The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-09-26
Democracy in Nebraska

Nebraska, the stamping ground OF middle
class liberalism as expounded by the surviv-
ais of Bryanism in the democratic party and
exempified by United States Senator Norris
of the republican party, is the scene of the
latest attempt to prevent the workers and
farmers voting for candidates Of the Work
ers (Communist) Party.
In Nebraska the Workers Communist
Party is officially on the ballot, having COM
piled with all the legal technicalities required
in that state. The campaign was being ag-
excessively conducted in a number OF places
and preparations were on foot to cover the
entire state, when that aggregation of strike
breakers. scab-herders and emulators of
fascism, the American Legion, began coun-
ter-campaign Since the Party was already
on the ballot it was necessary to devise some
new procedure in order to prevent. the names
of the Communist candidates appearing on
the official ballot in the November election
So the secretary of state came to the rescue
of the assalants of the Communists At
this moment he is conducting hearings at
which Legion lawyers, politicians and pro-
fessional red-baiters are trying to lay the
basis for the exclusion of the Party in the
elections Thus we see to what extent the
defenders of the fraud that is known as
American democracy respect their own laws.
Election laws are primarily devised to pre-
vent parties opposed to the powers-that-be
going on the ballot All sorts of provisions
are made so that it requires a great deal of
labor to get on the ballot. Then, after all
these provisions are complied with we see
the upholders of claw and order" hypocriti-
cally throwing off their mask of democracy
and coming forth openly as tools Of the CAPT.
talist class dictatorship.
Nebraska is only the latest of series of
such assaults. Under different forms and
through different agencies the same sort of
despotism exists in number of places-par-
ticularly Wheeling, West Virginia, and Mar
tins Ferry, Ohio, two towns in the domain of
coal and steel
Thus far not single public official of Ne
braska has taken stand against the Legion
and the action of the secretary of state.
George w. Norris, one of the leaders of the
so-called liberals in the United States senate,
has time to indulge in lavish praise of the
Wall Street Tammany clown, Governor Al
Smith, but he has uttered no word of con-
demnation against his own political pals who
are endeavoring to deprive the thoughtful
voters of Nebraska of an opportunity to vote
for the Workers (Communist) Party.
Norris, by his attitude toward this case
only emphasizes the fact that the so-called
liberals are among the very worst tools of
reaction.
The Nebraska case is of national signifi-
canoe. In the most decisive manner the
workers and farmers of the state should
register their protest against such high
handed methods. In no uncertain terms they
should show the miserable political shyster
who functions as secretary of state that he
and the legion cannot get away with their
conspiracy.
Such actions are justification for the Com
munist position that the ruling class will
never surrender power by peaceful, legal
means. The capitalist laws are observed
only so long as they serve as weapons against
the working class and the oppressed and ex-
plotted farmers If Nebraska takes such ac-
ton in this campaign, what can be expected
from the ruling class and its fraudulent
democracy when hundreds of thousands and
millions enlist under the banner of Commu-
nism? Their acts today are only an indca-
ton of their policy tomorrow
But we know how to meet such opposition.
We are under no illusions regarding capital
list government and capitalist democracy. AS
Leninists we use any weapons at hand
against our class enemies. Today when we
have ballots in our hands we use them in the
interest of our class. Tomorrow when the
imperialist war-mongers have hurled us into
another war and placed other weapons in
our hands we will use them also--in the in
terest of our class in order to scourge from
the earth every vestige of capitalist despo-
E-m.