The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-03-05

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munlst Party. This address was
made before selected audience of
Russian party workers. There will
be another installment tomorrow
WHAT STAIN SAID:
COMRADES, 1 must above all en-
phasize that 1 speak here on nv
own behalf, and not in the name of
the Central of the Party. If the meet
ing decides to hear my address, I am
at its service. please 20 onD
This does not mean that / differ
IN opinion in any way to the Central
IN this qucstion-not Of all. speak
here in nv own name solely for the
reason that within the next few davA
the commission appointed by the
Central to work out measures for
the improvement of the inner politi-
cal situation win be submitting its
results to the Central.
These results have not vet been
laid before us. and thus | have not
yet = -0al :ghs Il appear J., ;hc
name ~ tire Central, altho am f.:n.
convinced that that which am
about to say, win be at the same
time essentially the expression of
the attitude adopted by the Central
in this question.
DiscussiOn-A Good Sign.
The first question which l should
ike to raise here is the question Of
the meaning Of the discussion being
carried on at present in the press
and in the nuclei.
What is this discussion about. and
what does it signify?
Is it not a tempest which has
broken into the peaceful life of the
Party; is this discussion not a sign,
as some say, Of the disintegration
and decay of the Party, or, as others
say, a sign of degeneration of the
Party?
believe, comrades, that neither
the one nor the other is true, there
is neither a degeneration nor a dis
Indignation. The fact is that the
Party has grown Of late, that it has
unburdened itself Of a considerable
amount Of ballast, that it has be-
come more proletarian.
You are aware that two years ago
we had no fewer than 100000 Party
members. You are aware that sew
eral hundreds of thousands of one
time Party members have left the
Party or have been expelled.
The Party has further improved in
Z its component parts, and has at
tanned higher qualitative level dur
ing this period as a result of the
Improvement in the material situa-
ton of the workers, of the uplift Of
industry, of the return of the old
qualified workers from the country.
and Of the fresh wave Of cultural
uplift among the industrial workers.
In one word: all these conditions
have tended to the growth of the
Party, to its qualitative progress.
Its requirements have become great
er, its demands are higher, it wants
to know more than it used to, and it
wants to decide more than it has
hitherto decided.
The discussion which has arisen
is no sign of weakness in the Party,
and much less Of degeneration; it is
rather a sign Of strength, a sign Of
power, sign of the improvement of
the elements composing the Party,
a sign of it's increased activity.
Causes of the Discussion.
The second question with which
we have to deal is the question of
why precisely this moment, the
autumn of this year, has happened
to be the period in which the ques-
ton Of inner Party policy has as
sumed so acute a character? How
is this to be explained? What are
the causes?
assume, comrades, that there are
two causes at the bottom of it.
The first cause is the wave Of
ferment and strikes, in connection
with working wages, which passed
over some districts Of our republic
in August of this year. This strike
wave showed that our organizations
are faulty, that some Of our organi-
Del. 49,.