The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-21
N 0BILIZE
FRATERNAL
MOVEMENTS
|. w. O. Branches in
Fight for Social
Insurance
BY MAX BEDACHT


of fraternal organizations for social
insurance. This campaign is a very
important one. Every member OF the
Order must participate in 1t. The
campaign means that the Interna-
tional Workers Order is occupying
that sector Of the class struggle front
which logically is It's duty to defend.
The fraternal movement and char
ity have been in the past the excuse
of the bourgeoiSie for their refusal
of social insurance. Through the
mouths of their political spokesman,
the Republican Hoover and the Dem
ocrat Roosevelt alike, they have again
and again emphasized that the relief
Of the mass misery caused by mass
unemployment is not social duty to
be fulfilled by the government, but is
the duty of private charity and in
dividual efforts. In accord with this
theory, the bourgeois fraternal organ
izations have ever been opposed to
social insurance. For them the fra
ternal movement became an aim in
itself. When the issue OF social in
surance was raised, they asked, What
will become Of our organizations when
social insurance becomes a practice7"
Their demagogic propaganda tried
to close the eyes of the masses to the
fact that these individual efforts and
even the collective fraternal efforts
Of all the sufferers from social mis-
cry are totally inadequate. They re-
ject the obvious conclusion that any
misery caused by social conditions re-
quires social efforts for relief.
Because the bourgeois fraternal
movement was not based upon the
principles Of mutual help among
workers, but was based upon other
so-called principles, such as certain
religious denomination, or certain
patriotic conception, or a certain
brand Of mysticism, they were always
able to develop some abstract organ
national loyalty of the membership.
This loyalty was not based upon the
fraternal service of the organization,
but it was built around the so-called
principle-the religion, the patriot
ism, the mysticism, etc. Because of
this organizational loyalty the bour-
geois leadership often succeeded in
winning the membership for their
stand against social insurance on the
ground that social insurance would
obviate the necessity of their organ
iZation.
At present however, this source of
strength of the bourgeois leadership
of the workers in the fraternal move
ment is disappearing The workers
now learn the inadequacy of mutual
help as remedy for social evils. They
learn that more is required than
mutual help. They begin to realize
that struggles are necessary against
these social evils.
The first thing they realize Is the
need of struggle for social help where
mutual help cannot solve the problem
any more. They learn that aside from
the sick insurance that they can Or
ganize among themselves, they need
unemployment insurance which they
cannot organize. They learn that
aside from those mutual aids that
an effective workers fraternalism can
supply, they need old age pensions,
they need maternity insurance, they
need a social insurance which secures
their existence no matter what may
interfere with their ability or OPP
portunity to make living by selling
their labor power.
Important Issues
That Is why social insurance at
present is such an important issue
for the working class. That is why
also social insurance at this moment
becomes rallying point Of the pro-
letarian elements In the fraternal
movement against the bourgeois mis-
leaders And that is why a campaign
for social insurance among the fra
ternal organizations, as now organ
lied by the International Workers
Order, Is Of such Importance for the
whole working class.
Because Of the importance Of this
campaign the branches Of the Inter-
national Workers Order must not per-
NIT any meeting Of their organization
to go by without q serious discussion
Of the campaign, without a check UP
on the activities in the campaign,
without a correction Of mistakes made
In the campaign and without decid-
ing upon further steps to invigorate
the campaign.
Because Of the Importance Of this
campaign, every militant worker must
become an active supporter Of this
campaign Of the International Work
ers Order. Every militant worker In
a bourgeois fraternal organization
must make himself the organizer Of
left wing around the issue of social
insurance. Every militant worker in
bourgeois fraternal organization
must make fight for the admittance
Of the delegations Of the International
Workers Order for the raising Of the
issue of social insurance. Every Ian
guage section Of the International
Workers Order must propaganda the
workers Of their respective language
most intensely with the issue OF So
cial insurance. The manifesto on So
cial insurance issued by the Conven-
ton Of the International Workers Or
der, which is available In various Ian
guages, must be systematically dis
tributed at every meeting place of
fraternal organizations Of their re-
spective languages.
This campaign must lead to the
establishment of a broad united front
which then will carry on the CAM
paign for social insurance with the
added forces which the participants
Of the united front will bring to the