The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-02-09


; drums of bearings for her.
useful labor and who proved their
desire to become honest toilers for
the Soviet state.
All this proves that in the Soviet
Union The road is open for a life
with full rights for all honest toll
ers, and that the proportion of per-
sons deprived Of civil rights is con-
tinually decreasing. We are APP
preaching the time of the complete
abolition of all restrictions on the
eections to the Soviets which were
previously introduced "as a tenn
porary measure of struggle against
the attempts of the exploiters to
defend or restore their privileges, ="
as the program of the Communist
Party of the Soviet Union states.
These facts confirm the repeated
statements Of Lenin, that the lini-
tations in general electoral rights
which we enforce are of an en-
tirely temporary character. At a
time when more and more bour-
gois countries are liquidating the
relics of electoral rights, the popu-
lation of the Soviet Union is sp-
preaching nearer and nearer to the
complete withdrawal of all restric-
tons on general electoral rights.
prolonged, tumultuous applause. ]
LMolotov went on to deal with
various measures for the further
characterization of the Soviet sys-
tem.l
Substitution Direct for Many Stage
Elections (Section Three
At present we have the system
of direct elections only for the
city and village Soviets, which are
elected directly by workers and
peasants and members of the Red
Army. The higher organs of the
Soviet government, beginning with
the district executive committees,
are elected not by the direct vote
OF the electorate but at correspond
ing Soviet Congresses. AS a result,
these district executive committees
are elected according to two-stage
system; territorial and regional ex-
ecutive committees as well as lead
ing organs of autonomous republics,
by a three-stage system; the CEN
trail executive committees of the
republics of the Union, and the
Central Executive Committee of the
U. S. S. r. by a four-stage system
of elections.
In its time, this system of election
was justified, and not withstanding
its shortcomings, ensured the neces-
sary living contact of the leading
organs of Soviet government with
the masses. But now that we have
attained a tremendous economic
upswing, have considerably strength
.ened the connection of the city with
the countryside, have heightened
the cultural and political activity
OF the masses, we can and must
make a considerable step forward in
the matter of democratizing our
election system. The Central Com
mittee of the Communist Party
puts before the present Congress
the question of replacing many
stage elections by direct election of
all Soviet organs, from the city and
village Soviets to the Central Ex-
ecuNve Committee of The U. S. S. r.
inclusive.
Direct elections will raise still
higher the authority of the
organs of Soviet government, will
strengthen still more and link these
organs with the broad masses of
the toilers. The workers and peasants
will know their representatives bet
ter, not only those of the districts
and regions, but also the central
organs of the Soviet state; they
will be still more directly connected
with them, and thus the entire
work of the leading organs of the
Soviet government should be raised
to a higher level.
At a time when more and more
countries of capitalism are aban-
doning the system of direct cleo
ton and are substituting more and
more frequently for election the
mere appointment of officials, from
top to bottom, in the Soviet Union
the many-stage system Of elections
is being abandoned for the system
of direct election, of not only the
lower, but also the very highest or
gans of the Soviet government.
While retaining the right of the
electors to recall deputies from any
organ, and ensuring the participa-
ton of non-party organizations and
groups of toilers in the nominating
of candidates, the Soviet system,
through the introduction of direct
elections, will make gigantic strides
forward towards developing the
democracy of the tcilers in our
country. Applause
Subatituting EquaI Voting for Not
Quite Equal Voting section a.
The Soviet Constitution had es-
tablished certain privileges for the
workers as compared with the toll
ers In the country in the election
OF Soviet organs. This is evident
| from the fact that while the renre-