davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-29
THE 18th PLENUM AND OUR SHOP WORK
BY SAM DON

By SAM DON
THE question Of the penetration OF the shops
and the building Of shop nuclei was taken up
time and again. Already the Twelfth Plenum
called sharply the attention of the Party to the
need of it. However, the Thirteenth Plenum
did not merely emphasize and repeat what the
Twelfth Plenun stated on this question The
Thirteenth Plenum did not merely raise it as 3
general basic problem, but as an immediate tao
tical link for developing mass struggles, the
building of revolutionary mass unions We must
consider the problem Of penetration of the shops
and the building of shop nuclei as raised at the
Thirteenth Plenum not as a mere statement of
old problem Not to see the burning concrete
meaning that it assumes at the present time
amounts to failure to understand in our daily
mass activities, the prospective of growing rev..
dictionary up-surge
1t is the strategy of the bourgeoisie to divide
the employed from the unemployed, to make the
shop the center of a capitalist way out of the
crisis by furious murderous onslaught on the
standard Of living of the workers, brought more
speed-up and naturalization, to increase the
ever growing army Of unemployed. To organize
the workers in the shops, mines, and mills on the
basis Of their immediate grievances with the Gre
alton Of a mass base for the TUUIl in the
shops and reformist unions, in uniting the Strug-
gI9S OF LQe employed ana unemployed Tor social
insurance-are some of the pre-conditions for
the winning of the majority of the working class
for revolutionary way out of the crisis.
And it is precisely because the bourgeoisie
makes the shop the center of its attack on the
conditions of the workers that the shops must
become our fortresses Is it any wonder that the
bourgeoisie makes it difficult for us to penetrate
the shops? And our main weakness lies precisely
In the fact that we have most general approach
to our shop work. There exists an ignoring of
difficulties Of shop work, but no methods devel-
opsd to overcome them. A tendency to accept
the difficulties created by the bourgeoisie as
sufficient to prevent us from penetrating the
shop as an excuse for lack of faith in the masses
who are suffering from the effects of the crisis
and ready to struggle This is wrong. The
Plenunl, therefore, in its resolution demands a
sharp turn in the methods of shop work 1t
states "The building of shop nuclei demands
fundamental change of our methods of work.
the transferring Of attention by our whole Party
in each particular unit to this task"
Further "the fear by the Communist workers
is caused by the fact that we do not know how
to carry out this work AL attention of the Party
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-29
Build the Youth Movement

Consequently the work of building YCL nuclei
has been neglected and youth activities in the
mass organization hay ebeen sighted, and in
many instances, the YCL finds itself in more or
less of struggle with the districts to maintain
its own minimum of leading forces. All this, of
course robbing the League Of its initiative. The
struggle with the youth over the question OF
forces should cease-the Party can well afford
even to lean backward in this respect. The YCL
must have adequate forces Of its own, and more
than that, leading Party workers must devote
part Of their time to the practical work of the
League The same principle must apply to or
ganzers of the TUUL unions-they must not
leave the building of the youth sections and
the development of youth activities simply to the
young workers.
On the other hand, the YCL must develop
sharp turn towards the factories towards mass
work 1t must consciously arrive against separa-
tist sectarian tendencies it must link up its work
with that of the party in general. AS part of
this orientation towards mass work. the YCL
must broaden its conceptions of what Is youth
work. Like the Party, it must definitely assign
strong forces for leading positions in mass
CARNATIONS Such organizers must also, of course
systematically build the YCL and youth activi-
site generally. Like the Party; the building of
the YCL is bound up directly with the strength
ening of the mass struggles and mass organi-
cations.
There are at present distinct signs of turn
of the YCL towards the shops and mass work
and for coordination with the Partys cam
paigns. This is evidenced by the resolutions of
the sixth convention of the YCL, by the Leagues
increasing activities in strikes and by its gen.
uine effort to mobilize its forces into Pittsburgh
for the Partys major concentration in the coal
and steel industries. All this is orly a beginning,
of course. But it is progress in the right direc
ton and it must be energetically supported by
the Party.
At present the Party is developing a strong
recruiting campaign Conditions are ripe for
enlisting thousands Of militant workers into the
Party. But this Membership drive will fail of
its purpose if it does not put in the very cente"
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-29
Gov. ROosevelt's Great Heart

