The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-12-21

and ticket was achieved by only a very small
margiR. In practically no case was the drive
for our platform and ticket taken to the men,
bership and the workers in the shops by the
union leaders but only to the top committees
The Lovestoneites in citing the reasons for
the failure of many of our comrades to re-
spond actively in the organization of the cam
paign through fighting in the factories and
mass organizations, say that this failure arises
out of "leftist" attitude towards the election
campaign, namely the attitude that the cleo
ton campaign is not revolutionary method of
struggle. In answer to the Lovestoneites it
must be pointed out that the source of the
failure of many of our comrades in this period
to participate actively in support of the Com
munist platform and ticket rs not due to
leftist appreciation of election campaigns but
is rather due. to an opportunst resistance to
raising the Party banner in mass organizations
and before the workers generally. 1t is in this
way that one can understand the failure of
our language bureaus and our fractions in other
mass organizations to build up the necessary
support for the Communist ticket ande can
didates.
Our Own Awateurishness
The last important shortcoming which it is
necessary to cite here is the amateurishness of
our Partysin the campaign methods that we
employ. | refer especially to the entirely in
adequate and .monotonous leaflets that we is
sue; to the failure to circulate voters list espe-
caly in proletarian sections of the city, to use
the newer methods of propaganda which are
available to us such as moving pictures or at
least stereoptican views; of carrying on our
open air meetings in more modern fashion
with loud. SPEAKERS attached to trucks, etc.
1t should be interesting in this connection to
study not only the methods of the Communist
Parties in other countries but aso. the methods
of the. bourbeois parties in the us.
Positive Sides of the Campaign.
The sharp criticism introduced in this article
may lead some comrades to think that there
were no positive sides to the campaign. This
of course would be entirely untrue. We have
only to cite the. fact that this year our Party
comrades collected more signatures during the
election campaign in one months less time than
last year. And that this signature collection
was carried. through in accompaniment with
serious political agitation such as did not mark
previous campaigns. We can also point to the
fact that several hundred new members joined
the Party during this period. The campaign
open air meetings which were carried through
received in the main splendid response from
the workers who showed tremendous interest
in the issues raised by our Communist Party.
The election campaign Of the Fall of 1880
will be a more important one in certain re-
spects than was this last election campaign.
Through correcting our errors, through elm
mating the shortcomings and strengtheninf
of our Party both ideologcally and organiza-
tionally will be able to achieve that measure
of support for our Communist ticket and plat
form which the workers in growing numbers
are ready to give.