NOVEMBER 19, 1938 SOCIALIST APPEAL Elections Prove Need For Independent Labor Action Pointed Lesson Connecticut Workers Vote Independently At the Polls ALP Pays Price For Sleazy Deals In of the the MAKE GOOD SHOWING Benson Defeat Shows Disgust For New Deal Heavy Vote for Jasper McLevy Shows Farmer Labor Party Goes Into Slump as Readiness of Workers to Support Victim of Attempt to Become Prop The receding wave of the New Deal left the Republican Independent Labor Ticket of Roosevelt Regime Party with losses of only three Governorships among important By HARDE League (C. had not worked By JULES GELLER The Socialist Workers Party of State or Federal posts, their delegation in the House of Repre. This is the first of two art. with imight and main to stem the MINNEAPOLIS After an un Minnesota, in an open letter to sentatives approximately doubled, their Senators increased by Icles on the recent election in drift away from the New Deal interrupted eight year reign in Benson and the Farmor. Labor eight, and their candidates in control of fifteen new State AdConnecticut and its meaning candidates toward third party the State Capitol, the Minnesota State Campaign committee, had for workers. ministrations.
support, the Socialist candidate Farmer Labor party was over. warned, weeks before the elecIf the campaign had involved the Presidency, the Republican carts, the refurnished Connect down.
Upsetting all political apple might very well have won hands Reading from left to right are Ruben Plaskett, Frank Shapiro whelmingly defeated in last tion, of the dangers ahead.
week elections. It staked every The electoral votes would have been increased from the all time low and Willis Crews, candidates in the recent elections in cut Republican machine last From Both Partles thing in the election campaign on Farmer Daten e program of the Essex County, New Jersey.
of in 1936 to about 210. Discounting the Solid South, there week crept back into state In most of the eight counties identifying itself with the New con scarcely Inspire the workers was a Republican popular majority, or very close to it, in the power, nosing out by scant plu of the state, MeLevy drew more Deal, and went down with it. and farmers to close ranks ralities the Democratie apparvotes from the Democrats that After narrowly defeating Hjal. conduct the stubborn fight which remainder of the country.
atus of staunch New Deal Gov. From the Republicans. The dis mar Peterson, Farmer Labor ren is necessary for victory in the The Republican vote was made up of nine tenths of the ernor Wilbur Cross.
Affection which resulted in the egade, in the primaries, Governor state elections, the letter sald.
bosses, two thirds or more of the middle classes, including the The Republican pluralities, taggering Socialist vote wa Benson campaigned for re elec The truth is that the Farmerfarmers, and a small fraction of the workers.
however, spelled victory only in ampant in both parties.
tion on a pro New Deal, ineffec Labor Party is in danger of morThe overwhelming majority of the workers, however, voted the traditional language of pat It is clear as daylight that tual and purely defensive pro tal defeat at the hands of reacgram that resulted in his defeat tion, unless the workers and for candidates of the Democratic Party. This fact, confirmed ronage opportunities and control adical change has come ove by over 250, 000 votes.
farmers can be armed with a proequally by the preliminary polls and by the election returns, is in the more satisfying terms of he precipitate News Date and Vote Falls Off by 100, 000 as Workers See Lost 500, 000 Votes gram which will spur them to the of enormous importance. As in 1936, so last week, the workers popular support and approval. slides of 1934 and 1936.
No Difference Between Labor Party While Governor cloct Stassen utmost efforts to achieve victory.
voted as a class. In every election prior to 1936 the workers were Victorious Republicans and de The attempt is now being overhimselt posed as liberal, the The open letter to Benfeated Democrats alike shook enthusiastically made to explain and Democratic Machine divided in about the same percentages as the other classes of victorious Republican party studson went on to propose a proworried heads and pondered pesaway the McLevy boom on the ded its campaign with Anti Semi gram, which included an immedithe population. Today they are acting politically as a class, how.
simistically over the significance basis of his elean government Last week elections struck a heavy blow at New York State tism. It carried on an intensive ate doubling of the quota ever distortedly the existing parties may reflect genuine class of the election returns, which program, which, it is monoton American Labor Party, and wrote a devastating comment on the red balting barrage. But neither of the state, 10, 000, 000 reliet interests.
gave evidence that a current of Cusly repeated, won him a huge realistic policy of deals with boss parties which was followed by that Benson, elected in 1936 by a program, a state public works WHY DID IT HAPPEN?
third party sentiment had reared protest vote.
