The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-25
Party Life
Exposures of Real Records
Of Boss Party Candidates
Urged in Election Campaign

IN our election campaign, 1t is Of
great Importance to expose the
records Of capitalist candidates on
the basis of what measures they
introduced and how they voted on
certain important measures during
their terms in the City, State or
Federal government. Such infor-
nation is easily obtainable by re-
ferring to copies of their bills and
to the legislative journals. 1 made
a search of the record of Irwin
Steingut, member of assembly, New
York State, and found material
which can be used excellently from
platforms and in leaflets and in
certain instances (demagogic bills
such as that for declaring a GRIM
inal offense any anti-radicsl utter
ance) exposure through calls to ac-
ton can be carried through.
The capitalist candidates who
come up for reelection issue dema-
gogic slogans-"Vote for me on my
record"-and they go ahead to say
that they Introduced a bill for I'M
employment Insurance, for relief,
for old age pension, etc. A careful
reading of the bills they intro
duced invariably discloses that they
are often opposite in nature than
their names proclaim, or at any
rate that these bills only begin to
scratch the surface Of necessary
legislation. For instance, Assembly,
man Cohen of the 2Srd proclaimed
his introduction of an anti-injunc-
ton bill which turned out to pro-
vide for notice to the striking work.
ers before the injunction was
handed down. Here, in these bills,
is wealth Of material that we can
use. How shall we get it?
FIRST: Assign a good comrade
1 for this work, one who is a
stickler for exactness 1--WE want no
errors of uuotation). Above all, it
is necessary to get one who has
political sensitiveness, i. e.. who
sees the political importance to the
working class of certain measures
which on the surface appear to be
unimportant.
Second: Go to the And Street
and Fifth Avenue Library, Room
21s, Sociological Division. For rec
ords of Assemblymen and State
Senators, ask for the New York
State Legislative Index, 1894 (or
1893, if you want to get last years
record. Turn to the section which
lists the names of, let us say. AS
semblymen. Under each name there
is list of bills introduced by him,
titles only are given. There is a
number at the beginning of each
title which refers to another Sec
ton of the Index which contains
the summaries Of each bill. Using
this number, find the summary,
and, if upon reading the summary,
the bill seems important, make a
record of the printed number" APP
pearing at the end of the sum-
mary. This printed number refers
to the bill number. When you have
complete list of all the bill num-
bers you wish to look up, list them
on Request Slip as follows: IN. Y.
State, 1884, printed numbers A479,
A950, etc, turn this slip in at the
entrance desk and the folders con-
tanning copies OF the bills will be
delivered to your desk.
THE above will provide the
l searcher with records and con-
tents of the bills introduced by the
Assemblyman in question, but, in
order to get what is equally i'm
portant, yea and nay votes on Ger
tain important measures, such as
State Troopers appropriations, re-
lief appropriations, salary reduc-
lions Of State employees, anti
racial utterances, ETC., it is neces-
sary to go to the legislative jour-
nails for a list of those who voted
yea and nay. Unfortunately, I did
not make this part of the search
and so cannot furnish precise direc-
tons for going about II. However,
full details can be obtained from
the female librarian at the first
desk left hand room.
Since there are but two weeks left
before election day, prompt action
is necessary to get this valuable
material. j. M.