The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-12
On the Carrying Out of the
18th Plenum Decisions
TNTENSIFICATION OF MASS WORK AND GROWTH OF
THE YOUNG COMMUNIST LEAGUE

fResoIution of National Committee of League)
THE NEG Buro declares that the decisions of
L the 9Th National Convention are not being
carried through with the necessary speed. The
rate of growth of tine League and its mass work
is entirely out of accord with the tremendous
objective possibilities The increasing unem-
ployment the new sweeping wage-cuts, the prep
arations for a new war, and the increasing mill
fancy of the workers makes possible and abso-
lutely necessary much more rapid turn towards
mass work, and the building of the League on
a mass basis with a speed undreamed of before
The League must radically increase the tempo
of growth based upon an intensification Of all
of the mass work. The League districts must
set themselves the immediate goal of carrying
out the decisions of the YCI letter to our con-
vention which said; "'The League must catch up
to and exceed the membership of the Party in
the fastest possible time" as the first step in
becoming a mass League much broader and
larger than the Party.
In order to increase the tempo of growth, the
League must turn more decisively towards or
ganizing and leading the daily struggles of the
Young workers especially the economic Strug-
giles While progress can be recorded in this
respect nationally since the convention. this re-
rains as yet our weakest link The YCT letter
to the 9th Convention stated that the League
has not as yet shown itself the organizer and
leader of the daily struggles for the most vital
interests of the toiling youth" The 'left" sec
tarianism of the League is best expressed by our
ability to talk generally of struggle, but our
inability to take up the day to day needs Of the
youth and to build our League in the struggle
for these needs.
How many districts have raised concrete youth
demands in the work at the factories, in the
trade unions, and during strike struggle? That
is why we have so few youth sections and none
that really play role in the struggle. How
many districts have made the League an indie
pendent political factor in the local electors
coming forward with concrete economic, poll
teal and cultural demands for the youth, and
with youth forms of work? With exception of
Detroit and Chicago where has our League be-
gun to Sefend the needs of the unemployed
youth? Whereas the League developed real
united front in the struggle for Negro rights,
especially the Scottsboro campaign? To what
extent has our League and the Pioneers de-
veloped mass struggle for free food and cloth
ing for children? Our greatest weakness is still
the failure to understand that we can build
mass League only through the leadership of the
daily struggles.
Secondly there must be destroyed root and
branch, the narrow sectarian attitude towards
building the League This conception fails to
as an organization of the chosen few. In all of
the recent struggles this was shown by strong
tendencies to hide the face of the League. This
is due to fear of the masses on the one hand,
and to the attitude that mot all young workers
are ready for the YCL." The results of these
tendencies is to keep the League a small youth
Communist Party" instead of broad mass
youth organization much larger than the Party"
International Youth Day was an example of
m noO.
onstrations, but only 300 applications we're gotten
for the League.
In order to intensity the mass work and break
down the sectarian approach to the building of
the YCL, it is necessary to have the closest poll
teal guidance and daily cooperation of the
Party. There must be the completest mobiliza-
ton of the Party for the building of the League.
The decisions of the 18th Plenum of the Party
which established Party responsibility for the
work of the YCL must be the basis for changed
relationships in all districts. The League must
overcome all separatst tendencies, must work
closely with the Party in all campaigns, and
must strengthen the Party core in the League.
All of the work of the League must be based
on the shops. In every single struggle. the
building of shop, mine and mill nuclei of the
League must come first. In all districts, con-
centration at the factories must be considered
as the most important work. This must be con-
nected with the struggle against wage cuts and
also with the struggle of the unemployed youth
for relief. The League must during the coming
months intensity its activity among the unem-
ployed youth and prepare especially for the
hunger marches. In all this work must come
the systematic building of the revolutionary
unions and youth sections
The bulk OF the membership must be drawn
into the work of building the League. We must
boldly bring forward new cadres, and patiently
train them by giving them direct responsibility
IN the leadership. We must struggle consciously
against bureaucratic methods of work from the
leading committees to the units. We must strug-
gle against any tendencies to stifle the initia-
tive of the newer elements which is based on a
lack Of faith in the new young workers. We
must develop revolutionary competition from be-
low. This must be accomplished by the fullest
discussion of our shortcomings and mistakes and
the development OF real bolshevik self-criticism
throughout the ranks Of the League. There
must be real check-up and control by the men,
bership on the work of the leading bodies
In Pittsburgh and other districts where the
League has grown rapidly in the past months, it