The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-12-01

political action in alliance with the toiling farm
ers, and for mass break-aways from bourgeois
parties
TO- On the special weaknesses and errors Of the
election campaign:
a. While the class line of the proletariat (the
struggle against fascination and war as the road
to the revolutionary way out Of the crisis as
embodied in the election program Of the C.P, was
on the whole correctly presented to the masses
the New Deal" as well the Republican ma
neuvers, were insufdciently exposed, and the ef-
fectiveness of this presentation was weakened by
several main shortcomings in the election work
The election struggle was very insufhciently
brought into the factories unions ESPECIALLY A. F.
Of L., and other organizations of workers
Negroes and toiling farmers The election strug-
gle Of our local organizations was not sufficiently
concrete little utilization of local struggles elef
strikes, Negro rights, terror, etc. and exposure
OF the individual opposing candidates in the vari-
Gus localities
b The very slow unfolding Of the election
struggle locally and nationally also in the Daily
Worker, due mainly to a certain degree Of under
estimation Of the importance of these elections
also from national point of view. Such under
estimation was expressed in some states fail
ing to take full measures to secure the Party place
on the ballot. In Illinois, by failing to secure
more signatures, we made it easier for the gov
eminent to rule us off the ballot although we did
secure 1000 more than the required number. In
Rhode Island the required number was not COL
lected
c. The already indicated lack of readiness to
extend the local united fronts also to the cleo
tons in certain communities while retaining the
full political and organizational independence Of
the Communist Party.
d. Great insufnciency in the exposure of the
Olsons, LaFollettes, EPIC, Utopia, Huey Long
demagogy, etc., and similar movements which are
reflection of great ferment of the masses, the
inability to control this ferment through the two
party system and the preparations of fascist and
semi-fascist organizations and movements for the
suppression of the growing class battles
e. Special attention was lacking nationally to
utilize the Scottsboro case, the developing move
ments for Negro rights
II. The September 1884, meeting of the Cen
trail Committee of the CP. clearly formulated the
perspective Of the growing revolutionary upsurge
which in the elections as yet directly found little
reflection. The tasks therefrom can be summed
up in the proposition: More Intensive Realization
of the Measures of the Open Letter. Specifically,
further unfolding of the strike struggles major
task: the more intensive organization of the re-
surgent unemployed struggles, the struggles of the
toiling farmers and of the Negroes. Proceeding
from the immediate economic demands Of the
workers, we must especially concentrate on the
pcliticalization of these struggles, bringing forth
the CP as the political party of the working class
The slogan of independent working class political
action in alliance with the toiling farmers for
mass break Always from the bourgeois parties must
always be in the foreground in our mass work
The united 'front.' especially in the industrial towns
must be extended to include the struggle in local
elections to embrace the unions, the SIP. locals
and mass organizations generally on the basis and
continuation of united front for daily struggles
for basic and immediate economic and political
needs of the masses. We must expose the fraud
ulent moves Of sections of the reformist A. F. of l.
bureaucracy, jointly with the SP. bureaucrats, to
present their top combination for collaboration with
the New DEAF as Labor Party" of independent
action More than before it is necessary to fight
the dangers of Farmer-Laborism along the lines
analysed in the Open Letter. The effectiveness OF
all this work depends, in the first instance, upon
the successful building of the Party in the concen-
tration points and in radical and rapid improve
ment of our trade union work along the lines of
the recent decisions of the POIburo
II. All Party organizations should Immediately
carry through thorough examination of the cleo
ton results in their localities and especially the
work Of the Party in the elections These examina-
TONS experiences, lessons, will help us to under
stand and solve the problems confronting the Party
especially in developing the proper slogans and
methods for the acceleraton of the process of
breaking the workers away from the capitalist
parties and lead them on the road Of independent
political action In subsequent editorials we shall
treat with this question more fully
The discussion of the results of the elections
must serve to at once begin systematic preparations
for the local spring elections which will take place
in many states.