The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-10-15
PARTY LIFE
Is the DAILY
Used AS Aid
In Struggles?
BY b. C. LEWIS

kClFculaClon Manager, OdIy NOrketl
pEGULARLY, letters from workers
II come to the Daily Worker ask
ing for descriptive articles on con-
ditions in their cities and localities.
The letters say that thesis-like ar
ticles are not read by the workers.
The Daily Worker, in spite of it's
grave financial crises, has strained
every nerve to send correspondents
to the most important industrial
sections of the country.
SOME EXAMPLES
During the month Of September,
we published q vivid story of g
miners strike in Pennsylvania, by
E. Balint. It mirrored the struggles
and lives of the miners. But
did the miners themselves read it7
They would surely have liked 1t.
However, there was no apparatus
TO get the paper to them.
A SERIES of articles by George
n Cooper was then published. IN
these articles Cooper pictured the
life and struggles of the workers in
the heart of the industrial sections
of the country, such as Gary, Ind,
Flint, Mich, South Bend, Ind, and
other important cities.
S. P. EXPOSED IN MILWAUKEE,
On Sept. oath, the Daily published
an article by Cooper exposing the
Socialist rule in Milwaukee. 1t is
highly important that such articles,
especially at the present time, be
widely circulated in Milwaukee
because they show what the Social
lists arc in practice. 1t is Of par
ticular Importance, because Of the
election campaign. But how many
copies reached Milwaukee? Only
200 copies were ordered. Whereas
with such exposure, there should
have been at least 1000.
On Sept. 9th, an article on the
conditions of the unemployed In
Toledo, Ohio. This article was not
merely informative, but it was Of
great organizational value at the
time. 1t called the workers to or
ganize and to fight for relief. How
many copies of the Daily Worker
reached Toledo, Ohio? The usual
bundle.
THE SOUTH RIVER
FIGHT
Probably the worst example In
this connection has been set by the
comrades in South River strike
region.
The needle trades workers in
South River, N. j., carried on an
heroic struggle against vicious
wage cut. Company gun-n1en we're
hired by the boss operators, as well
as by the city government, to shoot
and club the workers who forced
the bosses to withdraw the wage
cut. These thugs killed 9-year-
old son of a striker and wounded
many more strikers; scores of
workers were jailed. For the first
time workers in that town came
face to face with the brutality of
the boss government,
one hundred extra copies were
" sent from the Daily Worker to
the strike region. This was the
only paper that actually reported
the. news from working class
viewpoint and guided the workers
in their struggle against the be-
trayers Of the Doak agents who
became active in that region. But
to our great disappointment, when
we came to the strike headquarters
We found that "a out Of 100 papers
remained in the strike headquarters
and were not distributed among the
strikers, notwithstanding the fact
that an open-air meeting took place
that night. 1t is true that there
was no Party organization in South
River, and this made distribution
difficult, but the circumstances
demanded quick and decisive &C
ton, which included bringing the
Communist position through the
Daily Worker
MIKE COLDS
ARTICLES
Take another example, Michael
Colds articles on "The Negro Reds
of Chicago" This was splendid
series. But how many of these
were utilized-not speaking Of other
districts, but in Chicago proper.
Only 300 extra copies we're placed,
even though the editorial depart
ment had prepared them long
time in advance and had also sent
out the manuscript to the district
organizations SO that they could be-
come acquainted with its contents
and know how to utilize 1t. How
ever, all these preparations we're
in vain, because there was no real
apparatus to bring these papers to
the workers, especially on the
South Side of Chicago and to the
Negro workers in other towns. In
New York, there we're important
articles in the Daily Worker on the
exposure of the grafters in the
painters union. the zausner gang.
In addition there was an editorial
on the subject. The painters liked
the articles because they really took
up actual problems in correct
way. Nevertheless, did these papers
reach the painters? No. only 300
copies were ordered and these we're
distributed among the Alteration
Painters, but few to the painters
in the A. F. of l.. locals.
TIE Daily Worker is not an alb
stract, general sheet. 1t Is and
must be the organizer of struggles,
and 1t can only be SO when the
paper is utilized in the best organi-