The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-12-11
A SOVIET VILLAGE ELECTION

THE voting on district director
L Strunin furnishes a striking
lesson on the character of Soviet
elections. In capitalist countries if
railwayman or a government en-
ployee comes out in favor of any,
one else but the government can
didateS, it is a matter that is
fraught with great personal danger
for them. In the capitalist coun-
tries where the laboring masses are
materially dependent upon the
bourgeoisie, this dependence is util-
lied by the capitalists and their
parties during elections. In the
Soviet elections, this material de-
pendence upon the capitalists or
upon the people who are put for
ward by them is completely lacking.
But besides that there is also some
thing entirely different at issue
here.
! People are not only elected in the
Soviet elections. The electors fully
express their opinion of the candi-
dates, critically throw light upon
their personalities from all sides.
They at all times have the right to
withdraw the mandate from an
elected candidate even in the period
between elections.
Besides that, an elected member
of the Soviet cannot do as he likes
cannot act according to his own
sweet will. He has not the poss-
Utility of promising something to
the electors, and then, after being
elected, doing something entirely
different than what he had prom
iSed. He doesn't have to promise
anything at ALL For the electors
give him strict election instructions
to which he must adhere if he does
not want to lose his mandate. Every
elector has the right, even though
he was not elected, to ALSO CO.
| OPERATE AFTER THE ELEC-
TIONS, with the approval of his
fellow-workers, or his collective
farm, and if he does help along
in the work, he also has the right
10 TAKE PART IN MAKING DE-
CISIONS on the affairs of the
Soviet.
The act of electing is itself bu
the beginning of the political &C.
tivity not only of those who have
been elected but also of the electors
themselves. Besides the 10 elected
members of the Soviet there are ir
in Gulinsly an additional 70 col
lectiVe peasants, workers on Soviet
farms and individual peasants
among them 48 women-who alsC
make use of their right to daily
help in the work and to make de.
cisions on Soviet matters. InSo
far as they are members of col
lective farm or workers on a Sovie
! farm they periodically report be-
fore the peasants of their collectiv,
farm or before the workers of tn,
Soviet farm regarding their activit,
as volunteer members of the de
partments of the Soviet, and tax,
instructions from them.
, Where in the whole world cal
agricultural laborers do what tn
men and women agricultural la
, borers can de in Gulinsky? The,
can, without mourning the slightes
unpleasantness on that account
openly recount their directors mis-
takes to his face, in the election
meeting, and say to him: I'VE d
!, not need you in the Soviet Ate
, all, they are the rulers.
, WHEN the election of the deputie
) W was over, and the list of tn
: elected was announced, the electio
5 meeting proceeded to consider th
| so-called election instructions of tn
/, electors. The election instruction
l of the previous election mainly re
volved around economic question