The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-09-11
WORKERS EAGER
TOPUT NAMES ON
W. P. PETITIONS
Foster Popular Among
the Toilers
By Ex.coLLEoE STUDENT.


One hour every day, for the six
months / spent in capitalist universe
ties, l sat with group in political
Science," discussing the matter of vot-
mg requirements.
Learnedly, philosophically, in the
most approved college manner, we
would sit tossing back and forth, back
hnd forth, the empty axiOms, the pre-
posterous onclusions-based, all of
them. on the tremendous sophistry OF
democratic government"
Wise Nonsense.
We discussed the matter of resi-
Hence requirements. as it justifiable
that mere tramps, who understood
nothing Of the political philosophy of
khe country, should be allowed to
Eote?" 'eWhat is the fundamental
Adea back Of the literacy tests, Of the
Registration laws?" All these things
hnd many others we talked of-never
Ionce questioning the system of which
khese things were but the painfully
Insignificant details.
recalled that course in political
Ecience" last Thursday evening. l had
been ordered out by the South Side
branch of the party to gather sigma
lures for the Communist nomination
petitions. Within half an hour l I'M
derstood, as l had never understood
before, the reasons for all the hun
kireds of petty regulations that hem in
hhe prospective voter.
Little TeehnIcallties.
For in the working-class district,
Edid not obtain the signatures of more
khan half of the people to whom
applied. Yet all these people were
tremendously enthusiastic over the
program and the candidates which the
WORKERS Party had to offer.
An eager workman would pick up
his pencil to help nominate William
2. Foster. Then it would be discov-
cred that he had lived in the district
but sixty days-thirty days short OF
the ninety which the requires. But
what is the residence requirement
except another form of the property
requirements? The middle classes
who have property, are likely to stay
nut both physically and politically.
The tramps who move all over the
country, it has been found, often gath
or new and strange ideas. Suppose
they were to bring them to the polls!
He Gets Pumped.
MIST Of the people who were will
ing. but unable, to sign the petitions,
were disabled for one Of two reasons.
A great many Of them were not citi-
zens. Remember that seven long
wears must pass before an immigrant
can become a citizen-seven years
during which he is pumped full OF
propaganda in favor Of the existing
capitalist system. For immigrants Of
ten have queer notions, too-and they
may acquire still queerer notions dur
ing the DAYS when they are starving
and freezing in their effort to adjust
themselves to this strange industrial
system.
Choice of Evils.
Then there were many workingmen
who last year, in the absence Of a.
real working-class candidate for
whom to vote, did the best they could
or thought they were doing the best
thew could-in voting for the capital
list party they assumed to be least
oppressive.
But a worker who found that he
could sign the petitions, after all the
possible and impossible reasons why
he should not be allowed to sign had
been eliminated, did it with hearty
enthusiasm. There was, for instance,
the case Of the man who was apathe-
tic until l spoke of William 2. Foster.
He had heard Of Foster during the
steel strike. Hes the greatest man
in the country" was the verdict. And
he wanted to sign his fathers name
too. for his father was out of town.
managed to stop him, after promising
under oath to return with the petition
in a week.
Foster His Choice.
OF course there were humorous
phases OF the thing, too. There was
the enthusiastic workingman who
signed, then rushed out Of the house
TO get his son, Mickey, who was
"down by the corner grocery" so
that he could sign too. And Mickey
went TO get Grandma, who was out in
the back yard talking to a neighbor.
And so on. There was the house in
which a neighborhood party was go
ing on, and in which I had to form
the group into line in the front par.
lor, and make them sign in orderly
fashion, first one petition, then the
other.
And Of course there were women
who couldn't seem to see that their
signature was as good as their hus-
bands! And there were the work
ingmen who we're disguised with mod
ern politics, and TO whom had to ex-
plain that the Workers Party, too,