A report on the size, language groups, and conditions of Workers (Communist) Party branches in the Chicago area shortly the Party’s third national convention in April, 1923 by its then District Organizer.

‘District Eight Organizer Report of Tour’ by Charles Krumbein from Voice of Labor (Chicago). Vol. 11 No. 589. March 9, 1923.

Waukegan: There are two branches; Finnish with 210 members and the Lithuanian with 7 members. 50 attended meeting, also 30 attended YWL meeting. Comrades of the Finnish branch are trying to organize an English branch of which there are prospects. The movement as a whole is alive because of the co-operative and other activities in the city. Members are in the unions. No trace of the Socialist Party.

Kenosha: Five branches here; English 6 members, Russian 15, So. Slavic 13, Lithuanian 11 and Finnish 19, 28 present at meeting. Lack of coordination of activities. No S.P., which formerly had a membership of 500.

Racine: Four branches; Russian 7 members, Finnish 29, So. Slovac 7 and So. Slavic 4. 12 present at meeting. No coordination of activities. There is no S.P. although it formerly was quite strong.

Milwaukee: Ten branches in Milwaukee; English 10 members, Milw. So. Slavic 54, Hungarian 30, Slavonian 20, Finnish 34, Lithuanian 18, Jewish 30, Ukranian 10, Russian 20, W.A. So. Slavic 29. There were 40 present at the meeting. Are working hard to get things moving.

Pullman: 45 present at meeting.

Lake County, Ind.: (Hammond, Whiting, Ind. Harbor, E. Chicago, W. Hammond). Seven branches in all; English 7 members, 2 So, Slavic 24, Ukranian 14, 2 Russian and Polish. 35 present at meeting. Hammond English branch trying hard to build up, are holding meetings, etc.

Gary: Three branches in Gary; Russian with 20 members, So. Slavic 12, and a Hungarian branch. Some 30 present at meeting, some being YWL members. YWL branch may be means of building W.P. English branch.

South Bend: Three branches; Hungarian 22, Russian 13, and a So. Slavic. 30 present at meeting. Hopes for English branch here lies in one of two sources (1) through Elkhart Comon, or (2) through activities of Socialist Sunday School, who will soon organize YWL branch. SSS has about thirty pupils, average 14.

Rockford: No branches. 35 attended meeting which was arranged and advertised by the Scandinavian club. Some Lithuanians and IWW’s were present. Scandinavians will come back to party soon, after which Lithuanians will organize a branch. An English branch is also possible here.

Tri-City: (Moline, Rock Island, Davenport). Five branches; English with 6 members, Finnish 17, Lithuanian 10, Russian 5 and Italian 7. (Italian branch has just been organized). Moline meeting 9 present; Davenport meeting 8 present. There is no CCC and no coordination. (D.O. has instructed members to organize CCC.)

Peoria: Held meeting and organized English branch of 7 members, all of whom are good material. Fine prospects, city of 80,000 and no other working class party except a few SLP’s.

Joliet: Two branches; English 51 members, So. Slavic 12. Held meeting with 12 present. Have a couple of live wires. Good connection in Trades and Labor Assembly.

Organization plan did not work, as members did not bring sympathizers with only a few exceptions. Big problem is to get units to function. There is a great need for English speaking live wires to keep in touch with work of TUEL and the English speaking element. Total present at 13 meetings was 341. Pointed out at all meetings the great need of coordination of activities.

D.O. proposed, same being approved of by DEC, a plan of organization to mail to all connections, of which there are several thousands, first a copy of the party program, second, a letter calling attention to the policies of the party and its activities and then third, another letter calling them to a meeting at which an organizer is to be present.

There are 102 branches in Dist. No. 8 with about 2,800 members.

The Voice of Labor was a regional paper published in Chicago by the Workers (Communist) Party as the “The American Labor Educational Society” (with false printing and volume information to get around censorship laws of the time) and was focused on building the nascent Farmer-Labor Party while fighting for leadership with the Chicago Federation of Labor. It was produced mostly as a weekly in 1923-1924 and contains enormous detail on the activity of the Party in the city of those years.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/vol/v11n589-mar-09-1923-VOL.pdf