The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-12-24
Communist
What Needs
Must It Fill?
BY VEIN SMITH

ID the Communist? There Is no
other publication in the country
with quite the same place to fill.
First of all, 1t must be the final
word, and yet always a new word
in MarXist-Leninist analysis. 1t is
the theoretical organ of the Com
munist Party of the United States
of America. In the Communist
every present-day movement
should be probed to the bottom,
for its class basis, its origin, its
direction of aim, its real motiva-
ton, its covering of demagogy if
there is one, and its relation to
other movements. Yet this must
be done in the heat of the Party's
struggle, and the things analysed
must be first of all those with
which we either do have, or ought
to have most to deal
The tactics of our own struggle
have to be discussed, criticized,
and improvements suggested-all
this with cold good judgment, but
at the same time without killing
the initiative of workers and of
their leaders, some of them keenly
sensitive to what is said about
them. The wrong kind of criticism
can destroy a promising growth,
and it is not always easy, in the
heat of the emotions aroused, to
be so very objective.
THE USE OF HISTORY
Then, there Is the problem of
history, of how to use the lessons
of the past, not just dissecting
mumnies.
There is the problem OF present
ing in hard type what is some
times very complex material end
argument without distorting it by
over Simplification (for the Com
munist is above all the magazine
on which the worker must rely
for exactness), and yet, without
using language that means some
thing only to a select circle of
professional revolutionistS (for the
Communist is also for everybody.
Perhaps, in comparing the Com
munist with the general agita-
tional organs of the Party, we can
say that in the Communist the
emphasis should be on judgement
and accuracy, while in the others
it is on agitational effect and sim
pltcity. Only the emphasis, Of
course.
NOV, how does the December
" issue of the Communist meet
these tests?
The most important thing Just
now is the struggle the unem-
ployed, and its relations to the
struggle of the employed.
In the editorial and in the united
front article and debate with Yer
bin by Williamson of Chicago
there is not only a discussion of
the very important tactic of the
united front in unemployment
work, but some explanation of the
organizations in it, and of the
class bias of the leadership and of
the degree of development of the
membership.
The methods adopted by the I'M
employed council in Chicago to
build a united front, the attitude
OF the socialfascist, Borders, and
OF the Workers League leaders,
some of the reasons for their atti-
tude, and the results of the clash
between the policies of Communist
and social-fascist, are brought to
the front. This is the best part
OF the magazine Only, We need a
more critical study of these Bor-
derS and MuSteite and other such
movements among the unem-
ployed; we need to know the real
secret of their undeniable appeal
TO many workers-there is a kew
here to the whole question of So
| cial-fasciSn.
VALUABLE ARTICLES
John 1rving's How Many Un-
employed gives the proof, which
Is all right in the Communist but
should not be confined there. of
our declaration that there are over
100000 Jobless. A fine piece of
statistical research, yet easy to I'M
derstand, 1t began in the Noyern-
Der issue.
HayWood'S article ON the Scots
poro decision is also an application
OF MARKHAM method to burning
present-day matter. He gives the
evidence, he considers the role of
the landlords and capitalists and
OF their courts, of the Socialists.
OF the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored Peo-
pie. The economic driving forces
back OF the political acts are to a
considerable extent laid bare. The
conclusion is reached that the Su-
preme Court decision is a battle
won for our side, but that it doesn't
ny itself win the war. The con-
ciuslonS are not new, but they are
proved. 1t is correct to outline.
as ne does, the next steps for lis
IN the fight to free the Scottsboro
Negro boys, but now it is the main
business of other Party organs to
see that those steps are carried
out, and to draw the masses of
workers and farmers into action.
|
WE have two articles on imperial
!" ism: William Sinlons gives
much valuable information on the
llnperlalist lineup in South Amer
ica, including especially the ac-
INVITES OF Wall Street imperialism
and the part that should be PLAYED