The report of August, 1924’s monthly meeting the the Communist Party’s City Central Committee, full of details of work in Chicago by the Party and affiliated organizations, as well as membership and Daily Worker drives, union work, the coming election campaign, membership and local leadership changes, among much more.

‘Party Activity in Chicago’ from The Daily Worker. Vol. 2 No. 134. August 23, 1924.

Twenty-nine New Members Accepted.

At a lively meeting of the City Central Committee of Workers Party Local Chicago on August 19th, 29 new members were accepted from the following branches: Russian 2; Northwest Jewish 5; Douglas Park Jewish 3; Scandinavian Karl Marx 2; Lake View Scandinavian 1; Scandinavian Englewood 1; Lettish 4; Lithuanian No. 5, 1; Cicero Italian 1; Czecho-Slovak, North Berwyn 1; Irving Pk. English 1; Douglas Park English 1; Mid-City English 3; North Side English 3. In these applicants were included union members from the following organizations: Machinists union 3; Amalgamated Clothing Workers 2; Carpenters 2; Hod carriers 1; Barbers 2; Butchers 1; Printers 1; United Mine Workers 1. These applicants also included one former member of Russian Workers Union, seven former members of Socialist Party, two of the Left Paoli Zion, two of Swedish Communist Party, one of Communist Party of Germany. Two transfers were accepted, one from Kansas City and one from New York.

The Czecho-Slovak comrades are very much on the job knitting their branches more strongly together and winning over more elements regularly from the Beranek outfit.

At a membership meeting of the Pullman Section, the policy of the Central Executive Committee in the elections campaign was unanimously endorsed.

The City Central Committee decided to severely censure and condemn the Italian Comrades who were responsible for the evasion of the decision of the City Central Committee that their picnic of August 10 should not be held in competition with the City Press Picnic. The Italian comrades evaded the decision, holding the picnic under the auspices of another name. Repetition of such a kind will result in stronger disciplinary action.

Additions to City Executive.

Comrade Rose Karsner was added to the City Executive Committee and placed in charge of the membership campaign. Comrade Sam Hammersmark was also added to the City Executive Committee to take charge of the direction of propaganda and literature, especially in connection with the elections campaign.

Daily Worker Reports Official.

In order to do away with cumber- some minutes from the city organization to the branches, the C.C.C. decided that hereafter only actions and decisions of the City Central Committee shall be sent out in special minutes to the branches. Reports of the activities of the organizations are to appear, as is already done, in the DAILY WORKER and other Party newspapers in place of the minutes and are to be regarded as official. Also all notices of all kinds of meetings of the Party Y.W. League and T.U.E.L. are to be printed in the DAILY WORKER and other papers instead of sending out special letters to branches. Branches and members shall make note that such notices of meetings are official and look for them in the papers.

Election Campaign Drive.

Reports of the progress in the election campaign were given by various delegates and Comrade Ida McCarthy. Comrades are finding it easy to secure signatures to place Workers Party candidates on the ballot.

The Executive Committees of the Congressional Districts are sub-dividing their committees in order to insure that street meetings and other meetings during the campaign will be organized. Also this is being done in order to develop the distribution and sale of literature thruout the campaign, and the congressional districts, have therefore been made the sectional basis for the membership campaign and the DAILY WORKER drive.

Local Chicago to Supply Free Campaign Literature.

The City Central Committee decided that the city organization shall take financial charge of the campaign. This means that the congressional districts are to decide on the amount of literature such as leaflets DAILY WORKERS, etc., which they need and then apply to the city organization for them who will furnish them free. When members go out with petitions to obtain signatures they are expected to take the DAILY WORKER and other literature with them and also to try to obtain subscriptions and campaign funds.

Thus far a little over $500.00 has come in on pledges in Chicago. Other branches are asked to speed up the collections.

The branches have received the campaign books with stamps which they ought to be able to sell without any trouble.

