The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-06-23
"A LETTER FROM PRISON TO
THE 9TH PARTY CONVENTION

rades for their work, failure to hold, activize
and advance new recruits to fill the posts in
the Party and mass rganizations-these are
some of the basic weaknesses of the Party
fundamental weakness of our Party is the
continued feebleness of the Y.C.L. This is all
the more dangerous because of the tremendous
and growing role of the youth in American
industry and the class struggle. The Party
must give decisive attention to the building Of
the vel.
The perspective in the United States is one
of deepening crisis, as the world over, vicious
wage-slashing campaigns against the workers,
further rehabilitation and mass struggle.
Especially during the coming winter will the
crisis deepen and the struggle intensity. I'm
employment will increase; the employers have
definitely initiated wage cutting campaign.
This will throw great tasks of leadership upon
our Party. The workers will fight. The entire
Party must be prepared and keyed up to meet
this situation, to organize the workers to strug-
gle and to lead them in the fight.
The campaign against our Party in all Sec
tions of the country, the Imprisonment of COM
rades for long terms, the campaign particu- 4
larly against us in the South powers, Carr and
the four other comrades), Whalen's forged
documents and the Fish investigation, show the
preparations the capitalist class and govern
ment are making as they develop their general
attack against the workers.
To meet this situation, the basic task is to
build our Party. The recruiting campaign,
especially among workers in basic and war in
dustres, must be pushed more energetically
than ever. More intense work must be done
among the Negro and young workers, the COM
position must be improved, shop nuclei must
be established in all industries and be activized
into functioning units leading struggles. New
cadres must be developed. The struggle against
ripht onnortIlnism the main danger and also
against cleft" sectarianism must be intensi-
fled
The keynote of the convention, as emphasized
in the thesis, must be mass work. The con-
vention must devote its main attention to or
ganizng this work. While in complete agree
ment with the analysis and tasks as laid down
in the Party thesis, we desire to emphasize the
following urgent tasks in the mass work:
1. Building the T.U.UL. A good start has
been made in building the U.U.L, both in the
existing revolutionary unions and in penetrat-
ing industries. But this is only begin
ming. The $4,000 membership campaign must
be the starting point for day-by-day enrolment
of new members in the unions, of forming 4,
shop committees in shops, factories, Mines or
railroads and ships. The R.I.L.U. 9Th Con-
gress must be emphasized. The revolutionary
union papers must become mass organs. The
local Councils must be built up. All our forces
must muCn more mlllIdnCly De thrown INTO LnlS
work.
2. Defend the Soviet Union. We must pop
ularize among the masses of workers and farm
ers of this country the achievements in build
ing Socialism in the Soviet Union, which is an
inspiration to all workers. In many sections
of our Party there is distinct underestima-
ton of the tremendous effects of these achieve
ments as an instrument for revolutionizing the
masses of this country. The vast object lesson
of the actual building of Socialism in the So
Wet Union with such striking success, has ire
mendous power in persuading the workers of
the correctness of our Communist Party pro-
gram as whole
8. China, India Philippines and Latin
America. We must arouse and rally the work
ers of the United States to give actual support
to the masses of these countries who are strug-
Cling against imperialism. The Comintern has
repeatedly reminded US of the necessity of the
Parties in the imperialist countries actively aid
ing the revolutionary movements in the COL
ones. This is duty that must not be ne
elected.
4. Unemployment. The struggle against
unemployment, with its center, the fight for
unemployment insurance, is an elementary task.
The convention on July As in Chicago must
be mass demonstration of unemployed and
employed workers such as this country has
never witnessed March showed us the ire
mendous possibilities of unemployment as an
issue for developing revolutionary struggles of
the masses.
5. Election Campaign. The election CAM
paign will be, for Party, most important
rallying period for the seething discomfort
among the masses of workers. We must be
really alive to its possibilities. We must util-
ize it to strengthen the Party, the T.U.U.L. and
all revolutionary organizations.
The central issue of the election camnaipn
must be unemployment, especially the fight for
unemployment insurance. The Party Districts,
Sections and Nuclei must no longer base cleo
ton activities primarily upon street corner
meetings and rallies, but carry on their work
in the shops through united front election COM
mittees, shop bulletins, shop gates meetings,
etc. This campaign must rally the greatest
possible masses of workers behind the slogans
of the Party
6. Daily Worker The campaign for the
Daily Worker must no longer be a matter of
emergency, but be linked up with the daily
worker and every campaign of the Party and
revolutionary unions The Daily Worker must
become the mass organ of the American work
ers.
:. War Danger Saturating all our tasks
and definitely interviewed with them is the
campaign against the war danger, not only in
terimperialist but particularly against the So I
Wet Union. The danger of war becomes ever
graver and the masses must be modified for an
intense fight against this danger.
", lttcinn IL L.