The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-16
BY ]. PETER Dist. p

BY ]. PETER dist p
HOMRADE BROWDER in his speech at the
18th Plenum of the Central Committee raised
a few questions in connection with the fluctua-
5ion of our membership: What happens to these
workers when they join the Party, those that do
get in in spite of all obstacles that we place be-
fore them? We know from the study of vital
statistics that they do not find theirshome m
our Parry. There is tremendous fluctuation of
our membership What does this mean? What
does it mean that in order to make a gain of rs
members for the Party we must recruit 1902"
If we examine this problem in the New York
District, we face the following horrible figures
In June, $780, we had an average dues paying
membership of about 2,4OO. Since then we gave
out 1000 new membership books, which means
that every one of these 1000 new members at
tended at least one meeting and today the av-
rage dues paying membership is only $500. Only
400 gained. We lost 1900 members during this
period. Old and new ones.
The problem of the method of recruiting new
members, getting them into the Party, the red
tape of how we took care of the application
cards issued membership books, and never Wis
tied the new members, will be dealt with in an
other article)
Let us analyze the reasons for the terrible
fluctuation of the members who already at
tended unit meetings, got their membership
books, paid their initiation fees and dues in
other words, belonged to the Party for shorter
period or longer period and the last of the older
members, who were in the Party for two-three
years.
l. The first reason for the turn over is our
method of recruiting. The workers make out
the application card at a mass meeting, at a
demonstration, after good speech. No one ex-
plains to the workers what the Communist
Party stands for. This would not be SO bad if at
the unit meetings we would pay special atten-
ton to the new members and would develop
them through study circles individual attention,
simple elementary discussions.
3 The lack of friendly relations among the
Party members. The new and even the old mem
bers if they had no friends inside of the Party
before will be entirely isolated and will feel like
strangers in the unit. In any other Party of the
Cominten we find very Close comradely re-
lations among the Party members, even if they
do not belong to the same unit or section. In our
units especially in New York the relation is
business-ike. The new Party member coming
to unit meeting sits in the corner of the meet
ing room without any one paying any attention
to him. He does not see any Party member
until the next week, especially if he is a mem
Der of a street nucleus. In many cases. Party
member has a close friendly relationship with
Sympathizer When the SympathiZer joins the
Party, the Party member breaks off every con-
nection with this comrade. He is too busy to
talk to him This bad attitude of the Party
members towards each other adds lot to the
problem of the huge turn over.
3. The superior and many times snobbiSh at
ttude of the old members towards the new ones
What do you know about this-you are Oily
two months in the Party"-is the answer of the
old members in the discussions with new che
in many cases.
4, The low political level of the units, the me-
chanical and formal discussions without any
preparations, drive away very large number of
members. The outlines prepared in the District
office without being concretized in the sections
and units cannot bring into the unit life the
problems of the shops where the members are
working. The District and section sends down
very general outlines at the last minute. No
preparation, no reading material for the outline
is given out in advance and the result is that
the outline is read and the discussion is NIL or
very dull
5. The lack of faith in the masses inevitably
produce opportunistic decisions in the various
committees. The members coming into the Party
through struggle with the correct conception
that the Communist Party organizes and leads
all of the struggles are disillusoned, facing
hesitant policy which tends to evade the struggle
s. Loose discipline in the units disillusions
many new members who before they join the
Party have the conception that the Communist
Party is organization to which the most
disciplined devoted, loyal, class conscious work
ers belong.
T. Inactivity of certain part Of the members
in the unit without any attempt on the part of
the unit buro to make them active drives to pass
ivty the active members old and new ones and
in many cases drives them out of the Party
g. Bureaucratic attitude of the leadership
units, section, district, is among the most i'm