The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-12-28


only in this but In other districts 50 sEaa& shs
Idea prevalent in the minds Of Gnany Party erenS
rades that election campaigns are not esssrSa4
was strengthened.
9, Very few shop meetings were held, connect
ing the rapidly lowered oonditinos IN tbs shops
with the election campaign The result was that
the workers were reached on the general issues
of the Party, but not through agitstion on the
concrete conditions of the shops in which they
worked
10 The District failed to make revolutionary
use Of the Tatnn1ary graft exposures. This was
an issue by which the whole rotten system OF
capitalist government could have been exposed.
The other parties made good use of this issus,
raising it to the main issue, in a demagogic
manner.
II. We failed concretely to expose the social
ist party. AS in the past, we applied the proper
names to the social fascists, but did not expose
on the basis of concrete acts and facts the treach
cry of the socialist party. It Is not sufficient
to call the S. p the third party Of the capitalists
but to point out concretely how in policy, pro-
gram, and practice, the S. P. is party of CAPT
talism. Nor does it suffice merely to point out
what the socialists do in other parts of the
country Although this material must be used
it must be connected up with the actions of the
S. P, in New York This done late in the
campaign, but it came too late, which indicates
the growing danger of the S. p. which Is being
pushed forward more and more by the bosses
las clearly noted in the capitalist press) as their
third party, to do their work when the workers
are turning to the revolutionary party.
As result of our failure to expose the S. P.
(and some comrades declared that the IS P. is
dead" thereby showing serious underestimation
of the growing role of socia1-fascisn in the
United Statesl, the S. P. was able to make full
use of graft and corruption with especial ef-
feet against the republican Carrington), thereby
gaining the support of many who were made to
believe that this was the main issue.
r. Social demagogy was widespread The
appropriation of relief" by the state legislature
through Roosevelt; the proposed appropriation
by the Board of Estimate, the charity relief cam
paign which began before the elections bolstered
the weakening faith Of many workers in the
capitalist system. Our failure to expose it and
to unnask the socialist party and to take ad-
vantage of the exposure of the republican party,
left the workers only one way to vote-as they
did in England-for the fascist party-Tammany
Hall
49, Thirty-fiVe thousand workers signed the
petitions of the Party-but little effort was made
to reach these workers during the campaign to
rally them for activity. They were not can
them for voting. The Party has not yet learned
the necessity of continual folIow-up as the re-
suits show in all fields.
ID The Party did not have sufficient watch
ers nor were they trained in their rights and
duties. This is a serious weakness, and merely
opens the road for wholesale stealing and terror
by the ruling party and its gangsters
l5 The Tamnany machine and its police and
gangsters feared the Communist Party and the
vote that the workers would poll for it. There
fore gangster1Sm, with the open support of the
police, began early in the morning of Nov g.
Beating up Communist watchers, throwing them
out OF the polling places refusal to allow Ne
groes to act as watchers (until they were forced
to do so by workers delegations), repeating
janrning of the voting machines and of resultant
open wholesale stealing of votes cast for the
Party were some Of the features of boss "democ-
racy," which must be lesson for the Party and
the workers This will grow and the Party must
be prepared.
Is. The Y. G. L. hardly participated in the
campaign, only. holding some street corner meet
lngs and rallies. The failure of the Y.CL in
the election campaign is the responsibility of the
Party The young workers, many of whom can
not vote, cannot yet recognize the importance Of
election campaigns, even less than some Party
members do. The Pioneers were not modified
for activities that they could carry on in the
campaign. 1t is the duty Of the Party to edu-
cate the Y.CL. membership in the meaning OF
elections, so that the young workers, who should
be the most energetic, will be drawn in effec-
lively into the election campaign OF the Party.
II. One of the sorest spots in the election
campaign was the Party press, particularly the
Daily Worker. The Party press should be the
mobiizer and organizer for the Party. It should
reach workers who do not so readily participate
in the activities of the Party. The Party press,
particularly the Daily Worker, which should
have helped to mobilize the Party members and
all workers and should have linked up all the
struggles with the election campaign, failed COM
pletely to Go so. The District, on the other hand
did not furnish sufficient material on the cam
paign, did not collect 1t from the sections and
units The weakness of the press is one of the
most serious shortcomings that must be over
come.
IL. The campaign IN New Jersey suffered from
the same general defects and Shortcomings as
the campaign in New York. The Party succeeded
without great effort in getting ON the ballot, both
for the candidate for governor and in the NUM-
ctpal and county elections which indicated
clearly that the work Of the Party has borne
good results in New Jersey.
Although the State Convention was a good con-
vention and committees we're set UP, these did
not Junction The machinery in the section did
not carry on work and the Election Campaign
was, Isolated from the general work of the sec
ton. In Paterson, in particular, where during
the strike the Election Campaign should have
been brought to the fore, 1t was completely ne
elected and only long after the strike was 1t
brought forward.