The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-01-03
Leadership in the Struggle of
Alabama Sharecrobbers


a decisive role under the guidance
of the Communist Party. From
the moment of the outbreak of the
ReeltoWn struggle the Party led
the advanced industrial proletariat
Of Birmingham to- support and
actual guidance Of the toilers in
the Black Belt in their fight for
their immediate agrarian and ma
tional needs and for the right of
the Negro people to complete
liberation. The ruling class rec
ognized this, which resulted in the
frenzied attack on the Party lead
ership in Birmingham and even
the silent Sheriff Young CURLY
blurted out, I'm already being
bothered by kilograms from Bir-
mingham Communists" These are
a few Of the lessons that we must
bring to the Party throughout the
South in particular.
BIG oRGANIZATIONAL
TASKS ~
There are immediate big organ
national tasks. 1t is imperative
now to redouble our efforts in
building the Share Choppers Union.
We must build the union on a
stronger basis in the scene of strug-
gle. White farmers must be drawn
into the Union locals Injecting sep
arately In cases. and where this is
not possible, white farmers should
be drawn into committees of ac-
ton. The organized unity of Negro
and white farmers will raise the
whole struggle on a higher plane,
will force greater concessions. The
union must not be confined to the
five or six counties in Alabama
but must spread throughout the
Black Belt. We must find ways
and means land they can be
found to organize the toiling
farmers, especially since the Reel
town struggle has found the first
page OF most southern papers.
1t is of first Importance to build
the l. L. D. on a bigger scale. This
must be done in connection with
the defense of the Alabama crop
pers. The I. L. D., supported by
the masses, must force absolute
release Of all choppers, punishment
of the sheriffs, demand an inves-
tigation into the murders of un-
known troopers, demand that the
county and state government give
relief to the families of dead and
wounded troopers. It is necessary
to link up this defense struggle
with the fight for the Scottsboro
boys and make 1t a permanently
increasing struggle against the
whole system Of lynching and Negro
oppression. Especially must the
LID. come out using every avail
able worker and intellectual in the
fight for free speech, not only in
Birmingham and in Atlanta (Hern-
don case), but in the Black Belt as
we'll Already the sheriffs of the
three counties in the Black Belt
have stated that they have made
plans for extensive under-coVer
work, not only to prevent the dis
tribution OF propaganda but the
apprehension Of those who attempt
it." In this respect mass meetings
called by the I. L. D. in the larger
Southern cities will be big step
forward .4i
ABOVE all and standing out as
~ the decisive task Is the building
Of the Communist Party. Particu-
larry in the South, only the con-
scious, relentless, bold leadership
of the Party can smash through the
outbursts Of savage terror. At this
time, when tens Of thousands of
people are in motion as result Of
the Reeltown struggle, our first
duty becomes the drawing In Of
hundreds Of these elements in the
Black Belt, IN the large Southern
cities, into the Party. A strong
Party, composed of the most mill
tant section of Negro and white
toi1ers, is the only guarantee that
the CHOPPERS struggles will be
raised to higher levels, that the
Black Belt Will witness sharper
battles. which VII turn The Struggle
for immediate needs into the sttug-
gle for power of the Negro majority.
In this way the Negro people will
form an ever stronger ally Of the
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