The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-03-07
PARTY LIFE
Conducted by the Organization Department of
the Central Committee, Communist Party, U.S.A
Carrying Out of Instructions
Chicago, Ill.
Dear Comrades:


Dear Comrades
Unit 102 of Chicago Is a typical unit OF the
Communist Party and its experiences are no
doubt similar to experiences of many other units.
When the Election Campaign for collection OF
signatures to place our candidates the ballot
was started our comrades did not fully realize
the importance and significance of the Party
taking part in the elections. This we showed
very clearly in unit by the fact that although
petitions had been in our hands for weeks and
we had received instructions from the District
and Section Committees on how to carry on the
campaign we woke up a week before the cate
set for filing signatures for Alderman to find we
had done absolutely nothing. At the discussion
the unit had on the question some of the COM
rades forget our own mistake in not following
out the plans laid down and said that the dis
trict was too late in beginning-that now candi-
dates of capitalist parties had their petitions out
and the workers were telling our comrades that
they had already signed for one or the other
candidates and that they could not sign twice
There was general feeling that the campaign
was not of vital Importance and that it did not
matter so very much to collect signatures except
that we had been instructed to do SO and we
must carry out instructions "a purely mechani
cal carrying out of instructions).
The first argument that the district was too
late had its pegs knocked from under it when
we checked up on our work and found that pc
titions had lain in pockets and desks-that COM
mittees elected had failed to meet and that
members had not reported to mobilization point
for fully three weeks and that the members and
buro had not considered 1t serious enough to
remedy during that time.
The second technical argument of citizens not
being allowed to sign twice was also settled when
the comrades were told that there is no such
law and that to the contrary there is a law
against the pledging of votes to any candidate
and that the capitalist politicians were BULLDOG
ing the workers who did not know this into
pledging their votes to the capitalist politicians
The discussion which followed partly con-
WINGED the members of the importance of the
campaign and in the week following the re-
quired number of signatures were collected
When the buro checked up on the work and
the members reported their experiences in talk
ing to the workers in their homes the response
Of the workers was so good that our comrades
became enthusiastic in turn.
But Communists must consider themselves the
leaders and we should not wait for the enthus-
iasm Of the workers to inspire us to enthusiasm
We must be in the vanguard to inspire enthus-
iasm and miltancy in those workers who are
waiting for leaderShip-who do not yet know the
Communist Party as its leader in the struggle
for bread, for smashing of the capitalist system
of crisis and unemployment for the workers and
profits for the BOSSES 1t is up to us-to every
member of the Party-to bring the Party and
its program to the workers and the duty of
unit buros and higher bodies is to coordinate our
! work and give guidance to the work. And if our
buros don't function, as in some units they don't
it is up to the members of the unit to see
that the buro functions and leads the work.
Comradey yours, UNIT 1o2.