The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-12-28
BY Communist Party, District Committee,
District of New York

BY Communist Party, District Committee,
District of New York
NEWER before we're the conditions for mobil1z-
~ ing tbs workers OF New York for struggle so
favorable as this year. With more than 100000
unemployed in New York City, with hunger and
starvation widespread throughout the city, with
the Negroes and Latin Americans Of Harlem
battling against death by starvation, with wages
being cut over and over sgainst-with the work
ing class demonstrating mood to fight-the
Communist Prty never had better opportunity
to register big vote in New York City.
More than $4,000 workers signed the petitions
to place the Communist Party on the ballot. AL
of these workers were approached and spoken to
by members Of the Communist Party. Young
Communist League, the revolutionary unions.
Unemployed Councils and other revolutionary
organizations. To them was explained what the
Communist Party stands for-and the response
was splendid on the part Of the workers. They
knew the Reds and would support them. This
was year when the Communist Party should
have been able to count upon a mass support
in the election in opposition to the Tammany
machine, the republican and socialist parties.
The meetings Of the Party we're well attended
and enthusiastic As a whole, the sections show
ed great initiative in organizing meetings, pa
rsdes and marches, some of the marches and
demonstrations showing the mass response OF
the workers (section y. BY the use of modern
methods Ooudspeaker) the scope of the meet
ings was increased, some Of the meetings reach
ing thousands of workers as well as the work
crs in the homes who gathered at the windows
In the needle market, the loudspeaker was used
with fine effect.
The workers responded TO the platform Of the
Party because they realized that it was based
upon che Immediate needs of the workers. lead
ing to the ultimate program Of the Party. Mil
lions of leaflets were distributed, $4,000 plat
forms sold and distributed. Shop papers, al
though not too numerous, carried on the prop
uganda. The mass organizations did fairly
good Job among their membership and some OF
them through indoor and open air meetings.
The Unemployed Councils, Workers Ex-Service-
mems League did militant work. The response
on tag days was fairly good, with the sympa-
tniaers frequently doing more energetic work
than the Party members.
All in all, more agitation and propaganda was
carried on so that the results should have been
corresponding. This, however, was not the case.
There was a decline in the votes-about $500
votes-a very serious matter in such a favorable
situation We must therefore look into the
causes
l. The District Campaign machine was poor
" organized. 1t was one-nan machine. This
was Que to the failure OF the District to organize
the united front. BY showing no perseverance
and taking the necessary organizational steps,
the machinery remained very narrow. In the sec
tons this was somewhat better, but it was not
what it should have been The result was that
the work that was done Was not properly or
ganized and to a degree was greatly spontane-
GUS with all the serious weaknesses, Shortcon-
lngs and dangers of Spontaneity. The District
must accept full responsibility for this situation
2. There was q scarcity of speakers Some
of the leading candidates did not participate in
The campaign whatever, not even speaking IN
their own districts During the campaign too
few speakers were developed and many of those
who participated completely misrepresented the
line Of the Party.
g. The platform of the Party appeared late.
It was concrete for New York but the sections
and unitS-and the speakers particularly-dld
not use local neighborhood material to bring the
issues closer to the masses. Failure to con-
cretize the issues on a local scale Is a serious
forthcoming in all our work, as demonstrated IN
the election campaign. In one section where
a family was burned TO DEATH the section did not
use the happening TO show up the system ana
gain the support OF the workers.
L. Some speakers emphasized the useless
ness" of elections, made light of the election it
sell and thereby did not win the workers for
voting for the Party, but rather for making the
workers stay away from the polls altogether.
There remains in the Party serious underes-
tiulati0n of parIiamentarsn, which has not been
clarified either by the Central District Com
mittee. This is shortening that must be
overcome if the Party is TO participate in parlia-
mentary campaigns and try to get it's candidates
elected so that they may carry on revolutionary
work also in the halls Of government.
S. The main shortening in the campaign
was that there were no struggles on the main
issue confronting the workers, namely unem-
ployment. Prior to and during the election
campaign, the unemployment work sagged seri-
ously, 80 that the unemployed could not be mob
it5ed for the election campaign of the Party,
for all the campaigns Of the Party are based
upon struggle
6 The T.UU.L. and the revolutionary unions,
which support the Party, conducted many strug-
giles But these struggles we're not poIlticalized.
rhey we're struggles for economic demands, but
the Party was rarely brought into the struggles,
either through participation Of the Party directly
or through the union leaders themselves. This
is best demonstrated in the fact that the strike
struggles resulted in very little recruitment for
the Party although the workers showed splendid
militancy
7. The unions participated little in the cleo
ton campaign Although it planned for the
unions to hold meetings of their membership
and among the workers Of the trade, this was
hardly done The District was slow in check
ing up. and in making the Communist leaders
of the unions recognize their revolutionary duty
in the election campaign.
o THE sections and units failed to connect up