The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-06
Forced Labor

We have in the Daily, pretty well proven that
the forced labor" fairy tales about the Soviet
Union in the capitalist press are Just lies But
while we have succeeded in convincing nom
Party workers that it's lot of hooey, altogether
too many Party members must still believe that
forced labor is a Communist principle.
Particularly those Party functionarieS land we
include the League very specifically who think
it their duty to browbeat and terrorize the mem
bers until the latter, if new members. leave tba
!. Party in despair at the demands made upon
| them.
In certain Y.CL. unit (now, don't all speak
at onceD some members speak occasionally to
one another and to applicants and new mem
berS, of how the Communist movement wants
you to die for it." 1--WE must be ready to die any
minute" Nothing matters, not even death"
And so on and so FORTH until from this en-.
aggeration of the correct self-sacrificing CLASS
role Of Communists this nonsensical sectariar
heroic posing. the prospective or new member
gets the general idea that only Grade heroes
can qualify as members, or that the Y.CI. Is
recruiting office for the undertakers.
These crepe hangers with their 20, death.
where is thy sting; where grave thy victory"
have driven more young workers away from the
Y.C.L than any legitimate expectation of sud-
den and violent death justifies.
II want to live" thinks the new member.
"but these fellows want me to go out and DIE.
just die! Jump out window Hang myself,
Tell Red Sparks about the organizer! Take
poison! How thrilling, Ell? Not for me! wan
ma live-and have some fun!r
All OF which impresses no bureaucrat II a
new member drops out: We'll, he was weak
element, anyhow And the forced labor brow
beaters on the one hand, and the Deaths Head
Hussars on the other, pursue their righteous way
untroubled by the turnover in membership
Discipline" A word to conjure with Dis
cipline and activity are imperative. without
them a revolutionary party cannot exist. But
1t never occurs to the bureaucrats that party
membership is not compulsory, that the human
problems of the individual member must receive
consderation-and; that by giving such consid-
Grafton the Party establishes better discipline
and gets really MORE activity. Even If 1t does
occur to them, they ignore It, There is irivari-
ably "an emergency" to excuse the ignoring
Maybe fiye-cent emergency, but twill do.
OF course there are slackers. But If they slack
persistently enough and are always absent, tbs
browbeaters let them get away with it. because
they are having such an enjoyable time BULL
doing those who are conscientious enough to
attend and try to do everything they can:
where are you on Monday? What do you do
on Tuesday? Why do you want Thursday freef
oh, wife you have, is it? And she wants you
to take her to movie Thursdays, like beforc
you joined the Party? Umm wife Is bad
enough. -. But to go to MOVIES. :. What
for you join the Party to go MOVIES? 49,"
etc, etc.
Maybe some new members will write us their
concrete experiences of how they are required
to do forcd labor, to break all old acquaintance
wrench their family arrangements of years sud-
denly up by the roots, the lack Of comradely con-
sheraton of these human problems by the func-
tionaries, whether they are allowed the two
nights a week for reading and study that the
Party is SUPPOSED TO ALLOW.