The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-02-28
ON SOME OF OUR ORGAN
NATIONAL SHORTCOMINGS

airy papers. The same question must be posed
when we check up on these as with the organ
izations themselves: docs this paper help to
rally non-Party masses in the struggle?" The
Writer has seen only too many instances where
auxiliary organs have been left lying around
offices and have gone to rot. But deeper and
more important than our own neglect of some
of these auxiliary papers is the fact that the
papers themselves have no clear function. For
instance, while the Labor Defender is the most
popular of all working class periodicals in the
South, Labor Unity falls flat. The reason is
that the Labor Defender besides the fact that
it is simply and attractively put up, has
certain definite function which most workers,
no matter how backward, realize. Labor Unity
has not. Instead of being real organ of both
the organized and unorganized workers, with
special emphasis on the workers in and around
the T.U.U.L. and its various affiliated organ
izations, it is too much of a general political
organ, repeating in great part the Daily Work
err. Besides, it is too full of resolutions and
long articles, rather than short, simple news
about the organization work in the various
fields and locals Solidarity" the official
organ of the Workers International Relief
seems to have no mass response whatsoever
Solidarity" certainly has not justified its ex-
istence or the expense the W,1.R is put to in
geIIlHS IL OUT among the southern WOEhGlS
A bulletin during strikes or mass movements
seems to fit the purpose sufficiently. The
working Woman" in its present form GER
tainly is not attractive and simple enough for
the great mass of American working women,
who are even more backward-for certain his
torical reasons-than the male workers. Ditto
for number of our other auxiliary organs.
Simple Writing
Along with the simplification in our auxili-
airy organizations must come a simplifcation
in the style of our writing While the C. c.
resolution on the Daily Worker, especially the
section on simple working class writing, is
great step ahead, nevertheless there is not suf-
ficient check-up on our writings. There still
exists too much of what Lenin called "Com-
munist vanity" the feeling that no writing is
Communist writing unless it is chock-full of
our Scientific jargon,"* This is field
where the greatest of patience is needed. Sim
pie, popular language is wanted badly. This
is by no means simple task, But it must be
carried out. Not word should go out in any
of the mass organs unless it is understandable
to the workers. Where a difficult word is
used (or one that is found mostly in the Marx
ist technical vocabulary it must be explained.
This seems elementary, yet we find that it is
generally not done. No auto worker, for in
stance, will use a word or expression about
something in the factory where he works, if
he is talking to a textile worker, without ex-
planning what that word or expression means.
Why do we not do the same thing? The Y.C.L.
has made an excellent step in the direction of
simplifying and popularizing its literature that
the Party might well take not of. 1t has
drafted four-page leaflet on. ''Why Southern
Young Workers Should Join the Young Com
munist League" and has given it to COM
mittee of two southern young workers to edit.
Any word that these young workers did not
understand stricken out. That insured
popularity of the leaflet and did not detract
one whit from its political content
More Stress on Organizations Sides.
All the above points have been brought up
for discussion and action because of our evil
tional work has failed by far to keep up with
our political influence. This in turn has meant
political weaknesses later and tagging behind
the activity of the masses. Much more stress
on the organizational side in the future to con-
solidate our political influence! We have the
correct political line Let US build our class
weapons of struggle and above all our Party
and Young Communist League! For this we
need patience, tirelessness, and attention to the
tiniest of organizational details. Otherwise, the
most correct political line will find no means
of execution.
This article certainly cannot be cited as an
writer recognizes this but points out that this
is in the nature of a Party discussion article,
T9ea for Party members for the most part
mass work, the style or language certainly