The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-11-15
Debating the Farm Bloc Leader

Senator George w. Norris of Nebraska,
successor of the late Robert M. LaFollette as
leader of the "progressives' in the United
States senate, was left high and dry by the
votes of his own constituents in his own home
state when he bolted the republican candidate
and began believing up and down the
countryside for Tammany Al. Smith.
While Senator William E. Borah con-
veniently forgot all the rhetorical attacks he
had made upon Herbert Hoover in the days
before the 1928 nominations and tried to con-
vince the farmers that Hoover was their
friend who would rescue them from bank
ruptcy, his liberal and progressive col
league, Senator Norris, devoted his talents
trying to prove that Smith would do all that
Borah claimed for Hoover.
Deeply stung by the failure of his con-
stituents who sent him to the senate to fol-
low his lead into the Tammany camp, the
senator from Nebraska begins to upbraid the
farmers. According to the flamboyant
Norris 'the farmers have themselves decided
that no farm relief is necessary" Never for
a moment would he admit that the farmers
were probably unable to perceive any differ
ence between the programs of Smith and
Hoover and, not goaded to that point of ex-
tremity where they would support the candi-
dates of the one party with a genuine
program for farm relief, the Workers Com
munist) Party, they decided to vote as they
had been accustomed to, and hope for the
best.
What is significant in regards to Norris
and the rest of his insurgents is the COM
plete failure of that group to agree on group
support of any candidate. 1t is significant,
but not surprising, for the simple reason that
Norris and his ilk represent the impotent
middle class, the well-to-do farmers the small
industrialists, the merchant princes of the
prairie towns and Cities in short the petty
bourgeoisie--a class that constantly vacil-
lates in face of any situation requiring action.
The Hoover landslide has rendered the So
called progressive bloc impotent. It's mem
bers will continue to roar and below and
whimper in the cave of the winds at Wash
ington, but their balance of power" is gone.
As if to add insult to his humiliating de-
feat in his own state the republican spokes-
men have already announced that no organi-
rational measures, such as depriving him of
committee appointments upon the reorgani-
cation of the senate, will be taken against
Norris. He, like the class he serves, is so
luCllS IlIdI TIC 10 IGSdIu WIFI dIluSeO LOlel-
ance rather than fear.
Norris and his crew are also tolerated be-
cause they are most valuable servants of the
big bankers and industrialsts whom they
cavail against, inasmuch as they persistently
SOW the most vicious illusions among the
masses of workers and farmers For in
stance at this particular time, when the
United States imperialist powers are pre-
pairing for new world war, it is the par
ticular role of Norris, Shipstead, Brookhart
and their ilk to create the illusion that mere
parliamentary verbiage can avert such
catastrophe. 1t is the task of such people to
horn in on labor struggles under the guise of
conducting senatorial investigation" and
pave the way for sell-out under the guise
of arbitration" when the employers are on
the verge of being forced to yield to the
workers demands-as was the case of the
Pennsylvania Ohio mine struggle
Workers and farmers should refuse to be
deceived by such agents of capitalism as the
liberal politicians and should affiliate with
the one party that represents the interests
of the class victims of imperialism-the
Workers (CommunisD Party.