The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-04-28

the Party can show a number of sue
cesses in the attempt to carry on
the turn in practice (strikes, SCOTS
boro. hunger march,, the work of tn
Party fundamentally remains in tn
same groove"
Foster Speaks on Party's Tasks
Comrade Foster in one of the mos
important speeches of the Plenum
emphasized sharply the changes re
quired in order that the Party cal
be able to cope with its tremendou
historical tasks and opportunities il
the present situation. He said;
81 wish to agree heartily with the
c. /. resolution. The heart of this
is TO impress upon the Party that
it has not yet made the turn to
mass work, which the COmintern
has repeatedly pointed out to us
as basic il our Party is to come
forward as the real leader of the
working class. The Party, as the
resolution says, remains in the old
groove.
The resolution does real SER
vice to the Party in pointing out
that the basic causes for the fail
ure CT the Party, as yet, to make a
decisive turn to mass work are the
sectarian approach and bureau
cratic methods of work. These
wrong tendencies, have prevented
the Party from establishing the
mass organization necessary adm
possible under the present cOndi
lions of the working class now be-
ing radicaliged.
During the debate many COM
rades have indicated how seriously
Sectarianism and bureaucratism
have interfered with the develop
ment of the Party's work nyarious
fields. shall touch upon only two
phases of sectarianism; that is, to
expose some of its roots in the
Party.
First, there is the sectarian
trend in the inner life of the Par
ty. 1t is a mistake to think that
sectarianism manifests itself only
in our conac& with the masses; it
is also in evidence in the inner
Party life. 1t expresses itself in
various ways. 1t sums up into a
failure to adopt the proper meth
DDS of educating and absorbing
new members and given tasks ac-
cordingly. There is but little I'M
Outstanding of the necessary edu-
cationaI work. This inner sectar-
ianism is one of the main reasons
why we have such a large turn
over of members in our Party.
Then our sectarianism also finds
roots in the social composition of
the Party. Our Party is made up
of 20 per cent of foreign born
workers; we are largely isolated
from the great masses of native
born workers. Now, the foreign
born workers have been for many
years the militant leaders of the
class struggle. But they cannot
make the fight alone. They must
be led up with the main body of
American workers. Especially does
OF become the more necessary to
draw American workers into the
Party now that the Government is
trying, with its deportation policy,
to drive a wedge between the ma
tive and foreign-bOrn workers and
to isolate the latter.
These weaknesses of our Party,
sectarianism in its inner life and
its adequate social composition,
must be corrected, along with the
basic sectarian and bureaucratic
trends pointed out in the G. 1. reso-
luton. Unless this is done we can
make no real progress towards
winning the masses.
"On the question of drawing in
the American born workers, when
we speak of this we speak, in thu
first line, of organizing the youth.
We have talked a great deal in the
past about the important role of
the youth, blu i don hink we I'M
derstand 1t yet. Otherwise we
would not have to come TO Plenum
after Plenum and say that we are
neglecting the organization of the
young workers. Why should we I'M
derestimate the youth? Certainly
our enemies do not. The fascists
base their movement upon the
youth, and the social-fascists spare
no efforts in the same direction.
The building of the Young Com
munist Leagne is a life and death
qnestio nfor our Party. Let this
fact not be lost sight of in our
efforts to free the Parry from all
traces of sectarianism ahn bur-
eaucracy.
The National Election Platform
which was proposed by the Plenum
for presentation to the National Con-
vention in Chicago May % and %
is printed in full in the supplement
to this issue Of the Daily Worker
The Plenum adopted without change
the main resolution presented to it
which is also printed in full in the
Daily Worker supplement today.
(See detailed reports of Plenum de
cisions in today's supplement-.