The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-12-13
PARTY LIFE
Shortcomings in LID Work
Discussed By-N. Y. Worker
Asks for Better Communist Guidance in Every
Branch; Stresses Value of Leadership

We are quoting below letter
from a member of the Internas
tional Labor Defense. Although
this comrade is not member OF
the Party, he raises a very inn
pOrtant question for our Party and
our mass organizations, |. e., the
functiOning of Party fractions iii
the mass organizations. The situa-
ton described in this letter, where
a district convention of the LID,
was held with little or no repZesen-
tation from the trade unions and
the language organizations could
not have developed If Party fraea
! items had been functioning prop
erly not only in the trade unions
and in the language organizations,
but also in the I. L. D.
|
The International Labor Defense
held it's District Convention on NOV.
rs and rs, 1888.
| I am an active member of the ].
L. D., and have participated in many
conventions in the past, and, at this
time feel that I must say some
thing as to what is happening in our
organization today. I suppose that
many comrades will ask why I did
not bring out the shortcomings about
which I am writing now at the con-
vention. Well, to these comrades |
want to say that at the time of the
convention I had not as yet fully
realized all that 1 have to say now.
Poor Preparations for Convention
To begin with the preparations Of
this most important convention: The
Daily Worker did not publish an ar.
ticle proving to the working masses
the Importance of the I. L. D. or CALI
ing upon the various organizations to
participate in this convention, nor
even carry q notice as to when and
where the convention will take place.
Previously the Daily Worker used to
greet the I. l.. D. Convention, but
not this year. The following In
stance will prove that the workers
actually did not know the place of
the convention. a5.
On Sunday, the day Of the con-
vention, as we approached the Lenox
Ave. headquarters, q worker was look
| ing at the buildings and walking up
| and down the street. He finally no
ticed q girl co1nrade walking with, "a
Negro comrade. He then approached
| them and inquired where the LID.
Convention was taking place. This
same worker had Daily Worker in
his pocket. This, comrades, proves
| to us that a mistake was made some
where's. Furthermore, two weeks
have already passed since the con-
vention, and yet the Daily Worker
has failed to publish an article as to
what had happened at the I. L. D.
| Convention. ote
At the convention I happened to
be on the credentials committee,
Upon checking up the credentials, we
Immediately noticed the shortcom-
ings-only two small trade unions
were represented. 1 proposed that
we report these two unions among
the mass organizations, but Comrade
Friedman pointed out that this
would be criminal attitude if We
would not show this shortcoming.
We had 142 delegates representing
| ll,OUA WOIhtIS. oQJ VI UIllS VIC lldNt
SO delegates from I. l.. d. sections,
representing 2,711 members. We had
about eight I. w. o. Branches rep
resented out of $50 branches. We
had two unions out of at least 50
industrial unions and numberless op-
position groups and other unions
where we have left wing leadership.
Where were the WomenS Councils,
Clubs, Language Organizations, John
Reed Clubs and numberless other or
CARNATIONS? 311
The trade unions which are cons
Quoting strikes. whose members are
being arrested on picket lines, ar
rested in frame-ups, call upon the
I. L. D. to free and defend the
members of the unions. The I. L.
D. sends lawyers, using every pos
sible means to fight capitalist
courts, and when the I. L. ID. calls
for a convention, when we need
support and encouragement from
the workers of the trade unions,
they are not there.
The 1. L. D. constantly and Bit
terly fights against deportation,
against discrimination and against
finger printing, and yet the Lam