Young Worker - Contents by Issue (1922 until 1936)

(1922 to 1936)

Young Worker Was the organ of the Young Workers League of America (YWL), established in 1922. As was the case with the corresponding adult organization, the communist party, the “legal” YWL had a much easier time establishing itself. At the small cost of eliminating a few ill considered ultra-revolutionary phrases from its literature, the YWL was able to meet in the open, to advertise its events, and to distribute its newspapers, leaflets, and pamphlets with only minimal interference from the legal authorities. Consequently, it was able to attract a steady stream of new devotees to the cause — although, as was the case with the adult party, retention of its new recruits always remained problematic.

The YWL was also bolstered, as was its adult counterpart, by the addition of a new mass of members coming into the organization from the Finnish Socialist Federation — the largest foreign language federation of the Socialist Party, which had been biding its time as an independent organization since 1921, waiting for an end to the ineffectual underground form of organization. In the middle 1920s, the Workers Party Of America was approximately 40% Finnish-American — and its youth section was no exception to this trend.

The founding convention of the YWL was held in Brooklyn, new york from may 13 to 15, 1922, held appropriately enough at Finnish Socialist Hall. Oliver Carlson delivered the keynote speech to the 30 regular and 5 fraternal delegates. Carlson claimed a presence for the nascent YWL in 46 cities and a membership of “at the very least,” 2200. The convention approved a manifesto, program, constitution, and various resolutions. Membership in the organization was said to be open to “all proletarians” between the ages of 14 and 30.

The basic unit of organization of the YWL was the “branch,” consisting of not less than 5 nor more than 150 members. Two or more branches in a single large city were to form a “city central committee” to coordinate their activities, and all units were to be part of the regular array of districts used by the adult party. The initiation fee was 25 cents and dues 25 cents per month, with all initiation fees and 10 cents of every month’s dues going to support the national office.[4]

The organization was governed by a national executive committee of 7, of whom at least 5 were to live in a single locale. Chicago was set as the headquarters city for the organization, a change from the group’s provisional base of operations in new york. Martin abern was elected as national secretary of the organization, oliver carlson was named as editor, and the pair were joined on the nec by business manager harry gannes, treasurer gus schulenberg, and future fixture of the 1930s american radical movement herbert zam.

The name of the youth league ultimately followed the name of the adult party, becoming the Young Workers (Communist) League in 1926 when the Workers Party became the “Workers (Communist) Party” and to the Young Communist League, USA in 1929 when the adult party became the “Communist Party, USA.”

—Taken From Wikipedia

A note on techniques is available here.
a read me page on important issues surrounding this collection of the Young Worker Here.

Admin note: The work of this archive was the result of labor by Marty Goodman of the Riazanov Library Project. For more on the Riazanov Library Project click here. Additionally the user of thse files should be aware these are optimized scans, with 1/10 the file size of the original full resoultion scans, and that full resolution scans can be obtained from the Riazanov Library Project. The optimized scans are optimized for reading online. note the 1922 and 1923 scans are not optimized, nor should they be, for they are higher quality in all respects, from higher quality originals.

Most of these scans of Young Worker were made from the Greenwood Press reprint of this periodical. But some I managed to scan from original issues. In some cases, issues held by Holt Labor Library. But two or three of the full color (that is, showing use of red ink in the artwork) scans of covers in the 1923 issues are available here thanks to the exceptional kindness and generosity of Lorne Bair. Lorne is one of the three or four most prominent sellers of collectible leftist vintage printed material, via his company Lorne Bair Rare Books. He mentioned to me he had a private collection of early Young Communist issues. When I told him I was making a digital archive of that publication, and would really like to scan original covers of such that employed red ink (Greenwood Reprints are done only in black and white), he kindly mailed me his priceless and irreplaceable (and fragile and brittle) collection, so that I could scan it and return it to him. All who now can see the lovely use of red ink on some of these covers owe Lorne a debt of gratitude.

Martin Goodman for the Riazanov Library digital archive project.

Presentation and layout of The Young Worker below is by David Walters

Volume 1, No. 1, [February 1922]
Young Worker
Official Organ of the Young Workers League.
Published Monthly by the Young Workers League of New York. 799 Broadway, New York.

Editors and Associate Editors:

Desciption: Graphic pdf of the 1st Issue of Young Worker, Edited By Stanley B. Wilson and Chester M. Wright. Key Contents: “Editorial: Our Paper &A#8212; Your Paper.” “Editorial: A national Young Workers’ League.” “Editorial: International Liebknecht Day.” “Editorial: Reaching The Youth.” A. Wanderer: “Some Young Communists of Europe.” E. Elston: “The Task Before Us.” G.: “To The Proletarian Students of America.” E. Elston: “399 B.C. — 1922 A.D.” “Revolutionary Young Workers’ Movement In The United States” (Resolution of 1st national Convention of WPA, Dec. 1921). “Manifesto of the Second Congress of the Young Communist International.” “World of Youth: news of What The Young Revolutionists Are Doing.” “The Bourgeois Press.” “Think Economically!”

