The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-30
PARTY LIFE
Cleanse Party of Burocrocy
10 Improve York Of Units
St. Paul Yorker ShOl0S HOU Superior altitude
of Comrades Stunted Daily Worker Sales

Membership of 1OO-Only Sc Daily
Workers Sold
7 would like to offer some criti-
cism and suggestions of the st. Paul
section which I hope may be con-
structive and healthy if generally
applied
When I was transferred to this
section the thing which first struck
me was the bureaucracy which I
saw all around me. After some work
was made Daily Worker agent for
the section. In this capacity I got a
good chance to find out how this
bureaucracy affected the work of
the section I will show it with rela-
ton to the sale of Daily Workers,
but anyone can readily see how it
must affect any other work Of the
section just as adversely.
Its worst effect is on newcomers
to the PaBty. They come in expect
ing militancy and action. They get
a lot of talk-about how, and when
they have been in the Party as
long as some of us have" they'll
know that such and such is impos-
sible-about how this has been tried
and can't be done-and (the other
side of the medal about how this
really impossible this time) is
simple to accomplish. Newcomers
listen to this talk and are discour-
aged and don't actor they try
action, and are discouraged. The
result: either disguised, they leave
the Party, or else, they settle into
the "spitoon philosophy class Of the
self styled "old members"
When I first attended unit meet
ings in this section, the question Of
establishing a Daily Worker route
came up for discussion time and
time again. 1t was always lost in
barrage of talk when one Of these
"old Party members" would monop-
olize the floor and butt in on any
question raised without waiting his
turn.
Finally I volunteered to establish
route which I did. On this route I
found that, contrary to what the
"old member" comrade had said
regarding this section, it was easy to
sell literature around here. I added
the sale of Labor Defenders" "Sov-
let Russia Today" and pamphlets
to my route. Shortly after, accept
ed the position Of section Daily
Worker agent, and with the help
of the section buro, set up an APP
paratus for selling the Daily" This
consisted of committee made up
of three Daily Worker executives
and a Daily Worker agent from
each unit. These men were to push
the sale of Daily Worker by indivi-
dual efforts and suggestions.
Immediately when we started to
work, there appeared to be some
sort Of hindrance going on. The
committee didn't function properly.
Most of the comrades didn't show
up to the meetings. Then I received
instructions from the committee
handling the st. Paul Nygaard
meeting to order 500 Daily Workers
for that meeting. I discovered that
the chairman of that committee was
the "old member" comrade who
monopolized the floor at our unit.
I got in touch with him and finally
convinced the comrades that $50,
at the most, Daily Workers would
be enough. I sent in the order for
$50. At the meeting 48 cents worth
was sold.
In the meantime, I had received
instructions to order so Daily Work
ers daily for distribution among the
packing house workers during the
South st. Paul strike. I was in
formed that a comrade from each
unit would assist me in selling them.
The Daily workers came, but no
comrades appeared to help. When
I went to the Unemployed Council
where we were supposed to meet, no
one was there. I wasn't surprised:
after the flop" talk and the flop"
action, almost any comrade would
have gotten discouraged. Finally I
got non-Party member to help me-
and we sold as many as 100 that
day. The next day again no one
showed up. sold what I could and
notified the Daily Worker by air.
mail to stop the bundle. I gave as
the reason no cooperation.
The bureaucratic comrade with
his long standing in the Party, who
was responsible for the order of the
large bundle, as chairman of that
committee, had never given a
thought to the problem of paying