The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-08-12
JOHN REED CLUBS
SHAPE PROGRAM
In CONFERENCES
Eastern Groups Pro-
pose Broad Basis of
Membership
BY CONRAD KoMoROwsKI

The two-day session of the East
ern Regional Conference of John
Reed Clubs and allied cultural or
CARNATIONS at the end of July
| brought sharply to the fore the revo-
lutionary upsurge Of the masses, the
leftward drift of professionals, intel
lectuals and other sections of the
Electromagnetic, and the growing
but uncoordinated activities of work
ers and intellectuals toward the COM
plete exposure of the bankruptcy of
capitalist culture and the building of
proletarian culture.
At this conference which is fol-
| lowed this weekend by the Middle
Western Conference at Chicago and
by the Western Conference some time
later, delegates of the John Reed
Clubs Of Boston, New Haven, Hart
ford, New York, Paterson, Philadel-
phia, of the Jack London Clubs of
Newark and Kearney, of the Work.
ers' Cultural Clubs of Norwich,
Bridgeport and New London re-
corded series of achievements of
undoubted Importance, but at the
same time noted failings and weak
nesseS to be overcome in the struggle
toward a real mass base for our cul-
tural movement and the building of
a proletarian culture.
The programs adopted interna-
tionally at the Kharkov Conference
in 1881 and by the Chicago Confer
ence of John Reed Clubs last year
were >reaffirmed.
In discussing these programs, the
work accomplished, and our short
comings, the delegates pledged a
sharp break with all tendencies to-
ward sectarianism and isolation, to
win over intellectuals and to develop
working-clasS cadreS in the cultural
fields, and to establish broad mass
base as the prerequisite for the Gre
alton of genuine proletarian cul-
ture.
Several very difficult organize
tional problems arose, but these were
resolved by the adoption of resolu-
ton which, while keeping the spe-
cialized organizational forms devel-
oped in the larger cities (such as
New York, where it is possible to
), have strong club composed solely
of artists and writer's, also makes
provision for specifically local or
ganizational forms needed in the
smaller cities (such cities as Pat
terson, for example, where there is
only one organization active on the
cultural 'front.'. The John Reed
Clubs represent the only nationa,
English-Speaking cultural organiza-
ton, and we believe it our duty tt
give leadership and to show initia-
tive. The resolution points out the
transitional form of organization
proposed, stating that such an or
ganizational form is made necessary
by the conditions.
1t is our intention that the work
of the John Reed Clubs should be
developed in such a way that al
available forces in any locality viii
be organized into various craft Gull
tural organizations in the end, al.
though for this transitional period Of
early development these cultura
forces may be organized into the loca
John Reed Clubs.
The goal of this procedure is the
organization Of a National Revolt.
tionary Cultural Federation, through
the building of city and state fed.
erations. In this Federation, thu
John Reed Clubs would represent yh'
writer's and artists section only
along with the other craft group
ings.
But until this goal is little neare,
realization, the John Reed Clubs pro
pose to act as an initiator and or
ganizer Of the English-speaking cul
tural front wherever possible ant
; wherever conditions make it neces
: sary.
The conference commemorated tn
life and revolutionary work of Harr.
Alan Potamkin by resolution ant
by standing in silence for one min
ute. The conference also passed res
olutions demanding the release o
Tom Mooney and Warren Billings
demanding the release of other elias
: war prisoners, and of the Scottsbor,
boys, and protesting against the rcigi
Of brutal terror launched against tn
revolutionary masses and writer's o
, China by the lackey Of imperialism
the Kuomintano-