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Fourth International, May 1946

Manager’s Column

From Fourth International, May 1946, Vol.7 No.5, p.130.
Transcribed, edited & formatted by Ted Crawford & David Walters in 2008 for ETOL.

As we go to press the FI campaign for 500 new 6-month subscribers is well underway. As the scoreboard shows, we have fulfilled 26 percent of our quota in the first two weeks of the 2-month campaign. The optimistic letters from FI campaign directors in cities from coast to coast testify to the fine spirit in which this campaign is being conducted. These directors feel that the quotas will be met and in many cases exceeded, That this campaign fills a long felt need is also borne out in the letters received with acceptances of quotas. For instance, L. Lynn, Minneapolis Campaign Director, writes:

“We think the idea of an FI sub campaign an excellent one. A number of trial subscribers, who subscribed to The Militant in the past campaigns, have renewed their subscriptions and we believe this will be a good field to work in to get FI subs. We had intended doing this before the campaign was launched and are confident that now it has been put on a campaign basis, we will be able to make even a better showing.”

Here is the scoreboard for the first two weeks of our campaign:

Milwaukee is the first city to obtain not only its quota but to go over the top with 160 percent. Carol Andrews, Milwaukee Campaign Director writes:

“You see that we have gone above the proposed quota and were able to make it within the first week of the campaign.”

Congratulations to Milwaukee on this fine showing! We hope that by the end of the campaign, Milwaukee will reach 200 percent.

Ten of the subs which bring Newark to second place on the scoreboard are $2.50 one year combination subscriptions to The Militant and Fourth International. Jack Reed, Campaign Director, has been featuring our combination offer to FI readers in Newark.

Buffalo has the most fire under it in this campaign, having been challenged by two other cities with a quota of 20. From Youngstown’s Campaign Director Mark Farrell come these words:

“We intend to achieve our quota of 20 and we challenge Buffalo to socialist competition. The terms of the challenge are that we reach our goal of 20 new FI subscribers before they do.”

Of the two steel cities, Buffalo has the lead by one sub. Philadelphia, another 20-quota city, through Campaign Director Herbert Newell, has also challenged Buffalo. So far, Philadelphia, with 45 percent of its quota, is leading in this field. Director Newell is quite confident of keeping the lead. He writes:

“Philadelphia wishes to issue a challenge to any city that has a 20 sub quota. I am especially interested in having a comradely contest with Buffalo.”

L. Lynn, Minneapolis Campaign Director, sent us a copy of the challenge which he sent to San Francisco.

“In the Manager’s Column of the April Fourth International with regard to the subscription campaign, the following appeared: ‘Likewise, Minneapolis and San Francisco will possibly toss down the gauntlet to each other to see which goes over the top first.’

“In order to make it official, we hereby notify you that Minneapolis has decided to issue a challenge to your city in this campaign. Naturally we are very much interested in this campaign and particularly since we have the opportunity to challenge San Francisco. We mean to retain our political prestige which we have always held in the past period, and are going to muster all of our forces – and we have, of course, very great forces to bring into this campaign – in order to come out victorious.

“We want to give you a little advance warning: It will be necessary on your part to muster all of your forces too, first, in an attempt to beat Minneapolis (we know you will try hard) and second, at least not to be shown up too badly.”

Again, the challenged leads the challenger. We haven’t seen Campaign Director Anne Alexander’s answer to Minneapolis, but knowing the past energy of this city in sub getting we expect it will come in the form of a batch of subs.

We would like to see some takers for Akron’s challenge. Milt Alvin writes: “If anyone wants to challenge us, we’ll take them on.” This would apply to Boston, Bayonne, Cleveland, Flint or Toledo, each with a similar quota of 10.

Here are some extracts from letters which have accompanied subs:

Los Angeles, Al Lynn, Campaign Director:

“I am quite sure that we will easily go over the quota of 60 for Los Angeles and I enclose the first two with this letter.”

Chicago, Clara Kaye:

“We find selling these subs relatively easy, inasmuch as most people read the FI and buy it monthly and just never got around to subscribing for any period of time.”

San Francisco, Anne Alexander:

“Enclosed is $8.50 for six subs: two 6 month, one a year and three combinations. This brings our total subs to eight; 32 per cent of our quota. It is a fair percentage, I think, after only two weeks of the campaign.”

Pittsburgh, Ruth Massey:

“Our decision is to up our quota from 5 to 15. We are all in complete agreement with the motivation of the campaign. I know you will be glad to hear that we have 50 percent of our quota right now (these not yet received, so not shown on scoreboard – Bus. Mgr.). We too feel that it’s ‘in the bag.’ And of course we are sending out our challenge to cities who think they can beat us. I mean those cities with same quota as we have accepted, 15.”

Although Pittsburgh has the only quota of 15, this city has been challenged by Connecticut in the following terms:

“Connecticut wishes to raise its quota from 5 to 10. We welcome socialist competition from any city that wants to take us on. How’s about it, Pittsburgh?” B. Singer, Campaign Director.

Agents in cities where no quota was assigned have been sending us new 6-month subs. Joyce Hesser, Portland, writes:

“We see that we have no quota in the FI subscription campaign. Nevertheless we will do our best to send in some subs. We have some contacts who are good possibilities. We would like to challenge any other city without a quota.”

Baltimore has taken a quota of five subs, but we feel this city should accept Portland’s challenge.

 
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Last updated on 9.2.2009