The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-12-10

an Uuderestmatiou of the function of the
Daily Worker by looking upon it as journal
of Communist information rather than as
the leading political organ of the Party
And further:
CAS- part of this campaign we must aim at
increasing the circulation of the Daily Work
err and the entire Party press. The Daily
Worker must be made into real mass organ
connected with the masses in the shops
through a whole network of factory cor
respondents. This is one of the best guar
autees not only of establishing the contacts
of the Daily Worker in the Shops but also
of increasing its circulation. THE ENTIRE
PARTY MUST BE MADE TO REALIZE
THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF THE PARTY
CENTRAL ORGAN AND THE NECESSITY
TO CONVERT IT INTO A REAL MASS
ORGAN"
The underestimation by the Party of the
function of the Daily Worker was bound to
result, and did result in an underestimation of
it in its current work by the Party leadership,
including those concerned with its production
and circulation. Especially during the fac
tional struggle and under the Influence of Love
stone as Party secretary and of Wolfe as
Agitprop Director, this process was carried
furthest and resulted in non-recognition of the
prime necessity of accuracy; in certain de-
gree of frivolity in treatment of political is
sues; in copying the methods of the bourgeois
press, especially of those papers (Hearst)
whose purpose lin the case of the capitalist
press) is primarily to dope the workers and
the petty bourgeoisie. The final result was
that, arising from this underestimation and its
consequences, the Party failed to provide an
adequate Communist staff, the paper became
less and less of a leading Party organ, and
failed even to be effectively journal of Com
munist information. So deep was this par
Acular manifestation of the Right danger, ac-
centuated by the fractional struggle that even
after the receipt of the Address of the c. l., the
Daily Worker is only gradually throwing off
its bad inheritance.
A revolutionary daily must be- first of all,
an agtator. It's purpose is to instil into its
proletaran readers an undying hatred against
capitalism and the will and determination to
end cpitasm. 1t must do that by utilizing
every event treated in its columns for agita-
ton. 1t must therefore specialize on class
struggle events and on happenings which lie
near to the workers life and conception and
must treat these events in the language of the
workers.
Aside from being consistent agitator, It
must be an educator, a propaganda This
task is performed, first, by not only conveying
the news of events and happenings to the
reader in such form that it creates resent
ment against capitalism, against the capitalist
class and the capitalist state, but also draws
conclusions from those events in the form of
either proposals for action or theoretical con-
illusions and, second that while it speaks the
language of the workers, it must elevate this
language on a higher plane, politicalize it, so
that it brings into the heads of the workers
their own ideas and their own reactions in
higher FORM synchronsing the spontaneous re-
action of the workers with the theoretical
analysis and conclusions OF the Communist
editor.
In certain respects an Improvement has been
shown. There has been more intenatonaliza-
ton of the news and articles; the political edi-
toriaIs have been made the leading articles;
the paper responds more promptly and funda-
mentally to current events; progress has been
made in departmentalizing the work, strength
ening the staff, AMI recognizing the methods
Of producing and circulating the paper
One of the greatest assets of the Daily
Worker is the deep loyalty and devotion of the
Party members to its maintenance; the Party
feels the supremacy important role which the
Daily Worker must play in the class struggle
This loyalty to the Daily Worker must be care
fully cultivated and deepened, especially by
giving the Party and the working masses, a
constantly better paper.
The necessary changes have however, only
started and by means can the present sit
uation be considered satisfactory The Poll
teal Buro therefore instructs the Secretariat
to take the necessary measures in order to put
into effect Immediately the decisions of the
Central Committee Plenum which would make
the Daily Worker the leading political organ
of the Party and transform it into mass
organ. The Daily Worker must be the Party's
chief agitator, educator and organizer. The
following shall be the guiding lines in the
transformation of the Daily Worker staff and
its work:
l. Win the masses-by making pol
icy understandable and interesting to the
workers
3 Fill the Daily Worker with the life of
the factories by workers correspondence.
Broadcast the slogan: Workers, this is YOUR
paper; write for it,
g. Shorten and sharpen every item that
goes into the paper. Cut out long words,
long sentences, long paragraphs, long arti-
cles Boil it down to easily understood
sentials."
A. Give the Communist viewpoint and in
depreciation of every important event IN
SHORT NEWS ITEMS AND IN HEAD
LINES.