The Daily Worker Newspaper, October 1, 1931, Page 4

Published by the Comprodail York City, Address and mail all checks to the isth St. New Page Four Publishing N. Y. Telephone Datly Worke 7958, Cabl: On the Carrying Out of the 13th Plenum Decisions | STRUGGLE AGAINST BOURGEOIS DEMAGOGY By W. WEINSTONE Except from the report delivered by Comrade Weinstone at the 13th Plenum, printed in full in the October issue of the Communist, N the United States we have not only to deal with the A. F. of L. and the system of bour- geoisie de! with ~the er system of deci ing by putting forward bour- who geois politic’ ve employ an adily take up radical slo e and de- { the workers ogy constitutes one ‘of for the retention of the two- the strongest support si The fight com ed with the most energetic struggle against the Socialist amd A. F. of L. leaders, who support directly and in- directly these bourgeois progressives and “re- formists” must be one of the central tasks with whith to™smash the two-party domination in the. United States a to free the workers for independent working class political action. In this connection, I wish to touch upon the question of the sser evil.” Does this apply to the United States? Indeed it does. It expresses itself in the idea of “good” and “bad” politicians, in the non-partisan policy of the A. F. of L., in faet it is one of the key weapons of the bourgeoisie to keep the masses tied to the two- party system by the idea of alternating the par- ties when one is discredited in office, with the slogan that while the Democraite party may have weaknesses as against the Republican par- ty, it is possible to get better results for the workers by putting it in office, then to wait upon some millenium to put parties in office ‘which have no chance to win. We must remember what Eng ated—that the two-party system is an integral part of the whole political system of the United States and that many workers in order to exercise pressure against the govern- ment, vote for one or the other parties, in order “not to throw away their votes” on minor par- ties which have no possibility of directly exer- cising an influence on the practical events. The non-partisan policy of the A.F. of L. of “reward- ing friends and punishing enemies” and which is being undermined by the crisis, is one of the main channels by which the bourgeoisie carried through this two-party domination. Is it not a fact that the miners who have conducted pitched battles against the thugs, police, etc., and who are one of the most revolutionary sec- tions of the United States, nevertheless sup- ported Pinchot in the last elections and still retain the idea that Pinchot is a good politician, a progressive, and that in elections one can get RIGID FORMALIST'1C METHODS OF WORK IN OUR PARTY MUST GO By A. MARKOFF. T one of the meetings of a unit, after spend- ing two hours or more on selecting mem- bers for open air meetings, for distributing lit- erature, for getting signatures, and for similar tasks, and when everybody was completely ex- hausted ,at about 10:30 or 11 at night, then they announced that there was going to be a discussion on the election campaign. It seems almost incredible that the comrades should not think of bringing in this discussion of the elec- tion campaign together with the practical tasks which the unit discussed for two hours. To them the discussion arranged by the section is simply an abstract thing, separated entirely from our practical work. The result is that the discussion remains barren, without any life, and does not bring any results, does not add to the political development of the comrades. Many examples could be brought to illustrate the life of our units. It is therefore no wonder that units attract very few new members, if any, and when new members do come in they find the life of the unit uninteresting, they find the Party too burdensome, for it happens all the time that a new member is immediaely taxell with so much, work that all his evenings and all his days, Sundays, ete., are taken. Besides, he does not find that interest that he probably was looking for when he joined the Party. When a new member joins the Party, he some- how feels that there he is going to get enlighten- ment and elarification on a great many ques- tions, that in the Party he is going to find a different atmosphere than the one he was in all the time. Instead, when he goes to a unit meet- ing, he finds it lifeless and uninteresting. He wcioes not understand the reasons for the tasks that were assigned to him and so he is quickly disappointed, discouraged, and leaves the Party altogether. It is this formalism, this mechanical approach to everything that hinders the rapid growth of the Party. A sharp tu an immediate turn must be made in thg methocs of our work. This must be done ffom top to bottom. From .the district committees to the units and the shop nuclei. The org deparment, the agitprop department, must jointly overhaul the entire method and form of our work. The unit meetings must be- Revival of Work in the Reformist Unions The C. C. stresses the necessity for the most