The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-04-27
By FRED BASSETTs

m April 9th 1882, the mayor, American
" Iegion-Socialist, at the helm Of the Racine
city government created a sensation by resigning
from the socialist party because of dictatorship
from the State Central Committee OF Milwau-
kee" On the next day, the Milwaukee mis-Lead-
err. the socialist party official paper, announced
that Mr.. SWoboda, who had been ushering N
socialism" through peaceful, evolutionary meth
DDS IN Racine had been expelled from the S. P.
because OF conduct unbecoming TO a public Of
fetal" Il quit" says Swoboda. No you don't,
you're firedl" says the s. P. Charges and coun-
ter-charges are being flung between the S. P.
and Swoboda; dark threats of grand jury and
impeachment OF Swoboda are circulated by the
S. P. 1t is significant however that this Juror
was not created until AFTER the elections,
though the S P. certainly didn't find all this out
only recently.
The S. P. now comes forward, lily-white, hav-
ing "Purged it's ranks of anti-working class ele-
nents'-just as it did before in Milwaukee in
the case OF Tom Duncan who went over to the
ProgressiyeS. The maneuyer is essentially the
same on tiny scale, as that of the S. P. in
Great Britain in the Macdonald case-with
Bouma and Christensen of Racine fulfilling the
role OF Henderson, Coleman Hoan and Riot-gun
Al Benson of Milwaukee doing the same; while
Duncan and Swoboda are the pygny MacDon-
aids OF the two "nircale cities"
Was anything done by Swoboda contrary TO
the S. P. policy? No! He acted entirely in line
with the S. P pohcy-and his departure from
the S. P. now is solely to save the face OF the
third party of capitalism before the starving
sped-up workers of Racine and the whole coun-
Try for all Of that The Racine incidents clearly
show the full-blown maturity today Of the S. P.
as Cspitahsrn's third party
First let us see the situation at Racine, that
SS1a f1ack md for a.
cine IS the second largest city in Wisconsin,
large industrial center. The industries are near
" all shut down There Is mass starvation
amongst the unemployed-and mass discomfort
not only among them, but among those still
working Armstrong former mayor of Racine,
is the political boss Of the city, intimately linked
up with the great manufacturers, Case, Horick,
etc
To foreStall the discomfort of the workers, he
inauglrated a relief system that was quite lib
eral compared with that of Milwaukee, for in
stance. But the corruption Of his regime was
so apparent to the workers that his usefulness
to the bosses was wearing out 1t became neces-
sary to supplant his with more clever betrayer.
Swoboda, young Legionnaire, was chosen as the
man Swobods joined the S. p and ran for the
mayors office. He was elected because Arm
strong threw his whole support behind him. These
are facts known to every worker in Wisconsin.
The s. P. Of Wisconsin thus stands exposed as
an open dealer with the manufacturers political
machine
Was the State Central Committee unconscious
OF the fact that Swoboda was connected with one
OF the most corrupt political machines in the
State? Why, then. did IL cooperate with it to
get Swobods elected? Why didn't the State Com
Inittee In 1880 accuse Swoboda of conduct
becoming a public official for allying himself
with n proven racketeer and political machine
man? Answer: Because the State Committee
itself guilty of this same "offense," being
the head OF the bosses third political party.
Swobods's first action on getting In office was
70 appoint citizens committee" to advise him,