The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-12-24
BY REBECCA GRECHT.

THE Thirteenth Plenum of our Party raised
sharply the question of struggle against bu-
reaucratic, formal and mechanical methods OF
work in our tasks of building the Party and win
ming the masses for the revolutionary struggle
In the Pittsburgh district, this has meant a
fundamental development in organizational prac-
tices-namely, the extension of systematic per-
sonal guidance and leadership to the sections and
units, on the basis of the concrete problems
facing the Party in the different localities
The Pittsburgh district is composed very
largely OF new members, workers who Joined the
Party within the last six months. The units are
scattered over broad area. Not more than 20
per cent of the units have organizers trained in
Party work over a period of several years. The
section committees consist almost entirely of
new recruits. Particularly under such condi-
tions to deal with the functionaries primarily
by mail, to instruct them in methods of con-
Quoting Party campaigns by lengthy circulars
alone, means to condemn the Party to inactivity,
and to drive out Of our ranks these new prole-
tartan forces from basic industry
The workers who have newly come into our
Party want to understand, want to learn how
to carry on revolutionary activity, how to throw
the units into mass work, how to build the rev.
olutionary unions and carry on the struggle for
unemployment relief and insurance Reports
tivity in new units exists it is due for the most
part to lack Of understanding of how to work
When given concrete, simple directives they
readily respond. Such directives, however. to be
effective, must be given wherever possible
through personal contact
Various ways OF establishing systematic per-
sonal guidance have been adopted in the Pitts
hurgh district. Conferences of all section Or
ganizers In Western and Central Pennsylvania
and East Ohio are held in Pittsburgh twice
month, more often when special problems arise
to discuss the political policies of the Party and
our immediate tasks. Leading district function
aries are sent to section committee meetings to
help concretlze these tasks on the basis of the
situation in the section.
Especially important is the establishment of
system OF regular section conferences attended
by section committee members, unit organizers
and other active workers in the area. These
functionaries' conferences provide means of
personal contact with the unit leadership which
is essential in building up lower cadres Espe-
cially in the Pittsburgh district where the units
are scattered in so or go different mining camps
and steel towns, such conferences help to break
down tendencies towards isolation and act as a.
unifying force for the entire movement
The Party members feel thereby that the dis
trict center is close to them, directly concerned
With their problems They have an opportunity
to discuss the campaigns with leading district
functionaries whose knowledge and experience
can thus be directly transmitted Such ques-
lions and misapprehensions as may exist in their
minds arc the more easily answered When for
example leading comrades in the Johnstown
section began TO develop the opportunist sec
tartan conception that we can build the revou-
honary unions only through holding small group
meetings in sen1i-legal fashion and must aban-
don open mass activity because workers are sab
s2&A& h8pas-