energetic and systematic revival of work in the reformist unions, the conditions for which are constantly broadening as a result of the grow- ing struggles. The Party must more system- atically counteract the policy of the bureau- crats of heading struggles in order to behead them and more carefully expose the strike- breaking policy of the reformist leaders, par- ticularly the left reformists, socialist, “left” phrase-mongers and the Musteites. Al) district committees must be instructed within the next month to report on methods and plans of work adopted in regard to strengthening the work in the reformist unions, From the Resolution of the 13th Plenum, ©.C,, C.P.U.S.A, on the Main Tasks of the Party, published in the Oetober Communist more immediate results in the direction of the alleviation of their conditions by supporting such a one as Pinchot? Is it not a fact that the workers in other in- dustries who follow the leadership of the Com- munist Party in their strike struggles; during an election campaign weigh the relative merits of the respective bourgeoisie candidates and are taken in to support alleged progressives on the grounds of getting immediate results? There is at the present time a whole group of bour- geois politicians parading as progressives, mas- querading politicians opposed to the trusts and ban! and working for the interests of the masses—Pinchot, Murphy, Roosevelt, Sen- ator Wagner, LaGuardia, Norris, Borah, LaFol- | lette, etc., etc It is necessary to expose this illusion of the “lesser evil,” to conduct a pitiles struggle against “In the United States the chief direc- tion. of our blew is for the break-up of the positions of capitalism by means of |} mobilizing the masses for struggle for |) the realization cf social insurance at the expense of the capitaliSts and the bour- |] geois state.” (From Manuilsky’s re- port to the 11th Plenum of the Commu- nist International. Report published in pamphlet form by Workers Library Publishers.) | ee these progressives and bourgeois demagogues, to | overcome the illusions deeply entrenched in the minds of the American workers with regard to | good and bad politicians, to line up the rank and file “against the non-partisan policy of the A. F. of L. to ‘reward your friends and punish | your enemies’.” -It is necessary to do this not only in our agitation, but above all, on the basis of mass struggles, stripping the veil of progressive phrases which conceal reactionary capitalist po- licies. It is necessary at the present time while concenirating our attack upon the Hoover gov- | ernment as the government in power, to increase the fight against the Democratic party, whom the bourgeois will use in order to keep the masses tied to capitalism in order to bar their way toward taking up independent working-class | political action, under the leadership of the Communist Party. It is necessary to make a bitter struggle against the “non-partisan policy” inside of the A. F. of L. and to shatter and destroy this pernicious” policy of the capitalist | A. F. of L. leaders. | come sources of political development for the | comrades; the various tasks must be considered from a political viewpoint, and thé-various dis- cussions that we have must be linked up and interwoven with the practical tasks. Our atti- tude toward new members must be changed. We should give our new members tasks commen- surate with the length of time they ‘are in the | Party. Each member, new or old, must be given definite functions, but they should be . given within reason, so that the new member will not find the Party too burdensome, so that he can find some time for reading and for further de- velopment. The units must be given greater freedom for initiative’ The instructions from the sections and the district must not be rigid. Flexibility in all our work is important. In other words, rationalization in the work of the | | Party is essential, and together with the reso- lution of the Central Committee, we must say: “Only a conscious, intolerant and systematic | struggle against every evidence of bureaucratic methods of work by the entire Party will elim- inate this obstacle to the growth of our move- ment, and enable us to réalize the tremendous opportunities that lie before us in the coming months to rouse the defensive: struggles of the working, class, give them a firm organizational basis and develop them into a counter-offensive against the offensive of the bosses.” A Warning Against Ralph Spooner The Daily Worker deems it necessary to pub- lish the following information about Ralph Spooner, of Washington, D. C., but now “oper- | ating” from various -cities in Canada. About a year or two ago this individual wrote a number of letters to the Dajly Worker and other organizations under the letterhead of a World News Service of Washington, D. C., oyer- flowing with revolutionary phrases and order- ing a lot of literature. On a check-up it was found that this great World News Service was | only a false front for Ralph Spooner's Jone self and nothing else. Then for a while, nothing more was heard from him, Recently, however, more of his