The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-08
By JACK sTACHEL.

FTHE main task at the present time, just like in
L all Party work is to develop the daily strug-
giles to establish mass struggles among the un-'
employed And this can be achieved through
overcoming this underestimation of organization,
and through overcoming the bad. burocratic
methods of work
AS to the methods of leadership of the Party
in unemployed work and unemployed organiza-
tons generally These are really most buro-
cratic methods We have secretary OF the
Party nucleus who comes and hands down de-
cisionS from the top. The workers are not asked,
but are told to do things that in many cases
do not seem to- them reasonable or fruitful. This
can be overcome by really trying to lead the
unemployed instead Of just handing decisions
down. We must give guidance and direction, in
stead of commands We shall bring forward in
every city hundreds Of unemployed workers and
develop them as the leading cadres in the var
ious sections and neighborhoods, to carry on the
unemployed. work.
without this attention without overcoming
the bureaucratic methods without building up
these cadres, we will not be able to overcome
our weaknesses and set the unemployed organ
izations on a sound permanent basis.
On the basis of our experiences, as we'll as on
the basis of the experiences and work Of the in
ternational movement in work among the unem-
ployed, we have to come to the conclusion that
we have been too rigid in our conceptions of
organization of the unemployed, and that this
almost equalled the conception of professional
unions of the unemployed. This is not correct.
Experience itself has shown that in our work.
We must begin, instead of forming unemployed
unions, to form organization among the unem-
ployed. Such organizations that will be able to
carry on day to-day work, will be able to lead
it and direct the mass of the unemployed around
it for carrying on the work For this purpose
it is necessary to set up committees on the
ious phases of the work.
In the United States where employment agen-
cies do not play the same role as in European
countries, our unemployed work will be mainly
in working class neighborhoods. This does not
mean that we cannot at the same time work
with employment agencies soup kitchens, flop
houses, etc But the essential work will be in
the neighborhoods. There we must call meetings
at which all workers will be present irrespec-
tive Of the trade union membership or political
affiIations-no matter which of the capitalist
parties they belong to, etc. These workers must
elect committees to carry on the work in their
neighborhood. These committees in turn elected
at the various neighborhoods and at the agen-
cies. at the flop houses, at the soup kitchens in
that neighborhood, will elect in turn a leading
body, council for that entire territory in all
phases and manifestations
These city councils must really become lead
ing bodies, working not only at the top through
their own narrow circle but throughout their
entire territory
The united front must be the central point in
our organizational forms. This means that the
organization must be broad enough to enable all
the workers to come in and feel this is place
for them, irrespective of what their political
opinions or trade union affiliations are