Encyclopedia of Anti-Revisionism On-Line

Documents of the First (Founding) Congress of the Communist Labor Party of the United States of North America


Constitution

Membership

1. Membership in the Party is open to any person in the USNA who does not exploit the labor of others, accepts the Party Program and Constitution, joins a Party organization and works actively in it, carries out the Party decisions, observes Party discipline and pays membership dues.

2. Applicants must be eighteen years old.

3. Applicants must undergo the procedure of admission individually.

4. Applicants must be recommended by two full Party members. The applicant must give his history, background and an honest explanation of his present ties and beliefs. Application is subject to approval by the next higher body.

5. Upon acceptance, the applicant must be assigned to a Party organization and have the constitution reviewed with him by a Party member.

6. Party members are free to withdraw from the Party. The Party organization to which the member belongs will decide the conditions for withdrawal and this will be reviewed by the next higher body.

7. When a Party member is cited for an infraction of any part of the Party Constitution, he is to be given a list of his offenses, and criticized through the highest body he is a member of. Breaches of Party discipline by individual members may be punished by: 1) censure, 2) public censure, 3) removal from committees, 4) removal from all responsible work, and 5) expulsion from the Party.

Duties of Membership

1. To study Marxism-Leninism diligently and strive increasingly to raise the level of their understanding and the understanding of those around them.

2. To be bold in making criticism and self-criticism.

3. To safeguard the Party’s solidarity and consolidate its unity, to faithfully carry out Party policy and decisions and to energetically fulfill the tasks assigned to them by the Party.

4. To serve the interests of the masses of the toilers with all one’s energy, strengthen one’s ties with them, learn from them, listen with open ears and open mind to their wishes and opinions and report these without delay to the Party, and finally to explain Party policy to them.

5. To be constantly vigilant to protect the Party from opportunists, careerists, police agents, and other degenerate elements who might slip into membership.

6. To uphold communist ethics.

Rights of Party Members

All Party members enjoy the following rights:

1. To participate in the free and practical discussion at the Party meetings or in the Party press (internal) on theoretical and practical questions relating to Party policy.

2. To make proposals regarding the Party’s work and give full play to their creative ability in their work.

3. To elect and be elected within the Party.

4. To criticize any Party organization or any functionary at Party meetings.

5. To attend in person when a Party organization decides to take disciplinary action against them or make an appraisal of their character or work.

6. To reserve their opinions or submit them to a leading body of the Party in case they disagree with any Party decision, which in the meanwhile, they must carry out unconditionally.

7. To address any statement, appeal or complaint to any Party organization up to and including the Central Committee.

The basis of the organizational structure is democratic centralism.

A.

1. The Congress, the highest body of the Party, elects the Central Committee, the General Secretary, and the Organizational Secretary, and the Central Committee is to construct the Party and direct its work between Party Congresses.

2. Every candidate must be voted on separately.

3. Every Party member has the right to object to a candidate and criticize a candidate.

4. The voting for all candidates is done by secret ballot.

B.

1. Decisions of the higher bodies are binding on the lower bodies.

C.

1. Reports from leading bodies are made periodically to the membership.

2. Congresses, organizational membership meetings, will be called when needed to decide the direction of the organization according to major developments in the class struggle.

3. Plenary sessions, sessions of the elected officials and leading cadre will be held to discuss major political developments.

4. Lower Party organizations must present periodical reports on their work to the next higher Party organization.

D.

1. The Party acts by strict discipline and subordination of the minority to the majority.