BY MARTÍN KOPPEL
Partisans of the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial have
kicked off a campaign to raise $115,000 by April 26 to
finance these two socialist periodicals. In several cities
they began with public fund-raising meetings on the first
weekend of the drive, February 22-23. Organizers of the
meetings were pleasantly surprised by the good response
from the audience.
In Christchurch, New Zealand, for example, workers and others at the event contributed $1,790, which was "well more than the initial goal of $1,050 that Militant supporters in that city had set themselves," writes Michael Tucker from New Zealand.
Nathan Simms, a leader of the Communist League and of the Young Socialists in Christchurch, addressed the meeting in that city and one the next evening in Auckland. Taking up recent world events, he condemned the stepped-up campaign by Washington, aided by its flunkies in Seoul, against the workers state in northern Korea.
The big-business press was horrified at the sight of tens of thousands of workers pouring into the streets of southern Korea to protest that regime's antilabor laws. They buried the coverage in their inside pages and wished the workers would just go away. In contrast, the Militant hailed their example with front-page coverage. Speaking at the two fund meetings in New Zealand, Matthew Gibson, a member of the Young Socialists in Christchurch, pointed to several more examples of the Militant's truthful reporting of workers' struggles around the world.
Militant supporters also got a favorable response at a February 21 fund-raising meeting in St. Paul, Minnesota. The keynoter was Brock Satter, a member of the National Committee of the Young Socialists, who spoke on "Black Liberation and Socialism: Prospects for Freedom in the 21st Century."
"By the end of the evening $5,200 had been pledged toward a goal of $6,000," reports local Militant loyalist Tom Fiske. What was their secret? "Well, we did a little advance work," Fiske admits. "We talked to a number of people before the event to get them thinking about making a pledge. That paid off."
A little advance work and hosting meetings early in the drive are exactly the kind of ingredients that will lead to a successful Militant Fund campaign. Militant readers in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Cleveland, New York, and Newark, New Jersey, are all projecting public fund events in the first half of March.
The other essential ingredient is regular weekly collection of payments on pledges.
In Chicago, supporters of the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial mailed out an appeal for funds and a notice for their Militant Fund meeting. One of those who came to the February 22 event was a young Latino worker who pledged $10 and offered to help sell the socialist paper to industrial workers at plant gates and elsewhere.
The Chicago meeting drew a crowd to hear Militant editor Naomi Craine speak on "Defend Social Security: Why Clinton and Congress are Determined to Gut Entitlements." Craine discussed several related developments in the class struggle, such as why Europe is again becoming a central arena of conflict among the imperialist powers, and between imperialism and the workers states in central and eastern Europe.
The meeting raised about $5,000 in donations and pledges from the Chicago area, toward a goal of $7,500.
Among those at the event were socialist workers from around the country who are active in the Union of Needletrade, Industrial and Textile Employees, and who were holding a meeting in Chicago that weekend. They adopted pledges totaling $2,000, and discussed raising more money from co-workers.
Likewise, socialists who are active in the United Food and Commercial Workers in the United States have taken a goal for soliciting contributions to the Militant Fund from fellow meatpackers.
The goals taken by these communist industrial workers underscore a key element of the fund campaign: asking for contributions not only from long-term Militant supporters but from people who value the socialist paper yet have never contributed to it before - mainly because they haven't been asked.
Militant readers in New York have taken a multifaceted approach to this challenge. Active supporters of the Socialist Workers Party in the area have taken a goal of $4,500 - $1,530 pledged by themselves and the rest to be raised by approaching another 46 friends of the socialist movement.
Meanwhile, teams of supporters who sell the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial in New York have, in a few days, raised $17 by putting a collection can on their literature tables and soliciting donations. During the just-finished Militant subscription renewal drive, they called subscribers both about renewing their sub and contributing financially to the paper.
Anna Schell reports that one subscriber she called, a retired auto worker from the General Motors plant in Tarrytown, New York, expressed his anger about being "forced out" when the plant permanently shut down in June. He said he wanted to make a contribution to the Militant Fund.
The fund campaign will be intertwined with the seven- week drive to win new subscribers to the socialist press, which starts March 8. Teams selling the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial will meet a wide range of workers, farmers, students, and others who will sign up to become regular readers. Many of them - and others who purchase a copy but don't subscribe - will also gladly make an extra contribution to help finance these papers. Knowing the Militant is financed by working people, not boarders in the Lincoln Bedroom, is exactly what they appreciate about the socialist newspaper.
Readers are urged to send short news reports on the progress of the fund campaign in their area, as well as photos of fund-raising events.
On this page is a list of the local Militant Fund goals. Beginning next week the Militant will publish a chart with the contributions received from each city.
The deadline for counting money received at the Militant business office is every Tuesday at noon.
Supporters of the Militant in New York are coordinating the fund campaign. If you would like to make a contribution please contact them at (718) 399-7257. E-mail (CompuServe): 102064,2642