Since the capitalist press is recently bulging
over with praise for Governor Roosevelt of New
York State, and the main line of this praise
which the boss press wants all the workers to
get, is: Roosevelts $40, 100000 scheme for relief
Telief of those who administer IT'D is going to be
adequate, and nobody will go hungry.
Probably it will do no good, but someone might
pour some inquiries into the papers that are
cheering for Roosevelt and his scheme, asking
WHY, if N. Y. State relief is going to be "ade-
quite and WHY if Roosevelt himself even
thlnkS 1t is going to be adequate, why, then, do
we find the following item in the columns OF
the N. Y. Mirror" of September 81, written by
Walter Winchen, who is in position to know
things:
Here's a cheerful little earful for the optim
lists: Gov Roosevelt has instructed National
Guardsmen to hold themselves in READINGS,
during the winter months to queII impending
food and other riots"
And you also might ask the capitalist papers
why this information is published only in an
obscure paragraph of one paper only, and not
played up aS-perhaps-just as imortant as the
Ceilings murder case
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-29
BY WILLIAM z. FOSTER

The resolutin Of the thirteenth Plenum Of the
&C Of our Party lays much stress upon the
building of the YCL. This is very timely The
question of organizing the youth is a particularly
vital one and it grows more acute every day.
The role of the youth in the American class
struggle is highly and increasingly important.
This is indicated, among many other facts, by
the relative youth of American workers in gen.
eral and the constantly lowering Of age levels
in the industries, by the energetic land too sue
cessfuD efforts of the capitalist to draw the
youth into its gigantic militarist and strike
breaking plans, by the position Of the youth as
q bridge between the adult foreign-born and
native workers, by the huge masses OF prole
tartan youth in the capitalist high schools and
political activity Of American workers, we have
no broadcadres of trained adult leading forces
but must look chiefly to the youth for their
development In every phase of Our struggle
strike activities, unemployed campaigns work
among Negroes, etc--the question of the Or
ganization of the youth becomes more and more
a decisive matter.
But we have made little progress in this vital
task. The YCL is still extremely weak which
constitutes a great handicap in our every field
Of work. This must be drastically remedied
Large numbers of the militant young fighters OF
the working elias must be drawn into ranks
and activities. And they, like the adult workers,
are becoming ripe in large masses for'our leader
ship. The YCL is destined TO be a powerful
weapon of oud Party, but at this stage of the
development, it needs most active Party support
The Party must therefore, take seriously in
hand tn ebuildrg of the YCI, To do this the
Party must develop much ore Of an orientation
upon the youth. There is in many instances
definite underestimation not only of the special
methods Of organizing young workers, but of the
whole question of the youth. Consequently there
is tendency to relegate this entire matter to
the YCL as its special task, instead of recognizing
it as central task of the Party, to which our
best forces must be applied. The YCL has been
locked upo1 too muol IS a stepchild.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-29
BY BILL GEBERT

