The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-08-24
BY ALFRED wAGENKNECHT


TEN years ago in the United States there was
L built by the workers and sympaC11izers of
Soviet Russia the broadcast and most effective
united front movement in the history of pro-
lotsrian activity The Friends of Soviet Russia,
organized to aid the famine stricken workers
and peasants of the first workers fatherland,
found sympathetic response among wide range
of workers organizations, A. F. of L. local UNI
ions, among professional people, intelectuas
and considerable strata Of the small bour-
Eeoiso.
With its base among the class conscious work
ers the Friends of Soviet Russia drew into its
ranks and into action hundreds OF thousands Of
workers ana thousands of organizations. Hardly
? city or factory town but what had its eff
cient and vigorous FSR group or united front.
And the loyalty and determination with which
the many tasks we're accomplished, the task Of
bombarding the capitalist regmie with all the
power the FSR possessed with the slogan Hands
off Soviet Russia as we'll as the task of i'm
mediate aid constituted a proletarian accom-
plishmeut which received worldwide recognl-
ton. A million in money and about an equal
amount Of value in clothing, medicines, tools,
etc, went forward to Soviet Russia from the
workers in this country
In few months after the famine this power
full organization disappeared. We failed to har-
ness it. to transform it into permanent work.
ers' relief organization We failed to guide the
hundreds of thousands of workers and SYM
pathizers, the thousands of organizations we had
won for famine relief into channels of other
forms of proletarian aid. This was a political
error which cost us very dearly.
In 1926 the PaSsaic textile strike occurred.
Altho only $4,000 workers were involved, the
strike was the outstanding struggle of the period
apd shot thru with Sllch dramatic occur
RANGES that the strike relief activities took deep
root in every state and city and among the
poorer farmers. A total of 100000 in relief
funds were collected during the years struggle
and nearly an equal amount in food and cloth
ing Having failed to transform the FSR into
a permanent proletarian relief organization, the
Passac strike found the Workers International
Relief very weak And altho we popularized
the WIR tremendously throughout the Passaic
strike we conducted the relief campaign under
the auspices of an extra committee and again
failed to transform this committee together with
its extensive united front affiliations into per-
manent WIR organization.
In 1927 and 1928 the big coal miners strike
took place. The strike was led by the reaction
airy leadership of the United Mine Workers We
entered the strike six months late, but never
theless, developed in the course of a few months
another extensive united front movement and
broad influence among A. F. Of L. local unions
and other workers organizations. The relief
campaign was again conducted by an extra COM
mittee, which collected nearly 100000 in money
and an equal amount in food. With two failures
to organize a mass WIR in mind, we did make
an attempt to turn the broad movement into
permanent WIR organization. Another failure
resulted because we did not give consideration
to the element of time, the correct period for
this transformation We attempted the trans
formation when the relief campaign and the
strike were already on their last legs.
The relief campaign for the Gastonia textile
strikers was led by the WIR This strike con-
stituted base for permanent WIR member
ship branches, district organizations collective