The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-03-07


''The only reason we are i'll this
war now is because it is to the
interests of the ruling class of
this country, to have us in the
F'ourthly Ruthenberg understood
and always stressed the building
Of the Party. He fully grasped
the feminist teachings on the role
of the Party and always ham,
mered away on this. In his final
message a few moments before his
death he urged US to Build the
Party. One of the last articles he
wrote before his death was in
December 1926, How to Sire. Tthen
the Party" III this article he stat
ed:
''The fact that the influence of
the Party has extended during
the past year was strongly en-
phasized in the discussions and
the resolution of the Central
Committee. The Party is break
ing its isolation and has ess.b-
Iished contact with greater mass
es of workers who are entering
into common struggle with it.
Tine Party has not, however,
thus far been able to cryStalize the
influence it won as q result of its
campaigns in TO organizational
strength
How much more true Is ShiS
today when our Party has carried
on tremendous activity led many
important struggles of the work
erS and other strata OF the toiling
masses. And while our member
ship has lately increased somewhat,
the words Of Ruthenberg written
in 1926 are even more emphatic
today:
The organized strength of the
Party as represented by the mem
bership has not kept pace with
its influence among the work
ers."
Comrade Ruthenberg looked on
the recruiting of members to the
Party as one Of the basic tasks of
the Party. He wrote in this same
article:
The recruiting of new mem
bers TO broaden and strengthen
the Party organization therefore
becomes one of the major fields
Of work. The Party must crystal
ize into organization strength the
Influence which it has won
among the workers.
Our Party has never taken
full advantage of its work among
the masses TO win new members.
IL. The members of our Party
are hesitant i'll approaching the
workers with whom they come in
contact and who are sympathetic
TO the work of the Party in Or
der to bring them into the Party"
Another important point touched
upon by Comrade Ruthenberg i'll
this article is especially important
today when the turnover of the
Party is SO great. He wrote.
"ln place Of considering each
worker who has advanced far
enough to become a member of
the Party as precious material
for the building of powerful
Communist Party, who must be
kept By the Party at all costs,
thousands of members were
lightly dropped from the mem
bersh p rolls because they did not
immediately take steps to affiIi-
ate with the shop and street
nuclei. In many cases even the
lists containing the names of
these members have not been
kept"
Comrade Ruthenberg was refer
ing to the reorganization which
the Party carried through in the
years of 1925 and 1926, from a
Party Of language declarations into
one unified party. But the Drop
ping Of members carelessly is nc
less a problem today, though the
reasons given for dropping men,
bers from the Party are different
today
And In carrying on al1 our work
we must bear in mind, as Ruthen-
berg did and as events since then
have made more emphatic, that the
road to the masses, the road tC
power for the working class under
the leadership of our Party, lies
through the path of the most ruth
less struggle against social fascism
and the winning of the masses UNI
der the influence of social tascism
to the revolutionary struggle on the
basis Of the bold application OF the
united gront from helQ~