In 1924, the Workers (Communist) Party had an average membership of 17,377. Of those, 15,471 (89%) belonged to the party through one if its Language Federations. 7,100 members, or 40% of the party, spoke Finnish. The Federations in 1924 were the Armenian, Bulgarian, Czecho-Slovak, Esthonian, Finnish, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Jewish, Lettish, Lithuanian, Polish, Roumanian, Russian, Scandinavian, South Slavic, and Ukrainian. Each had its own leadership, publications, history, property, and political tradition. Incorporating them all into a unified organization had been a source of heated controversy since its founding. After the ‘Bolshevization’ of the Party most of the independent functions of the Federations were folded into the International Workers Order, with many becoming less important as factionalism destroyed some, and European immigration largely stopped. Here are the reports received of activities by the Language Federations for the year 1924. The survey asked: average past membership, publications, campaigns, non-party organizations active in, cooperatives, party-owned property, current membership and branches, and additional information. A goldmine of facts, the surveys were printed in the official report of the Fourth National Conference of the Communist Party held in August, 1925.

‘Communist Party Language Sections, 1924,’ from The Fourth National Convention of the Workers (Communist) Party of America. Daily Worker Publishing Company, Chicago. 1925.

Armenian Section.

Average membership as shown by dues payments: 1922:-, 1923: 140, 1924: 61.

Publication: The Proletarian, Weekly, 1,200. Leaflets issued: “Crush the Plotters,” Against Dashnaks (SR) 1,000. Pamphlets issued: none. Special campaigns conducted: none.

Active in the following non-Party organizations: Armenian Technical Aid Society. Armenian Red Cross. Various reconstruction societies. In all these organizations the aim of our members has been and is to gain control by carrying on Communist propaganda and to get these organizations to use their funds for the reconstruction of Soviet Armenia instead of keeping them in banks with the illusion of reconstructing their native villages in Turkish Armenia.

Cooperatives: none.

Property owned and controlled: none.

Further information: Both in 1923 and 1924 the Armenian Section has had over 200 members. Dues have been collected almost equal to that number but having no other source of income the Bureau has been compelled to spend part of the dues for the publication of the paper; In 1923 more money has been sent to the C.E.C. because the Bureau has had funds remaining from the Armenian Workers Party, which have helped to a degree the publication of our organ.

(Signed) N. S. Keosseian, Sec’y

Bulgarian Section.

Average membership as shown by dues payments: 1922:-, 1923: 70, 1924: 224

Publication: Saznanic, issued 3 times monthly, circulation 1,900. Leaflets published: For educational class, 2,000; Open letter to delegates of S.L.P., 1,000; Resolution of our meeting — Protest against White Terror in Bulgaria, 1,000. Pamphlets: Red Peoples’ Calendar, 2,000; Program of W.P.A, 2,000.

Special Campaigns: For the fund of Saznanic, $5,201.05; Election Campaign; Campaign against White Terror in Bulgaria and we helped Bulgarian comrades with $1,084.25.

Active in non-Party organizations: Macedonian Political organizations. Some of our members carry on propaganda with the banner of Balkan Federation.

Cooperatives: None.

Property: None.

Estimate of membership on rolls: 224 in 9 branches. New branches organized in 1924: 6. New members accepted: 154.

(Signed) Theo. Tsecoff, Sec’y

Czecho-Slovak Section.

Average membership as shown by dues payments: 1922: 226, 1923: 431, 1924: 353.

Papers and Periodicals: Delnik (Worker), Chicago, Ill., Weekly 1,150. Published since November 29, 1924; Obrana (Defense), Nev York City, Weekly, 1,500. Leaflets: About the split in our Federation, 4 page large size, 5,000 copies. Pamphlets: None. Most of the pamphlets we have on hand were published in Czecho-Slovakia. Two pamphlets published in 1925 are: The short outline of Marxism and Communism. Bedacht’s new pamphlet: The White Terrorists, etc.

Campaigns: To collect funds for Comrade Vajtauer when arrested; for the new weekly paper “Delnik” (Worker), now published in Chicago; for the starving German children (in Chicago).

