The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-11-25
PRE-PLENUM DISCUSSION
Young Communist League, U.S.A.
DEVELOPMENT of New Youth Leadership

ton that will really be "a school Of struggle for
Communism for the young proletarian genera
ton as Conrade Lenin spoke of it.
I believe that the pre-plenum discussion ar
ticles that already appeared have not dealt suf-
ficiently with the basic requirements of the YCL
in its present situation. They have almost en-
tirely omitted the big question of the respon-
siblities of our national leadership. Especially
do consider Comrade Steubens article unsatis-
factory in this connection. No concrete self-crit-
nicism Of his own mistakes as we'll as those of
Comrade Harvey as the two leading responsible
comrades of the NEG Buro. Not one word is
mentioned in self-crticism of the impermssible
suppression and withholding Of the Y.C.L. letter
from the league membership Is there any Won
der why the league membership did not under
stand its role and task in carrying out the Plan
of Action? Not one word is said in criticism
of their mistakes in the field since the beginning
of the Plan of Action in June. For example
I believe that Comrade Steuben's following con-
illusions in his article in the Daily Worker"
are guilty of bad tendency to satisfaction
and -exaggeration.
81. Even though the concrete organizational
results are very unsatisfactory, the steps that
we Chat is national leadership have taken in
connection with the carrying out of the plan
prevented the league from entering crisis
and furthermore makes it possible to proceed at
full speed toward developing genuine mass youth
activity"
Now can we honestly say that this political
estimation is really correct? Can we correctly
says as Comrade Steuben openly implies, that
the danger Of crisis in the league is thing
of the past? Can we say that the small unsat-
isfactory results of the plan have already made
1t possible to proceed at full speed toward de-
veloping genuine phraseology." This is selfsatis-
faction and over operation. Such philosophiz-
ing on the League situation is harmful and mad
misSabe.
Another question: Nobody can deny at the
present time that unemployment is the most
burning question facing the American working
class today. Without correctly tackng the ques-
ton of unemployment, it is impossible to organ
ize the unorganized in this period of permanent
unemployment. The youth is sharply affected
by unemployment, Still how is it possible that
our national leadership has completely failed to
give the league membership political line on
youth unemployed work? There seems to have
been an almost irresponsible lack of seriousness
and understanding of the Y.CL. line the whole
attitude of the League leadership on the basic
questions facing the youth. The league leader
ship seems to have entirely failed to grasp the
political meaning of the organizatonal proposals
laid down in the suppressed YCI letter Instead
rection of our mistakes-the National leadership
merely satisfied itself with drawing up a state
ment endorsing the YCI letter in words crit-
cally emphasizing the hardness of the YCI in
forwarding us the letter, instead of really try
ing to politically convince itself in deeds of the
correctness of the serious criticism of the YCI
And then above all these mistakes-in the old
factional, petty-bourgeois politicians style the
national leadership has the CUTS to suppress and
withhold the YCI letter on the basis of fIuky
technical excuses. And to this date, not one
statement has openly appeared from the leader
ship critcizng this grave political crime against
the YCL. Furthermore, how can it be possible
that at this time the YCI complains of not being
Informed of the true situation in the American
League? Why hasn't the national leadership
cooperated with the YCI giving it a correct I'M
exaggerated picture of our real situation and in
this way help to quicken the process of making
the turn?
All this convinces me of the urgent necessity
OF developing a new youth leadership in our
League that will be able to cope with our gigan-
tic tasks and that will enable the League to
take maximum organization advantage of the
present economic crisis. We must understand
concretely just how this crisis affects the youth
and what new forms and methods of work are
needed to attract them to the Y. G. l.. This
plenum must develop new youth leadership that
OF the best youthful fighting material that we
have in our districts-a youth leadership that
is to work very closely under the constant guild
ance and supervision of the YCI with the steady
cooperation of the Party Central Committee