DEFORE the present sweeping 10 per cent cut
ID was announced by steel, automobile, rubber
and other industries, a wage cut took place in
two departments of the Illinois Steel Ca sub
sidiary Of the U. S. steel in Gary. The wage
cut was from IL to Is per cent, affecting over
1000 steel workers. This wage cut aroused the
indignation not only of the workers Immediately
affected but also that Of the 5000 steel workers
in Gary They saw in this move a step toward
the general reduction in wages for all the work.
ers
1t is interesting to examine how we met this
wage cut. That is, what methods did we pursue
to mobilize workers in struggle against wage cuts
The resolution of the 18th Plenum of the Cen
trail Committee speaks Of the "opportunist lack
Of faith in the masses and reliance on spontan-
iety whether openly right wing and Ieftist form,
as preventing us from organizing the masses
when we are leading them in the midst Of strug
giles" This characterization of our methods of
work is fully applied in the method which we
pursued in Gary. What happened? Simply this:
the section leadership decided to meet the wage
cut with street demonstration against wage
cuts" This was the method of least resistance
to carry the struggle against wage cuts.
Here again we must recall the warning of the
Plenun against dependence upon spontaniety
and orientation on demonstration and de-
yeloping organizing and carrying through the
day to Gay struggle and organization" Instead of
calling meetings Of the workers in the given de-
partments affected by the wage cuts visiting the
workers in their homes, speaking to the workers
in the shops and inviting them to a meeting
place in a private house to discuss with them
the actual conditions in the mills and methods
of organizing a resistance and developing strug-
gle leading to a strike, setting up the depart
ment grievance committees, a general proclama-
ton for "a street demonstration against wage
cuts" was issued. Not the slightest attempt was
made Of carrying any work inside of the shop, to
discuss the problems with the workers or even
with a single worker affected by the wage cut.
When we met with the Party and the League
shop unit In the Gary steel mills, we found out
that the workers are receiving with great enthu-
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-29

the question of building of the YCL. But the
bulSing OF the YCL like the Party is not
matter Of simple recruitment. 1t is primarily
a question of strengthening the mass activities
the mass activities Of the youth in every direc-
ton. his whole question Of the building of the
YCL deserve the greatest attention of the Party
1t presents itself one of our most urgent and
decisive task
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-29

must be concentrated on helping our comrades in
the shops to solve their problems:
Instead of insulting them, we must work out
a system and teach them how to develop the
work without being exposed" And in order to
change the methods Of shop work, the Plenum
called for merciless struggle against all forms
and manifestations of burocratic tendencies and
forms of work.
The Plenum discussed the experiences and les
SONS of the miners strike, One of the main les
SONS TO be drawn from the strike is the fact that
we have failed in building the Party prior and
during the strike as a necessary condition for
building the National Miners Union, of develop
ing forces for leadership and organization during
the strike In outlining, therefore, the tasks for
developing struggles in the basic industries where
huge wage cuts are the order of the day. the les
sons of the miners strike must be taken to heart
by the entire Party. We must remember that
wage cuts by themselves do not at all times pro-
duce strike struggles. 1t is our ability to organ
ize and lead the masses which will give them
confidence and faith in the possibilities of win
ming their strike demands. The resolution, there
fore, states that the building Of the Party must
become an integral part of the preparation and
leadership of mass struggles. The building of the
Party in mass struggles means particularly to
strengthen the important organizations of the
Party in heavy industries and in big factories and
in the industries in which these factories are
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-29
The Election Campaign in The Deve-
IOpnlent Of Mass Struggles

The coming election campaign assumes more
Importance than ever in the development of
the mass struggles against hunger capitalist
terror and imperialist war. The development
Of these campaigns is seriously hampered by
the remnants of parliamentary tendencies
and underestimaton of revolutionary possibi-
hties OF election campaigns The election this
fall, important in themselves are Of even great
er significance as being a test Of our prepared
ness to exploit the tremendous possibilities be-
fore us in the general national elections of
1892. The election campaigns must be made the
instrument to bring together the issues Of all
tNs partial struggles and the issues Of parti-
cular fields of work into one consolidated pro-
ram of revolutionary working-class struggle
against capitalism. concreti1ng the general
slogan "Class against class" and showing the
exploited masses the impossibility of any way
o,'t Of the crisis except the way Of mass revo-
onerv struggle and proetarian revolution.
N the 18th Plenum resoluton)
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-29


