The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-03-15


tarily, and thereby Illustrate any at
tempt on the part of the workers
themselves to organize for action
during and after the crisis.
The Russian Communist Party, or
gained along the lines of shop
nuclei, can place the entire working
population of Moscow in the street,
ready for any kind Of action. in five
hours time.
A good-sized volume could be writ
ten on the weaknesses and the anti
quated state of our present branch
structure. Our present form Of or
ganization is heritage from the old,
decrepit and outworn, socialist move
ment, following the lines of the So
cial democratic party of Germany.
The Communist movement with its
different methods, tactics and aim,
must have a different and distinct
structure Of organization.
Altho our present territorial branch
does not fit precisely the needs of a
Communist Party, we cannot simply
say that it is of no value whatever,
and drop that form of organization
and Immediately proceed on a new
basis. To do so without preparation
would be political suicide Our en-
tire organization would be destroyed.
Communists are not utopians. We re-
alize If we wish ney party struc-
ture there must be transitional
period, a bridging over from the
present form to the new form.
Any great change in the structure
Of any organization, whether politi-
cal, industrial, or social, can be
brought about only by a gradual
process.
Our present party structure is in
adequate for the task of reaching
the great mass OF workers. We must
have new form to meet the new
needs. What shall it be-?
The answer is: The party struc-
ture must be built on the place of
work of the membership, rather than
where the comrades live. AS one of
our comrades puts it: 1.-THE party is
at present organized where our mem
bers sleep rather than where they
slave"
This is not new idea. The Com
munist Party of Russia is organized
on the basis of the work shop: not
only since it has taken state power,
but many years before. It was this
form of organization which made it
possible for the Bolsheviki to mobil-
ize the entire working class against
the ruling class Of Russia. The form
of party structure based on the work
place is called the shop nuclei. It
consists of members who work in
any given shop.
Method to Reach Workers.
The advantage of the nucleus over
the territorial branch is this: Mod
crn capitalism has brought together
thousands Of workers 1rder the same
roof. The class struggle finds its
sharpest contact right in the shop
where the worker is reduced to the
position of a machine and where he
feels mostly his exploitation and can
be reached On the basis of the mis-
cry of his conditions, while to reach
him after work, when he is trying
to lest from his bitter exploitation,
puts our members at disadvantage.
The minute the whistle blows the
worker hurries home, either to do
the little job around the house, or
else to spend the time he has look
ing for pleasure in the picture show,
the saloon, etc. In the factory a
job agitator meets his fellow worker
every day; the workers know one an
other; the workers feel they have
something in common; they are
more inclined to listen to a shop
mate. Whereas, if he meets a Com
munist he does not know, he is sus-
picious of him and thinks him at
best some poor misguided fool. The
worker outside of the shop is hard to
propagandize.
To make job agitation effective it
must be organized and systematic;
it must deal with the every day
struggles of the workers in the
shop, using the bad shop conditions
to point out to them the nature Of
capitalist exploitation. The agitator
must point out the necessity of the
workere heinor or0anizad industrial Iv