Volume 1, No. 2 [March-April 1922]
Young Worker
Official Organ of the Young Workers League.
Published Monthly by the Young Workers League of New York. 799 Broadway, New York.

Max Shachtman Editors and Associate Editors:

Desciption: Graphic pdf of the Second Issue of the Official Organ of the newly Established Young Workers League of America, Formerly Youth. Contents: Max Shachtman: “Editorial: Our national Organ.” Max Shachtman: “Editorial: International of Youth.” Max Shachtman: “Editorial: To Work!” Harry Gannes: “They Do The Dirty Work.” “The Morals of the Movies: A Review of the Arbuckle Case.” Ernest Todd: “Spring” (Poem). nat Kaminsky: “A Page of Class Struggle” (Albany Streetcar Strike). Oliver Carlson: “The League In Action.” “Manifesto and Program (Tentative Draft): Submitted by the national Organization Committee of the YWL.” “Constitution: Tentative Draft. Basis For Organizing Branches of the YWL.” “Greetings From The Young Communist International.” “Spread The Message.” “Convention Call.”

Volume 1, No. 3 [May 1922]
Young Worker
Official Organ of the Young Workers League.
Published Monthly by the Young Workers League. Rm. 403, 799 Broadway, New York.

Editors and Associate Editors: Max Shachtman

Desciption: Graphic pdf of the Third Issue of the Official Organ of the newly Established Young Workers League of America, Formerly Youth. Contents: “A United Front of Juvenile Labor In Denmark.” “Editorial: May Day Has Come.” “Editorial: “The Young Workers League Convention.” “Editorial: Genoa — Another Broken Rung.” Rose Pastor Stokes: “Two Sketches.” W. Schneiderman: “The Awakening.” Tony Wishtart: “Montani Semper Liberi: The Freedom of the West Virginia Working-Class.” Oliver Carlson: “What Means This Independence.” August Valentine: “news From The West Virginia Mining District.” “The Fight Against The Pauperization of the Working Youth: Open Letter of the Yci.” H. Seligson and E. Elston: “Appeal For Revolutionary Unity.” “When You and I Were Young, Maggie...” Harry Gannes: “Can Students Be Revolutionary?” “Class War Prisoners.” S. Max Kitzes: “Clarity and Action” (Poem). Oliver Carlson: “In Memory of the Paris Commune: Speech On The 51st Anniversary of the Paris Commune At The Central Opera House, March 18, 1922, New York City.” “Resolution of the New York Young Workers League Transfering The Young Worker To national Organization.” “Agenda For The First national Convention of The Young Workers League of America.” W.W.E.: “The Red Dawn” (Poem). “Where The YWL Exists.” “‘We’Re Going Over.’” “What Others Think of Us.” “The Famine Scouts.” Friends of Soviet Russia: “One Loaf Or A Thousand” (Full Page Ad).

Volume 1, No. 4 [June-July 1922]
Young Worker
Official Organ of the Young Workers League.
Published Monthly by the Young Workers League 1145 Blue Island Ave., Chicago, Ill.

Editors and Associate Editors: Oliver Carlson, Editor, H. Gannes, Business Manager, M. Abert, Sec'y of YWL, G. A. Shculenberg, Treasurer, YWL

Desciption: Graphic pdf of the Third Issue of the Official Organ of the newly Established Young Workers League of America, Formerly Youth. Contents: Graphic pdf of the Fourth Issue of the Official Organ of the newly Established Young Workers League of America, Formerly Youth. Contents: C. Revilo: “Song of Youth” (Poem). “The Dawn’s In The East.” Oliver Carlson: “Editorial: Our League Established.” Oliver Carlson: “Editorial: ‘American Freedom.’” Oliver Carlson: “Editorial: Child Labor.” Martin Abern: “Are We Tryng To Break The Unions?” Harry Gannes and William Z. Foster: “The Young Worker and The Unions: An Interview." Oliver Carlson: “Our First national Convention.” Martin Abern: “Who’s Red — and Why?” I. Ginsberg: “Awake, Young Workers!” A. Thorne: “On The Road.” Ernest Todd: “Brains, Brawn and Bone-Heads.” S. Max Kitzes: “Freedom” (Poem). William Haber: “The Role of the Young Workers’ League.” “Our Relations To The Workers Party: Resolution Adopted By First national Convention, YWL of A, May 13Th-15Th, 1922.” Oliver Carlson: “The Road Before Us: A Speech At YWL Convention, May 13Th, 1922, New York City.” Sarnjinni naidu: “Dawn” (Poem). “International Children’s Week.” Hyzam: “A Slip of the Pen.”

Volume 1, No. 5 [Aug.-sept. 1922]
Young Worker
Official Organ of the Young Workers League.
Published Monthly by the Young Workers League 2517 Fullerton Ave., Chicago, Ill.

