The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-10-10
Why a Local Labor Party?

cess of law" clause of the 14th amend
ment which was struggled by cor
poration lawyer into the constitu-
tional amendment supposed TO safe
guard the rights of the Negro in the
South.
The Central Labor Union.
Again, the natural basis for politi-
cal activity tends to be the local Cen
trial Labor Council in municipal mat
ters and the State Federation of La
Dor in state matters. These bodies
are much closer to the rank and file
particularly the former of them) than
is the executive council and the ma
tional convention of the American
Federation of Labor. Consequently
it is in the Central Labor Council that
the demands of labor for independent
political action first make themselves
felt and most strongly so.
Local Governments as Strike Breakers
The greatest stimulus to the for
nation of a Labor Party is the use
of the courts, police and other gov
eminent agencies as strike breaker.
Yet, except in the basic industries in
big national strikes such as railroad
and coal strikes or the big steel
strike, it is the local or state courts
and the local police or the state con-
stabulary and the local and state
governmental agencies generally that
do the strike breaking. Consequently,
again the first national step of labor
towards independent political action
is aimed at the local government
which is used against him and he
makes demand that a workers gov
eminent be set up in the CITY and
state.
Thus, because of the great extent
of territory of the United States lit
is as if all the countries of Europe
were fused into one), because of the
division into states containing in
dustrlal centers, because of the
diversified nature of the farm in
dustry, because of divergent laws in
each state and the state and local
courts with their injunctions and be-
cause 1t is generally the local police
and the local government rather than
the U. s. army and the national gov
eminent that have been used against
strikers, and because of the doctrine
OF state rights and the innumerable
separate state legislatures, and finally
because the government of the United
States has only recently become a
centralized government and still is
not merely so centralized as are the
governments Of most European coun-
trles-for all these reasons and for
the reason also that local labor coun-
CHS are most responsible to the
needs and desires of the rank and
lille, the natural mode of formation
OF labor party in America is thru
the formation of various local labor
and farmer labor parties. at least in
the states most favorably disposed,
as c preliminary to the formation Of
national labor party.
There are times. however. such &c
the period 1920-1923, when the i'm
petus for national Labor party &c
very much stronger.
The Task Before Us.
This year, however, it is obvious
that no national labor party will be
formed and therefore it is the task
of our districts, according to local
conditions, to make the biggest pos
sible steps forward toward the for
nation Of local labor parties and ths
creation of sentiment for a ma
tional party. There are some states
in which Farmer-Labor Parties al
ready exist and the problem of the
Communist is to strengthen and
broaden them. There are others in
which labor party can be created,
and still others in which a united Ia
Dor ticket, as a first step toward a
labor party, can be set up.
II the various units of the party a.
over the country create the prope
presentations from below, we car
trust the government to create tn
proper conditions from above so thf
in 1923, which is a national pres
dental campaign, National Labor