The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-03-29

lily on organized activities of the nuclei, but
largely through mass meetings demonstra-
tions, etc. A fact which should sound an
alarm for our Party to heed is that there were
shop nuclei in New York and Chicago which
did not recruit single new member, despite
the fact that some were even engaged in econ
omic struggles at the time.
The Drive revealed the incapacity and un-
preparedness of the shop nuclei to function
as the most important unit of the Party. The
fact that the Party recruited 80 per cent OF its
new members not thru shop nuclei or shop
activity, but thru mass meetings and other
old methods, is proof that the Party as
whole is not yet functioning on Bolshevik
basis of shop nuclei activity and that old So
cial-democratic methods are still prevailing.
The shop nuclei have not yet close connection
with the masses and are not the main link
between the Party and the masses.
There was expressed also in Pittsburgh
amongst certain strata of the membership,
open opposition to the Drive, while it is char
acteristic that in all districts only section of
the membership actively participated in the
Drive.
Another organizational weakness in many
districts is the fact that the new members
were recruited largely from the unemployed,
in some districts reaching rs per cent. With
out neglecting recruiting amongst the unem-
ployed, our main task is to root the Party in
the shops. Consequently recruiting of work
ers in the factories and is the most imper-
alive need of the Party.
A. An opportunist tendency was revealed in
the failure of every district to recruit large
numbers of Negro workers. While the total
recruiting of Negro workers must be consid
-. 4ha
weakness that five districts New York, Phla-
dephia, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago) recruited
sc per cent of all those recruited. Tendencies
were also expressed in some districts against
taking too many Ngroes into the Party be-
cause they were too undeveloped. These must
be fought against expressions of white
chauvinism in practice.
There was also evident complete under
estimation of the role of women workers in
industry by the generally complete neglect of
recruiting women in the Drive, particularly
Negro women.
5. Self-criticism as the basis of revolution
airy competition was entirely absent throughout
the drive. There were insufficient efforts
the part of leading committees to correct in
correct practices of eXaggerating reports, re-
porting applications instead of accepted men,
bers, accepting new members without initiation
stamps and unnecessary raising of quotas. Rev
dictionary competition did not penetrate the
ranks of the Party down into the nuclei.
g. A basic underestimaton, which penetrates
the. entire Party membership, of the important
role of the Communist press as an agitator
and organizer of the Party was shown in the
almost complete failure on this sector of the
Recruiting Drive. With the exception of Cali
fornia, Philadelphia and Boston in subscrip-
tons and Detroit in delivery sales, no district
considered the Daily Worker important.
T. The serious organization shortcomings
in all districts of Understanding the necessity
of organized functioning Party fractions in
the non-Party mass organizations, was re-
! Elected in the nearly complete absence of re-
cruting by Party fractions.
s. A general tendency to underestimate. or
ganization work and responsibilities, expressed
in lack of control of decisions, failure to send
! in regular reports, discrepancy between the
| claims of new members and sale of initiation
| stamps, irregularity of meetings, ETC.
Our political successes in the Recruiting
! Drive, coupled with other campaigns, notably
! March 6, must be understood as only the pre-
! paratory steps for further and more extensive
activities. Any tendencies to "bask in glory"
must be ruthlessly combatted.
Our immediate task, while intensifying our
activity in all our campaigns, is to simulta-
neously consolidate organizationaly our poll
| teal gains. This means intensive activity in
| absorption of the new members at the same
| time as we realize that the discrepancy be-
tween our political influence and organization
! strength is still too great and that these scis-
sors must be narrowed by continuation of re-
/ cruiting as part of all our activities and
campaigns, particularly learning from the
| shortcomings of the Drive. Towards this end,
we must understand that still handi-
capped by of old methods, forms of work
! prevailing and that there exists a general I'M
! derestimation and lack of understanding and
carrying through of OrganizatiOnal work.
To meet the fact that we have a new Party
| in many districts-that is, majority of new
recruits--we must intensity our agit-prop and
training activities, learn the necessity of sim
| plicity of language, elimination of orders from
above and substitution of show" to do things
and an absolute sweeping aside of all rem
nants of bureaucratism and super-sophstca-
ton still lingering in our ranks. To meet the
existing crisis in cadres, we must follow
conscious policy of developing new proletarian
forces in a bold manner.
~. Flowing from this situation our tasks
are:
! /. Work Amongst the New Members. This
can only be done by firstly, a sharp change