The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-25
Ninety Million VIII Cast Votes
In Soviet Elections Ne1t Month

Of the Soviet elections, is therefore
the broadest and freest in the
world, with the largest percentage
OF the population involved and
concerned in the campaign.
But the methods Of the campaign
here differ nearly as much from
the campaign now taking place in
capitalist America as the social sys-
TENS of the two countries differ.
Here there is no orgy over cam
paign funds. no colonizing of doubt
full districts by hired voters, no
rushing of spellbinders from one
city to another, no voting of tomb
stones or telephone directories, no
barring of workers candidates on
technicahtieS Of petition filing, no
use of gangsters, no mad scramble
between parties for trumped up is
sues.
Money Doesn't Count
Money doesn't count in the So
Wet elections, campaign funds are
absent-and far from the barring
of workers and farmers candidates,
there are no candidates except
those of the workers and farmers.
American workers are sure to
wonder why there is any need OF
an election campaign at all in the
Soviet Union, if there is only one
class engaged in the election, and
only one Party. They may ask,
what can an election campaign
mean if there is no one to denounce
as a betrayer of the principles
founded by our forefathers, if there
is no hatred for mugwumps, DESERT
ers of their party, If there is no
ruling capitalist class for the work
ers to rally their forces against at
the polls, and no capitalists to seek
by every means from persuasion to
gangster's bullets and kidnapping
to prevent casting ballots for work.
ers' candidates?
If we go further and say that
in the Soviet Union there is not
even any essential difference over
the policies to follow, all being
agreed on the necessity Of socialist
construction, of fulfilling the Sec
ond Five-Year Plan, on the peace
policy of the Soviet Union in in
ternational affairs, and on defense
of the country if war, nevertheless
is launched against it, this feeling
of wonder over the necessity of an
election campaign must rise still
higher.
And when one points out that
most Soviet elections are practi-
cally unanimous, that there is no
severe competition for office, then
indeed. it must seem to the work
ers of capitalist country that an
election in the Soviet Union is an
unnecessary luxury.
Masses Modified
But it is net unnecessary, and
everybody is intensely interested in
it, and especially in the campaign
that precedes it. In word, tbs
DOFlSb tltCGlOll CdiilDdlSll - bllC HE
chanism through which that an
Gent problem, never solved in any
other social system, of the combina-
ton Of democracy with efficiency
of administration, is solved here. II
is also the mechanism through
which the broadest masses are mo-
bilized for active carrying through
of the policies of the Fivs-Yeai
Plan, ETC.. and by which they guar
antee that their elected represen-
tatives in the Soviets and Con-
greszes of Soviets and all govern
ment positions, are aware of tbs
policies of the masses, and capable
of carrying them out.
The main policies were decided or
by discussions within the Commu-
mist Party ranks. and by open meet
ing5 in which non-party and Party
members jointly discussed plans
proposed by the tried and recog-
nized leaders OF the Party. month,
ago. This discussion eliminated