The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 16, 1924, Page 6

On Factory Nuclei N view of the discussion now going on at the Fifth World Congress on the subject of organizing the Com- munist Party on the basis of factory nuclei, it would not be out of place to describe the substantial German ex- periences in this respect. A close examination of the organ- izational activity of the Communist Party demonstrates the-fact that the sense of organization is as yet so weakly developed among the member- ship that most of the comrades con- sider the old form and methods of organization as natural and univer- sally adaptable. There is a lack of conscious experience of the fact that the organizational forms and methods is of importance to all movements that the Party should concentrate on the organization of the Communist railway workers and devote its best forces to the political work among the workers, employees, and officials engaged in the industry of transpor- tation. Prominent Party officials, secretaries, editors, etce., were allo- cated to the important factories to promote the political activity of the Party. Furthermore, comrades were appointed as commissaries (unem- ployed comrades, Landtag deputies, etc.), whose task it was to engage in the construction of nuclei in their respective localities and to control the work in the factory nuclei. It was found, however, that without a definite plan and without definite are rather determined by the exigen-|tasks the transformation could not be cies of the political tasks of the'Party. On these grounds it is essential that the most unsparing criticism be ex- ercised in regard to the present or- ganizational activity, while at the same time it should be pointed out that the organizational forms and methods of the _ social-democratic party are in keeping with their parlia- mentary “politics. At the same time it should be pointed out that the op- posite political attitude of the Ger- man Communist Party calls also for different methods of organization. Menshevism in the Sphere of. Or- ganization must be rooted out of the Communist Party. This can only be attained if in connection with every campaign and with every action, we shall note without any sentimentality our organizational defects, and hammer these experiences into the consciousness of the membership. On the basis of these fighting experi- ences, the Party must proceed thor- oughly to transform its methods of organization and choose the neces- Sary political and organizational meas- ures. We are taught by German ex- perience that in formulating theses of this kind, we must outline to the comrades the whole Course of Trans- formation, with all its consequences and with all its dangers. If we cover only half the ground, the comrades are still puzzled why, for instance in- stead of the word “factory faction” we use the “factory nucleus,” and they ask us with reason as to what new thing we mean to introduce by our activity in the factory nuclei, if it does not simply mean an increase of ouf activity in the factory. Hence we must clearly announce the prin- ciple from the outset, that this trans- ‘formation into factory nuclei means the transformation of the Party ac- tivity to the organizing of workers’ fights, and that for this reason All the Party Activity must be carried out from the Standpoint of the Politi- cal and Organizational Work in the Factories. It is not merely a ques- tion of creating individual factory nuceli, but of rendering the factory nuclei into the standard bearers of the Party’s activity. This calls for an extensive systematic campaign in the Party. The best results were ob- tained by the Organizational Courses, in which a prominent part was taken by representatives from the large fac- tories. These comrades reported to the general membership about the or- ganizational tasks to be undertaken. The ideological hindrances were mainly overcome by means of a pe- riodical publication dealing with or- ganizational questions—‘Partei-Arbei- ter” (The Party Worker)—in which all the important organizational ex- periences were published. Most of the Party organizations had no ideas as to what factories were situated in their region of activity, and where Communists were em- ployed. Therefore, for the education of the Party, it was necesary to carry out a registration of the medium and large factories. The formation of factory nuclei was started in those factories where the circumstances ap- peared to be favorable. Unfortu- nately, we neglected to devote spe- cial attention at the outset to those factories in which.we had no connec- tions, but which were foremost in the|ing to the factory nucleus or to, workers’ struggles, e.g. the electric-|local group of his work, ity works and the railway yards. Itisides this, achieved. The district committee and the local committee were then charged with the duty of working out plans for definite period and campaigns. By means of reports to the Central Com- mittee, as well as by direct control over the more important local groups and factory nuceli, the Central Com- mittee exercised the necessary pres- sufe on the districts. The experience of the formation of factory nuclei has shown that it is registered in the street nucleus of the place where he lives, In the building of factory nuclei, particular care should be taken to have every mem- ber engage in some Party task under the guidance of responsible party men. Under no circumstances should the whole of the work be placed upon individual leaders, while the individ- ual members would have the. option of eithér carrying out the orders of the Party or ignoring them, It is only by giving a definite task to every member and by controlling the carry- ing out of the tasks that the factory nuceli will be able to fulfil their great political and organizational tasks. In case of unemployment the party mem- ber, wherever possible, should re- main a member of the factory nuc- leus. Only in cases where the mem- ber lives too far away from the fac- tory, he should be transferred to his residential street nucleus, or to a factory nucleus located in the vicinity of his residential district. As soon as the member obtains a new job, he must be immediately transferred to the respective factory nucleus. In case of the complete suppression of the nucleus in a given factory, it is the duty of the former members of such nucleus to continue under all Rhapsodical Chants .By JOSEPH KALAR. “Clang—clang—CLANG, the whir-r and BANG of machines— Sweat—sweat—SWEAT—white beads of blood, On your face! On your back! Sreat—Sweat—SWEAT—white beads of blood!” “You've got to work—you’ve got to work! And sweat—and sweat—and SWEAT— Crush your limbs and crush your heart, Blind your eyes and drown your brains— You’ve got to work—you’ve GOT TO WORK!” “The sweat is gathering on your face in beads—~ Your blood is molten steel and frozen steel, Your soul is black with soot— Flinty cinders in your flesh— Cast off—throw far the whip—be Gods!” “But who’s gonna work for God now? Who’s gonna do the work for God?” “Oh, ’'m And she’s a God— a God and you're a God And you alone are not a God o’er men, And I alone am not a God o’er men, So hang your whip on the wall— Unnail the souls of men from the cross— And be a God like me!” “But who’s gonna work for God, now? Who’s gonna work for God?” quite possible to get at a part of the Party members in the factory while ignoring the others who live in other localities. For this reason we had to undertake the registration of the whole of our membership according to the factories where they belong. The work was carried out by resi- dential officials, who delivered the question-sheets to the Party members in the factories thru the leader of the nuceli, and if there is no nucleus in a factory it is given to the leader of the nucleus which has charge of the propaganda in that factory. The ques- tion of the collection of dues should be taken into consideration in this enrolment of Party members in the factories and in the conduct of the work of political organization. The Party member who pays his dues into the factory nucleus belongs to the Party organization of the district where the factory is located. The lo- circumstances the propaganda in such a factory. Furthermore, the nearest factory nucleus must render the ut- most aid towards the restoration of the suppressed nucleus. The trans- formation into factory nuclei must find its expresison in rendering the factory nuclei the decisive factor from the standpoint of influence over the official and leaders of the Party. The transformation into factory nuceli means transforming the whole work of the party. First of all, it is necessary to educate the revolution- ary factory council-movement to concentrate its forces in those factor- ies which are of decisive moment to the revolutionary movement. It is there that the factory nuceli must or- ganize the party units in every fac- tory, thus creating a solid basis for the struggle of the local workers. The s (A GERMAN EXPERIMENT) By W. ULBRICHE working masses into the fight. A similar transformation must be ef- fected in the technical preparations for the larger fights. Hitherto the Party stewards used to be appointed according to residence, now we must organize our hundreds in the factor- ies. The factory is the only place where we are able to carry out the necessary technical preparations for the struggle. The political propa- ganda must be concentrated in the factories. Instead of the usual public meetings, we should have public fac- tory meetings. The parliamentary deputies must make their first reports to factory meetings. The leading fac- tory nuclei, for the purpose of quick information, should get the political material direct from the higher in- stances of the parties. The enrol- ment of members must first of all be carried out in the factories, because the strengthening of the factory nuc- lei is the best preparation for the fighting ability of the party. Of par- ticular importance is the reorganiza- tion of the newspaper distribution. The present method of distributing the Communist press is by residen- tial districts. In spite of all the tech- nical difficulties, an attempt must be made to devise a combined system of distributing the press both thru the residential carriers as well as thru the factory distributors. The newspaper must be brought into close organiza- tional contact with the ‘factories. This is of paramount importance to all the political actions. The circu- lation of a newspaper in the factories, the influence which it enjoys and the discussion which it arouses, are bound to effect its contents. At pres- ent. we find very few columns in the newspapers devoted to contributions by factory workers. In future the factory reports, workers’ letters, workers’ poems, etc. must occupy at least half of the space in the news- paper. For this pugpose it is neces. sary to arrange periodical conferences of factory reporters and to give them the necessary instructions. Syste- matic education in this respect is es- sential. The same is the present method of the distribution of litera- ture, which should be shifted from the residential districts to the factor- ies. The best way to distribute litera- ture is thru the factory organization. We must also transform the present ‘}method of educational work, which is also done residentially. Above all, in the large factories the nuceli must arrange for educational courses for their members, as well as for larger circles of workers in the ‘neighbor- hood. Our women’s propaganda must be concentrated chiefly among the women who work in the factory. The women whé do not work in the fac- tory must be brot into close touch with the factory women of the neigh- borhood. Our women comrades must take regular part in the meetings of the factory nuclei. Our agrarian agitation must be organized on the basis of the experiences of the last _ fights, so that the factory nuclei should ‘have definite rural localities where they should engage in syste- matic and persistent propaganda. If we succeed in this manner in estab- lishing close contact with the coun- try-side, the job of finding food for the workers on strike will be much facilitated. It is also necessary to organize, in the first place, the clos- est possible collaboration with the young workers during workers’ fights should urge the factory nuceli to en- courage the formation of the impor. tant factories; where no nucleus of the party exists the young comrades are frequently in a position to serve as a medium for communication and thus to assist in the formation of the party nucleus, sential activities of the Party should be carried out upon a definite plan. every section of the Party will do It its definite work according to the if the functions of all the sec- will fill in with the general plan (Continued on page 7.)