The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-18

the Reds. A special Red Squad" of county Of
1cers has now been organized to attack the
Communist movement.
The Negro reformistS have joined in with
vicious denunciation of the Party in number
OF editorials calling on the Negro workers to act
as stool pigeons for the bosses Not one word
did these traitors have to say about the terror
unleashed against the Negro masses.
The A. F. Of L. too has put its power behind
the Ant-Red drive-in their Shiny sheet the
Labor Advocate" they demanded immediate
crushing of the movement, stating they would do
all in their power to help Now the American
Legion has modified its entire force to be used
against the working class. Each post in the
state will set up special "Anti Red" commit
tee. The Legion has post in every county
in the State. They are petitioning the coming
legislature to pass strenuous bills against Com
nunist activities. Plainly the working class can
expect not lessening of the terror but instead
a sharpening to tremendous extent in the near
future.
The terror had very definite effects upon our
Party membership. Most of our comrades have
been in the movement but comparatively short
time. Many Of them have not yet the discipline
Der in the South as well as elsewhere. With the
first wave Of Sharpened terror the results were
plain. Namely that many members were so
terrorized that they would not even take out
leaflets or papers. Suffice it to say that at once
the Party leadership took immediate and firm
action to safeguard the Party by cleansing our
ranks ruth1essly of all shaky and Scary elements.
Because OF our carefulness in selecting members
for the Party most of the Party membership re-
NAMED firm. Definite instructions we're issued
to each unit to tighten up-to keep their homes
clear Of literature to keep the meetings clear
of Party material and in general exert more dis
cipline upon the members. We saw plainly our
weakness in inSufficiently developing local lead
ers, OF lack of reserve unit organizers and a re-
serve apparatus to carry on the work in spite
Of terror and arrests The time to prepare for
the results Of terror must be beforehand. Other
districts can well take our lesson-especially
those working now legally, to prepare the Party
membership and the leadership for illegal work
If this is not done the work will collapse at the
first sharp blow.
Our perspective is one Of intensified prepara-
ton of the Party against the sharpening attacks
Of the bosses The crisis in the cities is getting
sharper that unemployment wage cuts and
starvation are fast driving the workers, white
and Negro, to action, and that our task will be
to organize and lead this action building the
Trade Unions and the Party through struggle
The agrarian crisis and the cotton reduction
plan" will force hundreds and thousands of poor
croppers white and Negro to desperate action
against starvation, as well as the poor small
owners who will be forced off the land We must
now prepare the Party, steeling it to withstand
the growing terror and TO lead the workers to
victory. Therefore we are turning our face to
the shops and mines To roofing the Party and
building the Trade Unions there. We are driv-
ing after our street units TO organize shop re-
cruiting meetings. Already we have met with
good results.
Secondly, we are doing our best to develop as
soon possible firm local leadership with ini-
tiative and understanding to carry on the work
as well as building up our reserve apparatus
Thirdly, sharp degree of discipline and respon-
siblity-in the better functioning of the section
comnittee-in the growing initiative of the local
leadership and in the units-in the securing OF
definite contacts in the shops and mines.
Everywhere the Party must reorientate itself
to Withstand the tremendously Sharpened at
tacks which the ruling class will deliver against
the Party 1t means that NOW every district
should look over the situation and lay the basis
for strengthening and steelng the Party appa-
ratus, from the units up to the districts OF
developing local forces, of building up a re-
serve leadership And above all of roofing the
Party firmly in the shops and mines that
nothing will be able TO drive the Party from the
worke~-