The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-11-08

IN Judging the IeTrlJOTldl- DIauCn anu
/ the shop nucleus the question
always to be answered is: which is
most effective for carrying out the
Party program?
Well, let's take the recent Workers
Party election campaign. Speed plus
efficiency are especially needed in the
parliamentary work. There must be
quick and systematic mobilization of
the Party membership for all the du-
ties in connection with the election
campaign: speakers, literature distri-
button, collection Of finance, etc. Very
well. How does our Party function
thru the present form of organization,
thru the territorial branches?
First, the National Office, let us say,
issues a set Of instructions for the
conduct and arrangement Of campaign
meetings, the widest distribution of
literature, collection of funds and so
on. This notice Of instructions goes
to every branch secretary, c. c. c.,
d. e. G. Our press, to help along,
also carries the instructions and
propaganda.
Party Branch Slow In Getting Started.
Our party branches generally meet
every two weeks, some less often.
The branch secretary receives the in
structions from the national Office.
Even if he sends out letters, which is
rare, for special branch meeting,
about two weeks eIapse before the
branch meets to take action on the
Party instructions and program for
the election campaign. 1t is safe tc
say about one-half of the branch, at
best, shows up at the meeting. A dis
cussion takes place-where to sell or
give away literature, the difficulty of
collecting money Ia thousand reasons
given here) how to secure petitions,
if required. and many other things
with which every comrade is &C
quainted.
A few comrades are awake to get
ting to work in the unions or on the
job. But on the whole, life is desul-
tory, they declaim: it will take
lOn6 LA4lC UClOAE Tic u1dcoCb dlC On
ened, and more Of the same. With
religious resignation many comrades
continue to await The Day. Only a
small part of the branch membership
who will deny?-is modified for the
elections campaign after much delay
and exertion.
Branch Depends on Active Few.
The election campaign is on! A
few street meetings, pretty good
crowds-a fairly exotic feeling among
the comrades aiding in street meet
ing work. A couple, at the most, new
members brought into the Party. A
few neighborhood indoor meetings
held with middling success and fail
ures. Comrades discouraged, cynical,
some logged and faithful. A bare
handful of the comrades aided in put
ting even these meetings over. The
meetings deal with very general is
sues, phrasily but not neatly put;
no real talk on how to aid the workers
in the shops. A huge demonstration
meeting follows. Thousands attend,
including for the first time in the cam
paign, hundreds Of our Party members
and sympathizers. The International
is sung, stirring speeches are made,
much literature is sold, the comrades
feel elated. Then they file home and
for most Of them the elections cam
paign is over, except to read the votes
the Communists got.
There is house to house distribu-
ton Of literature, more than usual
since the Party is hammering away at
that. Who does not know how diff
cult it is to get an appreciabIe number
Of comrades out to distribute litera-
turel How pitifully few. Money is
collected. chiefly from the comrades
themselves. They make sacrifices.
But these sacrifices should and could
bring more and better results. Our