We Have To Change So We Can Grow

32 Pages·2.494 MB·English

by  Gus Hall

We Have to Change
So We Can Grow
(Report to Political Bureau on National Party-Building Tour)
By
Gus Hall
Invitation
to Join
the Communist Party
(Speech on National Party-Building Tour)
By
Gus Hall
Never Leave Home Without One
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
C.P.U.S.A.
Date. ■Phon*.
Name.
Address.
C*y. _____ap.
S<gnaturs »■
Sponsors: (Not lo ba Med in by
Send to: Communist Party, U.S.A.
235 W. 23rd Street. 7th Fl. I
NYC, NY 10011-2386
i
REPORT TO POLITICAL BUREAU ON
PARTY BUILDING - NATIONAL TOUR
(July-mid-October 1982)
by
Gus Hall
October 12, 1982
Let me begin by expressing the estimate of both Carole Marks, my
Assistant, and myself that this tour has been an unqualified success
on many levels. It has been a very exciting, stimulating and infor­
mative period. It has more than met our expectations, and I think we
will continue to reap benefits from it for some time to come.
The purpose of the tour was two-fold: to help the districts and
clubs deepen their understanding of and translate into life the es­
sence of the Milwaukee conference, and to demonstrate in the recruit­
ing meetings that it is possible to build the Party. I think we
achieved these basic aims - and more.
There were many unexpected benefits from the trip, For instance,
we really got to know the districts in depth. In many districts, we
talked with the majority of the Party membership, In many, we had dis-
cussions with the entire membership of the Party. We now have a much
better idea of the district leadership structures and how they func­
tion. We have a much better idea of how the clubs function and many
of their problems. For instance, there were clubs that met every
three months and felt this was acceptable, normal functioning.
I think we gained an accurate picture of the exact size of each
district, the class, racial, national and age composition.
We know what the clubs are doing and what activities and organiza­
tions the club memberships are involved in. We have a much better,
more realistic, understanding of their problems and needs.
We have a much better understanding of the nature of the rela­
tionship between the national leadership and the district leadership
and clubs, I must say the overall picture I got is that the gap is
very wide, In many cases the necessary relationships are literally
nonexistent and have been for a long time. In some cases, where there
are relationships, they tend to be mechanical and organizational. The
gap is especially wide in the political and ideological contact between
the clubs and the Party. We are confident that the tour and the
process begun will end this intolerable situation.
I would say we have a much better, frankly a more critical view,
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of how our leadership, in both style and method, appears from the
bottom up. Things look quite different from the viewpoint of the
clubs.
The conclusions and assessments in my report are based on visits
with almost every district of our Party, We are hoping to visit the
two exceptions very soon.
Evaluation of the Recruiting Meetings
Over a two-and-a-half-month period we participated in a minimum
of 65 recruiting meetings. We had 55 Party meetings attended by
leadership cadre and in many cases membership as well. The number of
people who joined on the spot at the recruiting meetings themselves
went over the 500 mark — that was the goal we set out to achieve.
Although these events were not billed as public meetings, they were in
fact public to a great extent. That so many people joined at these
meetings is, I think, a sign of the times. We need to probe this
further. However, there were many who took the application cards home
with them. There were those who asked Carole and me to sign as spon­
sors but took the cards, home to turn them in at a later date, in non­
public situations. There are many who came much closer who will join
within weeks, months. There are many who won't join right away, but
who will work differently with us now. In fact, we have already re­
ceived reports of many who joined after our visit. The final total of
new members from this tour could go as high as 1,000.
There is a ripple effect from these events which we generally know
about but don't actively organize to take advantage of. You know, we
found that some of the best recruiters are brand new members who
finally break through all the barriers, who join, and then become so
enthusiastic about the Party they begin to recruit right after they
join. An example: a young lady, a leading activist who had all the
fears, the obstacles and doubts holding her back. We had several dis-
cussions with her during the course of a day. She couldn't make the
decision all day. For some reason, at the evening recruiting meeting
she made her decision, Once she signed the card, within minutes she
was signing others up. I heard her saying to a resistor: "What do
you mean you don't know if the Party is for you. Of course it is!"
New members become a vibrant, dynamic force for building the
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Party. But the efforts have to be organized in order to get the kind
of results we want.
For instance, the welcoming ceremonies for new members, where
membership cards are presented and the Preamble to our Constitution
is read as part of the initiation and so on —— this occasion should be
used to promote the idea that new members can and should see bringing
people into the Party as one of their main activities — integrated
into everything they do.
Who ’ s Joining?
I’ve been around long enough to be a good judge of the calibre
of people joining our Party, including the 40’s period when thousands
joined.
I must say the calibre of people joining today is different.
We’re getting the best of those who have grown and developed in the
everyday struggles and mass movements, We are attracting activists
and mass organization leaders, trade union leaders, We really have
to think about what this is going to do to our Party?
