The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-28
9Th Convention Of the Communist Party
BLazeS the Trail to q Soviet america

color in America, the big majority
were native-born.
They came from the farms too,
and from the professions. One day
I glanced along row of chairs in
the convention auditorium young
white farmer from the middle west;
next, mild hammered school
teacher from an eastern city; next,
a well-knoUn woman novelist; next,
white homemaker from the north
west; next, a Negro share cropper
from Dixie; next, Philippine agri-
cultural worker from the Imperial
Valley of California. They stood
before the convention, these varied
types, with one common character
istic, n1ilitancyl
Harold Ashe, former Secretary of
the Socialist Party of California:
For 10 years labored under the
illusion that the Socialist Party was
a revolutionary party" And he told
how $50 others like him discovered
the futility, the reactionary effect
Of the Socialist Partys program, and
joined the Communist Party. Since
last December, this,
400 Share Choppers Locals
I'VE had 5000 members in the
Share Choppers Union Qast july"
a lank Negro comrade explained.
His manner was fortnight and
practical as his words. "At the pres
ent time. in spite of terror raised
against Negro and white share crop
pers, in spite Of the low hanging
lynch clouds that burst frequently,
we can now register a membership
of 5000, with 400 functioning locals"
Again: ut has been difficult in
the past to organize white share
troopers and workers in the cities
of Alabama. But we are overcorn-
ing this difficulty. Now more than
LOO white members are either in
the Party or in organizations led
by Communists" Their specific job
for the next three months: 1000 new
Share Chopper Union members in
Alabama, $50 new Party members.
Here is a slim former feudist from
Kentucky, bringing
Greetings from the Kentucky
miners. The miners of Kentucky
are learning to stop their feuds and,
instead of turning their guns against
each other. to turn them against
their real enemies in the spirit given
us by Comrades Stain and Brow
der To prove it, there is a real
opposition in the United Mine
Workers OF America in two key
mines of Bell County; there is a
Party unit in historic Evarts, Ken
lucky, including Is former Wobbly
members. The Communist Party
! gathers in the bearers of the most
notable traditions of militant Amer
lean labor.
Their humor could turn critical
shaft on Party weaknesses as we'll
as directly upon the class enemy.
Hard to Find Party"
st am an employed railroad
worker from the West Coast and the
greatest difficulty I ever had was
finding the Party" said a blond
fellow from the Pacific Coast. IT
have been looking for the Commu-
mist Party ever since the overthrow
of the Gar in Russia. - SYM
pathetic workers warned him against
speaking Of unity, but he refused
to hide his allegiance and he
recruited into the Party couple
of his shop buddies earlier wrongly
suspected as stool pigeons.
From Southern Illinois came a
woman delegate, telling how women
OF an auxiliary of the Progressive
Miners fake-radicsl union came up
to me and said, We are Communists
too Many Of them thought Mrs
Weick, a Musteite social-fascist, was
a Communist and that is why they
| followed her.
There is precious little time for
anything but the sessions during q
Communist convention, and what
| time was free in Cleveland seemed
| to be taken up by private discus
sions of the same convention sub
jects. Most of the delegates ate
their meals in the building in which
| the convention sat, local comrade.
having arranged to feed them IL
three big rooms there. Those whC
went out to eat stopped in the small
restaurant nearby; one saw then
in whispered animated discussion TO
blocks along Prospect Avenue. O
they might gather, small groups, tt
talk in the home of some CLEVELAND
symps thizer, and still the question
we're the same; what progress hsv
we made, are we making. will "
make? 1t was the only politica
convention I've seen at which yo
couldn't expect delegates to go Of