The daily worker., 1931-03-23
March Is, 1891.

0eeD6Il1lS
ticular sharpness in the South due to the
egrarian crisis and drought, with the conse-
ouent increase in the national oppression OF the
Negroes and the steady worsening of their con-
ditions is already raising as an early perspec-
tive the development OF mass liberation strug-
rles of the Negro toers, especially in the South,
side by side with and as phase OF the gen.
ersl rise in the class struggle IN the United
States.
The bourgeoisie and reforrnists as part OF their
general crisis policy, are greatly increasing their
efforts TO stimulate chauvinist antagonlsms
among the white workers against the Negroes
while at the same time Negro misleaders are
attempting TO arouse the Negro workers against
the foreign born workers etc. in an effort to
dissipate the workers growing mihtancy IN lu-
tile battles among themselves. The pressure OF
this bourgeois policy, on the one hand together
with the increased efforts Of the Communist
Party TO attain class unity in the growing strug-
giles on the other hand, are rapidly uncoyerlng
numerous manifestations of white chauvinism in
the revolutionary trade unions and other mass
organizations, and even in the ranks OF the
Party itself.
The Party and the Party fractions in mass
organizations. have the task of quickly and de-
cisively overcoming these chauvinist tendencies,
as we'll as all lack of clarity and all under
estimation of Negro work, in the course OF the
mot determined efforts to unite the Negro and
VIII. e workers in the struggles against the bour-
gecis offensive and for equal rights for the
Ne. oes
. 20 The Party has still been insufficiently
prepared ideologically for its tremendous tasks
in the field OF Negro work, In the October
Resolution of ECCI, the following statement
was correctly emphasized:
The Party has not yet succeeded in overcon-
ing in it's own ranks all underestimatlon OF the
struggle for the right Of self-determination and
still less succeeded in doing away with all lack
of clarity on the Negro question"
This statement still remains in full force,
despite certain improvements in our work since
the 18th Party plenum A basis was laid in the
discussions at the Plenum for the correction OF
these shortcomings. But the discussions in the
units and the practices of the Party since the
18th Plenum show that much confusion and
underestimation still remain to be overcome.
This has not been met with sufficiently timely
or energetic action, or by sufficient sef-crltl-
cisrn, especially of the serious errors in prac-
tical work, by the leading committees Of the
districts or even by the Poitburo itself. The
chief weaknesses, which must be Immediately
corrected lie in the failure to guide and
strengthen the Negro departments sufficiently
and in the failure to work out a plan Of mass
work on the Negro field which alone could fur
nish the foundation for a sharper struggle to
clarity the Party and to overcome all confusion
and wrong tendencies in our Negro work.
(3) In addition to this confusion and under
estimation, and partly as result, number OF
serious errors, and even dangerous opportunist
tendencies, have recently shown themselves in
Negro work.
In the first place there are the mistaken con-
ceptons and proposals with regard to the League
of Struggle for Negro Rights,
Some comrades, disregarding the correct policy
put forth at the st. Louis convention Of the
LSNR, and continuing the practices followed
with regard to the old ANLC, tended in prac-
tice to transfer the leading role of the Party in
the struggle for Negro rights to the LSNR, to
look upon the LSNR a substitute for the
Party on the Negro field and to relegate all
work among Negroes to Negro comrades and to
the LSNR.
These tendencies clearly reflect an opportm-
ist underestimation of the Importance OF Negro
work and an evasion of the Party's leading
role which could easily become cover for
chauvinist tendencies in the Party and the revo-
lutionary mass organizations, They also lead
to failure to bring forward Negro demands in
such demands only to the LSNR.
At the same time there developed among GER
tain comrades, partly as reaction to the wrong
tendencies just cited, and partly because of the
insufficiently sharp struggle against chauvinist
tendencies in the Party and the unions, an op
position to the correct program of the st. Louis
convention and, as an outgrowth Of this OPP
position, proposals for the liquidation of the
LSNR. The rots Of their wrong proposals are
'oThe organization (the ISNR) cannot hope
clearly shown by the following quotation:
to gain sufficient white non-Party workers to
change its Jim Grow character 1t is clear that
when a white worker is sufficiently developed
to not only understand that the struggles of the
Negro workers are at the same time the strug
giles of the white workers, but also takes
leading part in the struggles of the Negroes,
such a worker is a fit candidate for the Com
nunist Party"
Such conception, while appearing to be left,
is actually sectarian conception which attempts
to limit the struggle for Negro rights to Negroes
and to white members of the Communist Party
This conception makes more difficult the strug-
gle against the right opportUnist tendencies
everywhere shown in practice and Is itself an
opportunist underestimation Of the possibility OF
overcoming the chauvinist tendencies among the
white workers in the course of the now sharp
ening class struggles and of drawing the broad
masses of workers, Negro and white, into COM
mon struggle against the capitalist offensive and
for equal rights.
Some comrades, also seeing no possibilities of
drawing white workers, except Communists, into