You know, in many areas we are doubling and tripling the Party
membership overnight. That creates an entirely new situation for the
Party. It shakes up the Party. There have to be structural changes.
There have to be functional changes, There have to be changes in
style of work, etc.
I don’t have the exact figures, but I’m sure a minimum of 10 and
maybe as many as 20 shop stewards have joined, including 4 in one
meeting alone. Among them are shop stewards in steel locals, auto
locals, construction and electrical. In many cases, it became a
problem of quickly organizing new shop or industrial clubs.
Most of the new members are in the 23-35 age category. However,
one of the amazing and disappointing things is the very small number
of senior citizens who joined on our tour. I think we need to have a
discussion with our comrades in the senior movements to find out why
the high level of senior activity and organization didn’t result in
membership for our Party. For example, the new level of militancy
and radicalization of women is reflected in the great numbers who
joined our Party during the tour. I would like to know why with a
similar militancy and level of activity among seniors our comrades
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could not bring people to the recruiting meetings who were ready to
join. This is really the only area of weakness in recruiting.
Otherwise the composition is excellent.
I think the number of Afro-Americans who joined is much higher
than we’ve had for a long, long time. This is very positive. I
think, in a sense, it is a turn-around in our recruiting.
Also, as I said, the influx of women is just a really fantastic
development - something we really should study. It is not only the
numbers, most likely a majority, but the kind of women and how they
joined. So many of them joined in a very militant, demonstrative
way. They led the way for others. Most are young and many are young
mothers. We recruited women shop workers, including shop stewards,
union officials, etc. We recruited Afro-American, Mexican-American,
Iranian, Palestinian, Chicano, Native American Indian, white, etc.
Also increasing are the numbers of Native American Indians in
general who are joining. I think more on this tour have joined than
in many preceding years.
We also have to take note of the influx of Mexican-American,
Iranian, Palestinian, Greek people, Many will play a role similar to
those who came here as immigrants during the 1920’s. We must see
them in- this light, They are in their great majority new, permanent
peoples.
We have to applaud the fact that our clubs, which did most of the
inviting, were in a position to bring some 4,000 people to recruiting
meetings. These were people who came to hear the General Secretary
of the Communist Party talk about the Party. Many came open to being
convinced to join. Of course there were many who came to learn more
about the Party and have come closer as a result but who were not
open to becoming members. The overwhelming majority of the 4,000 who
attended were not, however, prepared to join the Party. Only a small
fraction of those invited were ideologically and politically prepared
to join at the recruiting meetings. I think for many of the more
than 500 who did join the strength of our presentation was a very big
factor in their decision.
Deepening Crisis for Millions
Since Milwaukee, our Party membership has become much more
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conscious of the objective conditions and the depth of misery faced
by millions. However, it remains a serious weakness that our Party
does not as yet respond fully and quickly enough.
We have seen across our land that the crisis of every day living
has turned into a critical emergency situation for more millions.
The fact is that in most cities more hungry are being turned away
from souplines than are being fed. The souplines simply can't
handle the number of people who are hungry.
Another crisis is the fact that millions are coming to the end of
the 26-week unemployment countdown. What this means to a family to
reach the last week of unemployment checks isn't fully understood by
us yet. To add to the tragedy, the welfare system doesn't really
exist except on the level of near-starvation. So people are left
desperate and without resources.
Now there are new problems appearing like the homeless who, in
many cases, not just individuals, but families we have seen on the
streets in one city after another, The meaning of this isn't under­
stood by us either.
Take a city like Minneapolis. Winter is coming. They report
that 6,000 families have had their gas turned off in the last few
months, Anyone who knows the Minnesota winters must begin to appre-
ciate what that means. It means people will freeze.
There are the terrible garbage lines, where people are beginning
to line up to go through the garbage cans. One morning in Cleveland
I had to wait 45 minutes for someone. Well, within that time seven
people went through the garbage can on the corner of the street I was
standing on. These people were obviously homeless and most are very
young.* They were wearing clothes that still looked decent, which
means they were probably working and had a place to live not so long
ago.
There are disaster areas in every part of the country. These are
areas where slums have taken over, where city services are terrible
or non-existent, where the transit systems, streets, bridges, water
systems and the rest of the infrastructure are crumbling. These are
areas where whole streets are boarded up, where stores and businesses
have gone bankrupt or moved out. These are areas where the unemploy­
ment rate, the evictions, the hunger and homelessness are rampant.
♦
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These areas are growing all across the country. I don’t think
many of our districts are fully aware of them, no less prepared to go
into action and respond. In some areas, most comrades don’t even
know about the disaster areas. I don’t think we’re aware that the
infrastructure of many of our cities are literally crumbling and
where living conditions are no longer fit for human beings. Many of
these are industrial areas where the steel and auto industries are
collapsing.
In these industrial towns and cities you meet steel workers who
are skilled workers who have reached the top of the seniority list and
who are now sweeping floors. Sweeping floors; that is the last stop
before they are out. I talked to some steel workers with 30 years
seniority who are actually hanging on to these jobs sweeping floors.
