The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-31
Party Life
We Must Avoid
The Pitfalls
of AdventuriSm
BY SAM STEIN

the object in view.
However, in our desire to avoid
the pitfalls Of adventurism, we
must be careful not to veer into the
swamp of right opportunism which
expresses itself in underestimation
of the willingness Of the masses to
struggle.
Prohting by our experiences from
the past, through Bolshevik self
criticism and analysis of the imme-
diate situation confronting us, we
must learn to distinguish between
bold, militant action of high or
der under certain favorable circum-
stances and adventuristic action of
a foolhardy nature under unfavor-
able circumstances.
The following review of two &C
tons in Cleveland against jim
Crowism and a demonstration in
Toledo against the Imprisonment
of an anti-fascist worker will, I be-
lieve, clearly illustrate these points:
In Cleveland some time ago a Ne
gro worker was refused service in a
restaurant. Thereupon the Y. c, L..
took up the matter. One day during
the busiest hour in the restaurant,
a group of Y. G. L'ers came into
the place and ordered some food.
Working according to the plan OF
action which was drawn up, a Ne
gro comrade entered. He was re-
f,1eeJ eetSx-foe THE r-ro,,yN caafad at
the table, at this signal, arose,
shouting and demanding that the
Negro worker be waited on. What
ever handy objects the comrades
could lay their hands on they seized
and threw at the walls and mirrors.
Chapin's restaurant, on guard be-
cause Of some previous protests
against its jim-crow policies, had
employed a number of thugs to sti-
f1e exactly such actions. These
hoodlums leaped upon the comrades
who were greatly outnumbered and
beat them. Arrests followed. What
were the results of this action? u
jim croWism was not smashed. D A
number of the comrades were tenn
porarily demoralized by this set
back. 81 The people in the ll5Cau-
rant eating, were antegonized
rather than drawn closer to us by
the manner in which the action
was carried out.
Here we see a clear case OF adj
yenturism substitution of an indi-
vidualist form of action for mass
administration of the struggle
from the masses-an attempt to
carry through an action under I'M
favorable circumstances considering
the balance of forces.
| go GALLAGHER, l. L. D. attor-
Il ney, in Cleveland with Mother
Wright on National tour, was beat
en- up by the manager of Mills Res
taurant when he insisted that she
be served. The I. L. D. correctly
responded to this act by issuing
10000 leaflets calling for the work
erS to demonstrate before the Mills
restaurant. An explanation of what
Is behind the policy of im-crowism
was given in the leaf1et. On three
days mobilization over 300 workers
answered the I. L. D. appeal and
demonstrated before the very door
of the restaurant. Over 5000 peo-
pie witnessed the demonstration
and had the issues brought before
them. Backed by the mass protest
Of the thousands on the outside, a
committee entered and after half
hour compelled the management to
Immediately give service to the Ne
gro people. More than twenty were
served within the next hour.
At Free Thaelmann demonstra-
ton in Toledo a worker was ar
rested by Sheriff deputies and
lodged in the County Jail. He was
charged with tying free Thael-
mann sign on statue in Court
House Square. just before the ar
rest took place, one of the speakers
had completed a talk on the mass
defense policy of the 1. L. D. The
committee in charge decided to call
upon the workers to march to the
County Jail to demand the release
of the arrested worker. OF the 600
workers present almost all without
exception paraded to the Jail,
shouting slogans, Free Brother Bu-
chanan" (the name of the arrested
worker, Free Ernst Thaelmann, .
Free all anti-fascist prisoners.
The Jail gate was swung open and
the workers marched right into the
jail yard, flush up against the Jail
and demonstrated directly under
meath the cell windows. A commit
tee entered the Jail and presented
its demand that the worker be re-
leased. Within 20 minutes he was
set free.
IN the surface the call of the lead
" ers to march to the Jail appears
to be an act of adventurism consid-
ering the demonstrators were not
prepared for such a turn of events
and therefore had no organized de-
Tense committee. D The workers
the rest of Lucas County, Mayor
Klotz, former Socialist, now Repub-
lican, at the same time also was
the recipient Of much of the work.
ers' indignation in Toledo because
marched right up the very heart OF
the capitalist terror system, a YER
liable arsenal In comparatively small
numbers. The leaders of the dem
onstration took all this into con-
sideration and more too. Sheriff
Krieger, whose deputies murder
ously assaulted the workers picket
ing the Auto-lite plant in Toledo's
historic struggle at this time was
the focusing point of the indigna-
ton Of the workers in Toledo and
of the police action at the Auto-lite
plant. A recall movement against
Klotz was under way at this time
backed by the Toledo papers, based
on charges of inefficiency ctr The