The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-17


as that the shop nuclei can be built only after
the strike movement, or that they must be built
before the strike movement begins, or that the
Improvement Of Party statistics is the means OF
solving his problem.
The building of shop nuclei demands funGa-
mental change Of all our methods Of work, the
transferring of attention by the whole Parry and
each particular unit to this task We will have
no results as long as the most difficult task
of carrying out concentration on the largest
factories is assigned to the street units and left
with them. We have cases where such concsu-
tration has continued during months and years
without practical results. We have cases where
shop units exist during many years without an
increase in membership. or what is worse dis
appearing gradually The building of shop units
under present conditions demands change in
the work of the Org. Department, the Agitprop
Department, the Language Department, the Wo-
mems Department. the Negro Department.
change in all the activity of the Central Com
mittee, District Committees and lower units OF
the Party.
General organization letters and general kinds
of work are applied in practice very weakly and
all together cannot be applied in a shop unit.
The Agttprop material at present is not fitted
for the needs of the shop units, and the large
quantities Of material distributed by the Party
apparatus has not been prepared with view
to the use for the new members or the shop
units
The task of the districts and sections is TO
develop the work in shop units individually with
an individual approach Of each unit: to discuss
with the members of the shop units or with one
or two Communists in the shop the concrete
possibilities for work during short period, work
ing out the special tasks that can be accom-
plshed in the given circumstances during
week or two, and developing this plan Of WORK
gradually and Systematically. We cannot help
the situation by declarations that the Conmun-
lists in the shops are poisoned with opportunism
and with unwillingness to work in the shops
nor by the conception that our weakness can be
overcome by disciplinary measures. exclusion.
,tc The most dangerous form of opportunism
in practice that binders us from building the
shop nuclei does not appear among the Com
munst workers in the shop, but in the approach
of our functionaries to them. The fear of the
difficulties of shop work by the Communist
workers is because Of the fact that we do not
know how to carry out this work. All the at
tention of the Party must be concentrated on
helping our comrades in the shops to solve their
problems rig
The language organizations and other mass
organizations can and must be used to develop
our contacts with the factories especially the big
factories on which we are concentrating There
are cases where street unit which has con-
centrated for months on a given factory without
any results, discusses questions in a club while
in the next room a language organizations is
holding a meeting in which workers from this
particular factory are participating. Our con-
rades do not see the workers who are next TO
them But we can get connections in the fac
tories through the language organizations end
develop these connections when the workers feel
sure that everything possible is done to prevent
their exposure in the factory and consequent
discharge. We have examples of impernissible
neglect Of the situation of a Communist worker
in the shop from this point of view. This is one
of the reasons why the Communists and SYM
pathizers in the factories are fired so quickly
upon the first step Of their work. Instead of in
sulting them we must work out system and
teach them how to develop the work without be-
ing exposed.
We must never forget that all our shop units
are in reality Illegal The Party apparatus which
exists legally forgets this fact in its connections
with the shop units. The problem of keeping
new members is the problem of the inner life
Of the unit and particularly the educational
work. Our system of education, by neglecting
the unit circles and concentrating all attention
OH the district evening schools, corresponds to
the situation in the interest of developing func-
tionaries but not to the needs of the rank and
file new members especially Of the shop units
Each street or shop unit must have a study
circle. The old members of the Party who SO
often show the greatest passivity and stubborn
bureaucratic tendency in the life Of the unit
must be made an active factor in these study
circles. This is the best way to overcome the
lack Of confidence which the new members of
the Party. coming directly out Of the struggle,
have for certain category Of old members. The
material for these study circles must be worked
out very carefully, not only with the aim Of
issuing document that is generally satisfac-
tory but which in the given conditions remains
on paper.
TheDaily Worker, the most powerful organi-
rational and educational instrument possessed by
the Party, must also adapt itself to this task
and must give the example for all our language
press. The relation between the Daily Worker
and the rank and file Party members-not 10
speak about the workers generally--is perm
Gated by the same element Of bureaucracy. The
conferences Of readers Of the Daily Worker, al
though they had satisfactory beginning, died
after this beginning because of lack of interest
and attention on the part of our Party. Al
though the problem of circulation has very
great political Importance nevertheless without
systematic political work it becomes only
commercial problem. The workers correspond
ie eva,, attention %1,e Ill