Active in non-Party organizations: Trade unions, sick and benefit societies, workingmen’s Gymnastic Associations. Besides the regular Party campaigns the above mentioned campaigns were carried on in these organizations.

Cooperatives: None of the cooperatives are controlled by our members, altho many participating. Workingmen Coop. Association (Chicago) and Rush Run Coop. Association (Dillonvale, O.).

Property owned: Workers Printing Shop (Obrana) in New York City. About 40 per cent of this printing shop is owned by the Czecho-Slovak local unions in New York, but full control is in the hands of our section. A building (hall) is under the control of our branches (2) in Baltimore, Md. The building, about 2 years old, is owned by our branches together with the progressive or liberal organizations.

Estimated membership on rolls: 360. New branches organized in 1924: 4. Branches dissolved: 5. New members accepted: 36.

Additional information: It is impossible for me to give accurate number of newly accepted members owing to the fact that some of the branches did not report correctly, as for instance the newly organized branch in So. Bethlehem did not report its membership. Lately I sent out questionnaires asking branches about the number of members in good standing, etc. Most of the activities were hindered on account of internal fights which existed in our section until lately.

Finnish Section.

Average membership as shown by dues payments: 1922: 5847, 1923: 6583, 1924: 7099.

Publications: Tyomies, Daily, 12,000; Eteenpain, Daily, 8,000; Toveri, Daily, 4,000; Toveritar, Women’s Weekly, 10,000; Punikki, Hatirical Semi-monthly, 10,000; Vappu, First of May periodical, 15,000; Tyomiehen Joulu, Christmas, 16,000. Leaflets: None because our press makes it unnecessary to publish leaflets except in special instances. Pamphlets: Finnish Workers in America, 10,000; Washington Teapot Dome, 5,000; Imperialism by Bystranski, 5,000; Science and the Working class, 5,000; Propaganda pocket handbook, 16,500; Wages and Capital (Marx), 5,000; World Trade Union Movement (Lozovsky), 5,000.

Special campaigns: None outside of campaigns carried on by our Party, but in these the Federation has been active during the year.

Active in non-Party organizations: Cooperative movement. In that organization which has about 15,000 members we exercise great influence and have an ideological control and have carried on a regular campaign to make it a supporter of the Communist movement.

Cooperatives: The above replies to this. Our members control several local consumers cooperatives throughout the country.

Property owned and controlled: Tyomies Society; Eteenpai Coop. Society; Pacific Development Society. (Our three publishing concerns). The Federation controls the majority of membership or stock. A number of branches own their own halls or club buildings.

Estimate of membership on rolls: 7903. New branches organized in 1924: 13. Dissolved: 17. New members: 1,500.

Additional information: The Federation has carried on an extensive educational work through lecture circuits in which on the aver age 5 comrades have been engaged. The subjects the lectures have contained are: Class struggles in past history; The role of the state in the class struggle; Circulation of capital and profits; The role capitalism; The historic role of revolutionary working class parties; Communist parties in political struggles; Tactics of Communist Par- ties; Work in trade unions and shop nuclei; Organization form of the Comintern and affiliated parties; Practical work of Communists in Party branches.

(Signed) Fahle Burman, Sec’y

Greek Section.

Average membership as shown by dues payments: 1922: 88, 1923: 141, 1924: 203.

Publications: Empros, Weekly, 3,500; 2 special strike editions during the Amalgamated Food Workers Strike, March 22-29, 1924 at New York, N.Y.

Leaflets: What Communists want, 15,000; Fight against registration of foreign born workers, 6,000; Manifesto of C. P. of Greece to the Greek workers in America, 15,000.

Pamphlets: Critique Gotha Program, 5,000; Family under Communism (Kollontai), 5,000; Two enemy classes, 5,000; Outline of Communism, 5,000; Lenin, the Strategist, 5,000; Bread and liberty (Lozovsky), 5,000.

Special campaigns: Against registration of foreign born.

Active in non-Party organizations: Amalgamated Food Workers’ Union in New York, Chicago, Pittsburgh; Greek section in Waiters and Cooks A. F. of L., Detroit; Greek Language Local Waiters and Cooks A.F. of L., San Francisco; Taxicab Drivers Union A.F. of L. Los Angeles, organized by Greek Branch.