bombastic tet- ters havé been received from Canada (Sydney, Nova Scotia; Three Rivers, Quebec; and Toronto, Ontario), some under the head of “Workers Educational Association of Canada,” Ralph Spooner, Sec’y; and one under the head of “Canadian Civil Liberties Union,” Ralph Spoon- er, Director. Apparently he is sprouting new “organiza- tions” as fast as the printers can turn out new letterheads. * The underlying motive for all this is quite plain from such passages in Ralph Spooner's letters, as—‘We have so many names on the list, of those ready for the D. W. and Communism, that we need an office force of twelve stenographers. Can You pay for such a list of potential Com- munists in Cape Breton and Eastern Canada,” and—‘“Upon receipt of $1.00 we will send you a membership card for the year.” Besides, of course, there arises the big ques- tion:—what kind of mailing lists of names and addresses 1s Ralph Spooner collecting under his various false fronts, and to whom does he sell these lists?! gam except Suyday st 15th Street, Ne at 50 East DAIWORK.” ew York, N Dail Central Onze By ail everywhere: One year, $6; six moniis, c2¢ of Manhattan and Bronx, SUBSCRIPTION RATES: twe New York City. lureign months one year, $8; six months, $1: excepting \Boroughs $4.50 Ss?” “ COME . By BUECK Fight price increase in Milk! Fight for reduction to 8 Cents a quart. For a Decisive Turn in Our Revolutionary Trade By RALPH SIMONS This is the seventh—and last—article of a series on this subject, more than ever impor- tant to ‘all revolutionary workers.—EDITOR. . « . Establish Permanent Contact With Mass Proletarian Organizations Mice of all, we speak of those mutual aid so- cieties which have for their basis the class struggle and which provide insurance for work- ers and carty on a wide cultural educational work, and because of their very nature are near to us, At the present. time there is going on a pro- cess of unification of all these organizations into one central organization. These organizations have a great influence on the workers, especially the immigrant workers, and show definite signs of growth. The members of these organizations, Hun- garians, Russians, Czechs, Jugoslavians, Poles, work as a rule in the heavy industries, such as mines, steel mills, chemicaf factories, automobile plants, ete. While these are members of these fraternal organizations and take an active part in the work of the language organizations, sub- scribing to the press, they do not join the reyo- | lutionary trade unions or any other union. At the same time, these proletarians with definite revolutionary inclinations, who are usually sub- jected to severe exploitation, represent an active element which could be, without any special ef- fort, and should be, drawn into the ranks of the revolutionary trade union organization, The we ‘ers’ correspondence of the language press can be utilized as workers’ correspondence in the trade union press, they can be drawn into the work of establisiing a trade -union press, Wwe can carry on through them the recruitment of members into our organizations. What must be borne in mind is that the fraternal organi- zations as well as mass workers’ organizations as, for example, the Workers International Re- lief, sport, the FSU, the League of Struggle for Negro Rights, etc., can in turn become reservoirs from which the revolutionary trade union or- ganizations can draw hundreds'and even thou- sands of new active members, Therefore, it would be advisable to organize | in these fraternal organizations and language workers’ organizations, special commissions to assist the revolutionary trade unions, These commissions could carry on a systematic agita- tion’and propaganda in the interests of the revo- lutionary trade union movement, could keep up permanent contact with the revolutionary trade unions, would supply the language workers’ press with articles and notices on the question of the _ trade union work, would carry on a recruiting campaign for the revolutionary trade unions among the members of the fraternal organiza- tions as well as among workers of the respec- tive national organizations, Of course, all this work must be carried on under the control and guidance of the trade union organizations. Close cooperation must be es- tablished between the revolutionary trade unions and fraternal organizations. The revolutionary trade unions must do everything possible to aid the fraternal organizations, to help_ them to de- velop their work, to become mass organizations, to help striking workers, etc. The revolutionary trade unions must take direct and active part in the leading organs of the fraternal organi- zations by sending in their representatives, by receiving reports and the discussion of those_ reports regarding the activity of the fraternal organizations at the general meetings of the trade union. ‘The fraternal organizations must in turn be in the closest touch with the revolutionary trade unions, carry on recruiting work, etc. Not less attention must be given to the or- ganization of workers’ sports. These can be utilized very well, especially during strikes, by