The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-02-26
Party Lite

Fail To Show
Big Upward Swing
BY r. FRANKLIN
District Literature Agent
IN LINE with the slogan
L given out by the Central
Committee of our Party to
reach millions with cur litera-
ture, the District had inaugu-
rated a special three month
drive and contest among the
Sections of the Party in District 2.
A large and enthusiastic meeting
of literature sctives was held. The
combined meeting accepted this
drive and pledged to work for it's
completion, Five weeks have passed
and we find instead of an addi-
tional distribution of literature, a
real retrogression, with the excep-
ton off Section Three Waterfront
section). The main reasons for this
failure were:
l. No Section Bureau or Section
Committee took up this point at any
of their meetings.
g. No attempt was made to bring
this drive into the units.
3. The acceptance of this drive
by the Sections as just another ges-
ture instead of accepting it as a
District decision and to be carried
out as such.
4. No check-up during these five
weeks at all.
Because of the above, the results
were nil. Therefore, the contest will
be re-started March l. During this
period all Sections are expected to
do the following:
l, To take the drive up in the
Section Bureau or Section Com
mittee.
2, A meeting of all unit litera-
ture agents and agitprops to be
called to discuss plans for the drive.
8. All units are to be notified of
the drive and all units and Party
members are asked to accept def
mite quotas in the distribution of
our mass literature.
4. All efforts are to be made to
activize all mass organizations for
literature distribution on a mass
scale.
BECAUSE of the issuance of
u pamphlet on Hearst, two cents:
Why Communism, five cents; Com
munist Manifesto, five cents; A Let
ter to American Workers by Lenin,
three cents; Stain Wells Interview,
two cents (all large editions, there
will be no room for an excuse that
we haven't any mass agitational
pamphlets with which to go to the
workers.
A campaign of work, to be car
ried on successfully, must entail
planned activity, planned organiza-
ton and constant check-up. With
out this constant check-up, no cam
paign can come to a successful con-
clusion. Especially in the leftward
swing of the masses, where the cap
italists, through their demagogues,
are trying to turn this leftward
swing into safe channels for them
selves, it is doubly imperative for us
to see that our literature distribu-
ton gains in tempo. Distribution
of our literature at the present
time cannot be separated from any
other phase of the activity that the
Party is carrying on.
The work of mass organizations
in literature distribution certainly
must become much better than it is
at the present time. An organiza-
ton like the International Workers
Order, with a membership of over
10000 in New York. and their sale
of English pamphlets only one
fourth of a pamphlet per member
per month, cannot be judged as
good distribution of working class
literature.
THE terms of the contest are as
L follow: The Section distributing
the most literature per member will
receive $3.50 worth of literature; the
second highest section will receive
half the above amount; the litera-
ture agent in charge of the winning
section will receive $50 worth of
books; the Unit distributing the
most literature per member will re-
ceive $50 worth of literature; the
Literature Agent in charge of the
Unit will receive SIS worth of books;
all second places will receive one
half the first prize
The results will be based on the
average dues-paying membership in
the Sections and the Units for the
continuation of the drive. In order
to be eligible for the prizes the Sec
tons and Units must average no
less than Is pieces of literature per
month, per member.
Every member of the Party is ex-
pected to enter the contest
District No,