Martin Abern, then Secretary of the Chicago Communist Party, on a recent meeting of the Local’s Central Committee and work in the city during the fall of 1924.

‘Party Activities in Chicago’ by Martin Abern from the Daily Worker. Vol. 2 No. 144. September 6, 1924.

THE City Central Committee—Local Chicago Workers Party dealt with numerous political and industrial matters and gave special attention to the Young Workers’ League and Junior Section.

Reports of progress made in securing signatures to place Workers Party candidates on the ballot in the State of Illinois and Chicago were made by various delegates. Results of the Campaign activity are printed daily in The DAILY WORKER.

Straw Vote To Be Taken.

A DAILY WORKER straw vote, the only straw vote of the working class, will be taken. Local Chicago Party and League comrades will distribute the ballots in the main factories and shops in the city of Chicago on various days. In this way good propaganda results can be obtained. Comrades who are able to go out on various days should send their names and addresses to the local office where they will be assigned factories to cover.

Preparations are also being made for distribution of 10,000 DAILY WORKER special Chicago edition to advertise the Foster-Gitlow meeting on October 12, at Ashland Auditorium.

Funds are beginning to come in from the sale of the Campaign Fund stamps. Lithuanian No. 5 branch has sent in its share of $48.50 and says that more is coming. Branches should speed up the sale of the stamps and send the money in to the district office as soon as it comes in from the members.

Street meetings are more successful than ever in the history of Chicago. Twenty-one successful meetings were held last week and only three cases of failure of speakers to appear. Chief neglect lies in the branch committees which fail to appear on time with literature and other material. Jack up your branches on this.

Industrial Registration Reports.

Industrial registration reports show great possibilities for shop nuclei. The industrial registration is being handled swiftly by the branches. However, the branches will have to hurry up if they want to come in under the wire by Sept. 15. The branches which have already sent in their registration are printed in another column of the DAILY WORKER. Progress will be reported regularly.

The registration today shows many comrades working in the same plant or a sufficient number in many cases to form shop nuclei. One shop nucleus is sending in funds each week to the election campaign fund. T.U.E.L. groups functioning better right along. The Local 270 group of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers has been reorganized and can be expected to do better work. The T.U.E.L. group of the Amalgamated is in good shape and healthy spirits and is carrying on a strong fighting policy in reference especially for the Foster-LaFollette issue. The readjustment question is coming up, as well as wage agreements and the shop delegate system. The situation is ripe in the Amalgamated for the development of the strongest left wing in the history of the organization.

The members of the Amalgamated T.U.E.L. group are alive to these issues and possibilities and taking them up seriously and militantly. Food Workers’ group recently held its meeting and reorganized, discussed thoroly its program, extended the sale of the Labor Heralds and took up the matter of issuing a monthly Food Workers’ bulletin.

The Pullman comrades are taking up the question of union organization among the carmen and recently held a good membership meeting. In Hegewlsch, where the strike is still on, the party and league are giving as yet their fullest support and are aiding in the formation of union locals there and in Hammond. In the metal trades preparations are being made for the machinists’ convention in Detroit. Central Executive Committee has recently affected a policy for the convention which has been communicated to party member delegates.

DAILY WORKER-Labor Defense Council Bazaar.

A committee consisting of Comrade Rubicki, Hans Pederson, Mrs. Marek, Bjornson, M. J. Loeb, George Maurer and J. Heinrickson was elected to take charge of the coming DAILY WORKER-Labor Defense Bazaar on Nov. 27 at the Workers’ Lyceum, 2733 Hirsch Blvd. Branches will receive more reports later. With Labor Defense activity again coming to the fore, all branches are instructed to immediately elect Labor Defense Council delegates and send their names and addresses to the local office.

C.C.C. to Meet Soon In Another Hall.

The City Central Committee decided to change the meeting place from the Workers’ Lyceum to 722 Blue Island Ave., the headquarters of the Italian and Greek comrades. The new headquarters are more centrally located, and it is expected that the change will result in a greater attendance at the C.C.C. meetings. However, the next meeting of the C.C.C. will take place in the Workers’ Lyceum, 2733 Hirsch Blvd., Sept. 16, at 8 p.m.

Many New Members Being Enrolled Into the Party.

Twenty-five new members were accepted at the last meeting from the following branches: Finnish, 1; South Side English, 1; Douglas Park Jewish, 2; German, 1; Ukrainian No. 1,1; Czecho-Slovakian No. Berwyn, 1; Russian, 1; Italian, Grand Crossing, 6; Northwest English, 5; Lithuanian No. 3; 6. Union members among them were from pattern makers, iron molders, furriers, clothing workers. Transfers were received, two from Los Angeles, one from Waukegan and New York, and one transfer granted to New York. In this connection comrades who leave town shall make sure of obtaining their transfers from the branch. There are many cases thruout the country of comrades who have failed to obtain transfers and consequently in many instances have been disconnected from the party.

Branches To Check Up On Membership.

As a means of ascertaining the activity of every member and incidentally to find our actual dues paying membership, every Party branch is instructed to call in the membership books of the members and check up on each one and get the members in good standing immediately. Not merely dues paying members are wanted, but live comrades.

Recommend Negro Leaflet.

The CC C recommended to the Central Executive Committee that it issue pamphlet on the Negro workers. At the last Enlarged Executive Committee a thorough discussion on the Negro question was held, Comrade Gordon Owens making the main report. The Enlarged Executive committee as announced previously takes up special federation matters. At the next meeting of Enlarged Executive Committee on Wednesday, September 10th, at the local office Comrade Paul Petras of the Hungarian, will review the work and problems of the Hungarian comrades and workers.

Discussion On Young Workers League.

The Young Workers League delegates reported excellent progress in their field, especially in their industrial activity. Their industrial registration was almost completed and they were furthering plans for their factory campaigns which have been so successful. Comrade Earley reported a very successful Junior Convention. The question of educational activity in relation to the League and Junior section and aid from the Party was gone into and efforts will be made to obtain teachers to help out.

Educational.

Speakers’ Class every Friday at 1902 W. Division St. A class on English for foreign-speaking comrades will begin on Wednesday, September 10, at 722 Blue Island Ave. Comrade Swabeck’s Class in Trade Union Tactics and Conduct will start on Thursday, September 11, at 722 Blue Island Ave.

The Delegates from the Fifth Congress of the Communist International are returning. Branches wishing to get them to speak should notify of the date they want to have a speaker and we will date a speaker for them. Czechoslovak membership meeting of August 29 was very successful. The Czechoslovak comrades are going full steam ahead to put over a Communist Czecho-Slovak paper In Chicago. A full report is given in another column of the DAILY WORKER. Jewish comrades reported progress on the left wing conference in connection with the Foster Campaign.

We again remind delegates to the City Central Committee that in addition to the summarized minutes they receive, the reports in the DAILY WORKER are official and shall be used to make report to the branches. Work is progressing, but more speed is wanted.

The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924. National and City (New York and environs) editions exist.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1924/v02a-n144-sep-06-1924-DW-LOC.pdf