The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-06-23
Outlook for Great
Mass Struggles In
The Steel Industry

The question of recruiting new
workers into the Party from the
steel mills, from the ranks of the
A. F. Of l.. from among the Negro
workers and the unemployed is Of
decisive importance for the Youngse
town Section, The fact that about
fifty new members were recruited
since May First without any see
rious effort shows that it is possible
to draw new workers into our ranks.
1t is also very important to note
that it is these new and American
comrades that are beginning to do
some real mass work. It would b.
constructive to give a few examples
Comrade-. a member of an A. F
Of L. union joined the Party irr
May has done more in support Of
the H. R. 1898 Bill than the whole
Youngstown Section did since the
bill was inaugurated. Another COM
rade, working in an important steel
mill in Pennsylvania company
town, recruited several mill work.
ers into the Party, collected over
thirty subs for the Daily Worker
mostly from among the workers in
the mill, and recently formed an
opposition inside the A A lodge of
about twenty-five also from among
the workers of the mill he works
in. A third comrade, who Joined
the Party only three months ago,
began to work in some italian mass
organizations and in a short period
established his influence among
these workers, with the result that
at the recent elections in the
Seventh Ward Political Club in
Youngstown the Republican and
Democratic politicians were defeated
and revolutionary workers were
elected in their place.
Unfortunately, the comrades res
ferred to are still the exceptions
WHAT is our outlook and how do
" we intend to carry out the de-
cisions of the National Conven-
ton in Youngstown?
To get the Party out of its in-
ward orientstion and sectarian
isolation. This we will accomplish
through re-educating the Party
along the lines of mass work. To
develop q greater degree of Party
consciousness and loyalty.
To develop some of the best
Party members for the most inn
portant task-the building of the
Steel and Metal Workers Industrial
Union, A good beginning was made
by selecting some Of the best Party
members for volunteer union organ
izers. This group must be broad
ened out and more systematically
instructed.
To stop talking about concentra-
ton and organize the work in such
a manner that the Party and union
forces will not founder around, will
not drift but instead plug along
from day to day till we really ac-
complish concrete results. In
Youngstown this means the Repub-
lie Steel, to make it a real Party
and union stronghold.
To work among the unemployed
and Negro masses and build the
Y. G. L. which is practically non
existent. Space does not permit to
enumerate the steps already taken
to accomplish these and other i'm
portant tasks such as work inside
the A. F. of L., spreading the Daily
Worker and Party literature, etc.
In the process of carrying out Of
the decisions of the convention and
as part of it not for one moment
must we neglect the decisive task of
building a Party leadership.
The Communists in youngstown
can no longer explain the weak
nesses of the. Party by the so-called
'backwardness" of the masses. We
either build the Party and lead the
struggles of the workers or the
workers will enter these struggles
without our leadership and thus
be betrayed as we clearly see it in
the present steel situation where
the A. F. of L. burocracy together
with the so-called Rank and File
Committee" are demoralizing and
breaking the strike even before it
is declared. A defeat for the Steel
workers is defeat for the entire
working class and. of course for our
Party. The Communists in the steel
towns must therefore realize the
great responsibility they have and
proceed with a spirit of enthusiasm
to build the revolutionary move-
ment in this key section of the
country.