The Daily Worker Newspaper, September 27, 1924, Page 10

‘SaERPRORiaDNan acm NRRRCRDNNc ote eo NER IRON ERCP Petcare mm ne |How to Start a Shop Nucleus By MARTIN ABERN To begin with, one cannot set down a hard and fast rule’ for taking the first steps in organizing a Shop Nu- cleus, the political unit of the Party made up of Party members working in the same shop, factory, mill, etc. The ways are many; there is not a arbitrary figure to the number re- quired to establish a Shop Nucleus. “ven one Party member can consti- tute himself as a Shop Nucleus, and by carrying on a systematic activity build a larger group of, Party mem- bers around him. But that is a matter which can be dealt with another time in connection with problems growing out of it. There are some first steps toward Shop Nucleus organization which are common in virtually every instance. There Must Be a Correct Industrial Registration Where do the Party comrades work? That must be known accura- tely before anything can be done to organize politically in the shop. A 100 per cent correct industrial regis- tration of the Party is hence wanted and required. The Party is now taking an industrial registration nationally. The Branch Secretary or Industrial Organizer must therefore make sure that every member is re- gistered, especially—that is the most important—as to place of work of each comrade. Very likely, the Branch will find that among its own members there are comrades working together in the same shop. The Branch, however, is asked at present to send in its complete industrial re- gistration to the City Central Com- mittee, the District and National Or- ganitations, for which the necessary blanks have been provided. With the industrial registration of all the Branches in its hands, the City Organization proceeds to classify the membership of the Branches, Much information will be got. Among that will be the knowledge of where the Party members work, whether alone in a shop or together with other com- rades who belong to various Party territorial Branches. Let us take an example which will occur hundreds of times and which will therefore be the starting point innumerably toward Shop Nucleus organization. The City Organization, having cias- sified the industrial registration, finds that in the, let us say, Allen Machin- ery company are working Party com- rades who belong to: English Branch- three members; Lithuanian Branch- two members; Jewish Branch-one member; South Slav Branch-two members-eight Party members in the same shop. The classification will occur in divers ways in the indu- stries. What will be the first duty of the City Organization, the four Branches spoken of, and the eight members? The Common Interests of the Com- rades Unite Them For Activity The City Organization informs the Branches and members of the above findings. A meeting of the comrades from the four Branches is called, There are a number of interests, obviously, they have in common but which they now take note of; for it is the obvious, very often, which is most important and to which the at- tention of people must be called. What are some of the things in com- mon of the comrades? a. The comrades of the English, Jewish, Lithuanian and South Slav A Party of Leninism (Continued from Page 3.) party that Vladimir IMlyitch Lenin made of the Russian Communist Party, into a party capable of lead- ing the massed millions of the work- ing class into struggle against the capitalist. system, for the seizure of power and the establishment of the proletarian dictatorship. And at the present moment let us say, all to- gether: ‘We are determined that we shall have a Party of Leniniwm.” Scanadecieaeandaanadllidadaieeee™ Branches belong to the same politic- al party, the Workers (Communist) Party, and so have like political attt- tudes, b. The comrades work in the same shop, Allen Machinery Co., and have the same economic and job problems in the shop to meet and to solve. c. The comrades are surrounded in the shop by the same other work- ers upon whom our comrades have to work with a common political 4nd economic program. There are more identical problems which can be noted, but these will do for our purpose. The question occurs: with these factors in common to start with, is it not logical that the Party members should be organized as a political unit im the shop to carry on a steady, common and systematic pro- gram for communism among. their fellow shop-mates? Plainly so. Far more logical, sensible, practicable and communist that these Party members should be organized as a Shop Nu- cleus with definitive work to do. That is true, comrade, and good, but we don’t speak English very well, and that makes the work and organ- ization of a Shop Nucleus so difficult, is an objection which is at once heard. That objection is more evasion than anything else. It is a difficulty cured by contact of the members with one another and with a program in the shop to carry out. The boss ma- nages to get along with the workers of various languages together in the same shop. In fact, too well and pro- fitably. Party members, as well as the other workers, have to get along, despite the alleged language barriers, with the boss. Certainly Party mem- bers have far more in common with each other and ean more easily find ways to get along together. The lan- guage objection is sophistic and must be overuled therefore. Taking it for granted, therefore, that the com- rades of the various Branches, found to be working in the same machine shop, are ready and willing to be or- ganized as a Shop Nucleus, what is the next step? To outline briefly, for the many functions “and problems should he dealt with in detail sepa- rately. Shop Nucleus, Not The Branch, Is The Authoritative Political Unit. It is possible, in a degree, for com- rades working together in a shop to carry on work of a political and eco- nomic charcter, which is akin to the work a Shop Nucleus would carry on. We have in mind a group of com- rades from various Branches who work together in the same shop. They spread propaganda thru literature, etc.; they formulate and try to carry out certain shop demands; they do some common work in the shop in relation to the present election cam- paign of the Party. But—it is not a Shop Nucleus and does not do the work it might if