St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1947-11-14
ALMOST
ABOUT
EV E R Y T HIN G
By Percy Villa

The reason why politicians ard
political parties often become in
debted to wealthy vested interests
is not always that politicians want .
to make money but that they need
money to make successful cam
palgns or build successful Organiza
tons.
II good people will not assist the
politician then he either has to turn
to the bad or stop running for Of
flee. Napoleon said that an army
marches on its stomach; so in part
does a political party and whether
it will be a good political party de-
ponds on who feeds it. 1t is
hypocrisy to scream about cOrrup-
ton in politics if you are not will
ing yourself to spend some time
and money to insure honest politics
If your organization is to be
successful, II must show great
wisdom in selecting its officers,
and the officers must be indi-
Viduals who are willing to give
their time and talents to doing
successful job. Such people must
be Woodworking, diplomatic, and
able, and they are hard to find.
But, above all the membership
must day by day and week by week
demonstrate its interest in the or
ganizatiOn. Nothing can so quickly
kill an organization as the apathy
of a large part Of the members.
It's very nice to have dinners once
every three months or mass meet
ings once q year, but if that is the
extent of the organizations activity
then the eloquent speeches at these
affairs might as well be funeral
messages read over the dead body
of the organization.
II you are to cooperate in an
organization you must cooperate
on the basis Of agreement about
common principles. Let me ex-
plain what | mean. You can't have
a successful trade union if part Of
the members are for trade-union-
ism, and part are against. Meetings
could not be held to discuss the
objectives of higher wages and
shorter hours because all the time
would be spent in arguing the ques-
ton which would come first; should
we have a union at all? In fact
the overwhelming majority of or
ganized workers agree on the basic
principles and detectives of the
trade-union movement. That is why
the trade unions can move ahead
successfully to some of their OBJ
jectives.
And that is why have always
argued to the pain and bewilder-
ment of some of my friends-that
democratic liberals and Communists
cannot work together in the same
organization. Though they seem
to have temporary agreement about
immediate goals they do not in fact
have ultimate agreement about
either goals or methods. If demo,
cratic liberals are democratic lib
erals and Communists are Com
munists then at one point they mus
spend all their time arguing abOu
irrecOncilable goals. The 1880:
represents a graveyard of from
organizations" which testify t.
this simple truth.
That is that cooperation must b,
on the basis of agreement on prin
ciples. If an organization is to Dc
something besides get power i
must agree on its goals, and ther
it must refuse to take into it,
organization anyone who does no
agree with its principles.
The Urban League would not &C
cept the support Of Gerald L. X
Smith because that would mean i
would spend all its time arguing
the worth of racial equality or that
it would have to make deal with
him that would compromise it!
principles. The Urban League ha.
no truck with the Smiths or Win
rods because it is sincere in moving
ahead to its goal of racial equality
In the same way all political organ
iZations ought to decide what theil
moral goals are; it ought to stat,
them; and then enlist people whC
agree that these moral goals ar,
good. 1t is very tempting (and verl
eaSy) to make deals with all kind
Of people who don't share YOU
ideals, but you usually end up will
patchwork program that doesn'
do much for anyone and doesn'
fool the people in the long run.
Finally, any political organiza
ton which hopes to make itself eff
fective at the polls must recogniz,
that the most important part O.
politics is the nominating process
1t does no good to vote if you hav,
a choice between two scoundrels
And the way to make sure tina
candidates are good men instead o.
scoundrels is 10 take the non..nat
ing process by the tail. This meani
that you must caucus. Now tn,