The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-12-27
BY EARL BROWDER

THE Friends of Soviet Russia, ten
L years ago, collected 100000 in
money and another million dollars
worth of medicine, tools, clothing,
etc. for the 1920-21 famine in the
Soviet Union. This organization
still stands out as one of the large
united front movements organized
by the American revolutionary
working class movement.
The Passaic textile strike Of 1925,
one of the most dramatic OF the
smaller strikes in the last decade,
involved in strike relief support
hundreds of A. F. of L. local
unions. Socialist Party branches
and workers in other reformlst
and reactionary led organizations.
At the end of the years struggle
it was credited with collecting
100000 in money and an equal
amount in food, clothing and fuel
in strike relief.
The Pennsylvania Ohio miners
strike of 1927, 1923, officially led
by the United Mine Workers mis-
leaders, proved beyond any doubt
that our strike relief policies can
win for us large sections OF work
ers in reactionary unions. 1t
proved as well that workers in
other industries, organized and I'M
organized, will support strike re-
lief campaigns led by us when
misleaders of the A. F. Of L. unions
are concretely and factually ex-
posed. More than 100000 in
funds, food and clothing were con-
tributed, through our activities, to
the striking miners.
SPREAD UNDERSTANDING
OF CLASS STRUGGLE
The Gastonia textile strike of
1929, the Pittsburgh miners strike
of 1881, the Kentucky miners
strike of 1882 add to the list of
large struggles in which strike re-
lief played a very important role
in winning farmers, storekeepers,
professionals and intellectuals,
workers of varying political be-
liefs and religion for the support
of battles against wage-cuts and
starvation. These relief activities
also helped in raising their poGt-
ical level, their understanding OF
the class struggle and the policies
and maneuvers of all who belong
to the enemy camp.
What many good and number
of leading comrades fail to per-
ceive and keep constantly in mind
is, that in all these major strug-
giles, it was the Workers Interna-
tional Relief that was in action.
To the credit Of this organization
must be placed the material aid
coupled with the broad dissem-
ination of the correct tactics and
strategy in struggles among broad
masses of workers throughout the
country.
THE weakness of the entire lead
4 ership of the Workers Inter-
national Relief has always been
that we did not understand how to
transform the support given by
hundreds of thousands of workers
and syrnpathizers into compact Or
ganization, into membership
branches and action committees.
This is a general weakness OF ours.
EVERY CONTRIBUTOR
A POTENTIAL MEMBER
The w. T. r., with its program
of strike relief, aid to the hunger
marches of the unemployed and
the active workers of the unem-
ployed councils, in its fights
against the starvation and misery
of working children, its fight for
unemployment, old age, accident,
maternity and other forms Of So
cial insurance, should become one
of the broadest mass organiza-
tons. Every worker and sympa-
thizer, no matter Of what polit-
icaI party, no mater OF what
religion, who voices support Of w.
I. r. program and activities, any
one who gives a contribution Of
clothes, food or money, no matter
how small. constitutes a potential
member of the w. I. II.
THOUSANDS of w I, r. COM
L rades, and workers Of other or
carnations, have been approached
in meetings of organizations and
personally. The approach resulted
in aid for strike struggles and the
fight for unemployment insurance.
The approach ended when the con-
tributian Mas Gsa4s. Tbs y