The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-06-06
Shall the YCL Carry.I
On Activity Among
Workers. Children?

troops in the distribution of leaf.
lets in factories where the terror
had made it impossible for the
workers themselves to do this. The
result was that not only were the
kids involved in the day-to-day
struggles Of the Y. C. L., but an
appreciation was brought to the
workers in the factory of the inn
portance of organizing >their chill
dren.
We are confident that if every
Y.C.L. organizer were to look over
the tasks of his unit-be it shop
or neighborhood-he could work out
plans whereby the Pioneer troop
in his territory can join in the ac-
tivities of some phases of work, to
the benefit of both the unit and
the troop.
We must remember that there are
a vast number of issues. which at.
feet both the youth and the chill
dren equally-the closing down of
branch libraries, the fight for open
Fairgrounds, ball fields, the fight
against Jim-Crow polls, the fight
against war propaganda in the
schools, and many others, The Y.
G.. L. must take the lead in this
fight, and carry through struggles
for these demands together with
the children.
Children's work must not and
cannot be collnterposed to trade
union work or shop work. It is
necessary to carry on all these ae-
tivities simultaneously, giving, Of
course, the major emphasis to the
latter tasks.
How to Meet the Problem
When the Y. G. l.. takes the
proper approach to children's work,
some of the major problems facing
it will be near solution. Take, for
instance, the problem of cadres-
the problem of trained forces to
carry on trade union work and
shop work. This is q formidable
task confronting every Y. C. l.. or
ganizer But because of the neglect
of childrens work, the vast reser-
voir presented by the Pioneer
movement is completely ignored.
Here we have children being
trained for years in organization,
in the principles of the working
class movement. Here are the
forces from which to draw the
leaders from the Y. G. L. move
ment. But because the Y. C. L,
units are so far removed from the
Pioneer troops, we have a situa-
ton where the 16-year-old Pho
neers are reluctant to enter the
Y. c. L. units, and the Y. c. L. are
not particularly anxious to have
them.
We have had one or two cases Of
older boys and girls of Is and 16
years of age getting together to
form clubs. Here is the Immediate
training ground for the Y. G. l..
Yet the clubs disintegrated because
the Y. G. L. would not provide lead
eTSIup IOr Jnem.
There is no reason whatsoever
why the Y, G. L. should not receive
from the Pioneer movement hun-
dreds of new cadres. To accom-
plish this, it is necessary for the
Y. G. L. to establish and maintain
the closest contact with the Pio-
neerS.
In the past two years-especially
since the Polburo resolution, which
placed the major political respon-
sibility of children's work on the
Party-the Y. G. L. has adopted the
attitude that it has been absolved
from the leadership of childrens
work. And because of this abso-
lutely incorrect Interpretation Of
the Polburo resolution, we have in
New York only "a Y. C. L. mem
bers in children's work, in district
where we have IS troops and over
5000 children organized. This stu
alton must and can be corrected
Immediately by the assignment Of
member from each section COM
mittee for the responsibility Of
carrying on childrens work. A
thorough discussion of childrens
work must be held in every unit
and section, and due organizational
steps taken.
Children and National Youth Day,
The attitude today of the Y. G. l..
toward children's work can be best
seen in the National Youth Day
campaign. In making the plans for
this campaign, not one section or
unit made provisions for bringing
N. Y. D. propaganda down to the
Pioneer troops The necessity Of
the Y. G. L. taking the lead in the
educational mobilization of the Pio-
neers, and other children, against
war never occurred to the League.
| However, the League did remember
that the kids could be effectively
used in the demonstration. So re-
quests poured into the Pioneer
troops that they come down to the
demonstrations, that they get up
bands, that they make placards, etc.
BY all means the Pioneers should
participate in National Youth Day,
but when the Y. G. L. does not
carry through the necessary educa-
tional mobilization, the approach to
the kids is only that of Barnum
and Bailey show.
There must be a fundamental
change in the Y. G. L. in its atti-
tude toward children's work. When
the correct approach is made, the
Y. G. L. will be made to root itself
in the Pioneer movement, and by
SO doing the Y G. L. will be better
prepared also to carry through it's
basic concentration task-work in
/ the TRADE UNIONS and SHOPS.
We urge every member of the Y.
- II l. 4. -. =.