The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-10-11
PRE-PLENUM DISCUSSION
Young Communist League, U.S.A.
Are We to Win the Proletarian Children?

the winning of the masses of children, we find
the following: By the end of the year 1929,
there were over 100000 children organized,
with recorded increase of gain of % thou
sand between 1928 and 1929. This organization
which is run with the direct contributions Of
the biggest miionaires of this country and has
the best program for the incubation of mill
tarism and patriotism in the mind of the work
ers child is only one of many capitalist Or
CARNATIONS which are succeeding. This only
goes to show how much more the bosses realize
thee Importance of preventing the workers
child from developing into anything but a wage
slave under capitalism.
We must seriously consider what the reasons
for our failure to build our revolutionary chill
dren's organization were if we are to really
correct our mistakes. In general one can list
them under two large headings. l. A seri-
Gus misunderstanding which existed on the
part of the vel as to the character and
forms of work to be developed in our chill
dren's groups. 2. The absolutely inadequate
guidance and attention given by the YC.L.
and the Party in the developing and building
of our children's movement
What was the mistake of the Y.CL. in its
conception as to the needs and forms of work
of our childrens organization? Our Pioneer
organization was not at all attractive for
workers children. We did not conduct work
in the most varied forms to suit the interest
of all children, we were not an organization
that could make workers children want to join
it. Instead our children's organization was
built on almost the same basis as the Party
and the League. We mechanically carried over
the forms of the Party and the League group
work, which inevitably led to the TRANSITIONAL
ton of our children's organization into that of
a Children's Communist Party. Our incorrect
conception of the needs of children and our
attempt to follow the shop nuclei prevented
the Pioneer organization from becoming any
thing else but narrow sectarian organization,
completely isolated from the masses of chill
dren and making it impossible for the broad
masses to understand and want to join u.s.
In recognition of these errors steps are be-
ing taken to introduce activities into our pres
ent children's groups and to build new groups
in manner that will supply the children with
forms of work that they demand and desire.
We should use the most varied forms and
methods of activities for the children and util-
ize every opportunity for organizing the mass
es of children, ie., establish sports, music, ma
ture study, photography, ETC., circles in our
groups of children and in this manner make
it possible to get and hold on to masses of
children. Our task in the building of a Com
munist Chldrens Movement is to not only get
the children but to make these broad masses
of proletarian children understand their class
situation and recognize the necessity for the
class struggle, thus training them in the spirit
of Communism on the basis of the participa-
ton of the children in the class struggle of the
proletariat. ...-
Ito Be Continued.)