giving important direction to all adherents
of the Grade Union Unity League.-EDTTOR.
ORGANIZE THE DAILY WORKER
THE revolutionary trade unions will only win
the confidence of the worker will only then
have an attractive force and will be transformed
into real mass organizations, when all their daily
work, through all their links through all the
lower organizations in the factories in the first
place will at every step display the most patient
and attentive interest in the minute needs, in
terests and problems of the working Masses
when they will defend them with all deterIni-
nation, when the workers will be convinced that
the revolutionary trade unions are better than
any reactionary unions, no matter under what
banner they try to hide their identity.
The workers must feel and know that a given
revolutionary trade union is their own organiza-
ton in which they will always find atten-
tive and sensitive attitude towards their COM
plants, needs and problems, in which they will
always find true defense of their interests
\The appeals and requests of the workers to and
in our trade unions must not be looked upon as
SO many annoyances. We cannot spurn them
but we must in comradely manner help in the
satisfaction, in the solution of the problems
which agitate the workers. The worker must be
convinced hat our revolutionary trade unions
are the only union organizations which sincerely
defend his needs and interests. He must see the
direct benefit from being in the ranks of our
organization. He must receive at least some
sort of material aid during strike.
Together with this our organizations must
satisfy his cultural wants The workers must be
convinced not only that our organization is the
only organization which reflects his interests
formulates his demands, prepares and leads the
strike, and after the strike watches the execu-
ton of the agreement signed with the boss, but
that the organization is also anxious to organize
a militant solidarity with the strikers and mat
erial help therefore. revolutionary trade unions
cannot free themselves from the care of collect
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-29
&A~.A-
Little Observations
Rr IORGR


We note that Lindbergh was presented with
Chinese medal-probably in recognition OF his
being the best publicity agent living for Am
erican imperialisn's air preparation for war.
Al Smith got a lot of fleeting fame out OF
being the Big Shot who built" the Empire State
building, the monarch of sky-scrapers OF
course he really didn't build it, the workers did,
and about $50 lost their lives doing it. But now
comes the joke on Al: There happens to be a
depression" and, only one-fifth of the building
Is rented. There it stands, empty! What a
monument to capitalism
Q. Skinney! Lookit See the man! That's
Grover Whalen, the ex-Police Commissioner
VINO discovered" all them Red plots about the
Communists and the Soviet Union and "tes-
ufied' for the Fish Committee Recently he
was identified as a "hit-and-run" driver hut
got out OF that by pull. But now lookit! AS
Police Commissioner he put stop to raids on
gambling joints!
See the headlines in the N. Y. World
Telegram last Thursday? Crime Conference
Called by Walker-Officials to Plan Use of New
Laws on Gangsters." Oh, boy, amt that Mayor
Walker going to give the gangsters supreme
hell? Yes, he amt! Look at the other headline
just above that one: 1.-TWO Murdered in Tiger
Club, Accused Man Not Observation-Disclosures
Tells Seabury; Says Slayer in Perry Place was
known to Prosecutor; Link Third killing to
Gambling; Burglar Who Told of Losses at Far
ley's Died Strangely"
Anybody who thinks that Mayor Walker is
calling a conference against gangsters" ought
TO have a padded cell.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-29
It's Kosher All Over. Amt It?

FROM Boston, district headquarters for New
England boiled dinners, pie for breakfast the
Yankee domesticus and other native curiosi-
ties, we get the following note from the Daily
Worker district agent:
Dear Comrade:-I just finished reading in
Red Sparks that the Needle Trade Workers In
dustrial Union in New York went kosher on Yon1
Kippur. Well, being gentle unsuspectine Yam
kee, 1 tried to get into the New England Dis
trict Office of the TU.U.L. that day. The door
was padlocked
Il went to the Party office, which was rather
lonesome, to find out what was the matter with
the T.U.U.L and the comrades there were
shocked at the ignorance of their District Daily
Worker agent: The Needle Trades and the TU.
UL should be open on Yom Kippur?'
Il asked some more foolish questions and was
told: What is Yom Kippur? I should tell yous
You don't know?
oh, yes, most forgot Rabbi Jacobson
bought car load of wine bricks for the racket
GERS and hired lot of kids bosh Jewish and
gentle, to wrap them up in his labels. SO that
his followers can use them without fear of going
to hell. L.
Perhaps rothing can be done about the rabbi
But we might suggest that the coming TUUr.
Plenum take the kosher sign off its trade unions
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-29

