A report of the City Central Committee as busy Chicago comrades reorganize and campaign for Foster-Gitlow in that November’s general election.

‘Extensive Activity of Chicago Communists Is Shown at C.C.C. Meet’ by Martin Abern from The Daily Worker. Vol. 2 No. 173. October 10, 1924.

Fifty-six new members were taken in by the Workers Party, Local Chicago, at the City Central Committee meeting, Tuesday, Oct. 7, which indicates that the membership drive is now on in earnest in Chicago. This meeting was the best attended and most lively one that has yet been held. Future signs point to even greater activity.

New members taken in were from the following branches: Douglas Park English, 1; Northwest English, 4; North Side English, 5; Irving Park English, 2; South Side English, 2; Englewood English, 1; Spanish Branch, 8; Lithuanian No. 5, 3; Greek Branch, 3; Ukrainian No. 1, 8; Italian 31st Ward, 1; Russian Branch, 1; Lake View Scandinavian, 1; Finnish, 8; Italian W.S. No. 1, 1; Lettish, 5; Lithuanian No. 2, 1.

A goodly number of union members were included in the 66, among them being four painters, machinists, typographical, tailors, bricklayers, furriers, windowwashers, musicians, one each. There were also a number who will have to join unions. Spanish Branch Organized. A Spanish-speaking branch of eight, made up mainly of Mexican and Central American comrades was organized by Comrade Gomez. The branch looks very promising. All but one of them are stock yard workers. Comrade Tom Bell, T.U.E.L. local organizer, reported in detail on the industrial activity in the various groups.

The Amalgamated Clothing Workers’ group was in the best shape and was carrying on an excellent struggle in the union and in the shop, especially in connection with the election campaign, was collecting funds for Foster and Gitlow and getting out propaganda. Discussion on policy in trade unions arose on the action of the Amalgamated Food Workers’ group fail- to put up a Communist candidate and a Communist program in the elections.

The matter was referred to the City Executive Committee to bring in a detailed report at the next C.C.C. meeting. In the case of a peculiar situation also existing among a number of party machinists the city executive committee is also to take up this matter for final action.

Strengthen T.U.E.L.

More than ever the reports Indicated that the TU.E.L. groups must be strengthened and built and the minority movement in the unions organized against the reactionary and bureaucratic union leadership. This reactionary leadership, recognizing the force of a revolutionary opposition is using every effort to break down the left wing movement. Our party comrades must fight back and organize more strongly than ever within the unions and continue the struggle to win the trade unions to Communism.

At the next general meeting of the T.U.E.L. the machinists’ and carpenters’ international conventions will be taken up as well as the policy of the left wing in the next national convention of the American Federation of Labor. Meanwhile, union members, get to your group meetings; failure to attend will result in party action.

Shop Nuclei Among Clothing Workers.

A program is being worked out to organize shop nuclei among the Amalgamated Clothing Workers party members and in the next few weeks it is expected that a number of shop nuclei will be in existence. Thus the first actual and practical steps toward reorganization will have been taken. Some branches have not yet sent in their industrial registration. Only about 70 per cent of the registration in. To properly handle industrial trade union and shop nuclei work, we must have complete industrial registration of every member. Shoot in your industrial registration.

The Young Workers League delegate reported that the Chicago Young Workers League was doing better work than at any time during its existence. The league was reorganizing completely on a basis of the working area branch as a preliminary to complete reorganization on shop nuclei basis. The reorganization is to be completed by November 1, and 22 new nuclei are to be established within three months after the reorganization. A factory campaign on all mailing order houses is to be started in November.

Election Campaign Activity Increasing

A detailed report on the last activities in the election campaign was given by Comrade Abern. On the whole, he said, the Workers Party in Chicago had responded well to the campaign to place Workers Party candidates on the ballot. All of the candidates went over and in the congressional districts we were successful in obtaining sufficient signatures to place five out of seven candidates on the ballot. (See other columns of the DAILY WORKER).

All the districts made excellent attempts in the work, District 5 alone not doing by any means as well as it should have. The Young Yorkers League did especially good service in this campaign and in every district were responsible for a large share of signatures. The league is to be congratulated for its efforts. District 1 did a good job, the Englewood Y.W.L, South Side English and Scandinavian doing the best work. District 4 also went over, with a number of individuals, reported Comrade Zoltaltls, being mainly responsible for putting Comrade Podkulski on the ballot.

District 6, although failing to get its candidate on the ballot, did very well towards the end of the campaign and if the comrades in that district had started out as well, there is no doubt that they would have gotten the district over. District 7 made the best job. This district where Comrade Hammersmark was candidate was the best organized; although having the most signatures to obtain, 4,000, the job was done. Karl Marx Scandinavian was one of the branches that did exceptionally well. District 8 went over, with the Mid-City English and Russian Young Workers League doing the main part of the work, and Italian, Greek and Polish comrades contributing their share. District 9, Jack Johnstone candidate also went over. The North Side English, Finnish branch and Karl Liebknecht Y.W.L. doing the best work, though there were contributions all around from the rest of the branches.

Although the party organization responded well to this first part of the campaign there were many organizational defects, due mainly to our inexperience in this kind of Communist parliamentary activity. In future work of this sort we can be certain that even much better results will be obtained because of these experiences and the possibility of organizing the work much better beforehand. Nevertheless we can feel that a good start has been made and now the job is to put over the second part of the Communist election campaign, Abern concluded.

Many Meetings Being Held.

