The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-12-12
Party Life
Communists Tasks
In the Struggle
On the Sales Tax

In the Struggle
On the Sales Tax
THE foremost issue confront
4 ing all workers today is
the struggle for unemploy-
ment insurance and against
the increased attacks upon
the standard of living of the
masses through wage cuts
and rising cost of living. The masses
are now in a fighting mood and it
is the task of all Communists and
clasS-conscious workers to take the
foremost position in this struggle.
Last week the Sales Tax Bill was
passed by the Fusion Tammany
Board of Aldermen and Board of
Estimate. La Guardia had expressed
every intention of signing the Bill
on Wednesday, Dec. 5. The Daily
Worker had urged all workers to
take immediate action in protest
against the sales tax which places
an additional burden upon the al
ready impoverished masses.
A few comrades in Bensonhurst
took the initiative to involve the
masses in our neighborhood in this
struggle and organized a mass pro-
test meeting for Monday night, Dec.
3, in the name of the United Action
Committee Against High Cost of
Living.
Out of this meeting we hoped to
build strong united organization
representing individual housewives,
workers, professionals and small
business men, as well as the numer-
GUS social, fraternal and political
and religious organizations who
share this mutual need-namely, in
surance against the lowering of our
standard of living.
Because of the lack of time, prep
arations for the meeting being in
itiated on Thanksgiving Day-four
days before the mass meeting com
rades and mass organizations could
not be contacted personally nor could
many be involved in the actual prep
arations for this meeting.
The small group of Party and
Y.C.L. comrades on the arrange
ments committee, undaunted by the
lack of time, worked with zest and
fine cooperation. The hall was hired,
a leaf1et drawn up and 5000 copies
ready for distribution Sunday morn
ing, with second leaf1et ready for
distribution on Monday.
The Daily Worker was notified,
carried a front page notice of this
meeting in the Saturday issue, in
which all comrades and sympathizers
were urged to mobilize at our CEN
ter Sunday morning for leaf1et dis
tribution and other work in con-
nection with the meeting.
Sunday morning from Is to 20
comrades showed up-only those
who had been contacted personally.
A great deal remained yet to be
done and the burden fell upon the
shoulders of a few over worked
comrades. Consequently all the
preparations to insure successful
meeting could not be made.
On Monday a second notice of
this mass meeting appeared in the
Daily Worker notices having been
sent to the capitalist press also, but
not printed. That night at the
meeting there were no more than
80 workers. the great majority of
them the most active comrades who
always respond to such a call.
The three Bensonhurst Y. G. l..
units attended in a body, and gave
excellent cooperation. Unfortunately
it raired that night, but if that kept
away the unorganized workers, for
our comrades this was no excuse.
Every comrade had ample time
between Saturday morning and
Monday night not only to make ar
engagements to come himself, but to
bring his family, friends and neigh
bors to join in mighty protest
against the La Guardia Sales Tax.
Every comrade in the Party and
mass organizations should have con-
sidered it his task to involve in this
protest all social, fraternal and re-
ligious organizations in the neigh
borhood with whom he has any con-
tact. The test Of true Communist
/ is how he reacts to a sudden action
of this nature. This and similar
meetings are not the business of
only a few comrades. Every comrade
/ is responsible for their successful
outcome and the best organizational
results.
Instead of waiting to be person
ally contacted by the buro or exec
utive members, every comra d e
should heed the call of our organ,
the Daily Worker. If our anxious
appeal does not reach our own COM
rades through the Daily Worker,
how can we expect the masses to
respond?
R. p Organizer Unit II,
Sec. IL, Dist. 2
!