The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-03-19


4 ordinary scandal is a political
factor Of the first magnitude
The Teapot Dome scandal is not
case of ordinary corruption-it is a
revolutionary factor of paramount
Importance.
Since the world war we have not
witnessed anything so big taking
place as the Teapot Dome scandal.
Since the world war not single DO
litical event has so intensively ocs
cupied and so deeply shaken up the
American nation as the Teapot Dome
scandal William Randolph Hearst,
who Is unqueStionably one of the
greatest experts in judging the psy-
chology of the American masses.
wrote with justification: 'I am ac-
quainted in way with the public
sentiment in all parts of the country
IN which | have papers, and l have
never known the public to be as much
aroused over. anything except war
as it is at present aroused over these
oil scandals. There never has been
such intense feeling and unanimity
of feeling"
Not single people in the world
: had SO great faith in its govern
ment and was SO proud of its govern
mental system as the American peo-
pie. Democratic illusions of the mass
es are everywhere the greatest OBJ
stacle in the way of the proletarian
revolution. But they prove to be in
surmountable obstacles to the revo-
lutionizing of the minds of the work.
ers in the United States, the "classi
cal" country of democracy, which
went forth in the crusade of the
world war, to make the world safe
for democracy.
The cruel searchhght Of Teapot
Dome has now suddenly lit up the
real essance of our democracy. The
masses see now that the sacred shrine
Of American democracy is in reality
the safety-vault of big capital.
1t was the pride of the mass of
American citizens that our country
IS a republic and its head the presi-
dent elected by the people. Teapot
Dome drilled into the minds of the
dismayed and disillusioned masses
that we do indeed have an elected
president, but that at the same time he
has as his masters the various mon
archs of finance capital, the kings of
oil, the sovereigns of Wall street, the
potentates of the steel trust, the
whole dynasty of the Invisible EN-
pire of finance capital The average
American citizen sees today with
panic and dismay that the whole of
American democracy consists of this,
that we have, not only one Kaiser
like imperialist Germany had, but a
whole gallery of kings, czars, kaisers
and emperors. The two-party system
of our political life was always the
most important guarantee of the un.
disturbed rule of the capitalist class
If the masses became dissatisfied with
the Republican Party they turned tc
the Democratic Party. When ths
masses were aroused against this
Democrats, they fiocked to the Re
publicans. Teapot Dome has nov
put sudden end to this nice see-sav
game of American political life
Teapot Dome has compromised pitt
lessly the Republican and Democratic
Parties at once. 1t has shown thu
great masses the essence Of boil
parties. 1t has exposed both old cap
italist parties as being in equal mea
sure the parties Of capitalism.
The Power Of the Ballot.
The American masses had thu
greatest confidence in the magi,
power Of the ballot. Teapot Dom.
showed that regardless of whethel
the masses vote Republican or Demo
crat, politics remain the same poll
tics, dominated by the capitalist trus
magnates and banking powers.
Teapot Dome has shown the aver
age citizens that all administration
are equally in the service of big CAPT
tai. Almost the whole cabinet o.
Wilson was and is hired as employee
Of the powerful oil magnate Doheny
and if one member of Wilson's cab
met was not employed by Doheny i
was because he was in the service o,
L. Cko-1--I