The elections turned out as they did, with the middle classes its lusty head throughout the There is to be sure, certain the present leadership.
plurality of 250, 000, lost halt program, opposition to Roosein New York City, the home and fortress of the the million votes in two short years. velt war program, and the imshifting over to open reaction, because, primarily, the New Deal state under the aegis of old sarbled truth in the statement.
Guard Socialist Jasper McLevy. Scandalous revelations of graft party vote declined about 150, 000 from last year mayoralty When the Farmer Labor Party mediate calling of a special sesdemagogy is losing its hold on the bulk of the middle classes, mayor of Bridgeport.
and corruption amongst those election. Increases in other cities doubled the upstate count; but the national labor party move program into effect. To carry out Minnesota turned its back on sion of the legislature to put the Election Figures and labor has offered no alternative program or perspective.
high in public office have rocked The bare election Agures are the state in the last year. First this meant a rise to only 60, 000, from 30, 000, so that the totalment and proclaimed its servility this program, the letter demandThe New Deal is losing its hold for a very good reason because it has failed, because after six years of its promises the to Roosevelt politics, workers and ed that the break with the themselves startling enough to the sordid plundering and mis was more than 100, 000 behind 1937.
seasoned machine politicians of management of the Merritt highof the five incumbent farmers by the tens of thousands New Deal, and publicly propose results in practice are merely the continued unemployment of the major parties: rock ribbea way affair, under Republican State Assemblymen, not a single separating the from the lost faith in it as their political the formation of a national labor returned Yankee Democrat Wilbur Cross, auspices, was brought into the one office, and boss parties.
representative, 12, 000, 000, universal insecurity, and the close threat of war.
they were left party.
darling of lady reformers and open a year ago. Then, on its only one new candidate (Garcia in bewilderment, the easy prey of Promises that never come true cannot remain eternally attractive.
On both scores, the failure of the Republican Party.
Ineffectual Program professorial liberal, polled a mere heels, came the incredible grand Rivera) was elected to the AsBut instead of campaigning on The bosses are growing impatient with the New Deal 225, 000 votes: Baldwin, white jury discovery systematic sembly of the Congressional the ALP. is the direct result of Hanging on to Roosevelt coat such a fighting program. social experiments. They want to deal more bluntly with labor, hope of the new young blood in milking of public to cut down relief expenditures, to lift all restrictions on profits. the Grand Old Party, rolled up Waterbury, this time under Dem hack, Vito Marcantonio, running deal was made with Kenneth farmers hostility to curtailment almost identical to the fake libfunds in candidates, only the Staliniat the policy which was followed tails, the Farmer Labor Party candidates stuck to their In New York City a shameless brought down upon itself the ineffectual program, which was They no longer have the fear of total collapse which so terrified only 228, 000 votes; while Jasper, ocratlo auspices (the Democratic also on the Republican ticket and simpson Republican machine. of crops, and the resentment of leralism espoused by the Republithem that in 1933 their majority accepted Roosevelt, the the crusading Socialist advocate Lieutenant Governor and Mayor blessed by LAGuardia, was elect whereby the LP. endorsed aw. and relief workers tocan Governor elect, Harold Stagof clean government and the of Waterbury were indicted, ed.
and even concessions to the workers, as saviors for themselves.
couple of dozen of the Republl their status as second class eltsen.
merit system, and deeply scarred along with 26 local dignitaries of Fallure to Lead They speak today with a bolder and more insistent voice, and the veteran of reformist political the Democratic fold. The setback to the in the put up only two of its can candidates. On a state scale, zens.
