A report on the second meeting of the National Executive of the Communist Labor Party containing a report on publications and membership of the new organization. The leadership included Alfred Wagenknecht (National Secretary, Cleveland), Max Bedacht (San Francisco), Alexander Bilan (Cleveland), Jack Carney (Duluth), L.E. Katterfeld (Cleveland), Edward Lindgren (Brooklyn). The C.L.P. was closely associated with John Reed, who acted as its International Representative, and was one of three parties claiming adherence to the new Third International to emerge from the Socialist Party’s September, 1919 fracturing. Ludwig Lore was also present as editor of Class Struggle and the New Yorker Volkszeitung and formally elected Party editor with Edward Lindgren and A. Raphailoff as associates.

‘National Executive Committee of Communist Labor Party Meets’ from Communist Labor Party News. No. 3. November, 1919.

The three days’ sessions of the National Executive Committee of the Communist Labor Party, held in New York City, October 25, 26, and 27, mark the beginning of educational and propaganda activity by the party which will [not] let up until workers control is established. The entire committee attended this second meeting of the national body. The members of the committee are: Max Bedacht, San Francisco; Alexander Bilan, Cleveland; L.E. Katterfeld, Cleveland; Jack Carney, Duluth; and Edward Lindgren, Brooklyn.

The report of Executive Secretary Wagenknecht and a general discussion of the party’s progress took up much of the time of the first session. The Executive Secretary reported that state charters had been issued to California, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, New York; that Minnesota would hold its state convention Nov. 2 (has since been chartered) and that the affiliation of organizations in Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Nebraska, new Jersey, Utah, West Virginia, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New Mexico had been secured, that some of these states, notably New Jersey and Pennsylvania would soon have state organizations and that the other states would be grouped into districts under district secretaries. Affiliation by branches of the German Federation, the report stated, was most encouraging; several Italian branches had also joined, as had several South Slavic branches. The Scandinavian Federation was not taking a vote as to its future affiliation and the Russian branches had already perfected a federation and applied for a charter.

Many Dues Stamp Orders.

The orders for dues stamps, received by the national office, the report went on to say, was highly satisfactory. A total of 14,976 dues stamps had been ordered, 657 dual stamps, and 6,788 charter stamps, these latter also being used as the official initiation stamps for the first year. When it is considered that the first affiliations were made only a month ago, the growth of the party as registered by dues stamp orders is phenomenal. Stamp orders will, according to the present outlook, be doubled and trebled in the next two months.

The first issue of the Communist Labor Party News, the party’s organization paper, consisted of 10,000 copies. Orders for the second issue necessitated a run of 20,000 copies. The secretary also reported that the papers which now support the Communist Labor Party are: The Ohio Socialist, Cleveland; The Workers’ World, Kansas City; The Truth, Duluth; The World, Oakland; The Melting Pot, St. Louis; The Volkszeitung, New York; The Class Struggle, New York; Hard Times, Syracuse; Arkansas Socialist, Little Rock; Pravda, New York; Portland Labor News, Portland; The Party Builder, Everett, Wash.; The Socialist News, Kelso, Wash.

At the second session of the committee the unity question was the first and special order of business. A discussion ensued, during which the earnest demand for communist unity was debated from every viewpoint. A motion was then passed that a committee of two be elected to write an answer to the refusal of the national official of the Communist Party to meet in conference to discuss a probable basis for unity. The retort of this committee is printed elsewhere in this issue.

The issuing of an official paper, a fighting organ for the party, was next debated. The need for such a periodical was apparent to all committeemen, in fact, the demand by the membership for an official national paper was imperative. After going into detail as to the successful financing of such a paper, a motion was passed to publish a bi-weekly under the direct control of the National Executive Committee of the party. At a subsequent session Max Bedacht was elected editor and the new periodical was named Communist Labor.

Ludwig Lore appeared before this session of the committee to officially offer the Communist Labor Party the entire holdings of the Socialist Publication Society, consisting of books, pamphlets, and a magazine, The Class Struggle. A motion to absorb this publishing society and that hereafter the books, pamphlets, and the Class Struggle be published by the party was carried. Ludwig Lore was elected editor of the Class Struggle and Jack Carney and A. Raphailoff were elected associate editors.

At this same session a motion was carried to remove national headquarters from Cleveland to New York; that Carney be instructed to write a leaflet upon the coal strike situation, and that Raphailoff write a leaflet to be captioned “Hands Off Soviet Russia.”

Defense Fund Called For.

The two main matters taken up at the Sunday evening session were — a defense fund for arrested party members and the freeing of class war prisoners.

By motion the Executive Secretary was instructed to send out an appeal to all party members to gather a fund to be used to defend members arrested in connection with their party activities. All locals and branches are also urged to remit ten percent of the net proceeds of meetings or entertainments to this fund.

It was also decided to continue the campaign for the release of all class war prisoners under the name of the “Army of Liberators — under the direction of the Communist Labor Party.” This campaign is to be conducted upon a basis of mass action — the advocacy of mass action among the workers for the liberation of class war prisoners.

At the Monday morning session a motion was passed that no Communist Labor Party speaker speak from the same platform with speakers of other parties except when called upon to present the position and principles of the Communist Labor Party. Another motion called upon all speakers in the party to give their full time to the party and to make no speaking engagements independently.

The most important action taken at this session was the passing of a resolution which places the Voice of Labor among the publications which the National Executive Committee will direct and which the party will own. The Voice of Labor will continue in its present size and in its present policy. It will be the labor paper of the party, and will function as an organizer of shop committees, the One Big Union, and will spread communist propaganda among the industrial workers.

The last session of the committee, that of Monday evening, lasted until 3 o’clock Tuesday morning. Leaflets against intervention in Russia and upon the coal strike situation were edited; the report of the committee to draft an answer to the Communist Party’s refusal to discuss unity was amended and unanimously finally passed and an editorial board of three was elected to have editorial charge of all publications issued under the direction of the National Executive Committee. This board consists of Edward Lindgren, Ludwig Lore, and A. Raphailoff.

This meeting of the National Executive Committee constitutes a call upon every member to instant and persistent activity. Now that means of propaganda and education have been established, all comrades are in duty bound to act as agents for the party, securing subscriptions for Communist Labor, the Voice of Labor, the Class Struggle, and selling the many excellent pamphlets and books the party is now publishing.