organizing sport exhibitions for the strikers to aid the trade unions and also the fraternal or- ganizations in the collection of funds for the strikers and carry out various tasks in the sphere of organization and agitation. In these organizations there are many active projetarians who are not members of any trade union and who must be drawn into’ the ranks of the revolutionary trade unions. It is there- fore necessary to establish strong contacts with the organizations of workers’ sports in the cen- ter and in the olay ied mutual’ cooperation. -Union Movement’ Cultural and Educational Work in the Revolutionary Trade Unions The development of systematie mass cultural and educational work must be carried on with the active participation of the Federation of Cultural Organizations and is to consist of lec- tures and discussions on trade unién and gen- eral political themes, concerts, Movies, question- and-answer evenings, family parties; in order to develop the lower trade union functionary and to equip them with the knowledge of the theory and practice of the trade union movement, we ‘must begin the organization in certain industrial districts, first in New York and Pittsburgh, of trade union courses for the loweg trade union _ workers on Sundays. ‘The TUUL must consider the organization in New York of special short term courses for the theoretical preparation of active workers of the revolutionary trade union movement. Together with this we must take care of organizing a series of reports by the leading trade union functionaries in the Sunday workers’ schools. In order to carry through successfully a sys- tematic agitational propaganda and cultural work, it is necessary to create cultural commissions in the central and local organizations of the TUUL and in the existing independent revolutionary trade unions. These commissions, headed by one of the elected members of the given trade union organ must consist of from five to seven mem- bers, with additional active rank and file pro- Jetarians to be drawn in. The cultural commis- sion must work according to a plan accepted by the leading organ of the given trade union or- ganization which is inclyded in the general plan of work of the corresponding trade union organ. The duties of the agit-prop or cultural com-. mission consists of: a) the preparation of a plan for trade union mass campaigns; b) preparation of material for worker agitators; c) organization , of lectures, discussions, excursions, trade union evenings of questions and answers, workers par- ties, etc.; d) organization of special workers’ agitation groups or brigades and the instruc- tion of these on questions of the practical con- duct of the respective mass campaign; e) the issuing of special leaflets, pamphlets, etc.; f) all possible assistance in the distribution of the trade union organ, the recruiting of subscribers, and readers, the institution of workers” corre- spondence, and the assistance in the issuing of factory papers, etc. In the organization of the systematic organi- zational propaganda and cultural work in the revolutionary trade unions and the Federation of Workers Cultural Organizations can render invaluable service. This Federation itself is in need of the support of the revolutionary move- ment for the purpose of regulating its normal work and becoming a strong mass militant au- xiliary organization pf the proletariat, Work Among Negroes In the sphere of work among the Negroes, the ‘TUUL revolutionary trade unions in the United States have achieved a number of successes. — But this work must be still more strengthened and enforced. It is necessary to mobilize the widest masses of Negroes for the common strug- gle against the offensive-of capital, against the practice of firing the Negroes first and substitut- ing them with white workers, for the immediate relief of unenmloyed Negro workers on an-equal basis with the white workers, for social insur- ance at the expense of the government and the bosses, and that this be distributed equally among white and black workers, against white chauvinism, against lynching, etc. The very instructive experience !n Chicago should serve as a lesson and should be utilized in other districts in the United States. Special attention must be given to the strengthening of the work among the Negroes in the southern states, to draw them into the rariks of the revo- lutionary trade unions and electing them into yatious organs. We must organize in the exist- ing Negro sections of the TUUL. and trade unions a broad group of active members .and utilize them for the work among the Negro masses, not losing sight of at the same time the necessity for drawing them into the genéral trade union work. ‘ White workers must also be attached to the sections and commissions of the Negro workers. ‘The organs of the trade uhion press must give considerable space and attention to the question of the conditions of the Negro workers, to the if | firing of masses of workers, which attacks first- ly the Negroes, to the work among the Negroes, the organization of groups of Negro workers’ , correspondence, Carry On