The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-01-06
What Are the Chief Tasks
Facing Communist Party?
Editor of Daily Yorker Discusses Significance Of
Open Letter to Party Membership
BY o. A. HATHAWAY

EVERY worker, particularly every
L reader Of the Daily Worker, is
deeply interested, and has right TO
be, in the work and progress Of the
Communist Party. If We emphasize
then the most basic tasks OF the
Communist Party, every worker
should know that this discussion Is
directly related to his own needs and
interests.
The basic task before the entire
Party organization, from the Central
Committee down to the units and
fractions, is still the decisive turn
to serious mass work among the de-
cisive sections Of the American work
ers, as demanded by the Open Let
ter addressed to the membership By
the July Party Conference.
What, in short, was the essence
Of that letter. Did It deny the great
activity Of the Party and the Party
membership in the fight for the
workers needs during the crisis
period2 Did it deny the revolution
airy spirit, the readiness Of every
comrade for self-sacrifice. Did it
minimize the leading role Of tbs
Party in q number of strike strug-
giles, in the struggles Of the unern-
ployed, in the hunger marches, In
the farmers strikes, etc2 Did it ig-
more any other factors which might
show the growth Of the Party'S mem-
bership and influence? Certainly notl
Emphasized Dangers
The Open Letter underlined many
serious, shortcomings in our work
and even grave dangers facing US.
It pointed out q tendency to drift
from one task to another. to be
driven by events to permit transitory
and secondary tasks to Swerve us off
our main task of penetrating the big
factories of the basic industries and
the decisive sections Of the American
working class.
The Open Letter declared that the
continuance of such policy would
endanger the very proletarian base
Of the Party, and lead to strength
ening Of petit bourgeois influences,
sentiments and illusions; it would
lead, not to the strengthening OF
working-class leadership in the whole
revolutionary struggle, with the poor
farmers, the intellectuals, etc., as our
allies, but to the weakening OF the
Partys influence among the workers,
to weakening Of the workers strug-
giles and, therefore, also, to o slow
ing up Of the revolutionization
process among the petti-bourgeois
groups.
Factory Work Decisive
The -proletarian element can
be won for revolutionary struggle,
and the many tasks of the Commu-
mist Party carried out only when
the decisive sections Of the prole-
tariat, in the first place those in the
big factories, are organized and ag-
gressiyely leading the struggle against
capitalism.
ut is time that the entire Party
should understand" the Open Let
ter declares, that without solid
basis among the decisive elements
of the American workers, the Party
cannot lead the revolutionary
struggles Of the working class and
free them from the influence Of
the social democrats and the bour-
geois:e, which still prevails among
the decisive elements Of the work
ing class, however favorable the
conditions for our influence may
be.
at Is Idle chatter TO talk about
the revolutioniZing Of the working
class by the Party unless the Party
conquers a firm basis for itself
among the miners, metal and steel
workers, railroad workers, auto,
marine and textile workers. It Is
idle chatter to speak about the lead
ing role OF the Party without estab-
fishing contacts with the decisive
strata of the workers, mobilizing
these workers and winning them
over to our side.
Talk about the defense Of the
Soviet Union and struggle against
imperialist war is nothing but
empty phrases unless systematic
work is carried out in the war In
dustry plants and in the ports;
talk Of struggle against social fas-
cisin is nothing but empty phrases
unless the struggle is carried on
from day to day in the big factor
les, in the reformist unions and
among the unemployed.
ut is nothing but phrase-mon-