The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-29
BY Z. GARDoS


The recent special elections in the list Con-
gressional District Of Wisconsin, called to fill
the vacancy of H A. Cooper, was watched with
great interest in the entire country because OF
the tie in Congress and as a barometer of the
general political situation The election OF the
LaFoIlette candidate Tom Arnlie, little known
country lawyer, through his defeating the influ-
initial Sen. Blanchard, stalwart Republican, at
the primaries, shows the Reputation of Hoover
in this conservative section of the State. At
the same time, the Democratic candidate did
not poll enough votes to get on the regular Party
column following the primaries This elimina-
ton of the Democratic Party as factor, is the
result of the Progressives fulfilling their role
of opposition" in this State
The main lessons for our Party, engaged in
a struggle against socal-demagogy, must come
however from the high vote of the socialist
candidate; the slight increase Of about 40 per
cent in our vote compared to 1880 and finally
from the very low percentage Of total votes
cast, in spite of all the demagogy Of the politi-
clans and the general Importance Of the election.
Comrade John Sikat polled 500 votes, although
we have modified thousands of workers in our
demonstrations and collected within two days
1900 signatures. The socialist Bouma polled
7241 votes carrying the most industrial Racine
".
voters went to the polls on October 10. All
these three facts can only be explained through
a proper study of the basic issue before our
Party in Wisconsin and to lesser extent thru
out the country: the exposure of socia1-dema-
cogy on the basis of concrete issues and the
tieng up of our election campaign with the
struggle for the demands of the working class.
Socialist Party-Third Party of Capitalism
nbar 1,l,ay Tho
half hearted campaign against Zone should
rather say for) Phil LaFolIette Metcalfe,
its candidate for Governor, poled 9o4 votes i'll
the five counties making up the LIST District,
Where does the present great increase come
from? All from the workers?-as the victory
drunk Socialists may try to make one believe.
A great part. one may even say the majority,
from the same source that put VIM. Swoboda
into the office of Mayor in Racine in 1880 1t
is a well known fact, that the staunch fighter
"Comrade" Swoboda got into office, because the
Republican candidate for Mayor, Armstrong
dropped out of the final race and gave his
place and the full support OF his machine to
this socal-fascist
This time, to quote the oct. 10 issue of the
Milwaukee Sentinel. the conservative leaders
in these counties have reasoned that they prefer
to support a Socialist to Mr.. Arlle protest
against tfle Progressive VlCuOty III JIl6
even forecasting that eff all progressives do not
vote on Tuesday, there may be Socialist Con-
gresham from the conservative LIST District, the
only Wisconsin District that sen ia Coolidge
delegate to the 1924 convention"
The capitalist support to the Social-fascists
cannot of course be explained with the struggle
within the Republican Party. 1t comes as the
result of the deepening crisis, which has forced
the bourgeoisie to increasingly open the safety
valve of social-demagogy to prevent the explo-
sion. The Progressives have exposed themselves
time and again with their national and state
record, the workers and poor farmers cannot
be fooled as successfully before with the fight
ing Bob dynasty" the capitalist therefore give
them the Socialism applied Christianity" of
Thomas Benson, Bounna, Swoboda, ct al.-This
main campaign slogan of the S. p. more than
anything else, expresses their role as a dope,
Ike religion, given out by the bosses to fool and
diSarrn the workers.
Police Club and Social Demagogy.
Mr. Otis Bouma did more to get the capital