This fact was se obvious that, middle classes swing as always to the side which seems the battles since 1900, garnered the votes, however, was loss decisive, own candidates, for minor of Republican Promises neat third party vote of more commenting on the defeat, GoverFar from being grateful for the nor Benson was obliged to say: Understandably, neither of the bad as it was, than its failure to fices, and endorsed the remainder relief handouts of the govern The fact that the Republican stronger.
than 163, 000.
It is interesting to observe, nevertheless, that the Republican If the mere figures gave the litical capital out of these scan New York in independent strug: by that stalwart trade unionist, ment, the farmers and workers party found it Party did not dare campaign with the program and methods of managers of the Republican and dals, for fear of their boomerang Ble. The workers were simply Herbert Lehman, high on the wanted a normal status. The promise the people the very kind the old fashioned Harding Coolidge type of reaction. The ReDemocratie plunderbunds food Republicans promised it to them of program for which publicans had to appeal in part through liberal looking candidates for much sober thought, their direct; there is still a certain not convinced that the ALP. Ust of America Sixty Families by holding out the hope that un Farmer Labor party has always.
honor among thieves. McLevy was their party; they did not like Dewey in New York, Stassen in Minnesota, Taft in Ohio, significance, and the facts which therefore, had a beautiful set up see in practice any sharp line Judged even by the standard of der their administration, business fought is proof that the Farmer whom they put up as shirt fronts. More than half of the newly emerge once they are broken for his honesty stomping. Parad down, were doubly discomforting his relationen in een stad returns are inescapable. 1) the the sole slogan by which Alex As though in order to doubly people are the state liberale con victorious Republican Congressional candidates were pension ing.
ites, and endorsed by Dr. Townsend. At the same time the Re Revealing Percentages What he failed to understand under the slogan: Don let the across major party line, seem sell the deal to the workers, this party adopted for its 1898 pro scious.
publicans appealed from another direction to middle class preju The Republicans polled only Raiders Ride Again! Naturally, ing to hit the Democrats more policy was proved by the elec gram a watered down, faintly was that any party could afford dices through anti Semitism (New York) and anti unionism 37 of the total vote, smaller more than a few honest, upright heavily only because the latter tions to be a total loss. liberal series of planks that had to be liberal, but a party ostenThe Morning After nothing serious to offer toward a sibly based on the workers and (Michigan, the Far West)
ceived in any election since 1980. and righteous citizens were im had previously been riding the crests of popularity. 2) The So resentful were the workers solution or alleviation of the farmers had to offer a program WHAT WILL BE PROPOSED?
Their plurality of 2, 500 was But hardly 165, 000 of them. swing had far too much of at the deals that on the day plight of the workers and farm which would inspire the masses thrown their way by the few Even the Bridgeport Herald is mass character to be interpreted after the The bosses liked the election returns, and showed their apelections, Antonini, ers of the state of the population. The vote in tattered remnants of Father forced to seek elsewhere for the merely as a protest vote against Chairman of the State Minneapolis Inbor leaders Minnesota, as throughout the naproval by sending the stock market up to a new high for the year Coughlin Union party, which real significance of McLevy corrupt government. 3) The Executive, tried to crawl out of months ago demanded that the tion, was a protest against this on the day following the elections. They believe they are now in threw its support to Baldwin in vote. That muckraking paper bulk of McLevy votes came responsibility for them with Farmer Labor platform be given meaningless liberalism, which was the gubernatorial race. Had the knows full well that sober mid from working class a position to carry through a drive for amending the Wagner no different than old time capisources, statement that he had been out some teeth. To implement this de Labor Act in such a way as to deprive the unions of essential Democrats won, their plurality dleclass people do get sufficient which could not have been very town when they were made, mand, trade unionists proposed talist politics in action.
amongst the electorate would incensed at large scale gratt much aroused by the scandals never approved, and remained that the labor movement be given Future Course rights, to revise taxation in their favor, to block any moves toward regulation of monopoly profits, and to reduce drastically expen. plimentary.
have been scarcely more coming to protest with their ballota. themselves, since those scandals silent only in order not to hurt its full voice in the Farmer Labor When the labor party movement But not enough of them to ex have been an open secret for the party at the polls. careful Party, which has drifted more ditures for unemployment relief.
