The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-14

The Eighth National Convention
of the Party stressed the Importance
Of youth work. 1t pointed out that
one OF the weaknesses in this WORK
at the present time is that only
about two per cent of the Y c. L..
membership is in the Party and
that this must be raised. 1t like
wise stated that Y. C. L. comrades
must not be used for other activity
than youth work.
We have had experiences in York
vile in this respect. Here almost
al the leading comrades from the
territory who arc in the League
have joined the Party. In ore case,
the Party Unit 403 wanted to make
the Y. c. L.'er ag!tprop director and
make him a buro member, and later
they wanted him for finance secre-
tary. He of course refused these
tasks, explaining that his only ac-
tivity was as a Y. G. l.. organizer,
which takes up considerable
amount of time. Nov the unit in
sists that the comrade carry out
certain unit assignments, canvas
sing, etc.
In Unit 400, of the Party, the
Y. C. L. comrades were also asked
to take Party assignments, having
similar experiences as above.
Wrong Conception of Party and
League Relations
At the meeting of the subsection
committee of the Party, all this was
brought out by the Y. C. L. repre-
sentative. The Party members of
the subsection committee could see
no reason why it was necessary to
have Y. G. L.'ers join the Party
when they still wanted to do League
work. When this was explained as:
% a closer organizational connec-
ton between the c. P. and Y c. L.;
az a good means of bringing the
campaigns, the line and the activity
Of the Party in general and of a
specific Party unit in particular to
the Y. G. L., and also; 90 to draw
the attention of the Party to the
Y. G. L. campaigns and to the youth
question, then, the Party comrades
laughed at the idea, which they
characterized as a Party fraction
IN the Y. c. L."
II is clear to anyone in touch
with the Y. c. L. that when lead
ing Y. c. Lers join the Party (and
no doubt they are the ones who
should they have no time for Party
assignments outside Of youth work,
except at the expense of the Y. c.
L. These comrades may be, for ex-
ample, unit organizers, and they not
only have the Y. C. L. unit meet
ing, buro meeting, unit organizers
o. subsection committee meeting.
c. P. unit meeting, but the actual
basic work of the Y. C. l.. unit.
In the Party unit, Y. G. L.'crs arc
no5 looked upon as actual Party
members carrying out very import
ant Party activity. The units do
not feel responsibility as a whole
for their work, urging them to do
it better, to give more time to it,
assign more forces, check up on it
and get reports, but rather take
advantage of their being G. P.
Members by trying to burden them
with other work, and draw them
cut OF the Y. C. L. This reflects
the POOR understanding of the youth
question in Party ranks.
Wants To Be Clarified
The Party subsection committee
would like to have Qualification on
this problem. Specifically it should
be explained:
Cd Why Y. c. L.ers should join
the Party-reasons, etc.
% What role they should play
in their Party unit, and what is
expected of them after they join
the Party and are still doing youth
work ". C. L..
80 How the c. P. unit as whole
and not just the Y. c. L.ers can
help in the carrying out of this
work.
ca How much dues does a Y. C.
L.er have to pay in the Party
employed and unemployed)
J. r., Y. c. L. Unit 405,
c. P. Unit 403.