The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-05-01
By EARL BRowDER.

THE Party is now In the process of learning the
methods OF work and the process Of reach
ing the masses that have been taught US By the
Russian Party and by the experiences of the
various sections Of the Comintern, learning how
to apply these experiences to our own particular
problems and stage Of the movement in the q.
S. think we are beginning to learn these les
sons by applying them. realizing them, but that
we have only begun the process There is still
an underestimation Of the significance of our
organizational problems, perhaps not underesti-
nation so much as lack of ability to tie up these
organizational problems directly with the strug-
gle
It Is In the process Of developing demands
among workers and showing workers how they
can struggle for these demands that We build
our organization, and only on that basis We
must emphasize this more, that organization for
us is not something separate from the struggle,
not thing in itself. and all organizationa1 eff
fort is doomed to failure that is not built on the
solid foundation Of the development of activi-
ties of mass organizations, Of the masses for
struggle. This applies to every phase of our
organization.
Why is 1t that We place so much emphasis on
shop organizations, the organization of shop nu-
clei, Of shop committees, concentration OF our
street nuclei and section committees upon activi-
ties around shops2 Precisely because shops are
the central points of the class struggle and if
we cannot organize workers around their inter-
ests in shops, it Is impossible to conduct class
struggle. This does not mean that there are
not many activities not directly tied I'D in shops
Especially now we have demonstrations the un-
employed movement, in which the workers are
out Of shops, but we must learn in dealing with
faacA yoao nay,Te v,o%e d.
link them up with the shop work
We are only beginning now to learn the con-
nection between detailed organizational work and
the development Of immediate demands Of the
workers. Our last Party Plenum concentrated
upon the question Of immediate demands We are
now taking the necessary steps to realize these
immediate demands. Without the proper organ
national work. 1t is entirely impossible to create
struggles around immediate demands among the
workers.
From the smallest demands on the bread lines
to demands leading to mass struggles and the
highest forms of demands everywhere, requires
organizational steps, and it is precisely this con-
scious use OF the organizational weapon that is
the main distinguishing feature between Boil
shevik work and non-Bolsheuk work The first
characteristic Of Bolshevtk Party must be this
conscious leading role, and the conscious leading
worked out to its most intimate details. 1t is
this weapon which enables us to work among
the masses with sureness and confidence and
without reliance upon spontaneity, without de-
pendence upon the moods Of the masses, enabling
us to control these moods and lead the masses
into struggle and not simply accompany them
into struggle.
Some comrades seem to think there is lack
Of emphasis on the necessity Of shop nuclei II
there is any such opinion among the comrades,
1t is wrong. If any comrades think we are plac-
ing less emphasis on the necessity Of shop nu-
cleus organization. then we must take steps to
zee that this idea is completely eliminated. The
whole purpose Of this conference Is to root the
Party In the shops. as the leader Of struggles
developing out Of the shops, and as the only pos
sible foundation for building mass Party in
the United States. And when we tax about the
proper functioning of street nuclei. it is for one
p,rpose-of abolishing the street nuclei and
Transforming them into shop nuclei And every
thing we say about the functioning OF street
nuclei, Is to lead us away from the street and
territorial form Of organization and as fast as
possible to the ahop form Of organization.