McLevy increased his in Minnesota is reorganized, it vote plain the Socialist vote. It is years. Revelations took their reading of Antonini statenient and more into the hands of small will have to come forward as a It is a foregone conclusion that Roosevelt cannot and will 100 over that which he rolled clear that McLevy got a very toll chiefly among the more in shows that it was only the deals town Hberals and Stalinist connot put up any serious resistance to this drive. It is not excluded, up in 1984, when he received substantial working class vote nocent pillars of honesty in rural with the Republican Party that trolled paper organizations and genuine Independent political in38, 000 yotes, and 800 over 1936. and workers are notoriously cal and middle class circles. he disavowed; he made no crit Bewing societies.
strument of the unions and farm it is even probable, that Roosevelt will continue to prate about Dark horse McLevy carried 18 loused to the question of corrupSome Explanations icism of the equally reprehensible organizations, as part of a nationtowns, including the cities of tion in public office; they rather the New Deal and to appear publicly as the champion of the al labor party movement.
Commentators are hard put to coalition with the Democratic ed chiefly on good government workers will never again support The masses against the Tories, in order to keep a grip on popular Bridgeporte Waterbury and Bris cynically accept the grafting as it to explain away Millery tim: Party: Alex Rose meanwhile de issues, was about as empty of a party in which they have little support; but at every crucial point he will give way. coalition of Republicans and right wing Democrats will control Congress Watertown, Fairfield, Stratfield power, and fail to be impressed to announce, in its post election Licut provide an instructive and workers responded enthusiastic the majority vote, and which does ford, Manchester, Glastonbury, old two party squabbling for the liberal Herald could do was the election results in Connec be. Nevertheless the Connecticut ganizations and ward clubs swing at every important turiy He came in second in 20 more by revelations.
headlines, that the returns signl ironio contrast with what hap ally to a candidate freed of the not separate itself from the old Roosevelt will now concentrate, above all, on the one re. towns. Most of his votes came Lessons of Vote fled a Workers Slap At Demo pened to the There Mac old bose parties and running as from cities and large towns, from The Herald is forced to com cratic Bosses. According to this Levy ran for Governor on a com a socialist. McLevy finished close capitalist parties.
maining and supreme ace in his deck: on his war program. It is by this that he will try to confound his opponents since here the most heavily industrialized ment editorially: McLevy cam explanation, Connecticut labor pletely The Communist Party in MinSocialist behind the Democrat and the nesota, as the extreme right wing western regions of the state: paign, attacking Governor Cross was incensed at the failure of ticket. It is true that Maclevy Republican, and carried over both of the FLP, contributed no litnone of them can attack him and to sustain an atmosphere which less than 10 came from the for not taking action to prevent the state Democratic party to rates about zero among the of them the largest city in will make the public afraid to move too far away from him. four countles east of the Connec the Merritt parkway scandal and run genuinely iberal candid. champions of genuine socialism, the state and its industrial cen their various stooges, who were tle to Benson defeat. Through And, in order both to consolidate the chief remaining base ticut river.
for not acting sooner regarding ates.
Industrial Vote and that his campaign, conduct ter Bridgeport as well as a of his own support and at the same time to complement his war the disclosures made about lob Despite Roosevelt maneuverto Benson, they pushed the dozen other towns and cities.