it were a bonafide Shop Nucleus instead of just a shop fraction. It is not authoritative; the members of the various Branches re- gard their Branches as the leading body. That brings forward a funda- mental problem of the Shop Nucleus. The Shop Nucleus must be, and is, the leading and authoritative political unit of the Party. It isthe basic unit. The comrades of the English, Lithua- nian, Jewish and South Slav Branches mentioned as example, meeting to- gether, elect a Shop Nucleus Secre- tary, and Industrial Organizer, Litera- . rature Agent and other officers. Then, the comrades must pay their dues through the Shop Nucleus Secr- etary. It becomes and is théreby the leading and main political unit of the Party, and recognizes itself and acts as such. The allegiance, if that term can be used, of the members of the Shop Nucleus is not to the terri- torial English or lamguage branches to which they formerly belonged. It is to the Shop Nucleus. The Shop Uu- cleus thereafter as an authorized body meets regularly to lay out a program of action for itself—a program of po- litics, economic and trade union work, educational, lectures, literature dis- tribution, individual work of the mem- bers, time and place of meetings, etc. all of which must be dealt with in special articles, Shop Nucleus Activity Once Started Will Do Away With So-Called Difficulties. This article tries to touch some of the technical sides to getting started toward Shop Nuclei. The members of the Shop Nucleus, meeting together regularly, in.daily contact with one another, with a program of work in the shop will soon find that any lan- . guage difficulties, if real, will disap- pear. The heart and work of the members will not be in their former Branches, English or language, but in their Shop Nucleus where they are united on the basic of their daily strug- gle needs and on the ultimate pro- gram of Communism. Shop Nucleus organization will mean a better and clearer understanding of the labor movement and working class problems in America and will produce better Party members for the cause of Com- munism, Impressions of the LaFollette Meeting (Continued from Page 2.) thirteen minutes, it was due to the frantic cheer-leading from the speak- ers’ platform, assisted by section cheer leaders who were everywhere. I tell you, comrades, there is noth- ing to it. It isn’t even much of a fraud—it’s a bluff, and they are suck- ers indeed who fall for it. At that, I don’t know if that particular audi- ence of some thirteen thousand, fell for it. They simply didn’t care, they were® not concerned, there was noth- ing at stake for them one way or an- other. By the way the audience re- ceived the various speakers and re- sponded to various telling phrases you could see what elements it was com- posed of. La Guardia got a big and noisy hand, and when he assured the people that the progressives, far from intending to break down the consti- tution, wish to maintain it and carry out faithfully its provisions, there was a hefty applause of relief and reassur- ance. Norman Thomas’ applause about gaged the socialist contents of the hall, and of that old guard there must have been some two or three thou- sand. LaFollette’s reference to high telephone rates struck a sore spot, also his denunciation of high electric bills. There wasn’t a doubt that the bulk of the audience would go home into apartments with all modern im- provements. It was that kind of a crowd. . Was it La Guareta or was it the chairman who referred to Coolidge’s aides as “our. republican friends?” Wihtout a sneer, mind you, without a humorous quirk. It was beautiful, that “republican friends!” It was the very bull’s eye of the progressives’ campaign spirit. It’s as between friends, fair competitors, honest op- ponents, drummers in the same line, gentlemen all. And then that happy epitome of La Guardia’s: “All intel- ligent republicans and al intelligent democrats are and ought to be in the progressive movement!” LaFollette’s prepared address was in every respect harmonious with the RUSSIAN DELEGATION TO THE BRITISH TRADE UNION CONGRESS FRATERNAL DELEGATES.—A group of Russian Trade Union visitors to the Trades Union Congress, with Mr. Ben Tillett, M. P. In the back ' row on the right are Mr. G. Hicks and Mr. R. Coppock, the builders’ leaders. Comrade Tomski is in the centre of the front row. Ce ee audience, the spirit of the affair, and the tenor of the preliminary shadow- boxing with “privilege.” Frankly, I gave old Bob more credit for sub- stance. The amount of bunk, piffle, drivel, twaddle and rehashed tommy- rot must have dismayed even the faithful, even Hillquit’s proselytes. You've read the speech and you know what I mean. That “government by the people” motif was too cheap even for LaFollette. The vulgar tricks of talking abstract “democracy” which has ever been the means of the old- tybe politicians to make a lot of hol- ow noise without saying anything in particular, was the very backbone of LaFollette’s address. Comrades, if this gathering is a fair sample, the whole thing is bunk, and there is no such thing as a LaFollette stampede within the ranks of labor, and there is nd new delusion that has beclouded the primal issue of the class struggle. I say this because there is a possi- bility of some of us having been taken in by the noisy press agents of this disgusting hodge-podge. The thing cannot live because it is still born, the delusion cannot persist because there is nothing but low-grade piffle to sustain it. ~ It is significant that even the jack- ed-up spirit of the evening did not suf- fice to keep the audience attentive to and interested in LaFollette’s oration. After the idle curiosity was gratified, the crowd became restless and to- ward the middle of the address there was to be seen a stream flowing exit- ward. The stream kept swelling un- til toward the end of the “big act” the gallaries were empty and the people on the floor were milling, sick with boredom. Old Bob is a dull speaker and the whole thing was so damned dull, one wished one were in the movies looking at a pie-throwing comedy. Subscribe for “Your Daily,” the DAILY WORKER. the International Learn Language I DO 16-page pamphiet, giving outline of lnnguage, showing super! over Esperanto, ete., sent free. The Workers Ido Federation meat eats