The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-09-25

parties.
In this straw ballot we have taken
cross section of basic industries in
Chicago. Enough workers have bal
lOtted to disclose some very interest
ing facts and possibilities.
1.-THE drift away from the two old
capitalist parties is apparent further
at least in Chicago industries, that
the workers will not accept Wall
Street Davis and are clearing their
clothes swiftly of Coolidge oil and
silence.
"Our straw ballot, of course, gives
the viewpoint not only of those called
citizens, but of all workers, citizen
and non-citizen, young and old, and
therefore probably is more represent
alive of the views of the workers than
ballot taken only among citizens.
There is very likely greater ele-
ment of radical workers among the
non-voters than the voters.
1.-THE workers are obviously under
the illusion that the LaFollette move
ment is representative of the workers
interests, instead of the contrary be-
ing the case. Yet the fact that La
Toilette, in nearly all of the straw
votes taken in the factories to date,
has beaten Coolidge and Davis, that
in virtually every instance the com.
bined vote Of LaFollette and William
2. Foster, the. Workers (Communist)
Party candidate for president, has ex
ceeded the votes of the two old CAPT.
talist republican and democratic party
candidates.
Most certainly the Communists
cannot link Foster, representing the
Communists, and LaFollette, repre-
senting petit-bourgeois capitalism, to-
gether. 1t is only pointed out since
the workers as yet regard LaFollette
as one concerned for the interests of
the exploited workers. Our problem
is to convince the workers that LaFol-
lette is in fact the workers illusion,
another swamp which the workers
must beware of.
Sees Old Party Weaknesses.
Virtually every type of worker has
been p6iled in the DAILY WORKER
Local Chicago, Workers Party straw
ballot. The weakness of the repub.
lican and democratic parties among
the workers has been apparent. This
by no means shows anything else but
very healthy tendency and compar.
atively rapid development politically
of the workers. Even in the white
collared establishments, such as
Sears-Roebuck mail order house, the
sentiment is surprisingly against the
Old Guard outfits.
But most important and note
worthy is the sometimes startlingly
high vote that William 2. Foster, the
Communist, is receiving. That vote
is more than a protest vote; it is
class conscious vote which refuses &c
be fooled whether by the soothing
simmerings of the Teapot republic
ans; the crude brayings of the demo
cratic jackass or by the false fiirta.
tions. with the workers Of the middle
class, working class hater, LaFollette.
This vote says We want a change
a revolutionary change, one which is
basic and counts; one which elimin-
ates exploitation of the workers and
gives them the ownership and control
of government and industries and
land. Plainly enough, the very large
Foster vote will not be repeated in the
actual vote next November, for the
present Foster vote comes, in part,
from those not eligible to vote under
capitalist restrictions. Nevertheless
irrespective of the vote cast for the
Communist candidate, William z. Eos
ter, the straw ballot indicates a very
marked tendency of'the workers to as.
sert themselves independently poll
tically, and as class conscious workers
aiming for the overthrow Of capitalist
society and its replacement by work.
ers, a Soviet government
1T is well to note how greatly this
straw vote differs from those taken by
the Chicago Tribune and Herald
Examiner, which takes them mainly
at county fairs and conservative sec.
tions, out OF touch with working class
thought and development"
THE CAMPAIGN FUND CAMPAIGN
IA MA ~ -