The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1932-05-13
Friday, May Is, 1892
TURNING ABRUPTLY TO THE
LEFT" TO FOOL THE MASSES


With the development of the election cam
paign the capitalist demagogs are intensifying
their efforts to mislead the masses into support
of the capitalist parties and In support of the
capitalist system. One of these demagOgs is Tom
Ayres, editor of the Dakota Free Press, Aberdeen,
South Dakota. Ayres tried to get the Republican
nomination for governor. His program included
payment of the soldiers bonus repeal of the 18th
amendment, taxing chain stores cut in public ex-
pendtures, cuts in auto licenses, municipal light
and power plants, hydrO-electric power for South
Dakota from the Missouri river. His motto" for
the primary campaign was Feed the People,
Clothe the People, House the People and Protect
them in their liberties and their property by any
means necessary to that end"
Behind this demagOgy is thOrOgOing support
of the Wall Street Government and of its Hunger
and war program. In the April % issue of his
paper Ayres up his political platform in
brief editorial with the appropriate title "SAVE
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY"
Why must the Republican party be Saved"
in South Dakota? Because cat present the Re
publican party is under cloud locally and ma
tionally." The masses in South Dakota as in the
rest of the country are beginning to realize that
this Republican party like the other capitalist
parties is integral part of the capitalist sys-
tenn, that support of these parties is support of
that system of misery and exploitation.
Ayres tells the leaders of the Republican
party how they can still mislead the masses. at
can emerge from that cloud by turning abruptly
to the left" This is what Ayres did in his plat
form. TURN ABRUPTLY TO THE LEFT" Not
. IN Oloff b,4+ daft
Ayres points out to the Republican leaders that
the 'prOgressives' in other states have been sue
cessful in misleading the masses of workers and
farmers thru cleft turns"
at (the Republican party) must go pro-
gressive. 1t must follow the Wisconsin
lead or be disastrOusly defeated at the next
election.
eff its candidates known progress
ives of militant type, like Norris of Ne
braska and the LaFOlIettes of Wisconsin,
it can endure and carry the state at the
next election in spite of the Democratic
party trend nationally"
Ayres admits by this that the reactionary
part of the Republican party and the progress
ives" part are but the opposite sides of the same
advantage over the admittedly reactionary section
of the Republican party that they can fool the
masses of workers and farmers thru cleft" phras-
es. Ayres points out that the state is as GER
tain to go Democratic at the next election as the
sun is to rise the morning after election" # the
Republican leaders do not cease to court reaction
airy and corporate dictation and become genu-
ineiy progressive"
Ayres' immediate concern is with the feed
bag of political graft For this he thinks the Re-
pIblicans must retain power and pre,enc the
other grafters, the Democrats, from getting their
muzzles into it. The basic concern not only of
Ayres but of all of the "progressives" Is not the
graft fight with the Democratic party but the
campaign to prevent the farm masses from re-
alizing the city workers are beginning to re-
aize that the capitalist parties and capitalist pol
iticians whether they call themselves Republican
Democrat, Socialist, Farmer-Labor, Nonpartisan
Progressive" or any other name, are only the
fingers the bloody hand of oppression Of the
capitalist class.
What is being genuinely progressive"
Ayres shows US part of it. "The Republican par
ty has not lost its power for usefulness but i
must show that it intends 10 be useful and hai
some vision beyond the mere acquisition of off
ces or it cannot hoppe to succeed unless it show,
that it is with and for the people who are expect
ed DO vote the ticket" Being genuinely pro
gressive" is in the first place, as in the case O.
Ayres, keeping the masses believing in the openl,
capitalist parties, the Republican and Democra
parties. This must be done by giving the mass
es of farmers and workers some "vision" of some
thing besides office seeking. Ayres attempts t.
do NV