Mass Work Among Immigrant Workers From Latin-American Countries and Colonies ,of the United States In the United States there are great massss of workers who come from the Latin-American countries and from the colonies of the United States. These workers whose language is Spa- nish and who are subjected to the harshest ex- ploitation of the capitalists, must receive more serious ‘attention that heretofore. The existing section of the TUUL for work among colonial workers must draw into active work, worker im- migrants from these countries, who speak the Spanish language and have contact with the Latin-American workers. Such commissions must be organized in the various revolutionary unions, Special attention must be paid to the agricultural workers. The immediate problem of the revolutionary trade unions in the United States is to carry on a broad recruiting campaign among the Latin- American workers for the su boape e ined trade unions, to establish active groups of workers, to carry on agitational propaganda and cultural work among them and also establish contact be- tween the revolutionary trade union organiza- tions of the United States and the revolutionary trade imion organizations of Cuba, Carribean Islands and the Latin-American countries. Carry on the Work Among Women and Youth This branch of our work still remains neglect- ed regardless of all the numerous decisions on this question. There is not one congress or con- ference where we dorft find it necessary to in- clude special points regarding the work among women and youth. Nevertheless in this branch of our work we still find a disdainful attitude. There is a clear manifestation of the underesti- mati6n of the importance of this work. At the same time the actions of the young workers in the miners’ strike point the danger whieh grows out of this underestimation. That same youth which usually is the most militant and active element, which demonstrates a great deal of sacrifice and fearlessness in struggle, which in many cases was the first to join the struggle at the time of the mines’ strike, began to -waver and fall’ under the influence of the reactionary leaders and was found in a great measure among those who first returned to work. This is to be explained by the fact that there were no special demands developed for the work- ing youth, and secondly that no systematic train- ing was carried on among the young workers, that the youth was not drawn into the everyday work of the revolutionary trade union organiza- tion in a sufficient measure. In this’ respect, we must take an immediate and determined step. f In the same way, we must finally begin serious work among the women workers, whose impor- tance in a whole series of industries, such as textile, needle industry, is very great. The or- ganization of youth sections in the trade unions, special Women Commissions, special meetings of - working youth and Women, the drawing them into the active life of the trade unions, the elec- tion of them into various organs of the union, and their utilization for responsible work, the inclusion in the general plan of work of con- crete tasks in the sphere of work among women and youth—this is what we have to accomplish in the immediate future, Establish Contact With the International Committees in Industries The decisions of the Fifth Congress of the Profintern again underlined the need of strength- ening the international committees of industries and the establishment of better contact between those committees and the corresponding trade union organizations affiliated with them. It must be stated, however, that with the exception of the revolutionary union of transport workers such contact with the international committees in the revolutionary trade unions in the United States is non-existent. ~ It is therefore essential that the coming plenum of the TUUL* should make it the duty of all the untons to get into. contact with the exist- ing international committees without furthe~ delay, to send regular reports regarding thei: work, to follow and watch the decisions of the intérnational committees and carry out the directives here, and finally to inform the masse+ of workers at meetings, in the press, regarding . et sod 43) Rs ph: he | By JORGH eee | “Thousands Hungry” That's the way the headline began. But then it went on to say, in an Associated Press dispatch from Vienna ,that: “The Austrian Society for the Protection of Animals has chartered a number of airplanes to convey over the Alps to Italy thousands of swallows which are threatened by the snow, ice and hunger that winter will bring.” Which reminds us that only the other day the N. Y. Post, in an editorial, spoke feelingly of the hardships of cats which are left behind when “flat dwellers, stricken by the’ depression” move out of their living quarters. Not one word about what the hardships of the said flat dwellers might be. But an urgent and heart. tending plea to give abandoned cats a home. Pe Songs of American Toilers The Young Communist League is compiling a song book—something that is needed, as we have said before. It has quite a number of songs