Farmer. Labor leaders toward Congressman program as he understands it, he will devote renewed and strong ties, seats of the chlot Industries Waterbury scandal, were credited Koppelman falled to receive the as many promises to Jabor as The three most populous coun bying and corruption in the ing. New Deal Dangers Ahead alignment with Roosevelt, exThere real danger now cluded the labor movement from energies to bringing about labor unity. In order to keep control of the state, Hartford, New Ha with diverting thousands of votes senatorial nomination, and oia Old Toby Cross ever did. that the will collapse. Its Farmer Labor councils, and meof the outcome, it is quite probable that he or one of his imme ven and Fairfield, gave McLevy from the Democratic ticket to Guard Democrat Lonergan was His campaign was character present officials, unchecked, chanically railroaded through the diate subordinates will take the initiative toward new unity steps. 135, 000 of his nearly 185, 000 votes. the Socialist ticket, yet It does run again. Similarly, the Demo ized by continual strictures. a will shrink back toward unadThe predominantly industrial not appear that this offers a crats failed to nominate Tone, gainst the stuffed shirts of the ulterated New Deallam in the meaningless and conservative proF. LP. convention in Duluth, the The response of the majority of labor bureaucrats, both of and to the elections will be: to become more character of McLevy support complete explanation of the shift beral State Labor Commis old Republican party, and prom. face of the Republican advance.
comfort in electoral vote. Besides, sioner, for Lieutenant Governor, ises of liberal labor legislation all fearing that otherwise hey will the party in the elections gram that sealed the doom of conservative and timid, to pull in even further the tentative ing thought to the old party the Herald points out, the reac preferring to run the reaction aong the line. His running mate, lose the favor of the White feelers which some of them have put out toward independent chieftains, who made unpre tion in Waterbury, the scene of ary Hewes Desertion to Danaher, who was elected to the House, which means more to cedented bids for labor vote the municipal scandals, was not The Full Truth The hundreds of state Job class action, to crawl in deeper beneath the bedraggled New Deal senatorship, proclaimed in the them than the needs of the holders, who were only too willin the clection campaign.
wing in order to escape the sight of the Republican bogeyman.
away from the Democrats alone, The explanation, of course, is name of the Republican party workers. They will be stimulated ing to follow the line in colectie de vie chudanally bave the Farmer Labor party ns long WHAT MUST THE WORKERS DO?
voters ministration that the plundering leading. It is a half truth, and, to please the wealthy class. The inroads of the Stalinists, who are as they felt it meant a job, now wanted to cast their ballots for took place. In Weterbury Mc by that token, an untruth. For it great middle class and the work now close to control of the If the workers themselves follow the policy of labor offi McLevy, a state wide poll by the Levy carried with a plurality of falls to explain why the dissat ing men are the people we must local clubs, and who, as proved Party, like so many rats escaping are deserting to the Republican cialdom, and through it of Roosevelt, the result will be disas. Bridgeport Herald revealed, and 400 over the Democrats, but he isfaction with the growing con scrve.
by the vote for their one inde a sinking ship. These elementa trous. Reaction was strengthened by last week election, that is refrained from doing so only be took more votes away from the servatism of the Democrats did Why Leftward Then pendent candidate (Amter. pro will never again be allowed to true. But all modern history teaches us that to retreat under cause they thought he didn Republicans than from the Dem not rebound to the benefit Il labor discontent was divided more than 100, 000 of the have chance. If the of ocrats!
of the Republicans. The Repub rected merely against a once ballots. The old time trade out of the hands of the trade take the labor party movement such circumstances only makes certain far greater defeats. The Land Labor Non Partisan The immediate lessons of the licen machine has been com liberal New Deal party suffering union officials might make the unions.
workers must reply to the gains of reaction by going ahead, by a pletely overhauled. Now that die from arteriosclerosis because of influence of the Stalinists the tator Roraback, czar of Connec too great job security, why did pretext for pulling out from un lawyers and business men who determined advance.
