The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-06-20
We, Not Fascism,W Will
Win the Students--If
We're Really Active
Guide NSL in Struggle
of Students, Aid
to Workers
By WALTER RELLIs

verSities. Our League, we must al
nit, has not fully recognized the
importance Of organization among
this great mass Of youth.
In their excitement to win the
majority of youth to a revolution
ary program, many OF our student
comrades have forgotten the young
people with whom they come in
contact daily-their classmates.
They have forgotten that it is nee
esssry to lead the student youth
IN struggles for their immediate
demands and for this reason they
have not deemed 1t necessary TO
build broad militant student
movement in the high schools ana
colleges.
we have instances milwaukee,
where our comrades in high school,
although they recognized the i'm
portance of leading student cam
paigns. did not see that it was nee
esssrv to organize the National Stu
dent League. In other words, they
did not understand the necessity
for building mass youth organize
tions as well as the Y.CL.
Comrades Don't Know N.S.L.
Program
In fact. many of our comrades,
even those in school, are not at all
acquainted with the N.S.L. or It's
program. That Is why the condi-
ton is repeated in school after
school (where we have nuclei OF
the Y.C.L) that no chapter OF the
N.sL. has been organized. This ap-
plies almost without exception to
every district of the Y.CL.,
They have forgotten that the stu
dents can easily fall into the hands
of the fsscists if we do not carry on
activity in the schools. They have
FORGOTTEN that the students can be
modified for imper1alist war as well
as against it, If we are not effective
sgitators.
Experience has shown that the
students are ready for struggle (the
nationwide student antt-war strike
on April 10: the recent strike OF
the miners children at Kincaid IL
lfnois High School against the use
of scab coal. etc.). They require
only experienced and consistent
leadership. In scores Of places
(Chicago, Detroit. Cleveland, Min
neapolis, Pittsburgh, San Fran
cisco etc. we are in position to
supply such leadership, if we will
only take the trouble Of explain
ing to our comrades the necessity
and method of organization among
the students.
Student Fractions Not Sufficient
Our leading committees must be-
come thoroughly acquainted with
the program Of the N.SL., in order
that they may organize NS.L. chap
tiers and strengthen our fractions
where the NS.L. already exists, so
that our comrades can give ade-
ouate leadership to the student
movement. We must not be content
with merely organizing a fraction
within the NSL. We must give
our fractions constant supervision
In order that the political and or
ganizational ability Of our comrades
can be improved Too often our
leading comrades consider it suffi-
Gent to call fraction meeting Of
our students three or four times
q year. Between these meetings the
problem of building the NSL. is
forgotten, and sometimes between
these sessions the NSL. breathes
It's last.
That is what happened in Cleve-
land. NSL chapters were organ
lied in several schools No ade-
quate perspective was set for the
group; sufficient provisions were not
made for the training of new lead
ers. When q number of our leading
people left school. the NSL. left
with them. The leading comrades
in Cleveland must be held respon-
siole, as must the leading comrades
in several other places where SINH
lar occurrences took place. In
Cleveland. in Pittsburgh, the N.SL.
died out under the very noses of
members of the National Commit
tee of the vel.
Only Y.C.L. Can Guarantee Strong
N. S. L.
We must remember that only the
local YC.L. can insure the perpet-
uation of the N.SL. The chapters
cannot be built on a firm base (this
applies. of course, to every mass or
ganization) by organizational let
tiers or an occasional organizer from
the national Office of the NSL.
Students are willing to struggle
directly along the workers front
as well as against war and fascism
and. for their own immediate in
terests. They are motivsted to this
by several reasons. Some few have
become class conscious and fully
understand the importance of every
struggle which the working class
Ssges. Others have a social atti-
SADIE They wish to see how a strike
NJ conducted. and in the process of
seeing they become involved in the
struggle. They picket with and talk
to the workers and as a result of
these experiences they become sym
pathizers TO and supporters of the
workers struggles. Almost invari-
ably these people learn a great
many class lessons and eventually
many Of them find their way into
the revolutionary movement.
Children of Strikers in Schools
Must BE Won
Most important, however, is the
attitude Of the student sons and |
daughters Of striking workers. These
youth have stake in the strike
and. therefore. will give their whole
hearted assistance. (The example
VI Kincaid, Ill, is an excellent one) |