The congressional districts are now holding meetings in all of their districts for the candidates. District 1, Gordon Owens, candidate, will have a very large meeting Oct. 30, and will also distribute at that time, 20,000 leaflets on the Negro workers. District 9, 7 and others have already organized meetings. These are in addition to regular street meetings being held and which, as Comrade Maurer reported, were still being held very successfully in many sections of town. Branches must see to it that their delegates get to the congressional district meetings and participate actively in this work.

Foster-Gitlow Meeting on Sunday.

On Sunday, Oct. 12, the big election mass meeting of the yeas will be held at Ashland Auditorium at 2:30 p.m. Comrades William Z. Foster, Benjamin Gitlow and William F. Dunne to be the main speakers. 30,000 DAILY WORKERS are to be distributed for this meeting and comrades are requested to call at the local office to receive their share for distribution at factories and from house to bouse. This special Chicago edition also contains the state and local program which will very likely be issued in leaflet form. To help at this meeting, we also wish the branches to send as many girls as possible. They should report at 1:30 at the Ashland Auditorium.

The straw ballot carried on by Workers Party, Local Chicago and the DAILY WORKER was very successful and was an excellent means of carrying on our propaganda, getting closer to the factory workers and getting the DAILY WORKER before them. The special DAILY WORKER Chicago edition will be distributed at the factories where we had held the straw balloting.

Poll Watchers Needed for Nov. 3.

Poll watchers will be required for the November 8 elections. Branches are asked to send in the names of comrades who will be able to act as poll watchers on that day. It should be easy to get a day off since it is common for workers to get off for that purpose right along. This is very important if we are to make certain of registering the full Communist vote. Comrade Korn has replaced Comrade Karsner as campaign manager in District 6, as Comrade Karsner has taken over other important work. As a suggestion to the campaign managers, it was mentioned that wherever possible they get slides In the movies advertising the Communist candidates.

Left Wing Conference Active.

The left wing conference of Workmen’s Circles and left wing trade unionists are active in the Foster-Gitlow campaign, raising funds, holding meetings and carrying on other propaganda. They are staging a parade Sunday morning for the Foster-Gitlow meeting. They expect to raise $1,000 for the campaign.

Get Campaign Funds.

It need not be detailed here how great is the expense of a campaign. All branches have not contributed as they are able to. Local Chicago can and must do a great deal better. An urgent appeal is made that the branches push the sale of the campaign stamp books as well as other means of raising funds and send in the money at once to the local office. Thousands of dollars more should come in from Local Chicago. We are sure that the comrades wish to increase the campaign activity and will therefore respond. Collect funds in your shop as the Amalgamated Clothing Workers party members are already doing. Collect It from your friends, from house to house, get it any way you can, but get it and send it in.

At all the meetings comrades must make certain to have application cards and to have the speaker make an appeal for membership. Where branches have not yet done so, they should elect a committee which organizes a drive for new members, outlines work for every members in the branch and sees that members and the branch as a whole are functioning. Earn your merit stamp! Get a new member or a subscriber to the DAILY WORKER. DAILY WORKER-Labor Defense Bazaar. The DAILY WORKER-Labor Defense Bazaar to be held Nov. 26 to Dec. 1 Is going ahead well. Local Chicago will also get 26 per cent of the proceeds.

At the last meeting of the bazaar committee a very large attendance was at hand. Branches, however, should make sure of sending regular delegates to the next committee meeting to be held Saturday afternoon, 3 p.m., Oct. 18, at 722 Blue Island Ave., Greek Hall. Branches shall also take note that the Labor Defense Council has extended its scope and is now handling all Workers Party cases. Much money is needed. Comrades paying their assessment this month should purchase as many additional defense stamps as they can. The South Slav branch reports that they are selling stamps for the campaign fund as well as doing other work. The Jewish Central Committee is organizing an educational program for the branches and also will have a Sunday morning open forum in two places.

More Educational Activities.

In addition to the open forum and the regular courses to be given in Chicago, there are to be other educational activities. Recommendations of the educational council were accepted: First, that all new members coming into the party are to attend a special course of three lectures to be given quarterly. These lectures are to deal with the elements of Communism and the program of the Workers Party. Thus we will make certain that new members will be better acquainted with the Communist position. In addition, lectures are to be sent to the branches on questions based on the decisions of the Fifth Congress of the Communist International.

In this way in addition to the regular courses in education, branch education can be extended.

The city central committee meeting indicated that the activities of the party were extending in all directions and that the party as a whole and its branches were going forward. Industrial activity must be increased many fold, and is now receiving more attention than ever before. The DAILY WORKER must be built at all costs. This is the big job before us. To aid in that direction the proceeds of the November 7th Soviet Anniversary Celebration will be given to the DAILY WORKER.

Every member of the party is expected to become a member of THE DAILY WORKER BRICKLAYERS’ UNION, by subscribing to the DAILY WORKER or getting another worker to subscribe. Membership in the Bricklayers’ Union is compulsory and comrades who fail to join this union by getting subscribers in this organization drive to build up THE DAILY WORKER BRICKLAYERS’ UNION must answer to the party.

Get into the drive. Build the DAILY WORKER. GET into the membership drive. 56 new members at the last meeting is better, but it is only a start. INTO THE UNIONS! ORGANIZE against the reactionary bureaucracy and win the unions to Communism. Build the Workers (Communist) Party!

Next meeting of the City Central Committee, Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 722 Blue Island Ave.

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.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1924/v02a-n173-oct-10-1924-DW-LOC.pdf