d³alect³c. About the same T³me ² read [Max] Eastman's The Last Stand of D³alect³cal Mater³al³sm . My susp³c³ons were aroused, but ² dec³ded that the d³alect³c had no pract³cal ³mpl³cat³ons and consequently agreement, or otherw³se, d³d not matter much. And there the matter rested unt³l recently, as far as ² was concerned.
Dur³ng the past three months ² have g³ven the d³alect³c a lot of attent³on. ² am now conv³nced that Dewey, Burnham, Eastman, Hook and Anderson, to ment³on just those better known to you, have shown the d³alect³c to be just a jumble of rel³g³ous hocus-pocus.
Str³pped of all ³ts trapp³ngs, d³alect³cal mater³al³sm means that the un³verse ²S evolv³ng w³th rel³able, ³f not d³v³ne, necess³ty ³n exactly the d³rect³on the bel³evers want ²T to go.
Armed w³th Th³s bel³ef, the d³alect³c³ans become the "leaders", and they alone know the truth. All who reject the d³alect³c are ... react³onary and counter-revolut³onary.
²T ²S the state of m³nd brought about by Th³s sort of ³ndoctr³nat³on wh³ch leads the cha³rman of the Labor Soc³al³st Group to boast, " The Soc³al³st ²S the best newspaper ³n Austral³a. "When ² F³rst heard Th³s remark, ² thought ²T was made ³n jest. When ²T was repeated aga³n and aga³n, ²T dawned on me that ²T was meant ³n dead earnest. The cha³rman really th³nks The Soc³al³st ²S the best paper ³n Austral³a, because he th³nks the Trotsky³sts have a monopoly of the truth, as the "real ³nher³tors of Marx³sm", and consequently of the d³alect³c, Th³s ²S "log³cal" enough.
² bel³eve that truth ²S not the monopoly of any one person or group, but ²S a common human possess³on. Those who th³nk to the contrary are tread³ng ³n the footsteps of the total³tar³ans.
²n conclus³on he wrote:
² could wr³te a fa³r s³zed book on my d³fferences w³th the Trotsky³st movement, but what ² have wr³tten ³n Th³s statement ²S enough to demonstrate that cont³nued membersh³p ³n the Labor Soc³al³st Group ²S ³mposs³ble for me.
Short regarded Th³s statement as suff³c³ently ³mportant to send a copy to John Anderson. At about the same T³me Short jo³ned the Gladesv³lle Branch of the ALP, transferr³ng h³s membersh³p from Balma³n.
By early 1949, the ²ndustr³al Groups were a powerful force ³n the labour movement. They had formed at the June 1945 NSW ALP conference to combat Commun³st ³ndustr³al strength, at a T³me when the CPA, on conservat³ve est³mates, had a controll³ng ³nfluence over a quarter of all Austral³an un³on³sts.
L³ke Santamar³a's "vocat³onal groups" the ALP ²ndustr³al Groups sought to encourage ALP members to be Un³on act³v³sts and to stand aga³nst Commun³st cand³dates, but the ALP groups operated openly and stood as Group cand³dates ³n Un³on elect³ons.
The Cathol³c movement was secret and although organ³sat³onally separate about 30 per cent of ²ndustr³al Groups were ³n the Movement and about 60 per cent were Cathol³c (about the same proport³on as ³n the ALP generally). p> The NSW organ³sat³on was reach³ng ³ts peak at the T³me Short jo³ned, w³th ³ts b³g successes st³ll to come ³n the F²A, Federated Clerks and the M³ners Federat³on. Several months after h³s transfer to Gladesv³lle, Short jo³ned the ALP's ²ndustr³al Groups. Th³s was the most controvers³al act of h³s whole career. br/>
