The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-03-29

ONACN 1ttQ NantNACAe WIG
dozen chief men in government in
Russia were to die tonight. blown
up in some explosion in the Krem-
lin, the government of Russia would
go on without a break. This is what
the capitalist groups of earth do
not realize, tho the workers of the
world know it very well. There
would be another great funeral in
the Red Square, there would be a
confusion of detail in many govern
ment offices where the organizing
head was gone. But the successors
to these men would step automati-
cally into Office, or be selected by
the appropriate committees, there
would not be even a new election
needed. The form OF government
and all its iaajor policies would be
untouched.
The Communist Party.
The governing power IT. Russia
lies in the Communist Party, Of half
a million men and women. They
continue from year to year to gov
ern one hundred and thirty million
people. Longer than any govern
ment in the world they have held
power. Cabinets and thrones all
over Europe rise and fall, in our
own United States we have the pc
riodic shifting of parties, as accu-
mulating discomfort throws out the
party that is "in," and gives
chance to the party that is "out,"
until il in its turn disillusions the
people, and is replaced by the ever
swinging pendulum of our two-par-
ty system.
The Communist Party of Russia,
ruling by one-party system, does
not worry about accommodating dis
content. 1t has grown stronger year
by year. 1t expects to keep on
growing stronger. 1t makes piars
for five, ten, fifteen, twenty years
ahead, expecting to hold government
for an indefinite period. As far as
observations over a thousand miles
of Russian territory and consi-~
for two years indicate, it has a good
chance of doing so.
How does it keep control? The
answer is not to be found in the
annual elections. Once eacr year
the people of Russia have, theoreti-
calIy, the chance of electing an en-
tirely different government. Eve
from week to week any factory Of
five hundred workers NAV recall and
replace its Representative in the
city soviet, the only body to whfcf
it elects directly. Practically. how
ever, the results are known before
hand. Representatives change. dele
gates are recalled and replaced. but
the control of the Communist Party
goes on.
I visited two elections in Moscow.
They take place not by ballot, but
in open assembly. Any factory or
government department or enter
prise with 1--WE hundred workers is
entitled to one representative in the
city council, the Moscow Soviet.
Elections last for an entire week.
each factory selecting the afternoon
which suits it, holding its election
meeting on factory time, so that
practically all workers attend, hear
ing reports and choosing represen-
tatives.
How They Vote.
I went with the employees of the
Foreign Office to see them vote.
They had less than 500 employees, SO
they combined with the State Bank
and a few little factories to choose
their representatives. They gathered
in a central hall: they sang the In
ternationale and heard reports. A
man from the Communist Party
made the first report, telling what
last years program had been and
how far the government had full.
filed it; what next years plans
were, in city taxes and water sup
ply and municipal repairs, as well
as in national issues. His chief APP
peal lay in pointing out that every
one got more wages this year than
last and had better food, more
clothes, better living. "The rest of
Eurona il growing continually