The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-04-14
Hoav We Deprive Workers
of a Chance to Read
EXPERIENCES WITH THE PARIS COMMUNE
ANNIVERSARY MEETINGsD

ANNIVERSARY MEETINGS)
HARD as it is for workers in large cities TO ge6
~ hold of Party and other working class Nters
ature, the workers in the smaller towns, where
no bookshops exist, and where there is no lit
erature distribution in action, have 8 million
more difficulties Not only can they not buy
the literature they want but they also have
no way OF knowing what literature is actually
available
What more direct way have we OF telling the
workers what there is to buy, and what eaMeT
way is there Of having it on hand when they
want to buy it, than our large agitational meet-
ings in connection with our campaigns?
very superficial examination Of the role
played by literature in the Paris ComnunA
meetings on March Is gives a rather dark pic
ture of the stagnancy Of our literature activities
The literature which was to have been pushed
at the Paris Commune meetings was first OF
all the two available pamphlets on the subject
one highly agitatonal 1.-THE Paris Commune
"A Story in Pictures" by VIM. Siegel with an
Introduction by A. Trachtenberg drawing the
lessons Of this historic event, and the other
classic-Lenin on the Paris Commune. Besides
that the current I. L. D. pamphlets on our pre-
sent caseS-Imperial Valley Mooney, Scottsboro,
etc.-and, most certainly, the Labor Defender"
We have few reports of very successful
literature sales at some meetings. notably at the
Manhattan Lyceum in New York City. But
District in general ignored literature aG its
other meetings to a really serious extent The
literature was actually available in the District
office, but was returned to the publishers pracs
ticaly as it was sent out. The various meetD
ings in New York City itself had little Mtero
allure, but the smaller towns Jared still worse
AT Newark, where Siegel himself spoke, not one
copy OF his pamphlet was available. AT Paters
son, the only literature that was sold was the
organ Of the Friends of the Soviet Union. "Sovs
let Russia Today" No announcement was made
from the platform on available literature, and il
there was literature display on a table, it GER
tainly was not apparent.
In Hartford, Connec. cut the situation was a
little better Here Is or IS copies of SiegeIs
Paris Commune" was available. But that was
all Lenins paris Commune" was not there.
none of the I L. D. pamphlets on present cases,
not even the Labor Defender. Here the speaker
himself announced the Paris Commune" from
the platform. He would have announced others
had they been available. There was no table
no whir of selling activity by a Systematically
organized literature committee before and after
the meeting. But the comrade succeeded in
selling the IS copies he had and would have
sold more and other pamphlets as well, had they
been there.
AL Cl6 request OF the national organization.
bundles OF the Paris Commune literature were
sent out to certain Of the larger cities Los
Angeles, Buffalo, Cleveland, and Chicago re-
fused to take the bundles out and sent them
back unopened Chicago sent letter which
showed plainly that the comrades in charge OF
the meeting did not consider literature as part
and parcel OF campaign and of a meeting.
The pamphlets arrived in plenty of time
The letter stated simply that they had no
money. Yet, the comrades most probably did
secure money to pay out in advance for other
expenses in connection with the meeting de.
post on the hail. money for printing tickets.
Tor leaflets, for other expenses in connection
with making the meeting success Not only
was literature overlooked as a chance TO make
little profit, but it was also not considered as
necessity for the meeting This betrays an
attitude toward literature which amounts to
Sectarianis1n. Is not literature an organic par,
OF our activities? Is not the presence of liter
allure at nesting vital necessity?
Facts speak louder than words No need to
draw long lessons from this experience.
Let May First see turn in our attitude to-
ward literature selling. Speakers at meetings
are already getting into the habit II popularizing
our literature. Now let the Districts and Sec
tons and Units see to it that when a speaker
wishes to popularize the campaign literature at
meetings from the platform, that the liter
ature itself is actually being displayed and sold
there.