a clear judgment as to whether the defendants were guilty, or of what crime they were guilty, if there was any crime. What, then, were the reasons for the abolition of even the last remnants of legal rights remaining in the Soviet Union? What were the reasons which demanded the immediate execution of the death sentence after the verdict was pronounced? Terror rules under all dictatorships, and there can be no legal guarantees where terror prevails."

From this it is clear that F. Adler has finally understood the nature of all dictatorships, and has begun to speak the language of K. Kautsky regarding such forms of government.

To our disappointment, many other prominent socialists are still unable to grasp the truth, and continue to aid and abet bolsheviks, the most heinous enemies of freedom, by continuing their negotiations with regard to the United Front.