The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-02-13
PARTY LIFE
Chicago DistrAs Increases
Tempo Of Party Recruiting
I73 Neso Members for Co.tmrptst Party Gained
in January; Al Set TO Better Quotas

Section 4-e. Indianapolis, Terre Hauts
and Rock Island were absent We would
also like to hear from these sections what
they intend toado.
The Coal Fields Lead in Challenge.
Already there is a noticeable in
crease in recruiting. In the second
week after the meeting the coal fields
have already recruited So new mem
bers of a quota Of 100 by the time
lof' the convention. Section has
trdade good in the first week, and the
comrades report that the Section
Committee decided to raise the quota
from 80 to so. Sections 2, 7, II and
E1t11e fraction in the Packinghouse
Workers Industrial Union undertook
to recruit so stockyard workers by
the time Of the convention. The
T. U. U. L. leading fraction has
raised its quota from rs to SO. After
months of hammering home the
point Of recruiting Te have sue
tceeded in beginning to move towards
( real mass recruiting.
> We have begun to develop special
] methods of recruiting. After a
meeting with the section organizers,
Some units and even sections called
open meetings inviting close SYM
.pathizers of the mass organizations,
and quite a number were recruited
4 this way. And these are not work
ers who come and go. They knew
about the Party All it was neces-
sary to do was to give them more
encouragement explaining the role
Of the Party in the mass organiza-
lions they belong to, and many
Joined. The same with the trade
Union fractions. After meeting with
them. arrangements were made to
invite groups of workers and explain
to them the role of the Party. We
RECRUITED quite number this way.
From among the painters alone we
recruited Is at one meeting.
| !. Our apparatus however in the
Party still works clumsily and a
number of these workers have as yet
not been attached to units. Dozens
I Of applications have been sent out
] toothe sections and units who have
as vet not been called to unit meet
ings. This must be corrected If we
are to carry this drive successfully.
r In connection with the present
drive it is also timely to raise the
question of f1uctuation If recruiting
is to mean anything. 1t was raised
Every sharply at the District Comit-
ftsesmeeting, and must be repeated
here when we publish the chal-
lenges made at the meeting. When
we speak of recruiting we also mean
hnee1 to lose the same number as we
ireernt It was meant to increase
erdistrict membership by 800. This
must reflect itself in dues payments
throughout the district. This will be
the gauge-whether we increase the
membership or not.
Southern illinois Is showing the
way to the rest of the sections in
our district, the way of mass recruit
ing. No doubt if the entire Party
membership is modified properly we
can even double our minimum quota
il. we recruit in the course OF our
activities. The most encouraging
sign is the manner in which our
active trade union comrades begin
to- see the need of building the
Party. Now the task Is to improve
ott methods of keeping the new
members. through improving the life
of our units, throwing every ounce
Of our energy into mass activities.
JOHN LAWSON
District Q.