The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-06-03

WORKS ana factories, as well as many
villages, organized a lively compe-
tition for the most successful cleo
ton campaign. The Leningrad dis
tricts competed with those of Mos
cow. The Moscow working class dis
trict "Krasnaya Pressnya" entered
into competition with the whole town
of Charkov, and so on. Delegations
were exchanged between the towns
or districts or factories competing
experiences were examined, advice
given, and, in general, the perspec-
tive and political understanding of
the mass tremendously broadened.
The elections were preceded by a
reporting campaign, in which the So
Wet delegates reported to their con-
stituents in the factories and vii
lagos. Of course the attendance at
these reporting meetings is an in
dex of the degree to which the
masses are involved in the state
administration and their initiative
aroused. This year the reporting
campaign was highly successful,
much more than last year. In the
Moscow district, for example, the
percentage participation in the cleo
ton assemblies nearly doubled since
last year. In 1927, 81 per cent of
the electors appeared at the report
ing meetings--but this year some
10 per cent. If we take workers
alone, the figure rises to rs per
cent and even reaches IS per cent as
far as the metal workers are con-
cerned. In the Moscow district about
twenty thousand workers took the
floor in these reporting meetings and
over fifty thousand written and YER
bal questions were asked. These
figures represent an astonishing de-
gree of activization. The reporting
and election meetings were made Of
a sharp proletarian self-criticism.
The work of the individual deputies
was examined very carefully and
critically. Over 100 deputies of the
Moscow Soviet failed to have their
work approved by their constituents
and so were withdrawn. About three
quarters Of the members of the Mos
cow Soviet were elected for the first
time.
The political program presented to
the election meetings by the Com
munist Party of the Soviet Union
was not only accepted unanimously
but was really worked out col
lectively. This is shown by the
tremendous number of amendments
made. Their number is said to
have reached fifty thousand in the
Moscow district, as compared with
the ten thousand of last year.
The participation of the masses in
the elections also reached unpre-
dented figures. In The Moscow dis
trict over IS per cent of the workers
organized in trade unions partici-
rated in the elections las against SO
per cent in 1920, the metal, chemi-
al, textile, and leather workers pass
ing the so per cent mark. II we
discount those who were obliged to
stay away from the election meet
ings for unavoidable reasons (sick-
ness, employment, etc. the per-
centage of trade union workers par
ticipating frequently reached nearly
100 per cent.
The participation of the women
workers was exceptionally high. In
Moscow IS per cent of the female
workers took part and in many fac
tories the percentage of women
workers participating was higher
than among the men. The proper
ton of proletarian housewives was
also high go per cent?.
A little thought about these fig
ures, a little comparison with how
the American workers participate
in the elections and in the govern
ment under our pure" democracy
will teach the workers of this
country their most important les
son-that real democracy for the
workers can only be obtained by a
workers and farmers government, a
proletarian dictatorship.