The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-09-25

w II J1OuSc.
r. ]. O'Flahcrty Because OF the
concentration of
wealth in this state the New York
election campaign mas tremendous
Significance.
THE democratic and republican
parties are starting out from
scratch, SO to speak, in the state
campaign. Both are saddled with
handicaps. The democrats have to
wear gas masks going into battle
on account Of The Queens sewer
scandal and the republicans have
Mrs. Knapp, the embezzler of state
funds, wrapped around their necks
as the Old Man Of the Sea was
wrapped around Sinbad the Sailor.
"fou are bigger crooks than we are,
Gungha Dhin," will be The war cry
Of both parties.
THE capitalists are divided over
the republican and democratic
candidates. They can afford this
luxury because whoever is elected
will serve them Loyalty and well.
The workers are also divided,
though, no matter which party wins.
the workers will lose. The party
of Al Smith will order the police
and state militia to break strikes,
arrest strikers and put their lead
ers in Jail. The party of Herbert
Hoover will do the same thing.
TIE republican politicians tell the
workers that victory for the G.
O. P. candidate will mean a full
dinner pail, prosperity and home
brew. The democratic politicians
tell the workers that the election
of the jackass candidate will mean
the first two blessings and open
beer stubes openly arrived at. The
Catholic worker will be told that he
should vote for "one of his own,"
though the democratic ticket is in
Tested with Methodists and Presby-
terians The Protestant worker will
be told to vote against the demo-
cratic party and the pope, though
there are more Catholics running on
the G. o. P. ticket than there are
fleas on California pup.
MANY workers whose faith in both
\" parties has been shaken say
that they will vote for one or the
other parties as choice of evils. :.
They would vote the Communist =
ticket, but they don't like the idea of e
throwing their vote away" To .
those workers, we say that it is
bad enough to vote for the losing
candidate, but that it is a darned
sight worse to have the sin Of vot-
ing for the winning capitalist can
didate on their souls. What would
a worker think of the chattel slave -.
who helped his master fasten the
shackels of slavery on his limbs?
He would think that he deserved
several kicks on the posterior in adj
dition to his chains. But, compared
to the wage slave who votes for a
capitalist candidate, the chattel
slave was paragon of wisdom. The
chattel slave was at least guaran-
teed food, clothing and shelter,
whether he worked or not. The
modern slave is certain of nothing
but death.
THE colored workers in New York
state are asked to vote either for
the republican party, which sees
their people lynched in certain states
without protest, or for the demo-,
cratic party, that iynches them. Il.
Some Negro leaders. whose palmsi1
have felt the soothing touch of john ~
J. Raskob's coin, hail Al Smith as
savior. Al Smith, the leader of the
democratic party, the traditional
party of slavery. Some Negro lead
ers urge the colored voters to cast
their ballots for the G. o. T. cam
didates on the ground that Lincoln
freed them from chattel slavery.
Well, Lincoln is dead 8 helluva long
time and it appears to me that the
Negroes are free to come north and
take chance of starving, or stay
ing in the south and taking chance
on getting lynched.
Tile majority of the leaders of the
! A. F. of l.. are for Smith. They
have good reason to be. They are
part of the Tammany machine in
New York state. They stand to gain
more from democratic victory than
a republican victory. But the re-
publicans know their peanuts ands
will also take care of their labor
leaders. The reactionary bureau-
Gratis of the trade union movement
have as much in common with the
rank and file as the flea has with
the dog. Both are parasites. The
rank and file of the workers must
break with the capitalist parties
end their labor lieutenants and line
up with the Workers (Communist)
Party that fights all the way from
the strike for higher wages and bet
ter working conditions to the strug-
gle for the abolition of the capital