The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-12-05
Party Lite
Cleveland District
Estimates Results
Of the Elections

election campaign and adopted a
resolution estimating the campaign
and the results of the elections.
Since the Cleveland District con-
Quoted one of the best campaigns
in the country, we are publishing in
this column excerpts from their
resolution.
THE Communist Party vote al
ready reaches 5000 (Which does
not take into consideration invali-
dated ballots or individual higher
candidates in each county, which
would then number nearly 10000
compared with 6,349 in 1882. The
bulk (76 per cent? of the vote comes
from five industrial counties (Cleve-
land, Akron, Cincinnati, Youngs-
town and Toledo. The greatest
gains were made in Cuyahoga Coun-
ty cleveland, where the Commu-
mist Party vote is 1890, compared
with 2,136 at the last gubernatorisl
elections of ~ per cent Of the total
vote in 1894. Other important gains
were made in Akron, youngstown
Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and
Canton. Communist votes were re-
cetved in So out Of the 88 counties,
and it is especially significant that
votes were obtained in a number of
counties where no Party organiza-
ton exists.
ACaa+TAr1C TIYll
tinctly unsatisfactory are Toledo
with 779 votes, compared with 666 in
1892; Belmont and Jefferson coun-
ties Cast Ohio coal fields with
combined vote of 385, compared with
GOT in 1882, and Ashtabula County
with 96 votes, compared with SO two
years ago. Especially unsatisfactory
is Toledo after the Autolite strike
and subsequent unemployed events,
showing the Party did not overcome
its isolation already signalized at
that time, although the working
population is responsive and willing
to struggle. The results in the coal
fields and Ashtabula are reflection
of the state of the Party in these
places.
THE increased vote reflects the
moods of the masses and our gen.
orally increased mass work and in
tensive election campaign in some
sections. The increase in votes in
such places as Cincinnati, Colum-
bus, Canton, where no intensive
election campaign was waged, re-
fleets the tremendous possibilities,
if a campaign had really been con-
Quoted. =.
"An analysis Of our support
among the Negro workers in Cleve-
land shows that, while there is an
increase over the past two elections,
the vote will approximately regain
the level of FEBRUARY, 1882, immedi-
ately following the mass campaign
against the numbering Of Rayford
and Jackson. The insufficient
growth of the Communist vote re-
fleets primarily that few weeks
election campaigning, primarily of
an agitational character in district
which is the heart of the Republican
machine, cannot overcome our basic
all-year- around isolation from the
decisive strata of the Negro workers
or their organization and especially
reflects that we have not made any
serious inroadS in undermining
through exposure and struggle the
betraying Negro councilmen, who
are decisive cogs of the Republican
machine.
1.-THE great discomfort evidenced
in the high level of strike struggles
and the growing activity and pres
tige Of the Party as reflected also
in the election campaign, aided by
the clarifying circumstance that
there were only three parties on the
ballot, Communist, Democratic and
Republican, gave us every objective
advantage for a successful election
campaign.
only in the last weeks of the
campaign was the entire weight of
the Party thrown into the campaign
and even then some out of town sec
tons and some language bureaus of
the District Committee considered
the elections as "just another cam
paign" with consequent neglect. AL
though an election campaign COM
mittee functioned, the Party Blu
reau in the early part Of the cam
paign was not tied up sufficiently
close with it. While this election
campaign was conducted more ener-
getically and with better success
than heretofore, we must recognize
that the campaign was basically
agitational, with some successes If
house meetings. In Cleveland. alone
one-half million pieces of election
literature were issued.
"The outstanding weaknesses Of
the campaign were:
a. insufficient development of
mass struggles during election pc
Rod with the candidates as active
leaders.
b. Weak organizational work
inside the A. F. Of L. unions, Ne
gro churches, other mass organi-
cations and opponent meetings. A
notable exception to this was
Youngstown.
o. Unsatisfactory shop ap-
proach. Few shop gate meetings
and small amount of literature
taken inside. A decline in shop
papers in October. The only out
standing exception to this general
weakness was the New York Cen
trail Railroad.
ID Only a few candidates in
each city conducted real cleo
ton campaign, intensively speak
ing at meetings, visiting workers
in their homes, participating in
struggles, etc.
d Lack Of concreteness in much
pf my 1iforofItro acy1an;oI1,, vii.