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From The New International, Vol.5 No.3, March 1939, p.66.
Transcribed & marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for ETOL.
LAST month this column discussed the problem of the maintenance and growth of The New International, and particularly the need to devise ways and means to assure that the magazine continues to go abroad to foreign agents and comrades. In partial response to this matter, the Political Committee of the Socialist Workers Party has set aside the entire month of March during which all Branches and Locals of the Party are asked to arrange entertainments, dances, benefits, house parties, etc. for the benefit of The New International Sustaining Fund. We earnestly hope that party units will proceed swiftly to the organization of such affairs. All proceeds are to be sent direct to The New International office. We request friends and sympathizers of The New International, party members and YPSL comrades to give their full support to these affairs by their attendance.
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It is to be expected that the work of the large cities, such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Boston, Minneapolis, Akron, Philadelphia, Newark, Detroit, Cleveland, Youngstown, St. Paul, Oakland, etc. on behalf of The New International receives particular attention, and that special efforts are made to stimulate the circulation of the magazine in the important industrial and political centers. But too much cannot be said for the fine, persistent and diligent labors of the smaller units of the party and the YPSL for the magazine as well as other party tasks. Under far more difficult conditions, these comrades carry out their tasks. Often there is but a single comrade to handle all the literature – New InternationalS, Appeals, pamphlets, and so on, and very often this comrade is engaged in important trade union, unemployed or other work as well. Functioning in a small town, with the prejudices of all kinds that a revolutionist runs up against from undeveloped workers, as well as middle-class elements, is no easy task or much of a pleasure. All the more commendable, therefore, are the labors of such comrades as: Ruth Querio, Allentown, Pa.; Win. Ballon, Fargo, N.D.; Henry Schnautz, Evansville, Ind.; Walter Birchman, South Bend, Ind.; Hildegarde Smith, Hutchinson, Kans.; George Whiteside, Whitewater, Kans.; Al Russell, Omaha, Neb.; John Boulds, Plentywood, Mont.; Joe Bowen, Baltimore, Md.; Otto Kiefer, Columbus; Ed. Speyer, Ithaca, N.Y.; E. McCreary, Fresno; H. A. Burns, San Diego; Harvey Dawes, Youngstown; N. Omologin, Washington; Otto R., Syracuse; J.T. Maley, Denver, Colo.; Ken. H., Houston, Texas; T. Hannula, Gardner, Mass.; Pauline T., Worcester, Mass.; Howard Stump, Quakertown, Pa.; Morris Krupka, Pittsburgh, Pa.; James Brown, Rochester, N.Y.; A.J. Mounjie, Toledo; Mike Gordon, Jersey City, N.J.; Eddie Cohen, Paterson, N. J.; Marvin Meyers, New Brunswick, N.J.; Lee Calvin, Lynn, Mass.; Victor Harris, Hartford, Conn.; Morris Gandelman, New Haven, Conn.; Al Adler, Salem, Ohio; Abbott, Haskell, Thurman in Berkeley, Cal.; V. Pickels, Kansas City, Mo.; L.M., Portland, Ore.; C.E. Taylor, Seattle, Wash.; Genora Johnson, Flint, Mich., and others which do not come at once to mind as the above names of active New International workers are listed. They may be sure that the party appreciates their efforts for the magazine.
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Many branches are now properly concentrating on a drive for renewal and new subscriptions. Bob Dullea of Cleveland showed that it can be done by sending in six new subscriptions a while back. Comrade Dullea is one who is plentifully occupied also with trade union and other tasks; if he can find time to canvass for subscriptions, surely other comrades, with far more time to spare, can engage in this important work. Harry Fishier, Chicago, continues to be a successful sub-getter, and recently a number of Glen Ellyn, Ill. comrades sent in a batch of subscriptions. Chas. Martell, a live-wire, new agent for Akron, Ohio, is organizing a subscription drive and promises to get results. Comrade Bob Ferguson, Akron, leading comrade who has been acting as literature agent too, has been forced to give up this work because of serious illness. From Minneapolis quite a large number of renewals are still due, but we have no doubt that when Ches. Johnson, Tom Gaddis, M. Freed and others get going, these renewals will be coming in. In San Francisco, which, under the direction of a new committee consisting of Alan Callender, Glen Trimble and Eloise Booth, has shown marked improvement in recent weeks, a subscription campaign is being planned. Re-orders were placed by San Francisco for both the January and February issues, and the total for February jumped from 50 to 75. Nice work, Frisco. Philadelphia, too, with Sol Thomas and Carl Hartman leading the way, has been improving steadily. In greater New York a number of subscriptions have been obtained in the past month, but there are still more than a hundred renewals alone outstanding. Mary Green, New International agent for New York, is now organizing the party branches for an intensive subscription drive, and we are confident of good results ... But many cities are still extremely lax in this important work. To these, at this time, we only suggest: take a leaf from those cities which are pushing subscription activities.
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The work of the Branch agents in New York has not hitherto been specifically pointed out; the following comrades work assiduously to improve New International circulation: Bronx – Edward Phillips; Upper West Side – Chet Mannes; East Side Manhattan – Edith Konikow; Lower East Side – Miriam Gerson; Williamsburg – Edward Findlay; Boro Park – Abe Roth; Teachers – Jacobstein; Needle Trades – Greesha.
The Lower East Side Branch (Knickerbocker Village), New York, recently issued a fine educational and protest leaflet against a Stalinist effort to prevent the sale of the magazine in the store of the Knickerbocker Village Apartments. The effects were good: magazine restored; sales increased; contacts secured.
Special mention must be made of the fine work of Sam Schur, Lower East Side Branch, who goes into restaurants and buildings throughout the area, selling the review, and of Miriam Gerson, also of the Lower East, who alone sold 47 copies of the December issue, and who each month sells a large quantity. On the Columbia University campus, Mary Green did exceptionally well with sales of the January number ... New York YPSL did better with the January issue than with any previous number. New York YPSL will receive this column’s attention in the April number.
At the University of Chicago, Marjorie Graham continues her fine work of selling large numbers of the magazine, and Sara Langar of the North West Side YPSL, also, along with Sam Alberts, deserve special commendation for their work with the magazine. Local Chicago sold out completely of the January number; further, the Union News Company store, Chicago, not only sold its usual 40 copies but ordered an additional 20 copies and also sold those. Minneapolis likewise ordered an extra 50 copies of the January issue, and there were several re-orders from throughout the country. Among other cities which placed re-orders for either the January or February numbers are: Washington, D.C.; Hartford, Conn.; Philadelphia, Pa. (Philly now handles 60 copies) ; Denver, Colo., which ordered 15 extra copies for the James meeting; Fresno, Cal. BUT, there have also been some decreases, as well as danger of complete elimination in a few cases for non-payment of bills: these are first being taken up for possible adjustment and specific reference is for the present omitted from this column.
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New Agents: John Tabor, Boston, replacing J. Quinn. Comrade Tabor is hopeful of achieving subscription results soon. John Margo, Los Angeles, replacing John Murphy, now engaged in other party work. A.K., Toronto, replacing G.K. engaged in task of starting Canadian paper. Otto Kiefer, Columbus, in place of C. Raven. Harvey Dawes, Youngstown, in place of Morris Slavin. Nicholas Omologin, Washington, D.C.; A.J. Mounjie, Toledo, replacing Doris Cooper.
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