Editors and Associate Editors: Oliver Carlson

Desciption: Graphic pdf of the Fifth Issue of the Official Organ of the newly Established Young Workers League of America, Formerly Youth. Contents: “news of the Leagues.” “The Day of Youth” (International Youth Day — Sept. 3). Harry Gannes: “Crime and The Working Class Youth.” Martin Abern: “‘Culture,’ Science and Working Class Education.” Leon Trotsky: “Lenin: A Working-Class Leader of the Times.” Oliver Carlson: “national Internationalism.” John G. neihardt: “Cry of the Workers” (Poem). “Young Worker In Press Picnic.” “A Centrist Program.” “Erect Beautiful Prison For The Working Youth.” Ecyci: “A World Congress of Working Youth.” William Schneideman: “The Problem of Education.” Richard Wagner: “The Revolution.” “Urge Establishing of Soviet State In Program of American Section of Young Communist International.” “The Fight In Paris In 1848.” “Child Workers Increase.” “Issue Two Pamphlets of Especial Interest To Young Workers.” “Diseased and needy Children Left In Wake of Capitalism.”

Volume 1, No. 6 [Oct. 1922]
Young Worker
Official Organ of the Young Workers League.
Published Monthly by the Young Workers League 2517 Fullerton Ave., Chicago, Ill.

Editors and Associate Editors:Oliver Carlson

Desciption: Graphic pdf of the Sixth Issue of the Official Organ of the newly Established Young Workers League of America. Contents: “Editorial: On The Right Track.” “Editorial: Back To The Poison Factories.” “Editorial: Injunction and Young Scabs.” “Editorial: Third Congress of the Yci.” Jack Carney: “The Future Is With The Young.” Harry Young: “no More War?” “British Workers Hold Congress” (Young Workers Leaguegb). “Young Workers League Thesis On The Economic Struggle of the Young Workers.” Edgar Hart: “The Basis For Prostitution In Capitalism: Part 1.” Martin Abern: “Into The Fight, Young Workers!: Speech Deliverd At The Labor Lyceum, St. Louis, Mo, On International Youth Day, Sunday, September 3Rd, 1922." “news of the Leagues.” “The Young Workers League and The American Legion.” Katharine Fisher: “Kinfolk” (Poem). nec of the YWL: “The Red Raids: Statement On The Prosecution of Communists and The Present Situation In The United States."

Volume 1, No. 7 [nov. 1922]
Young Worker
Official Organ of the Young Workers League.
Published Monthly by the Young Workers League. 2517 Fullerton Ave., Chicago, Ill.

Editors and Associate Editors: Oliver Carlson

Desciption: Graphic pdf of the Sixth Issue of the Official Organ of the newly Established Young Workers League of America. Contents: Editorial: “‘Corrupting The Youth.’” Editorial: “Is This not Murder!" Oliver Carlson: “Yesterday - Today - Tomorrow.” “A Worker-soldier Writes Us” (Leslie R. Hurt, World War Veterans). Ecyci: “Why A United Front of Young Workers.” Martin Abern and Paul Stevens: “The Young Workers League Is Discovered!” (American Legion). Harry Gannes: “The Working Children of Boston and Vicinity.” “Youth In America’s Industries.” “After The Meeting.” Edgar Hart: “The Basis For Prostitution In Capitalism: Part 2.” George Jean nathan and H.L. Mencken: “Ye Gods! What’s This?” Carol Bristol and Clara Reiseroff: “Seattle Booms” (YWL Poem). “news of the Leagues.” “International news.” Rena Deane: “Hail, Young Workers!” (Poem). Editorial: “necessity — Mother of Invention.” Editorial: “War Clouds Again.” Editorial: “The World Congress.” Editorial: “Five Years Old — Still Going.” “Agenda of The Yci."

Volume 1, No. 8 [Dec. 1922]
Young Worker
Official Organ of the Young Workers League.
Published Monthly by the Young Workers League 2517 Fullerton Ave., Chicago, Ill.

Editors and Associate Editors: Oliver Carlson

Desciption: Graphic pdf of the Sixth Issue of the Official Organ of the newly Established Young Workers League of America. Contents: Editorial: “An American Fascisti.” Editorial: “Ever Present Red Youth.” Editorial: “Orphans of the Working Class.” Clude Bealy: “Youth In America’s Coal Fields.” S.B. Fields: “The Movement — ‘As She Is.’” C. Revilo: “Literature and The Workers’ Movement.” S.B. Fields: “As To Change." John Williamson: “A Word To You.” “news of the Leagues.” “news of the Young Workers’ League of Canada.” Lillian Saffern: “Why I Joined The Young Workers’ League.” Jennie Greenberg: “My Reasons For Joining The Young Workers’ League.” Edgar Hart: “The Basis For Prostitution In Capitalism: Part 3.” M.L.: “‘Once Upon A Time.’” “Reviewing The Ranks."