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Hilferding appeared as my chief opponent. His speech lasted about three hours.
He started his speech against us with the following subterfuge. On the platform, where the committee of the congress was seated, there stood a big poster. On one side was written in German, "Workers of the world unite!" On the other—also in German—"To the German workers, from the Petrograd Labour Commune." I am not certain how this banner came to Halle. Apparently it was brought back by the German delegates after the First Congress of the Communist International.
On the first day of the congress this poster was turned to the audience, with that side showing which bore the inscription, "Workers of the world unite!" But on the day when my speech was delivered, perhaps intentionally or otherwise, this poster was turned the other way round. Hilferding thought it appropriate to begin with a remark directed to the circumstance.
This is symbolic, he said. It is most significant that the Petrograd Labour Commune should appear on the stage! … Hilferding, however, miscalculated the effect of his remark. The vast majority of the congress, which hitherto had paid no attention to the inscription on the poster, now, thanks to the kind assistance of Herr Hilferding, turned its gaze to these words and gave a hearty cheer for the Petrograd Labour Commune. The first part of Hilferding's speech was most characteristic. He mentioned in it the "Schmutz-Konkurrenz, i.e., the "low competition" of the Left leaders of the Independents against the Right leaders. The essence of this reproof was as follows: "You, the leaders of the Left Independents, yourselves belong to the same caste as we do. Your profession is the same as ours. You are leaders just as we are. In order to ingratiate yourself with the masses you are now resorting to watchwords more extreme than ours. But this is nothing else than "low competition" on your part. You wish to cut us out by pandering to the low instincts of the masses. But you will be punished for that (threateningly); to-morrow the masses will find even your watchwords not sufficiently extreme, the syndicalists and anarchists will meanly compete against you, and the masses will go over to the side of these more extreme
