The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-02-02
Party Life
Trouble in Terre Haute
A Mock Debate
The Editor Comments

The Editor Comments
IN THE past two years, Sec
4 ton Terre Haute, in Dis
trict No. 8, has suffered a
severe setback.
The trouble has been that
we were not able to develop
a Marxist-Leninist approach
to the difficulties which naturally
develop in q spontaneous move
ment. Our Party has become ex-
tremely sectarian; completely iso-
lated from the basic sections of
the workers. Our political outlook
is no broader than the narrow state
of Indiana.
Up until now we could not speak
of planned activity. All our plans
remained on paper, and all we
could see was defeat. To criticize,
no matter how tactfully, was the
gong for a personal battle.
Needless to say, with such a low
political level, and the lack of a
persistent, organ lied, educational
agit-prop apparatus we could not
convince the members of the i'm
portance of the Daily Worker and
its distribution among the masses,
along with other mass Party liter
allure. The capitalist poison is hav-
ing the effect of developing and
creating extreme opportunist ideas
in the minds of our members. But
the great difficulty was to find out
to just what extent such ideas ex-
listed.
Hold Mock Debate
A Section member took this uues-
ton up with the Bureau of one
unit and arranged that a leading
comrade would lead the discussion
on Unemployment and Social In
surance and that, another leading
member should tactfully oppose it.
OF course, the members did not
know that it was a mock discussion.
The results we're wonderful. One
member, whom we least suspected,
fought to the last against the bill,
on the grounds that it would stifle
the militancy of the workers; that
1t was impossible to win unem-
ployment insurance; that his ex-
perience among hundreds of F.E.
RIA. workers proved that the work.
ers didn't want unemployment in
surance; that the workers were ex-
tremely ignorant and would not
fight until they starve more.
Every member wanted the floor
at the same time and those who
opposed the bill got what was com
ing to them. The discussion not
only showed that there was oppo-
sition to the bill, but it showed that
none, except leading members, rea-
lized the political significance of a
united front struggle of the entire
toiling population: led by the
Communist Party.
In conclusion, we wish to state
for the first time our members were
given task of going before the
masses at the first opportunity and
prove themselves by trying to con-
vince the masses of the importance
of H. r. 1927. At the same time
they we're offered assistance in I'M
derstanding all the decisions of the
Party and their application.
B. L.,
Agit-prop, Section 8, Terra Haute.
Editors Comment
The results of your method of
discussion may be wonderful"
but your method of provoking
such discussion is, to say the least,
somewhat peculiar,
1t is certainly not Communist
manner Of stimulating discussion
to create sham opposition. There
is sufficient opposition outside
our ranks, and the issue is a suf-
ficientiy burning problem of the
/ workers, for a correct method to
bring about very interesting re-
/ suits.
1t revolves about the manner in
which the discussion Is led. If the
leader relates the issue to the
workers daily lives, and if he
himself takes in, as part of his
talk, the various oppositional
points of view, showing the nicer
rectness Of each, then there would
be lively discussion which would
create enthusiasm in carrying out
the Party's line.
| Finally, vigorous campaign of
action for II. r. 1927 would have
brought out any hidden opposi-
ton in the unit, if there had
been good check-up on the
members.