The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-10-10

mittee of the league Gin behalf Of the
former majority of the executive), re-
viewed the situation at the beginning
of the formation of the league and
traced its development up to the pres
ent time. He said that the league had
its origin in the Young Peoples So
cialist League, which had been mere
ly social organization. At first the
Inheritance of the traditions of pure
ly social activities from the Y. P. S.
L. were added to by the traditions of
purely sectarian nature acquired
during the days Of the underground
existence of the Communist move
ment in the United States. The COM
bination of these two extremes, said
the speaker, had not made for the
advantage of the Young Workers
(Communist) League, but with the
aid Of the Young Communist Interna-
tional an excellent basis had been
laid in the form of resolutions for
mass activities. But because the in
herited traditions and old forms, the
excellent resolutions for mass activi-
ties remained in the form of excel
lent resolutions. Comrade Shacht-
man said that the youth league had
needed some great blow to shake ii
out of the sectarian and social atmo-
sphere and into a genuine Bolshevik
atmosphere. However, there had been
some improvement. A struggle arose
within the league which brot some
realization that it was necessary to
carry the resolutions for mass activi.
ties into actual practice. There came
a division in the league, not on a poll
teal question, but on questions of or.
ganizational policy.
Comrade Shachtman reviewed the
history of the differences between the
majority and the minority of the N.
E. G. of the league and the appeals
made to the Young Communist Inter.
national and its decisions, declaring
that Comrade Kaplan's appeals to the
International had not been accepted
but had been rejected by the Y. c. l.
The decisions of the international
had not been followed by lessening,
but on the contrary, by a sharpen
ing of the struggle within the league.
The struggle changed from one on or
ganizational questions to a struggle
on a political line of division.
Labor Party Issue Divides League.
The division, said Comrade Shaeht-
man, came then on the question of
the party's position on the labor party
issue, and the struggle sharpened to
great intensity in the league. This,
he said, had proven to be the great
blow which had been necessary to
bring the league to a realization of
the necessity of real mass activities.
The mass character of the leagues
activities became something that
could be noticed, said Comrade
Shachtman. Actual contacts were OBJ.
tanned with the masses of young
workers thru the factory campaigns
that were initiated. The member.
ship began to understand that its ac.
Invites were to be something differ.
ent from the mere organization OF
dances and of educational classes on
the A. B. C. of Communism.
All of this, he said, was connected
with the building up of shop nuclei
The shop nuclei of the league, he said
were as yet only a small handful. but
there exists the very big idea that
We cannot become a truly Bolshevik
mass Communist organization unless
We reorganize on the basis of shop
nuclei.
Comrade Shachtman then reviewed
the course of the fractional struggle
within the league as it reflected and
duplicated the fractional struggle in
the party on the labor party issue.
He reviewed the world development
of the Communist youth leagues from
the time of the active part which was
played by the young members of the
social-democratic parties during the
world war, declaring that the youth
had at first, in the days of thinner.
valid, Kienthal, etc, played the role
of the organizer of the revolutionary
elements against the opportunist lead.
ers Of the Second international. Only
later they came to the role of car
rying out special youth work as dis
tinguished from the general partici
patton in party work.
The Young Workers League, said
the speaker, despite the complete alb
sorbtion Of its membership in the
party controversy over the labor party
issue, has now come to the point
where it can say it is on the road
to real mass activities.
Comrade Shachtman maintained
that the league has gained in mem.
bership, citing figures covering the
past two years.
He spoke at length on the neces.
sfty Of Bolshevization of the league
the anti-militarist struggle, the neces.
sity of reaching the youth of the
farms and the Negro youth.
In summing up, Comrade Shacht.
man said that in the course Of being
Bolshevized the league would eradi.
cate the conception OF mo maneu.
vers." He said that the ABSORPTION OF