The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-24
On the Carrying Out of the
18th Plenum Decisions


rades of the shop paper committee expected
between 100 and $50 comrades to show up at
the conference! These comrades, it seems, still
believe in the magic of circular letters and in
structions. They have instructed the key COM
rades' to get in touch with others, and there
fore, the success of the conference is assured
nothing else had to be donel
What were the results? Eight comrades of
six units of four sections showed up to the con-
ference aside from two comrades of the district
shop paper committee and one conlrade of the
district agitprop department There are IA sec
tons with 142 units in the district
The 18th Plenum in speaking about the old
worn out formal methods of work and stressing
the need for the new revolutionary methods of
day to day work as outlined above further
states unless this fundamental change in our
methods OF work is made no good results can
be expected" Do not the results of the N Y.
conference show the correctness of this state
ment?
Naturally the conference on shop and shop
paper work called by the N. Y. district for Sept
goth did not take place. The eight comrades
who came from the units were highly indignant
and correctly so, against this Journalism and
bureaucratic practice that was displayed in pre-
pairing" and calling this conference. One COM
rade stated that this shows how much shop
work is underestimated in our district, and ac-
ments in this field" This comrade is absolutely
correct Not only does it show the underesti-
nation of shop work but it shows a great un-
readiness to change this condition on the basis
of the 18th Plenum line and decisions. 1t shows
the need of the sharpest turn away from for
malism, to real Communist day to day activities
based specific conditions in particular shops.
Shop paper work cannot be separated from
shop work generally. Therefore comrades can
not say that this conference was badly pre-
pared because it was conference not for shop
work but merely for shop papers" The Plenum
resolution states the following regarding shop
paper work:
Our shop papers must reflect the grievances
of the workers in the shops and on these
issues organize shop committees of the TUUL
unions, at the same time winning the most adj
vanced workers for the Party and organizing
them into shop nuclei"
What is to be done now?
The N. Y. district must at once draw the
necessary lessons from this experience of the
unheld conference, and make the sharp turn
that the 18th Plenum called for
The work of the agitprop and Org depart
ments and the shop paper committee must be
coordinated with the work of the particular
shops the Party is concentrating on, and with
the individual comrades there. The Org. agit-
prop department and the shop paper committee
must meet Immediately to draw up detailed
planned program of work based on these con-
centration points; in line with this it should
decide where to start shop papers and where to
resume those papers that have been discon-
tinued as result of the neglect in work.
After this plan is adopted by the district de-
partments, the particular comrades in those
shops and units Of concentration should be
called to separate small conferences where the
plan of action worked out by the higher COM
mittees should be outlined and discussion de-
veloped the basis Of the particular problems
facing these comrades in the shops and all nee
essary changes and additions to this program be
made. After these small conferences have been
held, and after the work has been started on
this basis section conference can be called to
take up this program of work on section scale
Only after the small unit and shop confer
ences have been held, after the section confer
ences have been held and the work developed
from the bottom up, can then call a district
conference to take up detailed discussion on
this work. exchanges of experiences gained etc,
on district scale, and try to develop this work
throughout the district. This district confer
ence based on all the work done previously and
on concrete proposals for widening and develop
ing of the work in the district, will then be a
conference not of mere talk but Of action,
The experience of the N. Y. conference must
serve as lesson and sharp warning against
Journalism and old methods Of work, not only
for the N. Y. district but to all districts, Sec
lions and units throughout the country. We
must fight this Journalism in line with the 18th
Plenum decisions and resolution by doing &C
tual ground work, taking up particularly shops
and specific problems there, and helping our
comrades in the shops to solve their problems"