The Daily Worker Newspaper, September 6, 1924, Page 9

By ALEXANDER BITTELMAN. ERY few in the ranks of our party seem to realize that questions of organization, what we usually call building the party, are as much of a problem to study, to investigate and to specialize in as are’ questions of theory, tactics and policy. The im- pression prevails, not only in the ranks but also among leading com- rades, that organization is a simple matter, that everybody can do it, that the only things necessary for effi- cient organization work are will and energy, and that anything else will come by itself, as a matter of course. Who Is Worrying About Organization? I know, just as many others do, that everybody in our party is worry- ing about~party policies, tactics, stra- tegy, internal line ups, factions, etc., which is as it should be. It is the duty (and the privilege) of every single party, member and of every party unit to think about and have a say in determining the policies and tactics of the party. One might say, that the party as a whole does not yet sufficiently realize even that. But when it comes to questions of organ- ization, how many of us, even among those that find themselves in posi- tions of leadership, are really and ac- tually occupied with meeting and solving questions of organization? Without in the least desiring to be rash or sweeping in my statements, still I am compelled to say that few, very few, in Our midst consider ques- tions of organization of sufficient im- portance to deserve systematic and constant attention. We are still liv- ing in the primitive period as far as organization is concerned. The only way we know how to do these things is by the rule of thimb, by fits and spasms, always in response to an urgent and immediate need, never properly prepared or equipped. What’s the Problem? Here I can sense the approach of a protesting voice (or, perhaps, a whole chorus), saying something like this: “Now, what do you mean by or- ganization being a problem? Don’t we know that ourselves? Don’t we always say that we have got to have more organizers, more members, more branches, more building the party? The trouble lies not with the party as a whole but with the C. E. C. or the D. EB. C. or the C. C. C. Let these party committees get on the job and organization will cease to be a prob- lem.” - This sort of reaction would be quite natural, because this is the usual line of reasoning. If something goes wrong, who else is to blame if not the Cc. BE. C. or some other leading com- mittee? With some of our comrades the main function of a leading com- mittee seems to be that of a deposi- tery for all kinds of complaints and criticisms. Now, at this moment, I have no particular desire to quarrel with this conception of. a leading committee. What must be driven home to our party is the nature of the problem. . Is there such a problem? at does it consist of? We are all agreed that’ it is the main duty of our party to become a mass Communist party. Very well. We are all further agreed that the way to do it is by our party engaging in the immediate struggles of the workers and by utilizing every phase of these struggles for increasing our * yanks and our influence. The above gives us the main scheme of our organizational duties and the general method for carrying on the work. But this by itself is not going to produce ofganizational re- sults. To know, as we do, that the way to build our party is thru en- gaging in the immediate struggles of the workers is very good, indeed.’ The question is, how many of our party units are actually engaged in such struggles? And further. It is very good for -our party to know (as it does) that every phase of the class-struggle must be utilized for increasing our ranks sateen Sepa: et nee Sf and extending our influence. But the question again arises, how many of our party-units are actually taking ad- vantage of favorable situations for the building of our party? Let me cite a few illustrations. We have got to engage in the immedi- ate struggles of the worker. Alright. A strike against a reduction of wages or in favor of some other economic demand is just the kind of an immedi- ate struggle that we have got to be on the lookout for. Now, what-I want to ask is, how many of our local organizations are constantly on the lookout for such kind of struggles? “I, personally, know of only one. There may be a few more. The one I know of is Local Chicago of the Workers Party, and one more (not a unit of the party) the N. BE. C. of the Young Workers LeaPie. Let us relate just three instances. Pullman. Some time in June there happened to be a strike of carmen in the Pull- man shops at Pullman, Ill. It was @ spontaneous affair caused by an at- tempt to reduce wages. One of the local comrades “smelled” the strike. That’s the way the Chi- cago comrades put it. He smelled it not by accident. It was his business to do it. He was on the lookout for it. And immediately he went down to investigate, and then he reported to the local Executive Committee, and thereupuon the Executive Committee laid out plans for helping the strikers to win the strike (with speeches, pub- the situation for getting new mem- bers into the party. Immediately thereupon Hammond become the field of intensive activity by the local organization and by the Y. W. L. Also by the DAILY WORK- ER. The result: increase in the party membership, a new shops branch of the Y. W. L. and increased circula- tion for our “DAILY.” Hegewisch. That happened in August. A strike by Carmen in Hegewisch, Illinois. More or less of a spontaneous propo- sition. We got wind of it at its very inception. How? Not by a delega- tion of strikers coming to our office. No, we were then not so popular yet in Hegewisch. Again it was “smelled” by the comrades who are in charge and on the lookout. Again the regular, systematic pro- cedure. Report to the Local Execu- tive Committee, discussion, laying out of plans, organization of a special squad to carry these plans out. And, then, work. The result: a new shop unit of the league and strengthening of the Party branch there. Lessons of “These Experiences. You will notice six (6) characteris- tic features in this work. Be on the lookout—the first feature is that the party organization in Chi- cago, the DAILY WORKER and the Y. W. L. have been constantly on the lookout, thru comrades specific- ally in charge, for just such kind of immediate struggles. That’s why they managed to “smell” the thing coming and to step into it right