to form special workers brigadesp (of about
5-D, who would carry out the work assigned IN
them and then report to the corresponding com.
mlttees of the trade union about the work In
order that the decisions of the various trade
union committees should not be accidental but
based on the concrete facts and evidence. it is
important to thoroughly discuss these questions
IN the sections and committees which can utilize
'le SHOCK orlgades for this preliminary work
we must establish, as rule, that the work
OF all trade union committees, central and To-
CAL must be put on general and calendar basis
1t must also be established as rule, that all
congresses and conferences on a national scale
must be called with the knowledge and approval
OF the TUUL and must be carefully prepared
All plans submitted to these conferences and
congresses must be discussed beforehand in
detail by the membership.
In order to carry out successfully decisive
action to help the local organizations in their
everyday tasks it is advisable to assign respon-
sibe and reliable trade unonists to the lower
organizations. Those assigned must participate
in all meetings, must help in the carrying out
OF the most important mass campaigns, advise
upon the shortcomings weaknesses and failures
in the work. give practical suggestions and ad-
vice, and keep the trade union committees In
formed of the situation and OF their work
1t would also be beneficial to send members
OF the weaker unions, where the work is poor
to the better organized unions in order to ac-
quaint them with the work there
But what is most important at the present
moment is a systematic check up on the carry.
ing out of our own decisions. Periodical reports
checking up the carrying out of accepted deci-
sions or instructions must be taken into the plan
of work of all trade union organizations The
check-up will create and increase the sense OF
responsibility for the assigned task and will in
crease the confidence in our decisions, and will
eliminate looseness and responsibility In ths
work ~ ,m.,
The Washington times., 1931-11-20
Freedom of the Air

In connection with the Har'
ward -Husing imbroglio. I think
it worth noting that it involves
more than the sensitiveness of
the college and the excessive
language Cif any of the broad
caster. If Husing had even by
accident used an obscene word.
we should all say that he wasn't
to be trusted with a micro
phone: some of us might say it
is with regret. On the other
hand, no one has, as yet, pro-
tested against excessive praise
on the air.
A few years ago one of the
stations engaged man to come
directly from Broadway first
nights to give his impressions
to the radio audience. The mo-
ment he dealt severely with a
play, the producer made protest.
The station dropped the fea.
ture.
The result is that even the
great companies have no idea
of their rights on the air They
assume that they may praise;
but they feel that some day,
some one will have to carry a
case to the Supreme Court to
learn what the law may be
about criticism on the air. Until
that time intelligence on the
air will remain hamStrung.
And, perhaps not Intentionally,
Harvard has helped to keep
it so,
The Washington times., 1931-11-20
Big Boys Won't t Play

The hugger-mugger of getting
q foreign minister off a boat
and on a train implied more
pretending-the pretenSe that
he had not landed in New
York. The one thing the state
Department could not be sure
of was the participation in the
game of the anti-faScists. The
whole department might run
around in circles assuring every
one that Signor Grandi had not
landed; but the hard-boiled
demonstrators might have rioted
just the same. A lack of dignity
was indicated.
Secretary of State Stimson has
done many admirable things:
even the Washington Merry-Go-
Round granted him a few Of
its rare pages of praise (pluS a
few of it's common pages of
cynical doubt. But he never
did anything more crafty and
clever than the assignment Of
Lindbergh to the reception of
Grandi. A heavy fog spoiled
the act; but the State Depart.
ment is not responsible for any
fogs except those it creates it.
ealf
The Washington times., 1931-11-20
PARK UNIT ASKS
STREET RULE

A delegation Of power to the
National Capital Park and Plan.
ming Commission permitting it to
close streets in Washington on
its own authority will be asked
in a proposed bill to be pre-
sented to Congress in the com.
ing session.
At present, Congress must pass
individual acts relating to spe.
cific streets when it is necessary
to close them to traffic. Fur.
ther proposed legislation will per,
NIT the commission to proceed
with the development of Analos.
tan Island as a Roosevelt me,
mortal.
In a preliminary ruling the
commission yesterday held that
the War Department should con-
tinue to be responsible for the
military road connecting RosSlyn
with the Army reservation and
with the Alexandra highway at
Highway Bridge,