Most of the small town bankers, On the economic field the workers must take the question of It can be successful only if labor displays its independent class ticut utilities and erstwhile it not manifest itself in a swing der, and hopping back into the supposedly represented the farstrength.
labor unity into their own hands, not turning it over to a Roosepower behind the throne of the to the right, rather than in a Democratie Party proper.
mers at the last Farmer Labor old has been buried for all leftward swing toward an indeThe workers must understand that the first and primary obThe workers themselves have Party convention, and who At very velt Perkins Lewis Green combine for bureaucratic solution. The time, new and progressive lead pendent vote against both major now got to assert their rights well into the Stalinist People workers must force in the quickest possible time a solid reunificaject of labor in politics is not the immediate election of an illu ers have risen in the ranks of capitalist parties?
and live up to their responsibil Pront idea of what a labor party tion of the ranks of labor on a democratic and militant founda sory majority to office, but the organization of the working class the party. These leaders make us. The more thorough cong Imittes. They have got to take over should be will go back to roost tion.
for struggle. Only this makes labor strong; without this, elections fine sounding and hadical promplications of the elections cannot the from top to bottom where they belong, in the Repub iges as the best rabble rousers of be sidestepped by any amount of and re make it as their own full itcan Party. The Stalinists helped And at the same time labor must undertake an aggressive can win exactly nothing the New Deal.
word juggling. The bare fact is and genuine class political in them water down the procampaign to extend organization into the still vast unorganized Finally, the workers must set for themselves new and bolder II, therefore, the laboring elec this: Connecticut labor hus be strument. This means absolute gram, and now that the job is sections of industry Ford looks like the first job to be cleared up. and wider aims. If they turn now in fear, and remain content torate is incensed merely begun to stir out of its political Independence, an end to all deals done, they wash their hands of On the political field, the workers must set before them with scraps from the bosses tables, labor will itself sink into cause the Democrats were not lethargy. Its first groping step is of any kind with the boss par the Stalinists and the FLP. toselves as the mediate goal: independent class politics. This passivity and despair the middle class will continue their dictates, if they wanted a can Levy, an independent candidate workers demands. And it means Progressives sufficiently responsive to their in the direction of support of Mc ties; it means a bold program of gether.
means shaking off the dead and dragging weight of the New rush toward reaction. Only a perspective which openly and au didate here and there which the running on a Socialist ticket. Re a realization that a labor party state are prepared to defend the throughout the Deal, of Roosevelt and of all liberal, progressive capitalist daciously asserts the rights and claims and ideals of the workers Democrats would not give them, gardless of the multifold motives is not just another vote gather labor movement against any and politicians who have already shown that they lead the work can rouse the enthusiasm and courage of labor for the struggle why didn they turn to the Re for that step, however confused ing machine. but primarily a all blows directed at it under the ers only to defeats and striking out to build a party of labor ahead, and can draw along with labor the great majority from publicans to vent their wrath? and unorganized the step may means of organizing the workers cover of the Republican adminisown.
the middle classes who share with labor the oppression and exThey would have received a re have been, it representa a qulte for struggle from which it foltration. Meanwhile, they look for ceptive ear in those circles. No obvious slap in the face for both tows that the must not ward to the formation of a fightIt is necessary, of course, to fight against the attempts that ploitation of a declining society and who with labor seek a way one was ever more solicitous to traditional parties of capital. It be allowed to go to sleep now ing labor party on a nation wide will be made to alter the Labor Relations Act in favor of the em out of the crisis.
wards Inbor than the Republican represents the beginnings of sat until next election day, but must basis, that will stop the wave of ployers, to cut down relief and to pass anti labor taxation meas This perspective the bold, independent class action of the candidates. Baldwin himself, son lation with the high flown enter non parlamentary fields, reaction, and serve as a rallying ures. But such a fight cannot be made by supporting Roosevelt workers on both the economic and political fronts is the way of an old crusader for labor phrases and vote getting labels and must become the leader in point for the exploited millions who has neither the intention nor the power to carry it through. and the only way to stop reaction, and to move ahead.
rights who was for years legal of the twin Democratic and Re the day to day battle of the not only of Minnesota, but of the advisor to the of made publican parties.
workers country as a whole.
Independent