DAILY WORKER and Campaign Membership Meeting.

Campaign and DAILY WORKER membership meeting of the Party has been called for next Wednesday, August 27th at Workers Lyceum, 2733 Hirsch Blvd., in order to review the election campaign to date, subscriptions to the DAILY WORKER and the membership drive.

In addition to the reports by the various congressional districts, Comrade Joe Manley in charge of the National Campaign will report and Comrade Earl Browder will report on the DAILY WORKER and membership drive. Branches shall make sure of attendance at this meeting.

It might be added that unemployed comrades could be of excellent aid in the elections campaign by circulating petitions to obtain signatures to put our candidates on the ballot. Comrades should call at the office for petitions. If any expenses are incurred, they will be paid.

Street Meetings Progressing.

Wherever our street meetings are held, we are drawing large crowds. George Maurer is now in charge of street meetings which will be organized with and thru the Congressional District Campaign Committees.

There have been a number of cases of interference with the street meetings of Young Workers League and Workers Party in Cicero and in Chicago. The Party has decided in all cases to fight out the issues until the right to speak is completely won. The cases in Cicero have been postponed to August the 27th.

Industrial Registration Starts.

Get ready to put over the industrial registration. Industrial registration cards and books are now in the hands of all branches. The industrial registration must be completed by September 15th. The first order of business therefore at the branch meetings shall be the taking of industrial registration. Send in the industrial registration to the city organization as fast as you take it.

Some branches have already begun. Let us have a race to se which completes the registration first. Chicago local has challenged the rest of the country. Make good. The city organization will render every help possible.

The Food Workers are meeting at 166 W. Washington St., Saturday, August 23, 7:30 p.m., to take up the matter of program and policy. In the afternoon of August 23rd at 1113 W. Washington Blvd. Party members of Local 270 Amalgamated Clothing Workers will meet with the City Committee in order to take up the matter of neglect of union activity on the part of some of the Italian. comrades. The Amalgamated Clothing Workers Party and Y.W.L. members met on Thursday, Aug. 21.

The matter of LaFollette and Small endorsement by Chicago Federation of Labor and the activity of the Party members against this action has already been outlined in a previous issue of the DAILY WORKER. Our comrades put up an excellent altho futile fight. There were some Party members who were absent from the Federation meeting who are being called on the carpet by the Party for this neglect.

In the matter of the Hegewisch strike, the Party, Y.W.L. and T.U.E.L. are continuing to give fullest support to the union organization drive Headway is also being made in organizing the Young Workers League branch there and in Hammond. Complete reports from day to day are being published in the DAILY WORKER.

Elaborate Educational Program.

In the field of education a very elaborate program has been mapped out for the fall. There will be an open forum, a class on Imperialism, another of advanced Marxism, another on elementary economics.

Then there will be the class on Trade Union Conduct and the English class. A dramatic and music department has also been added. Enrollments to all these classes are now open to all.

Young Workers League.

Young Workers League members are co-operating with the Party in all its activities. Conducting factory campaigns, organizing new branches. Will hold big picnic Aug. 24, in the National Grove, Riverside, Illinois.

The work of Local Chicago is progressing better right along, but the work can go even much more swiftly, especially during this election campaign. The organization drive for members and the campaign for DAILY WORKER subscriptions going forward. However, instead of 60-70 new members a month as we have been getting we must take in 200 to 300.

Get into the campaign that every member get a new member and a subscriber to the DAILY WORKER. It can be done. Into the unions to carry on Communist work. Every member in the election campaign and the DAILY WORKER drive. Build the Workers Party.

Fraternally yours,

WORKERS PARTY-LOCAL CHICAGO. Martin Abern, Secretary.
Next meeting of City Central Committee, Tuesday, September the 2nd, 8 p.m., at 2733 Hirsch Blvd. (Workers Lyceum.)

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-n134-aug-23-1924-DW-LOC.pdf