Property: One Linotype machine, books (property of the Greek Workers Press, Inc. (Corp. in New York); books worth about $4,000.

Estimate of membership on rolls: 300. New branches: 6. Dissolved: 1. New members accepted: 90.

(Signed) A. Boubous, Sec’y

Hungarian Section.

Average membership as shown by dues payments: 1922: 311, 1923: 373, 1924: 469.

Publications: Uj Elore, Daily, 9,000. Leaflets: Foreign born workers campaign, 4 pages, 40,000; Election program, 4 pages, 20,000. Pamphlets: Why every worker should be a Communist (Ruthenberg), 3,000; Bankruptcy of American labor movement (Foster), 1,000,

Special campaigns: Foreign born; several campaigns against Horthy agents and bourgeois liberals who came from Hungary; two sub campaigns for Uj Elore— result 500 new readers; two campaigns for financial aid for Uj Elore; a campaign in behalf of So. Bethlehem cigar makers strike and union organization; amalgamation (unity) campaign among sick benefit societies.

Active in non-Party organizations: Mostly in sick and benefit societies, singing societies, dramatic societies, house associations; every Party campaign, foreign born campaign and amalgamation campaign.

Cooperatives: None.

Property owned and controlled: Uj Elore, Daily; Incorporation; shares with the C E.C; printing plant, 33 E. First st.; legal owner Hungarian Workers Home which is fully controlled by the section; several workers homes in the country controlled by the branches.

Estimated membership on rolls: 800-850. New branches in 1924: 14. Branches dissolved: 9. New members accepted: 300-350.

Additional information: Organized a Party school in New York which is functioning with 20-25 members; had several times organizers touring the country for 3-7 weeks period; one comrade is the National organizer of the Sick and Benefit Society; was during the whole year on organizing tour.

(Signed) D. Hajnal, Sec’y.

Italian Section.

Average membership as shown by dues payments: 1922: 135, 1923: 412, 1924: 581.

Publications: Il Lavoratore, Weekly, 13,000. Leaflets: None. Pamphlets: None.

Special campaigns: Anti-Fascist campaign.

Active in non-Party organizations: Labor unions; T.U.E.L. work and anti-fascist campaign.

Cooperatives: Cooperativa Operaia, W. Hoboken, N. J.; Co-Uperativa Moderna, W. Hoboken, N. J., and other Consumers cooperatives.

Property owned or controlled: Office supplies and furniture.

Estimated membership on rolls: 10,000, Branches organized in 1924: ? Branches dissolved: ? New members: ?

Additional information: It is difficult to give exact data because of the recent crisis in the federation and because we haven’t the books for 1924 in our hands.

(Signed) Piccino Angiono, Sec’y

Jewish Section.

Average membership as show by dues payments: 1922: 973, 1923: 1055, 1924: 1368.

Publications: Freiheit, Daily, 22,000. Leaflets: An open letter to Jos. Schlossberg by N. Buchwald, 15,000; Not a vote for LaFollette, 15,000. Pamphlets: Resolutions and theses of the 5th congress, 3,000; Bankruptcy of American Trade Unions by Wm. Z. Foster, 5,000: Parties and issues by Bittelman, 3,000.

Special campaigns: Anti-Butchkevich campaign; Presidential elections; Anti-Abramovitch; Relief in Soviet Russia; To aid colonization in Soviet Russia; St, Paul convention.

Active in non-Party organizations: Workmen’s Circle, Unions and Cultural Clubs of workers. Carried out above mentioned campaigns there.

Cooperatives: In New York our members participate in the United Workers Cooperative Association with its camp “Nitgedaiget,” the chief aim of which is to develop communal life of workers.

Property owned and controlled: Building, 30 Union Square, New York City.

Estimated membership on rolls: 2,500-2,600. New branches organized in 1924: 6. Dissolved: 1. New members accepted: 600.

(Signed) Morris Holtman, Sec’y

Lettish Section.

Average membership as shown by dues payments: 1922: 397, 1923: 417, 1924: 443.

