The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-23
BY LOUIS ARAGON


Translated by Paul Green
NOTE: This is the last of Sc
rieS of articles written by Louis
AragOn, the French revolutionary
poet for L'Humanite, the central
organ of the Communist Party Of
France.-TransIatOr.)
WELL" say the skeptics, what
will the Soviets mean to
France? Shall we be any the hap
pier?" 1t reminds me of an answer
which was given to me at Tcheliab-
kop, in the Urals, by an old miner
who had worked there for the last
NO years, when I asked him if he
Mas happier now: What do you
Aean?" said he. do you know that
We used to work IL hours a day
,nder the Tzar's regime and now
under the Soviet regime we work
only six hours a day?"
AS the bourgeois State is crushed,
j and the true workers democracy
established, the Soviets will reign
everywhere-from the factory to
the government, and they will eff
feet the specialization of the means
Of production and exchange, they
will give the soil to those who till
1t, they will abolish unemployment
and will improve the lot of all toll
ers.
Following the events of February,
1884, the Central Executive Com
mittee of the Communist Party Of
France proclaimed:
1--WE will merciIessIy put an end
to the domination Of the bank
magnates now ruling France.
I'VE will dispossess the capital
lists, without indemnity, of facto-
rieS, banks, real estate and of big
business.
1--WE will introduce social insur-
aEce against all hazards (unem-
ployment, disability, sickness, old
age, aecidentS) for all workers at
the expense of the State. We will
assure and improve the lot of the
old workers, Of the pensioned and
the war victims.
I'VE will combat pitiIessly the
high cost of living. When we are
in power we will put an end to
the underhsnd practices of the
kings of commerce and specula-
ton.
we will install the workers and
poor population of the cities in
the houses Of the rich.
I'VE will reduce to minimum
the cost of rent. gas, water, cleo
tricity, transportation and Of all
public services. in proportion to
the salaries and according to the
class principle"
Is there any one who does not
see that those, who, in the face of
such program, ask: Shall we be
any happier? ask this because they
are happy as they are today, be-
cause they are benef1tting in one
way or another from the under
hand practices of the kings of COM
merce and speculation, because they
have something to lose from the
proposed appropriation?
TURN your eyes toward the Soviet
Union, which has been able to
execute such program, and dare
tell the workers that they would
be just as happy with bosses, carl
cature of true social insurance, with
no clubs, no houses Of rest, no pen
sions, and with unemployment!
This disgrace of capitalism has
disappeared from one-sixth of the
globe, and all the workers know we'll
that it is not vain promise that
they find in the program which our
Central Committee set forth in Feb
ruary:
with the introduction Of the
seven-hour work day. by a close
economic alliance with the Soviet
Union and by the increased pur-
chasing power Of the masses, we
will abolish unemployment.
1--WE will guarantee to the work
ing women, to the toiling youth.
to the foreign born and colonial
workers, equal pay for equal work.
with Bolshevik tenacity we
will apply to all bourgeois do
nothings the principle: He who
does not work, shall not eat!"
well and good" concede the
skeptics, 'the power Of the Soviets,
which is the dictatorship of the pro-
letariat will grant to the workers
many excellent things. But what
about the peasants? What about
the etty-bourgeoisie2 What about
the intellectuals?
They have broad idea of the
dictatorship of the proletariat, but
an incorrect one. Is there anyone
better qualified to answer what the
dictatorship of the proletariat is,
than Lenin? Let lis recall once more
what he said
"The dictatorship of the prole-
tariat," said Lenin, as a peculiar
form of class alliance between the
prclctariat the vanguard of all
those who labor and the various
strata of -proletarian labor
ing masses OF the petty bourgeoi-
sic, small business men, peasants
members of the intclligentsia. ETC.,
or with the majority of these; it