The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-04-23
Shortcomings in Local Elections
in Northern Michigan

made to serve as a lever for the mobilization OF
the population from the influence of bourgeois
parties OF fascism and social fascism" Grom reso-
luton Of ECCI on municipal policy and elections.
February, 1890.
Other serious mistakes are found in the fornu-
lation Of the immediate demands in the election
programs which reveal the shortcomings in the
entire mass movement of farmers in northern
Michigan. For an example we will take the cleo
ton program of the Party in Mass, Mich On
the front page the platform calls Vote Commu-
mist for immediate relief, against foreclosures
and high taxes temphasis mine, and that "the
Communist Party fights for low taxes" Is
this true? Does the Communist Party fight for
low taxes against high taxes? OF course not.
The Communist program comes out of the needs
of the workers and farmers. The small farmers
and unemployed workers cannot pay taxes, they
are hungry and starving, they need relief they
face the loss Of their land to the banks since they
are unable to pay their mortgages. Our program,
therefore,. calls for the exemption from payment
of taxes for the small farmers and for immediate
relief. But where will the immediate relief
come from? OF course from raising the taxes on
the mining and lumber companies, on the banks
and on the rich landlords. The Communist Party
insists that the total amount of taxes must be
increased in order to provide cash relief for the
farmers and unemployed workers and establish
other social relief measures. And since the small
farmers cannot pay any, and the middle farmers
cannot pay any more, it naturally must come
from the rich. To deny the demand Of higher
taxes on the rich means to make joke of the
demand for farmers relief and for the exemption
of taxes for the small farmers.
1t is under the general slogan Of "lower taxes"
and economy" that the bourgeosie is nobilizing
its forces through taxpayers associations" and
Taxpayers leagues" in order to counterfeit the
struggle for unemployed relief and insurance
In this the bourgeoisie get the full support of the
rich farmers and often are able to mislead large
sections OF -Well-to-do farmers and worker home
owners. Against this propaganda we must come
out with a class program on taxes exemption OF
taxes for small farmers and unemployed work
ers, home owners, cancellation of delinquent
taxes for small farmers, raise in taxes for the
middle farmers, higher taxes on all lumber and
mining companies, banks and rich landlords in
order to get the funds with which to provide
relief for the small farmers and unemployed
workers and without cutting down on the social
services Schools recreation, etc., This way
we bring a class program on the countryside and
bring in the class struggle between the rich and
poor between the banker and the mortgaged
farmers, between the lumber companies and
emi-proletarian farmers who work in the lumber
camps during the winters. Any other formula
ton means falling into the swamps of bosses
propaganda for the capitalist way out of the
crisis by making the workers and small farmers
bear the burden of the crisis for which the
capitalist system is responsible.
The demand for wage cuts for government en-
,ployees (teachers) represent the same bourgeois
class content. In the Mass Election Program we
read: Twenty per cent reduction in the salaries
of all school officials and teachers receiving over
$3.50 per month; 10 per cent reduction for those
receiving from $500 to $3.50 per month :"
We will not argue about the first part. But since
when does the Communist Party demand cutting
wages of workers (teachers workers-we are
ne talking about off1cials) who receive between
500 to $50? DO we consider that those too
high wages? Of course not We never propose
cutting the wages OF workers, not even OF police
men, even though these policemen club the
workers at street meetings and demonstrations
Here again we find the Mass Election Program
suffers from bourgeois influence. 1t is a part
of the capitalist economy" campaign, of cutting
the wages of workers and employees OF reducing
the length OF school terms, reducing relief to
unemployed reducing the expenditures for parks
(the rich have their own private country clubs,
and generally cutting down on the social services.
And even though the Mass Election Program
states on the front page that "the Communist
Party fights against cutting wages OF work
ers" the definite proposal of cutting the wages
OF teachers getting $4,000 month on the second