The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-05-21

peddlers, collectors, etc.?
4. Not only for your own sake,
but for the sake of the party, for
preserving yourself as a party work.
er, you should avoid all unnecessary
risks, Be careful in distributing our
literature or conducting our agita-
tion and propaganda in the shops
and unions.
Be still more careful, if you are en-
trusted with responsible positions in
the party organization.
| You can imagine how it would
hurt our organization work if a
district organizer or any comrade
from the Central Departments were
arrested, For these comrades it
would be absolutely foolish to take
the risk of distributing literature
from house to house, for example.
They should not even be present at
any open functions" of the party.
They should not be seen one with
the other, or even in groups of more
| than two, at all. If one Of them
may be under suspicion Of being an
important party worker, why should
he give the spies an opportunity to
place their suspicious on the others.
The more important ones posi-
tion in the party, the more he is
looked for, the greater is his risk,
and the greater should be his care
fulness and precautions.
| 5. He is not a coward who, work
ing for the party, is very cautious
and careful. The test is in the work
lis he doing it or not? Is he will
ling to take the unavoidable risk
that is connected with all under
ground party work; or is he trying,
under one pretext or another, to
avoid all risk to himself by keeping
away from party work altogether? :?
If comrade does his share Of party
work he is a better worker for doing
it with the least possible risk. If. he
does not do his share he is a coward
and deserter regardless Of any,
thing else, regardlss of his loud
talking and boasting of his courage.
The rule is: Party work must be
done-with the least possible risk
without risk, if possible-but It must
be done
| 6. Boosting is foolish in general,
but boasting Of your work for the
party, thereby mourning absolutely
unnecessary risks for yourself and
for the party work, is positively
criminal. What you know, or what
you have been intrusted to do Of
party work, nobody else should know,
except those who have a party bust
ness to know it-nobody else, not
even the best comrade, not even your
!, wife or husband, or sweetheart.
And be careful you are not over
heard by others when you have to
talk party business.
7. Party work, party agitation and
propaganda-even the collection of
, party funds from outsiders and the
getting of new members for the
party, can be and should be carried
on without divulging ones member
, ship in the party. 1t is sufficient to
: say, in some cases, that you indorse
and support the party; in others,
, that you have connections with par
lty members, Only when you bring
a new member up to the probatio-
: nary group you have to show him
that you are a member yourself.
That through your activities you
} should be known as "red" in your
shop or union is all right, that is
, too general an attribute to be made
, the basis for prosecutions and
, punishment; but you should not be
, known as q member Of the Com
munist Party.
8. Every one Of us knows that
thousands Of spies are on the job
every day in every city bent upon
| ferreting out our members, our meet
ings and working places-but how
many of us take this in considera-
: tion and see that they are not being
, followed when going to an appoint
, ment, to a meeting, or even to a
J working place Of ours? Especially
} those comrades who are more OF
4, less under suspicion, or even have
/, been already singled out, arrested
and indicted.
: DO you know that they are some
: times let out on purpose, like bait
for the spies to watch their steps
: to follow them, and so to discover
S our workers and our addresses?
This does not mean that the,
!. should keep away from all part,
! work. 1t only means that they shoult
e be especially careful and circumspect
r Do you know that, in order :,
p keep track Of our work, they will
J, open up our letters, photograph Of
a copy them, and then send then
n through to us nicely closed again
! They do not hold them up altogether