Publications: None. Leaflets: None, Pamphlets: None, We maintain close contact with the publishing houses of the Lettish section in Europe and receive large quantities of literature and pamphlets from abroad.

Special campaigns: DAILY WORKER; Labor defense; Relief for political prisoners in Latvia by which $620.91 was raised.

Active in non-Party organizations: Our members are active in the few existing Lettish Benefit and Educational organizations, getting mainly financial support for various campaigns of our Party.

Cooperatives: None.

Property owned or controlled: None.

Estimate of membership on rolls: 475. Branches dissolved: None. New branches organized: None. New members: 25-30.

Other information: The Lettish Bureau is publishing its official organ -“The News Bulletin” in the form of a mimeographed Bulletin similar to the Party Press Service Bulletin. This Bulletin appears as often as necessary. It contains all Party news, decisions, articles encouraging various Party campaigns and Branch news. All the most important Party circulars are translated and published in this mimeographed Bulletin by the Bureau.

(Signed) Robert Zelms, Sec’y.

Lithuanian Section.

Average membership as shown by dues payments: 1922: 671, 1924: 901.

Publications: Laisve, Daily, 8,000; Vilnis, Semi-weekly, 6,000; Women Workers’ Voice, Monthly, 3,000. Leaflets: About killing war, 20,000; Curse in Lithuania, ?. Pamphlets: Workers almanac. 6,000 copies.

Special campaigns: Vilnis campaign for new subscribers ; Laisve campaign for new subscribers; Campaign for raising funds to help the Communist movement in Lithuania.

Active in non-Party organizations: Trade Unions and Sick and Death Benefit Societies.

Cooperatives: Many of the members are active in the local Lithuanian cooperatives for maintaining halls.

Property owned or controlled: Two papers and two halls. The form of controlling these are thru cooperatives.

Estimated membership on rolls: 1,000-1,100. New branches in 1924: 11. Branches dissolved: 5. New members: 70.

(Signed) J. Gasiunas, Secy,

Polish Section.

Average membership as shown by dues payments: 1922: 110, 1923: 210, 1924: 165.

Publications: Trybuna Robotnicza, Weekly, 1,500. Leaflets: 10th anniversary of war, 15,000; Presidential election platform, 35,000; The armed insurrection in Cracow, 15,000. Pamphlets: The life of Nicolai Lenin, 2,000.

Campaigns: To aid political prisoners in Poland.

Active in non-Party organizations: Trades Unions and some benefit societies.

Cooperatives: In Neffs, O., Miners’ Cooperative Store, in Detroit Workmen’s Restaurant Cooperative, International Workers Home Assn.

Property: None; have debts.

Estimated membership: 200. New branches organized in 1924: None Dissolved: 12. New members: 50.

Additional information: Section lost control over Glos Robotniczy in Detroit that cost us not only the organ but organization lost many members. In March, 1924, we started to publish a new paper, Trybuna Robotnicza.

(Signed) B. K. Gebert, Sec’y.

Roumanian Section.

Average membership as shown by dues payments: 1922: -, 1923: 81, 1924: 65.

Publications: Desteptarea, Weekly, 1200, Leaflets: Party platform, 5,000; Foreign born, 5,000; Unity of Roumanian workers, 5,000.

Property Owned, Small printing plant owned by the federation as a whole.

Membership on rolls: 80-100. Branches organized: ? Branches dissolved: 1. New members: No records.

(Signed) G. Neder, Sec’y.

Scandinavian Section.

Average membership as shown by dues payments: 1922: 134, 1923: 259, 1924: 248.

Publications: Ny Tid, Weekly, 2,500. Leaflets: None. Pamphlets: None.

Special campaigns: Against the new immigration laws; Against white terror in Finland.

Active in non-Party organizations: Just beginning to work among the Swedish Good Templar Lodges.

Cooperatives: None.

Property: Union Press Incorporated ; ownership vested in hands of C.E.C.

Membership on rolls: 500. New branches in 1924: 2. New members: 50.

(Signed) N. Juel Christensen, Sec’y.

South Slavic Section.

Average membership as shown by dues payments: 1922: 1077, 1923: 1158, 1924: 1290.

