The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-10-27
THE ELECTIONS IN SOUTH
CALIFORNIA

organizatlonal weaknesses are not altogether
with the membership, a great MANY or most
of the mistakes and weaknesses lie with the
Section and District Executive Committees.
First of all the Section Committee failed to
prepare ideologically the membership for this
political campaign. In most units very poor
discussions on the election took place (only a
week before the drive), some units had no dis
cusson to speak of.
second the plan for the drive did not. under
the circumstances work. Legally we had 20
days to collect 10000 signatures, (for south
ern California, meaning, of course Los An
geles). Under such conditions our apparatus
had to be centralized in one or two stations
from which to send out committees Instead
the plan was to give all the initiative to the
units. The units, however proved to be poll
tlcally and organizationaly too weak for such
task, with the result that only 40 per cent
OF the membership participated, more or less,
IN the drive. Furthermore, the units were so
confused that they did not know what to do
first, whether to hold open air and factory
gate meetings or to collect signatures Tin most
cases the comrades who had to collect sigma
lures were responsible for arranging the open
air and factory gate meetings..
Third, we altogether failed to activize our
language and trade union fractions and thus
failed to draw in the unions and fraternal Or
CARNATIONS to support the Party either finan-
cially or organizationally in the election cam
paign
Fourth, the section, due to lack of forces.
could not do anything in the state of Arizona
and in Imperial Valley.
great part of the responsibilities of our
sections poor showing in the election cam
paign goes to the district The district failed
DIV ne and
ance. The district is responsible for starting
the signature drive late. The district failed to
put the Unemployed Insurance Bill on the mi
tiative referendum ballot. This would have
given the whole district three months more
time to mobilize all forces and to bring
our Unemployed Insurance Bill to tens of
thousands of workers in California The dis
trict failed to popularize early enough our
slogan, Boycott Capitalist Primaries-Vote
Communist" Zone day before the primaries the
slogans were received here). This would have
saved thousands of workers from voting in the
primaries for the Progressive" Rolph, and
they would have given their signatures for
our candidates. The district failed to launch
a campaign for the repeal of the Criminal
Syndical Law, in spite of the fact that this
was decided upon at the State Nomination
Convention.
In connection with the Unemployed Insur-
ance Bill we nrst point out that also the
Center failed to instruct the various districts
on time, in whose states the initiative refer
endum law exists to put our bill on the initia-
tive referendum.
Financial Shortcomings.
Financially the election campaign, so far,
was not any more successful than the other
activities. Although the section held many
meetings and several affairs, the income was
very poor. We are far behind in raising our
quota (S250O). Our expenses are almost as
high as our income and therefore we helped
the district very little AS matter of fact.
the money problem has hindered US in many
ways, buying literature, printing leaflets. etc.
Tasks Ahead
1. We must strengthen the units and Party
discipline.
2. We must intensity our agitation amongst
the workers to write the Communist Party in
on their ballots-election day, Nov 4th.
3. We must study the methods used by the
Communist Party of Germany in their last
election campaign.
a. Hold more regularly open air and fac
tory gate meetings.
5. Make serious study of our shortcom-
ings and mistakes in this election campaign
to be able to avoid them in the next election
campaign.
6. To work out plans for drive to put
the Party in this state on the ballot.
z. We must see that units systematically
follow up contacts.
8. Mobilize Party membership for distribu-
ton of Special Campaign Edition of the Daily
Worker.
9. Garry through successfully Red Rallies
on Nov. LIST and 3rd winding up Election Cam
paign.