already, but it especially wishes to get some more of an especial kind. For example, Negro songs that tell of the hard life of the cotton ‘pickers and what they think of the boss, and so on; songs or poems to which music can be written that express the teal native American resentment and rebellion against exploitation —‘something as American flavored as the “Gila Monster Route” or the “Portland County Jail.” Something as native ag Paul Bunyan or John Henry, But they must be working-class and inspir- ing. And one thing they mustn't be—they mustn't be strained parodies of “When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain” or such rubbish, And please don’t send them to Jorge, but to the Young Communist League, 35 E. 12th St, New York City. The Post_Versus The Post It troubles our soul to mention it, but the N. Y. Past is again caught at it. Readers will have heard, no doubt, that the city of Manchester, England, is the heart of the great Lancashire textile industry, and thereby hangs a tale. In fact, two tales, both told by the N. Y. Post, the property of a gentleman by the name of J. P. Morgan, and one of the most bumptious of the boss press. Well, on Tuesday, Sept. 29, in the year of our lord 1931, we piped the following on the edi- torial page of the N. Y. Post: “The reports of Mahatma Gandht’s visit to Lancashire renew our resp-ct for the brave working people of that stricken section of Eng- land. To no single cause are Lancashire's Present industrial stagnation e~d widespread poverty more attributable tan India’s boycott on cotton cloth.” So far so good for the Post’s “respect” for the sturdy toilers of Lancashire, and its center, Manchester, which toilers, it seems, toil not, and neither do they spin, but bearing up bravely on nothing per week, have thus earned the “re- newed” respect of the N. Y. Post. We are happy to note that the respect was “renewed,” although it is hr-d to say what the toilers’ respect for the Post will be after we cite the first outburst of respect for them, which oc- curred under the famous name of H. R. Knicker- bocker, in the N. Y. Post of June 4, this came year, as follows: “Manchester, England, June 4.—Dhis textile center of the British Empire that has a popu- lation of 700,000 . . . this historical home of Liberalism and piety with the statue of a bishop on its central square, is receiving a lesson in the methods of Soviet trade. Tt is paying careful attention, for chimneys that had smoked for decades over some of Man- chester’s factories, are smokeless teday and the town’s elders declare that times have not been so moldy in the memory of man.” There is no use, perhaps, in drawing a moral from these tales of the N. Y. Post, because the Post can make no use of morals. But we might Suggest that an explanation is in order whether orsnot J. P. Morgan owns both the N. Y. Post and some stock in Lancashire textile mills, and to participate in the campaigns conducted by these international committees, Have our trade unions a chance to become mass organizations and to lead all militant mass activities of the proletariat? Withoutgeny doubt. The economic crisis is deepening. The present sharp economic crisis, which broke out in Europe will undoubtedly have its effects upon the Unit- ed States. It will lead to new sharp economic struggles. VAs a result there will be new ag- gressive actions on the side of the employers, & new wave of wage cuts, mass firing, and a gen- eral worsening of the conditions. ‘The winter is approaching, without any perspective for bet- terment. There is no hope for a decrease in unemployment. We must make clear to the masses that the only wry out of this misery and unemployment is the way of militant and or- Sanized struggle ‘under the leadership of the Communist Party and the revolutionary trade unions, ‘The revolutionary trade union movement has Proven, not-only that it wants, that it is ready, to lead workers in their economic strugy gles, it has proven that it can do it. But we must in the shortest time destroy the wide gap between the objective conditions, the growing of our ideological influence, and our very narrow organization basis. ; We must, therefore, get ready and begin the work with a new tempo, must go through each Phase of work, must make clear our possibilities, and the forces’ at our disposal, must develop a real, not formal self-criticism, which would bring out all our shortcomings, and be*!n to build our, work with new methods, Bringing out our shortcomings both in the center and locally, we must at’ the same time make popular the experiences in the work and have other organizations benefit by this ex- perience, With intensified ‘activities, planned develop- meht of our work, strengthening all phases of the work and gradually adapting the gained ex- ! perience iff new and new phases of the work we will be able to carry out the problem’ before as. By making the sharp turn outlined in these articles, especially in the coal and steel cam- aign now beginning, we can lead the workers ‘to victory in the coming struggles and trans- » form our revolutionary unions inot genuinely f \ \