The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-05-21
PARTY LIFE
Conducted by the Organization Department of
the Central Committee, Communist Party, U.S.A.
Don't Abuse the Worker Who
Doesn't Agree With You!
By I. AMTER.


Many Party members are impatient-impatient
not only with the boss (Which is not always good,
for it sometimes leads to hasty, unorganized
action, but also impatient with the workers.
They think that if workers do not accept Com
munist ideas at once, they are stupid and there
fore useless to the movement, or reactionary and
therefore of less use.
This is fundamentally wrong Most Party mem
bers should think back some years and recall
the ideas they then harbored. They were not
revolutionary ideas, for revolutionists are not
born, but developed out of the conditions. Some
years back, most of the Party members were
average workers, with the ideas of average work.
ers pounded into their heads by the agencies
of the bosses, their press, church. schools, movies
and what not They did not begin to think
with EXCEPTIONS in terms Of the working class
until something happened in their lives-a dis
charge, a leaflet, speech etc. Then finding that
the new idea explained things that they did not
understand, light went up in their minds.
Many of the unemployed workers who are not
afraid today of being called Reds would have
punched worker in the face who dared to call
them that few years ago. But the crisis has
caused the workers to do some thinking. The
nonsense and lies of the capitalist class-which
explain nothing and do not fill the stomach of
the worker and his family-are beginning to lose
their influence, and the workers are learning
what class struggle, class solidarity, mean. They
are learning through experience what the Com
munist Party stands and fights for; they see
the movement led by the Party attacked by the
capitalists and their tools. They see that the
Communist Party is fighting for the interests Of
the working class, and therefore if that is what
the capitalist does not want, then the suffering
worker is on the side Of the Communist Party.
80 10
think for themselves They are still in fog.
They still have their old ideas, many misleaders
arise to confuse them. They cannot understand
and therefore do not yet accept our ideas. And
again-many of our comrades are poor interpret
ers of the Communist position. They are not
able to approach the workers in the proper man
ner. They do not understand how to disarm the
workers Of their capitalist prejudices clear up
their doubts. The unenlightened worker
still voices ideas supporting the capitalist system,
for he cannot with one strike throw off the in
fluence of generations. He still has patriotism
in his veins he still believes in the system he still
is influenced by the lies of the capitalist press.
While we are talking to him, he is being poison
ed by the capitalist press and church. he still
has his old attachments, which is not so easy
to break.
A Party member is disciplined worker He
by himself In his work he must conduct him
self in such manner that he is doing the best
service for the Party in all contacts with the
workers. He must try to convince the workers
by word and deed of the correct position of the
Communist Party. He must know how to ap-
proach the workers, how to convince them He
must understand that a weak current Of cleo
tricity (his propaganda will not move the train
(the worker). A certain force must be reached
before the train begins to move. Anger that
the electrical power is not intense enough will
not move the train. Only by letting on more
current (by adding more arguments through
words and deeds) will the train begin to move,
and as it moves 1t gains momentum and then
runs at full speed.
This applies in like measure to the Party.
Therefore the Party member must be patient
with the workers, clear them up, explain their
doubts, and above all show them by action and
example what Communist is. But too many
Party members have not this patience-revolu-
tionary patience-and II worker does not agree,
the Party member abuses him, thereby estrang-
ing him. This is bad, and not only hurts the
recruiting of workers into the Party but also
impars the value of the Party members TO the
Party. Abuse OF worker does not help-even
ber Patience and ever more patience. deter
mination but calmness will win over the work
ers to the Party--abuse will only drive them
away. Don't abuss the worker epho doss not
eRree with 1yptA