Tags Six THE COMMUNIST October 18, 1919 Communist Party and Socialist Party The Use of the Ballot HE Socialist Party depends entire cialist method comes down to this: to latures, can be used for the propaganda ly for working class gains upon change the government according to the of the revolutionary class struggle. The electing representatives to public rules of capitalist democracy. In other Communist Party makes absolutely deoffices, these representatives to formulate words, to beat the capitalists with their finite its use of the elections for propaand support various kinds of occupaown loaded dice.
ganda purpose only by limiting nomitional, political, and social reform meas The Communists say: The working nations to legislative offices, thereby emclass has not a ghost of a chance to win phasizing the point that it does not seek ules.
The Communist Party does not carry the class fight through the capitalist any part in the administration of the capon a propaganda of reforms, most of government, nor even to win a first class italist government. which are of no real benefit to the work skirmish in this way. What the workers There can be no possible objection to ers, but simply mean better methods of must do is so to organize themselves and the use of the ballot, except that it be capitalist domination. The Communist so to direct their mass power that they used in a way to deceive the workers Party carries on the propaganda of the can overwhelm both the economic and into false expectations. This is the way class struggle, pointing out all the time political power of the ruling class. This of the Socialist and Labor Parties, which that in this struggle the only real victory organized working class power cannot lead the workers to expect a transforniafor the working class as a class is the be developed within the capitalist frame tion of the social system bv casting attainment of complete political control. of government but outside of it. The po votes according to the rules of capitalist That is, the workers must have such con litical organization of the workers must democracy. It is only in a workers trol that they can change the entire correspond to the actual circumstances kind of government that the ballot becharacter of the laws and political in under which the workers now find them comes a real exercise of democracy to stitutions so as to make an end of the selves. It must be something new, the worker. In the capitalist governprofit system and to set up a workers something growing out of the circum ment there are hundreds of devices administration of industry.
stances at hand. It cannot be the sickly within the scheme of government and The Communist Party declares that aping of regular capitalist politics which by outside economic pressure or brithe working class can never obtain this has disheartened the workers who have bery, by which the vote is nullified.
control through the channels of the capi put faith in reform socialism. It must be In the workers government, such as now talist legislatures. The Communist Par an organization based on the politics of exists in Russia, there is nothing to ty brands as a rank fraud the Socialist revolution; that is, the politics which thwart the workers vote. There is no pretense that this can be done by piling challenges the capitalist system in its powerful group of financiers and moup many reform measures.
entirety nopolists to pull the strings attached to The Communist Party looks upon the Take the Triple Alliance of England, governmental puppets, as is now the case present government of the United States the alliance of the powerful unions of in the United States.
as a weapon of the capitalist class, the railroad workers, the miners and The supreme delusion of the Socialists against the working class. The econ the transport workers. These ions has been that the proletariat actually omic power of the capitalist class, with develop out of the immediate circum has an overwhelming majority of the the banking houses of Wall Street at stances of the work in the mines, on the votes. The actual fact in the United the apex, is the power which controls docks and in the railroad shops. The States today is that not more than 25 this government and directs its use combined power of the workers in three of the 30, 000, 000 wageworkers can cast against the working class. But this is such unions is something capable of be a ballot, not more than 7, 500. 000; while more than a temporary circumstance, ing pitted against the power of British the recipients of profits, fees, salaries, more than a matter of popular neglect Capitalism intrenched in the British Gov etc. have an effective voting strength (in which sense Woodrow Wilson speaks ernment.
of about 12, 000, 000. Non citizenship, of this control of the government in his The threat of a strike on the part of disqualification of negroes, residential New Freedom. It is a control which the Railway Brotherhoods in this country disqualification, and age limitations disis inherent in the capitalist system, a con compelled the capitalist Congress to pose of over 75 of the wage earners as trol which is bound to persist so long as adopt the Adamson law as a means of voters.
the game is played according to the granting the workers demands.
The most solid group of voters is the rules of capitalist democracy.
Such organized power of the workers, farmer group of 6, 000, 000 owners and The world war was fought to make which may take on many forms, when tenants. This group is over 90 native the world safe for capitalist democracy. directed to the goal of winning for the born, nearly 100 citizens and voters.
The class war must be fought to make workers the complete political power The farmers, except for the few real the world safe for proletarian democwhich enables the workers to take over insurgents, vote with the saree regularracy. There can be no democracy which industry, finance and the natural resour ity and enlightenment with which they means anything to the working class un ces of the country, is Communism in ac go to church; by the same rules of til the workers get into a position where tion. The development of such organi routine and tradition which their anthey can possess themselves of the rail zations and the simultaneous develop cestors transmitted to them, and with a roads, the factories, the mines, the mills ment of the understanding on the part jealousy of small property notions which and the forests. Economic power is suof the workers of the class struggle in makes them a social anchronista. Even perior to political power. It dictates the its fullest sence is the immediate proc the Non Partisans, who still no entire character and operation of the ess of Communism. The organizations farther than to make a choice between political government.
come as the necessary response to the the Republican and Democratic canThe fundamental nature of the Amer job needs of the workers. The under didates are only distinctive in their speican government has been from the be standing of the workers must be devel cial concern for farmer advantages as ginning a reflex of the economic power oped by Comunist education.
against the other economic groups, labor of American Capitalism. Our democracy Do the Communists disavow the use included. is a rule against the working class. of the ballot? No. They declare that Consider the 6, 500, 000 fare Laborers The Communist Party unlike the So the ballot, under capitalist democracy, is by contrast. Most all of these are floatcialist Party, faces this situation square. not a weapon which can win for the ers, aliens or disfranchised negroes; and, ly and openly. The Socialist say: Yes, workers fundamental victories. But the at the very best, it is inconceivable that it is true that the government is the pow political campaigns and the legislative any method might be found to bring erful weapon of the ruling class. That forums offer excellent opportunities for these scattered laborers into effective has been true of all governments since Communist agitation. These campaigns class conscious voting groups one group in society has been able to present the opportunity to analyze the This sort of contrast can be nown all compel slave or wage service from an programs of the other parties, whether along the line as between the bourgeois other group But we will try to change Democratic, Republican, Socialist, Labor and petty bourgeois (capitalist and small the government first, then we can use or Non Partisan, and to show how any property owner) voting strength and the government against the capitalists. and all of these programs fail to meet that of the proletariat (the wage workHow change the government? By use the real issues which face the working ers. It will be found that the inly real of the ballot. In actual practice the So class. These campaigns, and the legis(Continue. vare go