The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-06-02
PopslarisiRg Convention
Decisions VIII Help
Lead Struggles
BY MARTIN YOUNG

wave of strikes since the
Eighth Convention Of our
Party, have conclusively DEM
,nstrated the correctness of
)ur convention analysis and deci-
sions. In the Convention Resolu-
ions Of our Party it is stated: The
magnitude of the struggles shows
hat the masses are accommodating
enormous revolutionary energy and
hat big class battles are maturing
The valiant strike struggles Of the
workers in Toledo, Minneapolis, in
the ports Of the Pacific and Gulf
coasts. in Alabama and in numer-
9us other industrial centers prove
that We are in the midst of big
Glass battles with many more and
bigger class battles maturing.
Accordingly, the Convention has
also outlined the tasks before the
Party. On the basis of the examina-
lion Of our past work the Conven-
ton pointed out, that the present
situation requires a quickening Of
the tempo and improvement in the
quality of the work of the Party.
Application of Party Resolutions
It stands to reason, that in order
for the Party to carry through the
convention resolutions and deci-
sions, it is necessary first Of all to
make these resolutions understood
by every Party member. OF course,
We Communists never study reSolu-
lions in a vacuum. Resolutions to us
are guides to action. We study them
on the basis OF our experiences and
concrete tasks. But we not only
study them, we Immediately apply
them. The practical political and
organization results of our work
really demonstrate to what extent
otu resolutions were understood and
carried out.
However, from the information
on hand we cannot say that in the
Party, above all in the Party units
and Party fractions the decisions
Of the Party Convention are fully
known and properly understood.
And because in the past our Party
has adopted good resolutions, but
failed to carry many Of them out,
it becomes necessary to sound a
timely warning concerning the res
olutions of the last convention. In
the Open Letter to the Party mem
bership the Central Committee
stated: TN many resolutions we al
ready set ourselves the task of de-
veIOping our Party into a prOle-
tartan mass Party. d.. But all these
resolutions have for the most part
remained on paper" We must not
repeat this mistake.
tt Is a fact, that the resolutions
as we'll as the major reports and de-
Cisions were not sufficiently pop
uIarized amongst the membership.
The entire popularization Of the
convention was in the main limited
to section or city membership meet
ings, where a report was made on
the convention with few COM
rades psrtaking in the discussion.
In the units the most accepted
method was for comrade from
the district or section to make a
report, which was followed by a dis
cussion of so many comrades as
could be cramned into on eve
ming. On the average, this was the
most that was done to populari2e
the convention. OF, course, it must
also be called to the attention Of
the entire Party that methods have
been employed to make the deci-
sons of the Eighth Convention
known and understood, that were
not used before. For example, open
discussion meetings of Party and
non Party workers, group meetings
of non-Party workers in some con-
centrstion factories with reports on
the convention, and special meet
ings of Party fractions. These are
correct methods that must be widely
applied,
Popularizing Convention
Resolutions
The fact, however, remains that
for nearly two months since the
convention, the decisions and res
buttons OF the convention are still
not made the property of the entire
Party membership. 1t is also an
fact that our Party press
writes very little about our Con-
vention Resolutions and decisions.
Only occasionally do single mem
ners of the Daily Worker editorial
staff refer to the Convention Res
elutions and as for our language
press, the situation is still worse.
And it is precisely the Party press,
especially the Daily Worker, that
must play the leading role in the
and Interpretation Of
the convention resolutions and deei-
sions. ~.
It is essential to remember that
our convention was guided by the
resolutions and proceedings of the
Plenum of the Comm
tern Executive Committee, by the
political report of Conrade Stain
to the Seventeenth Congress of the
Communist Party of the Soviet
Union. This means that our Party
must be made familiar,
not only with the resolutions and
decisions of our own Party conven-
ton, but also of the Thirteenth
plenum of the E.CCI. and the re-
port of Comrade Stain. It would,
therefore, be wrong to believe that /
1ur comparatively new Party mem
oership, studies and digests the |
1asic documents of these three |
This work must be or
yanized, directed and led by our
eading Party functionaries and |
Party press.
Steps to Be Taken
Though our convention was held |
wo months ago, we must continue
Nth greater energy to popularize