The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-17
By Fred Ellis

mass Communist Party. 1t was the sign and
evidence that we have made this turn, that
our Party has seized upon the strategic link in
the development of the class struggle in the
United States, the link which connects us with
the whole development of events. We have
connected ourselves up with the masses of the
United States. We have put ourselves at the
head of the mass development. We have given
leadership to it. We have given organization
to it. The political significance of this event
cannot be over-estimated. While we are en-
phaszing this, at the same moment we must
emphasize the organizational weaknesses of
the Party in making this turn. Politically we
have made the turn, organizationally we have
not made it yet, or at least we have just made
the first steps organizationally. The first stem
organizationally in this turn to mass work was
the Party recruiting drive which is directly
connected up with our success on March 9th.
Of course, the recruiting drive and the whole
course of development would have been i'm
possible except for the struggle which has
been carried through by the C. l. to get our
Party off the fractional path, to eliminate the
theories of American exceptionalsm and the
whole opportunist line of our Party under the
Lovestone leadership. The correction of the
political line of the Party was the first condi-
ton. The second condition was the practical
cruitng drive, and third, the beginning of
mass activity, just the beginnings, instead If
the sectarian path pursued in the past. Finally
the March 9th demonstrations put the seal on
this turn. But March 9th also demonstrated
our organizational shortcomings, the tagging
behind of our Party organizationally behind
the political developments, our own political
development as Party, and especially behind
the political developments of the class struggle
whole. This great gap between our poll
teal influence and organizational strength is
the main problem facing us--a problem which
must be solved.
VIII. BUILD THE RED UNIONS-OUR
MAIN TASK.
The new situation creates new tasks and
duties for the Party. Not only for the Party
but especially for our trade unions. The devel-
opment of the revolutionary trade unions be-
comes the central point now in overcoming the
gap between our political influence and our
organlzational strength. 1t is impossible to
overemphasize the Importance of setting to
work with concentrated attention upon the
trade unions, to overcoming all the many COM
plicated problems in the trade unions, as the
question which is going to decide the future
development of our Party.
If we do not meet and solve the problems
involved in building up and strengthening our
revolutionary unions, it will be impossible for
the Party to develop along the road to mass
Party. 1t is not enough to have a correct gen.
eral political line. This political line must be
transformed into correct organizational pro-
cedure-correct approach to the masses and
consolidation of our influence into mass or
ganizatiOnal forms. Of these forms the trade
unions occupy the central place.
In this regard think we must say that
yesterdays discussion on the trade union ques-
ton while favorable and having many good
features and marking new step forward in
facing these problems was also demonstra-
ton of our weakness in this respect, was
demonstration of the lack of concreteness with
which we have faced these problems, was a
demonstration Of the fact that we still have
to force our Party to get into the midst of
these problems so deeply that it is impossible
for us to have days discussion without hav-
ing every minute of that discussion spent in
solving in detail some problem in connection
with the development of our trade union work
ITO Be Continued.