The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-03-11
By TOM JOHNSON
PART III CONCLUSION
Mass Agitation Necessary

MASS AgAC6GOn NSCSGS6EJ
1t Is, Of course, Impossible to politicalze and
raise the level OF the strike without continual
barrage OF agitational material, placing the posi-
ton Of the Union on every issue squarely before
the strikers, answering in bold and sharp manner
every attack, every Islander circulated by our
enemies,
THIS is particularly necessary in the present
situation, working as we are with workers who
have not seen before our revolutionary unions
and our Party in action, and whose only knowl-
edge OF their programs and tactics are gained
from the lying columns OF the capitalist press.
Our enemies have been quick to seize on this
and Isafls1 after leafIat of the crudest most
stupid lies have been issued by local business
mems associations, American Legion posts the
UkfWA, preachers associations of various demo
limitations, as well as by the coal operators di-
rectly.
This agitation Of our enemies has had Ger
tain effect-precisely because we failed to answer
1.-THE amount Of agtational material issued in
the strike area has been entirely too small
Our reaction to these attacks has come entirely
too late, It is necessary, in the future, that
every attack no matter what its source, be made
the occasion not only for defensive but for an
aggressive counter attack on our enemies.
Recent developments make clear that more and
more these attacks will come from the UMWA.
Nor will they be restricted to agitatonal attacks
alone. The recent announcement of the UNfWA
that 1t is raising an "organizational" fund OF
$4,000 to invade the Kentucky strike field in
dicates that the coal operators have decided to
use this strikebreakng instrument much more
than hithertofore We have been somewhat slow
in reacting to this situation This must be cor
rected at once and agitatonal and organizationa1
measures taken to smash any attempts Of the
Uh6WA to secure q foothold in the strike area.
Building the Party
As for bringing forward the INDEPENDENT role
Of the Party and building the Party in the course
Of the struggle it would seem that we have
fallen heir to. rather than corrected, the mis-
takes Of the Pittsburgh strike. Despite the sup
posed preparations" for the strike, there was not
a sngle Party unit in the state of Kentucky
when the strike was called January l.
to the best of my knowledge there are today. s
weeks later, only three functioning Party units
In the strike area. There are no functioning
Party fractions in the leading strike committees.
The sum total of Party building in the strike are
two units in the Tennessee strike area, couple
nlcre in kentucky and a nebulous group of per-
hsps 60 leading strikers who have been directly
approached by the Party and signified their
willingness to Join, but have not yet been or
gat1ized into Party units.
Our primary mistake here was the failure 10
bring forward the independent political and or
ganigattona1 role Of the Party from the begin
ming. The strike had been on for almost solid
month before the Party issued its first statement
to the strikers in lsaflet form There was also
concealed resistance by some comrades to
bringing the Party forard ct the meetings of the
Central str1ks Committee and at strikers
meetings
There has been practically no distribution or
sale of popularity written Party pamphlets in
the strike area. While as stated above we have
largely neglected answering the attacks of our
enemies on the union and the strike, we have
more vicious attacks on the Party Yes, the Party
has been brought forward in the Kentucky
strike. but it has been brought forward not by us
but by their enemies
One of the greatest weapons in the hands Of
the coal operators has been the n1isrepresenta-
ton OF our Party's position on the Negro uues-
ton, on, religion and on the question of over
throw OF the government
This then is perhaps our most urgent task
to flood the fields with harrage Of Communist
agitation to consolidate the eXieting Party units
and to build new ones with all possible s-eed
We must set ourselves the goal Of not less than
$50 functloning Party members in the strike area
In one months time. This units must be or
ganiDed mine nuclei and not as territorial
nuctss with the pios idea ~ later reorganiMng