And, of course, the racially and nationally oppressed who have swept
floors are already walking the streets.
You get the feeling in these areas that there is a rising con­
sciousness, a rising anger and militancy. But in most areas it hasn’t
reached the level of concrete action. It hasn’t crystalized into an
organized, fighting approach. In many cities the first steps are just
being taken to build unemployed councils. People are gradually waking
up to the fact that they have to move, to act. There are places where
unions are moving in the direction of organizing. In many cities we
saw organizing efforts that will result in big, powerful organizations
of the unemployed. These are mostly the JOIN groups. Already many
have taken hold. Nevertheless, we are still too sluggish. The objec­
tive situation is moving much faster than we are. And in the Afro-
American and other racially and nationally oppressed communities the
suffering and poverty and disaster is much worse. The struggle
against racism is moving into the economic arena. There are increas­
ingly protest demonstrations against landlords, city councils, gas and
electric companies, etc. If we are going to be a factor in these com­
munities, we have to get moving on organizing the unemployed and on
economic questions generally. If we don’t, we’re really missing the
boat.
The Upsurge/ the Fightback, the Anti-Reagan Wave Continues
The upsurge continues especially at the grass roots level. The
seething is there. Movements of all kinds are emerging everywhere.
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The anti-Reagan electoral wave is creating and will continue to
gain momentum in the electoral arena on all levels. The people will
continue to vote against the Reaganites wherever they can. They are
rejecting the ultra-right and moral majority types.
The decision of the National Organization of Women (NOW) not to
limit themselves to endorsing women and to take a position against
the Reaganites and the ultra-right is a good indication of the way
women are moving. There is a new level of interest in Women for
Racial and Economic Equality (WREE) which reflects the new level of
activity and militancy of women. The numbers who joined the Party on
our tour reflects the overall trends in the women’s movements.
Support for the nuclear freeze movement, for arms negotiations,
for peace, is taking on steam everywhere.
The Student Movement
Everywhere students are getting ready to explode. There are signs
everywhere. But especially responsive and militant were the students
and young people we addressed in Moorehead, Minnesota and Fargo, North
Dakota, where the audiences were largely college students, In one
case, we met on campus and in the other in a public library, The
audience came to hear about the role of our Party, Many stayed after­
wards to hear more in a smaller group. More than 18 signed up for a
3-month trial sub to the DAILY WORLD, Keep in mind these were public
meetings.
I have tried to give you the flavor of the tour in preparation for
the following conclusions which I want to present outlining both the
positive and negative, strengths and weaknesses.
First, to reiterate, the purpose of the trip was to meet and talk
with as much of the Party leadership and membership as possible about
the need and possibilities of building the Party and then to prove in
life the contention that we can build a mass party.
We believe we achieved this. Following are some general conclu­
sions about the Party based on our experiences.
Our Party down below is very healthy. I had already seen this in
Milwaukee but was even more impressed at the outstanding nature of o• ur
young generation of Party leaders. Really, with few exceptions, we
have a new, young generation of Party leaders in most districts.
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It is obvious that the Party is united. A really outstanding
aspect, alongside the young, are the old stalwarts who came to our
meetings. I'm sure people at some of our meetings thought we pre­
arranged to have old comrades make testimonials to the history and
line of the Party. We didn't pre-arrange it, but it was really a
beautiful sight to see, for instance, in Birmingham, a 92-year old
Black steelworker get up to speak about the Party and his life in the
Party. He dramatized in the most convincing way the fact that the
Party helps you stay healthy and live longer. HHee ssaaiidd:: "There were
a couple of times I actually got sick and thought I was going to die,
but being in the Party gave me such a will to live and to fight that
I couldn't give in when I had so much to live for.” WWeellll,, that was
quite a testimonial to the Party. Then he added things like, "Gus is
absolutely right on the line." You can imagine how honored I was to
be in the same room with this 92-year old Communist fighter. He made
a very deep impression on all the people in that room. It gave the
Party people a wonderful lift and said much to the non-Party people
about our Party.
From this and many other experiences like it we concluded the
Party is united, healty, with young and old enrighing each other.
Our Party is hardworking and deeply involved. Very little nega­
tivism exists in our Party. Our comrades are full of enthusiasm and
Party spirit.
Basic Problems
Let me state here some of the propositions I put to the Party in
every district.
The basic problem of our Party is simply that we are too small.
We are too inner, too much in a rut. Routinism remains a serious
obstacle.
I think the problems of the Party's size must be understood dif­
ferently than we understand it at the present time. The Party is too
small from every angle. First of all it is just plain too small. But
we are also getting left further behind because the objective condi­
tions are moving faster than we are growing. This creates a most
serious political problem. This, too, must be understood differently.
We cannot continue to have a slower recruitment rate than death rate,
as is the case in many districts. It becomes a matter of survival