The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-14

other Sections, except the Jewish
and will become the second largest
section of the Order.
There is still evident a consider
able weakness in the general life of
the sections and branches. There
is no lack of activity; but there is
lack of system in the activity.
Especially evident is the inability of
the leading committees in the cities
and districts to combine political
with organizationsl work.
During the last few months the
branches and especially the Ian
guage sections were very seriously
orientsted toward the work for So
cial and unemployment insurance.
Intensive activities were carried on.
Conferences in New York, Chicago,
Cleveland, etc. bear witness to the
effectiveness Of this work. But there
was something lacking in it. It was
work parallel to recruiting The
energy spent for this work vas lost
for the work Of recruiting. This
shows that there is no clear unoer-
standing of the relationship between
the activities and functions Of the
Order on one hand, and its recruit
ing work on the other.
The struggle for social insurance
could have become the source of
tremendous enthusiasm of the mem
bers Of the Order for the Order. It
could have been the method of
PROVING to the members that the
Order is not only a worthwhile or
SANITATION to be a member of, but
is also worth being built bigger and
more powerful. The enthusiasm de-
yeloped in the struggle for social
insurance could have been trans
formed into additional energy on
the part of the membership for re-
cruiting members for the I. w. o.
from among their fellow workers in
shops and neighborhoods.
In other words, the building of
the Order is not merely the adding
of new members. 1t is not only
the recruiting of additional work
ers to the Order; it is also the
changing of these workers into class
conscious proletarians. This can
evidently only be done through such
activities as the struggle for social
insurance. If, however. the strug-
gle for social insurance is sepa-
rated in its conception and in its
execution from the effort to build
the Order, then both the Order
and the campaign for social insur-
ance will suffer. The energy spent
for agitation and propaganda will
crystalline only very partially into
organizationsl strength. Much of it
will be dissipated.
National Convention Coming
Within four months the Third
National Convention of the Order
will open in New York. This prob
lem Of combining internal life with
the efforts to build the Order will
be the major problem Of this Con-
vention The experience we have
gathered during the last few months
will be q Guide to this Convention
for It's decisions.
Mean lille the Order has
launched new effort to build itself
1t is appealing to all branches to
secure for themselves representation
at the Convention by bringing their
branches no to the minimum num-
Der of members necessary to entitle
them to a delegate. Branches al
ready entitled to delegates are asked
to increase their delegations by add
ing definitely fixed numbers of new
members to their ranks.
In the past year the Order has
convinced itself of its possibilities of
growth. The members have con-
WINGED themselves of their ability to
build the Order With this self
confidence established, We look
without shadow of a doubt in our
minds. Forward to $4,000 members
at the time of the Convention,