at the very beginning. TO LABORERS By Henry George Weiss When the golden shackles, are broken, When the chain of lies is severed, You shall reach upwards to the heavens, Reach with the hands of giants. Nothing shall bind you to earth, From sweat and toil delivered You shall quest among the stars, Unbodied minds that soar. Strike then the shackles off, You who are gods unborn! Sever the chain and arise, _You who are smothered in dust! TO LABORERS licity in the DAILY WORKER, etc.), for propagating Communism and the current political slogans of the party, and for getting the strikers to join the party. It was all planned on the basis of facts derived from special investiga- tion. And then the party organization stepped into it. Pullman was liter- ally invaded by an army of speakers, organizers, distributors of literature, sellers of the DAILY WORKER (which carried lots of news about the strike), reporters, etc., all of them working under the supervision of Local Chica- go which was carrying out a plan of organization laid down before hand b: the Local Executive Committee. The same is true of the Young Workers League, the result, that is, the tan- gible result, was: a new branch of the and anew branch of the Y. W. L. Intangible results: a vast in- crease of the influence of the party and of'the DAILY WORKER. Hammond. This was in July. The Carmen's union attempted to organize a local in Hammond, Indiana. How did we know it? It was not communicated officually to the party organization. You may be sure about that, It was “smelled” by the party members whose duty it is to be informed of such things. Again it was reported to the local Executive Committee, discussed there and a plan of organization laid out. The basis of the plan was to assist the union organization in organizing the local of the union, Then utilize Actively participate’ in the struggle by actually helping to make it a suc- cess.—the second feature is that the Chicago comrades not merely spoke about participating in the struggle but actually did. They helped to or- ganize strikes and to organize un- ions. Detailed plans, special squads and responsible leaderships—this is the third feature of it. It was all handled by the Local Executive Committee in a thoro, responsible manner. It was planned up to minute details. Special squads put in charge, the local secre- tary working with the squad in the field and directing their work. Build the the party as you go along with the masses in their struggles— Don’t get the idea that participating in the struggles of the workers and building the party are two different and separate things to be D- lished at separate intervals of e and by different organs of the party. This is a wong and harmful concep- tion. See what Chicago is doing and what the Young Workers League is doing. They do both things at one and the same time and with the same units of. organization. That’s why they are successful. This is the fourth feature of it. Keep your eyes on the work-shop— If you speak of organization, remem- ber, that the shop is your starting point, your basis, It is there that the workers’ dissatisfaction first becomes audible, It is there that the elemen- tary struggles begin. If you are inter- ested in organizing the party, keep —S— LT Is Organization a Problem? your eye on the work-shop. fifth feature of it. Co-ordination of party, league and DAILY WORKER=*-This is the sixth and last feature. Every plan of organ- ization, every particular job of organi- zation, must be built upon the princi- ple that it is to be done by all three to- gether: party, league and DAILY WORKER. I, personally, am inclined to’ attribute this last feature as the main reason for the success of the Chicago organization. From the Rule of Thumb to Scien- tific Planning. This is what I am pleading for Away from the spasmodic way of handling organization work. Away from the idea that everybody who wants, without study and systematic training, can do it. Away from the old S. P. idea that you can build a party of revolution merely by preach- ing your principles. Away from the rule of thumb and to scientific plan- ning of Communist organization in the shop and factories. This is Versaille Treaty (Continued from page 1) tions meant annexation by the French —rejected tlis policy, he decided upon the independent occupation of the Ruhr area. His policy was not only directed against Germany, but also against England and America. It was an attempt to liquidate the peace of Versailles in favor of France. Poincare did not know whether he would remain in the Ruhr district or evacuate it after obtaining payments from Germany, or whether he would give up the Ruhr in return for being freed from the debts due to England and America, which he constantly felt to be a noose round his neck which could be tightened at any moment, , Poincare was victorious all along the line. After eight months furious resistance which annihiliated the mark, Germany capitulated on the 28th September last. The German capitulation constitited a second lost war. Poincare attained the pinnacle of victory. The question for him now was how to liquidate the Ruhr ex- pedition, what concrete demands to place before Germany. But from the pinnacle of victory to the abyss of de- feat was but a step. If Germany lost the war of 1914—1918 because she had over-estimated her forces, if Ger- many lost the Ruhr war because she over-estimated her powers of resist- ance and under-estimated the French power of holding out, so Poincare lost the Ruhr war after his victory over Germany because he underestimated the consequences of the economic train. Upon the victory in the Ruhr rea there followed the collapse of he Franc. - Pittsburgh Leaguers To Celebrate I. Y. D. On September 7th Pittsburgh, Pa.,, Sept. 5—The In- ternational Youth Day meeting in Pittsburgh will be held in Walton Hall, corner Liberty Ave., and Stan- wix St., on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 2 p. m. The capitalist government of the U. 8S. fs preparing for new wars and is preparing the youth of the country for the slaughter. The Communist youth who see this menace are rally- ing the workers to protest and fight against this menace. Speakers have been secured who have studied this question and every worker, young and oi, fs urged to attend. The Pittsburgh and East Pittsburgh branches of the Y. W. L. and the Workers Party are co-operating to make this meeting a success. Meet us at the Prudential Restaurant 752 NORTH AVE. The only place to eat.