The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-14
PARTY LIFE
Struggles Of Negro Masses
in Philadelphia Re0ieUed
Failure of Party To Act Quickly Resulted in the
GrotOth in Influence of RetOrntists

: question was discussed clearly, the
white chauvinist tendencies in our
white comrades were clearly brought
forward and shown to them, for
refusing to work in the Negro te-
ritory
Afte- thorough discussions in the
units, white comrades were assigned
to work in the neighborhood AZ
the same time the danger of petty
bourgeois nationalism of the Negro
comrades was also brought for,
ward. Actions we're taken against
a Negro comrade, Hamilton, wllot
could not be corrected on the
theories that he developed on the
Negro question, that there was no
Negro bourgeoisie, no Negro mis-
leaders, and other such statements
against the line Of the Eighth Con-
venton Resolution on the Negro
q; .estion.
But our section committee MAIDS
the mistake of not checking up on
the decisions and seeing that o'lr
white comrades carried out tbs
tasks of working in the Negro ter
ritory. When the events of August
First took place we found ourselves
not in position to lead this strug-
gle into the correct channels Of
struggle against the oppression,
and for equal rights Of the Negro
people, but allowed the Negro
workers of our section to play into
the hands of the Negro reformist,
the nationalist, the white ruling
class, to lead them into q struggle
that would cause more hatred and
jim -crowism, to enable the Negro
petty bourgeoisie to obtain the
ghetto.
Eut our Party has Immediately
reacted to this situation A meet
ing of the section was called at
once, with over 80 per cent attend
ance, with representatives of the
district, which took up the question
Of the mass action seriously with
oar party membership. White COM
rades were modified to go out
with the Negro comrades. Thou
sands of leaflets have been given
out calling the Negro workers to
join hands with the class-conscious
white workers who are willing to
fight side by side with the Negro
people.
In spite Of the weak position Of
our Party, white and Negro work
ers who passed out leaflets have
found healthy situation. Workers
were anxious to get our leaflets.
Workers who had no connection
with our Party or our mass organ
ization are coming into our section
headquarters, taking out leaflets to
distribute among the other workers
in the neighborhood. Open air
meetings are being arranged, meet
ings Of workers are being called by
Party members and sympathizers,
from which we expect to lay the
basis to build the L. S. N. r. The
struggle Of the Negro masses IN
North Philadelphia is a healthy
reaction; it shows the willingness
of the Negro people to fight against
all forms Of oppression.
Who Is To Lead?
The question that we are now
confronted with is, who will lead
these struggles? Our Party or the
reformists? The only assurance
that we will lead them Is how we
give leadership to the everyday
struggles against evictions and
hunger, for the rights of the Negro
people, for the freedom of George
johnson, militant Negro active
in the Unemployed Councils, who
defended his home against con-
stable and his thugs, and was
framed up and convicted for this
offense.
Linking this up with the free
dom Of the Scottsboro boys and
Angelo Herndon, we will be able
to entrench ourselves among the
Negro masses, isolate the reform
lists and nationalists, and build
mass Communist Party that will
be able to lead the Negro masses
in their fight for full social, polit-
ical and economic equality.
S. T.