Publications: Radnik, three times a week, 8,000, Delavska Slovenja, weekly, 4,000. Leaflets: Agitation leaflet for Slovenians, 25,000; Leaflets for convention S. P. (Slovenian), 15,000; Convention of S.L.P., 2,000. Pamphlets: Foundation of imperialist policy, 4,000; Underground radicalism, 3,000; Program and constitution W. P. A., 3,000; Almanac for 1925, 12,000.

Special campaigns: For Radnik and agitational fund.

Active in non-Party organizations: Croatian National Society, Croatian Society of Illinois and Slovenian Nat. Benefit Soc. Every Party campaign was carried in these organizations tor DAILY WORKER, Labor Defense, F.L. Party, etc.

Cooperatives: Control none, but the branch of Detroit, Mich., owns and controls the South Slavic Workers Home.

Property owned or controlled: Radnik, Delavska Slovemja and books amounting to $20,000 to $30,000.

Estimated membership on rolls: 1,300-1,400. New branches in 1924: 26. Branches dissolved: 24. Estimated new members: 448.

(Signed) T. Cuckovich, Secy.

Ukrainian Section.

Average membership as shown by dues payments: 1922: 87, 1923: 623, 1924: 781.

Publications: Ukrainian Daily News, Daily, 6,000. Leaflets: General propaganda, 50,000; May day, 20,000, Miners, 10,000. Pamphlets: ?

Special campaigns: Daily Worker, Membership, F.L.P United Front campaign and the organization of United Ukrainian Working class organizations, Election campaign, Join the Union campaign.

Active in non-Party organizations: Ukrainian National Alliance (Benefit organization); Ukrainian Working Class Alliance (Benefit Organization); numerous local non-Party organizations; Trade Unions There was a special campaign in No. 1 for special convention in order to get control of the organization. We didn’t get it. Cooperatives: Cooperative Restaurant, Detroit. Property: Printing plant (corporation); Ukrainian Labor Home (corporation).

Estimated membership on rolls: 1100 New branches: 8. Branches dissolved: 2. New members estimated: 200.

Additional information: Section has a bookstore m New York City. Books in stock value over $60,000.

(Signed) M. Durdella, Sec’y

The Fourth National Convention of the Workers (Communist) Party of America. Daily Worker Publishing Company, Chicago. 1925.

Contents: Majority Report on Credentials, Minority Report on Credentials, Rules or Order of the Convention, Report of the Central Executive Committee, (a) The Farmer-Labor Party Campaign, (b) The Election Campaign, (c) The Labor Party Campaign, (d) United Front and Other Special Campaigns, (e) Trade Union, I.W.W. Ind. Unions etc., (f) Agrarian Educational Women’s Negroes’ and AntiImperialist Work, (g) Our Party Press, (h) Membership of Our Party, (i) The Party Publications, Different Languages, (j) Language Sections, (k) Financial Statement of the National Office, Majority Resolution on the Report of C.E.C., Minority Resolution on the Report of the C.E.C., Majority Resolution on C.I. Decision on American Question, Minority Resolution on C.I. Decision on American’ Question, The Present Situation and the Immediate Tasks of the Party, Instructions for Labor Party Campaign, Resolution on Rolshevization of the Party, Resolution on the Liquidation of Loreism, Motion on the Expulsion of Lore from the Party, The Industrial Work of the Workers (Communist) Party, (a) Main Tasks of the Party in the Trade Unions, (b) Necessary Organizational Measures, (c) Shop Committees, (d) Amalgamation and International, (e) Party Policies for Trade Union Work, The International Labor Defense Endorsed, Communist Agrarian Program and Policies, The American Negro and the Proletarian Revolution, (a) The Negro in American History, (b) Negro Race Movements, Communist Work Among Women in the United States!, The American Communist Struggle Against Imperialism, Our Pledge to the Soviet Union, Resolution on the Young Workers League, Resolutions of the Appeals Committee, Building of the Communist Press, Report of the Daily Worker Financial etc., Election of the Incoming Central Executive Committee. 86 pages.

PDF of full issue: https://archive.org/download/TheFourthNationalConventionOfTheWorkerscommunistPartyOfAmerica/Fourthcongress_text.pdf