The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-11-09
BY VALENTIN OLBERG.

The very first election results
show that the elections have entailed
a material strengthening of the Left,
but also a strengthening of the
Right. Their gains were at the cost
of the Social Democrats and the
Democratic Centre Party. List Mo-
% of the workers and peasants (the
left-radical trade union list) secured
five seats out of the total hundred.
In RigaS the Left-radical trade union
list recorded $4,000 votes against
10000 at the last elections. The In
dependent Socialists (radical intel
lectuals) will be represented by two
members. There is therefore the
possibility of Left fraction of seven
deputies in the new Diet.
Socialists" Lose.
The Social Democrats experienced
a loss of six mandates and will thus
be represented in the new Diet by
&c instead of 80 deputies. The So
cial-Democrat "Minimalists," a
party allied to the Social Democrats
and commanding four mandates in
the old Diet, will hardly muster a
single deputy. This fraction played
rather an important role in the old
Diet, since it~connected the Social
Democrats with the Democratic Cen
ire Party. It's leader, SKUNK, acted
as prime minister in the government
Of the Left in Latvia. The Demo-
cratic Centre Party has retained its
three mandates. The Peasants
Union, the biggest bourgeois party
of Latvia Organization of the big
farmers) will again be represented
by 16 deputies. The fascist groups
(house-holders, National Centre
Party, etc. record an accretion of
six mandates, i.e., from 13 to 10.
The elections took place at time
characterized by an extraordinary
accumulation of class differences.
The bourgeoisie had done all in its
power to be sure of having an obedi-
ent tool in the new Diet. List No. %
was only admitted in three of the
existing five constituencies. Terror
ism ragged pitilessly. The press or
gans of the revolutionary working
class were Systematically suppress
ed. The publications, "Young Guard"
and "Our Fight" were confiscated
The election appeals were arnulled.
Numerous arrests were made and
many houses were searched. On the
eve of the elections, the well-knowr
writer and poet, Linard Laizen, the
chief candidate of List No. %, was
arrested. The police prevented all
agitation for List No. %. And yet
the revolutionary working class Sc
cured five seats.
The discomfort among the broad
masses of the population is very
great. For the last two years agri-
culture has been passing through
a serious crisis, by which the weak
industry of Latvia was also affected.
The bourgeoisie and the big farm
ers renewed their attacks on the
working class. According to state
ment made by Vishnias, the leader
of the Social Democratic trade
unions, the average wages paid in
the textile and match industries is
25 lats. The minimum required to
keep body and soul together is, how
ever, 287s lats. The eight-hour day
exists only in theory; in reality II
or IA hours work are done daily.
Communists Gain.
The discomfort and the activity of
broad masses of workers have con-
stantly been increasing since Deem
Der 1927. One strike follows the
other. In the summer of this year
the Left trade unions succeeded in
forcing wage increase of from 10
to Is per cent. The bourgeoisie re-
piled with reprisals and the Left
trade unions were dissolved. AS
protest, the revolutionary workers
instituted a general strike on August
22nd. The Social Democrats looked
upon the general strike as an act of
Communist provocation." They still
speak Of the Sacrifices" made by
the poor police" 1t is obvious that
if rs per cent Of the police force are
members of the Social Democratic
trade union, the Social Democrats
were not in position to proclaim
strike.
Besides this, they denounce the
Left workers as Communists. When
a few days ago, on the occasion of
the trial of the editors Of the Left
publications before the Riga court
martial, the public prosecutor asked
the Police Sergeant Stieglitz how
he knew that the Left workers were
Communists, the official in question
professed to be in possession of
ample evidence, including a conf
Dental circular of the Social Demo-
cratic Party leaders addressed to the
local organizations and plainly stat
ing that the Left trade unions con-
stitute Communist organization.
The prestige of the Social Demo-