Evening star., 1929-12-01
SOCIALISTS GIRD
FOR BROAD DRIVE
Results in New York Lead
Party to Plan Extensive
Campaign.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

encouraged Dy NOILldl 4LlOlAdS SVVf0
900 votes in the November municipal
election in New York City, the Socialist
party is girding itself for an intensive
national drive in 1880. Its leaders are
proceeding on the theory that what
Manhattan Island says today, the coun.
try at large may be saying tomorrow.
Mr. Thomas got more than twice as
many votes IN the election for mayor
as he received IN the whole State for
President in 1928, when he ran at the
head of the Socialist national ticket.
The results have fired the party with
the belief that, at the next test, there
will be just as heavy a proportionate in
crease in the Nationwide Socialist vote
as there was in Greater New York.
Meet in Buffalo.
Plans for next years membership
campaign, which is to be in the nature
of preparation for the 1882 presidential
election, will be adopted at meeting
of the national executive committee in
Buffalo on December IA and Is. Clar-
ence Senior, Socialist national execu-
tive secretary, announces that in addi-
ton to a systematic effort to secure ad-
herentS to the party. the Socialists will
take an active part in the 1880 congress
sional elections. They are going to make
Representative from Wisconsin the
widow of the late Victor L. Berger Of
Milwaukee. For many years Mr.. Berger
was the only Socialist in Congress. F.
H. La Guardia, recent Republican cam
didate for mayor of New York, once
listed himself in the Congressional Di-
rectory as a Semi-SocialiSt, but Berger
was the one outspoken and avowed
wearer of that party label.
"a
tive committee will meet at Los An
geles. That will be the signal for a
drive throughout the Western regions
of the country. Senior asserts that
there Is not q single section of the
Union from which We do not receive
letters asking US to send organizers to
take advantage of the growing Social
ist sentiment"
Gains Are Claimed.
Returns now available, he says, reveal
substantial Socialist gains in all the
Fan elections. Twenty populous up
State New York cities showed increases
comparable to Thomas amazing run
in Greater New York. Big Socialist
victories were won at Reading, Pa. The
Socialist poll in Ohio cities registered
so per cent increases. In Cleveland
two Socialist candidates for the city
council lost by narrow margins. The
Socialist vote in Virginia, according to
the national committee executive, was
doubled. Senior explains that the
party policy Is to cooperate with local
labor parties. where these exist, but
not to attempt a national coalition at
this time.
On January a national membership
drive will be launched. At present only
$4,000 dues-paying members are on the
National Socialist pertys books. but, as
the New York election indicates, these
figures mean little. At any rate, 1t is
desired to widen the dues-paying ele-
ment as extensively as possible. On
the way to and from the March ex-
ecutive committee meeting in Cali
fornia speaking and organizing tours
will be made. The Northern tier of
another will operate along the Pacific
Coast; q third viii be assigned the
fiddle West and q fourth will take in
the Southwestern and Southern States.
Debs Polled Largest Vote.
To date the high-water mark for the
Socialist vote, nationally, was Eugene
V. Debs, poll of el9,79s for President
in 1920. On the showing Norman
Thomas made in the Novsnber New
York City election. he would probably
far outstrip the total should he head
the Socialist national ticket q second
time in 1882
The Socialists are understood to as
pire eventually to the organization of
something approaching the British La
Dor party. though they have little hope
Of bringing the ofacial American labor
movement" represented by the Fedora
ton Of Labor, into their scheme. They
aim rather at the nalcontent white
FO1iaTn element Uhirh Uyffle mt rOY1 .
stituting the basic strength of the
British Labor party, is the one from
which the bulk of its support now comes.
It includes non-labor inte1lectualS like
Ramsay Macdonald and Philip Snow
den. Just as the American Socialist party
includes non-labor fntellectuals like
Norman Thomas The American So
or later, hope to gain the allegience Of
intellectuals like Prof. John Dewey and
his numerous liberal" following.
American Socialists find vast cause
for optimism about the party's future
as they scan the European political
horizon, especially in Great Britain and
France. They have seen Millerand,
Socialist, become president of the French
republic, and BRAND, Socialist, prime
minister Of France IL times. They see
Ramsay Macdonald. Socialist. premier
of the British empire for the second
time within five years They recall that
Fritz Ebert, Socialist. was the first
president of the German republic, and
that Social Democrats are nowadays
members of successive Berlin govern
mentS Everywhere in the world, the
American Socialists point out. old.time
parties are being obliterated. Why
should Socialists not believe that theil
day viii CONS in the United States
too? they ask