The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-02-21

the United States OF large numbers Of
Russian Observation-Disclosures, but
this would only explain their numbers
but not their influence pit is safe to
assume that had the Russian Section
been more active among the Russian
speaking masses these counter-revolu-
tionists would have been much less
successful than they really were.
1T must also be remembered that dur
| ing this same period the party as
whole has been making great strides
in its development, it increased its
membership (every federation shows
that increase) it increased it's infu-
ence, while the Russian Section prac-
tically remained stationary and to re-
main stationary in social life as rule
means going back, andsthat is what is
actually happening in the Russian Sec
ton. 30
We must sound note of warning
that unless some radical measures are
taken by our Russian Section to come
into closer contact with the Russian
speaking masses, the situation may
yet become worse. l am sure the con-
vention will, take all necessary steps
to improve the situation.
THE fate of our Russian organ,
| Novy Mir, reflects very clearly the
general situation in the Russian Fed
Grafton. Why is it that our Russian
organ, up to a month ago, failed to
evoke sympathetic response from any
considerable number of Russian speak
ing workers? This is q fact, to which
we must not close our eyes. All credit
to the members Of our Russian Sec
ton for their sacrifices and hardships
in maintaining Novy Mir We know
quite well what a terrific burden it
was for our Russian membership to
maintain their paper, but then we
must ask ourselves the following
question: How is it that so few non
partisan Russian workers were won
over to the support of Novy Mir? The
answer is, the Novy Mir, until its re-
organization by the Central Executive
Committee, suffered from the same de-
fects that the whole Russian Section
did. Together with sthe federation,
Novy Mir was living in world far
removed from, the actual living world
of the Russian masses in America.
Neither the federation nor Novy Mir
reflected to any considerable extent
the needs, grievances,i suffering, and
joys of the Russian masses in, Amer
lea. This must be understood in or
der to improve the Situation. Novy
Mir was not sufficiently interesting or
sufficiently attractive not alone be-
cause Of editorial defects but because
of the wrong policy and the wrong
point of view that peTfneated the en-
tire organization. 5f a
VNTHAT was this wrong policy? It's
wv most characteristic feature, as
far as can see, wasgtoo much gen.
eralization and not enough concrete-
ness in our agitation and propaganda.
We seemed to be working on the
theory that to agitate for Soviet Rus
STA and the Communist International
is by itself sufficient to win the
masses to our leadership. This atti-
tude can be proven wrong theoretic-
ally. 1t has been proven wrong in
practice. 1t didn't work. What the
leadership of our Russian Section
failed to realize was that in order to
make Soviet Russia and the Commun-
list International real winning issues
among the Russian masses in the
United States it was necessary to link
these issues up with the things that
are more immediate in the life of the
Russian masses. This our comrades
failed to understand and because OF
that our federation did not grow and
our daily organ had reached some
time ago a point where the leading
comrades of the organization decided
to close the daily, Novy Mir.
We Maintained Novy Mir as a Daily
n T this point it might be well to re
n late few incidents of how we
succeeded in maintaining Novy Mir as
"a daily in New York. AS you probably
know, the leading organs of the Rus
sian Federation, the bureau of Chica
go and the management committee in
New York. had already decided tc
close Novy Mir and togbegin the pub
location of a weekly iR:AChicago. In
the minutes of the bureau of Dec. 10
1924, we find the following decision
THE bureau approves, the decision Of
the management committee to begin
the publication of weekly in Chi
cago. In connection with this it is de
cided to send Immediately a represen
ative to visit Districts6 g, and 8. A
committee is elected consisting o.
Comrades Borisoff, and ,omelianovich
10 outline the necessary practica
measures to put into effect this decis
ION and also to recommend an editor
Comrade striz is appointed to visit
Districts and T."
I'm the minutes of the bureau of Dec