Do We Need a New Political Alignment?
Streiff, Albert
Do We Need a New Political Allignment? By Albert Streiff mud, or group- aoleague* are bobbing up turge a new political alignmentmoat of them led by *e!f-*tyledliberal*, who are wrong on...
...For a War on Poverty In 1918 the United SjfaVes govrnment found money/ to build omes for workers/so that the tter could be mon efficient in (Caatinw* a* Fa** Sli...
...To my non the good name of the Socialt Party, in this country, is growg faster than the public is able absorb the socialist philosophy...
...The Meier Followers Sure...
...The Municipal Ownership League, headed by Carl D.Thompson, was his most ardentsupporter...
...Items as if some of the speakersr the League for Industrial Deocracy, while in Portland, areraid to mention that they areorking for the Socialist party,r even take the trouble to speakr the Socialist party, but haveo hesitancy in appearing beforether groups who never overlook opportunity to attack the party.hat may be wisdom but we fall see it...
...Since the last electionI repeatedly stated that In the1932 election all kinds of partieswill steal a few Socialist planks,hawk them as original Ideas tosave suffering humanity, and enter the campaign, for the purposeof dividing the discontented voteOregon Experience* The old parties, especially in apinch, are not above financingdifferent groups and leagues windevote most of their time denouncing the Socialist party, andmuddling up the political waters.Again, in times like these with somany busted businessmen anddisappointed politicians ready forI he poor house, it is to be expected that they will try to getto the public pie-counter, In thehope of recouping their stocklosses, even if it is necessary forthem to advocate a few .Socialisttheories...
...They were the moatactive ones in the nominating assembly...
...iof the liberals They run True to1...
...Meier was elected with thebiggest vote ever given a candidate in this state...
...It is a vicious cyclewhich must be broken and privatebusiness in the past three yearshas demonstrated its utter inability to cope with the problem...
...These were odels of their kind and have been niversally acclaimed by architects nd city planners because of their eauty and comfort...
...His Industrial Compensation Board is hiring corporationlawyers to resist collection ofclaims by injured worksies...
...They helped to elect Wil--on to keep us out of war...
...One does not need to be a political wiseacre to recognize the different elements I have described.No one will deny them the rightto run as many candidates as theychoose...
...His Reconstruction Finance CArnQcaiionas was pointed out in last,'yeek,.sNew Leader has guaranteed J. P.Morgan's bank loans but has encouraged no banks to extend creditto business men...
...Working men still employedtoday at the same wages as In1929 can buy 17 per cent more.Theoretically therefore, the actualdecline in purchasing power hasbeen only 33 per cent...
...After the Armistice, both plana nd contracts, where work had not een started, were canceled Even rojects In- process of construction ere abandoned...
...The radical Jewswere elated because one of theirrace obtained the nomination...
...For a Peace-time War on Slum Housing By Henry J. RoHtier rE are now completing theyear of depression and nowhere on the economic horizon arethere to be seen any signs of business recovery...
...Hehas rilled nearly every one of hi'appointive offices with millionaires...
...The I...
...The widely heraldedlegislation for financial reconstruction sponsored by the President ofthe United States has thus farproved a complete fizzle...
...Even the Communists and theSocialist Labor Parties failed toenter candidates in this election.Many of their members activelysupported the Meier candidacy...
...According to the New YorkState Department of Labor's indexof factory payrolls, total wage payments to factory workers in NewYork State dec lined 50 per cent inMarch, 1932, as compared withMarch, 1929...
...It should Interest Socialists to know that these liberal elementare now the very ones who claithe public Is prejudiced againsthe Socialists and that It Is necessary to organize a third partyThe very ones who held oppositionmeetings to the Socialists havnow joined »hands with RevWhitesmith, chairman of theLeague for Independent PoliticalAction, to organize a third partyand spilt the Socialist vote...
...With the result thateven to this day anyone speakingon behalf of municipal electricpower is immediately groupedwith the Meier crowd...
...This brings us to the dilemmaof capitalism in the present situation...
...A Previous Emergency The jobless cannot be returned totheir work unless the purchasingpower is restored, but purchasingpower cannot be restored unlessthe jobless are first returned toemployment...
...In the same period thecost of living has dropped 17 peicent...
...Here is an emergency situationrequiring emergency measures bythe federal government...
...Our request has ample precedent.Once before in an emergency situation the United States government went into the business ofbuilding homes for workers butthat is a period of our history ourrulers would like us to forget...
...The increasg vote speaks for itself and cerinly does not indicate the public prejudiced against the Socialistarty, or it would refuse to votar our candidates under any cirumstances...
...In the last state election therewere three parties in the field.Republicans, Democrats and Socialists...
...V^i^T ™• «n himself a "progressive" anda liberal...
...But no...
...Organized labor was promised work, even though some ofMeier's companies were reducingtheir forces...
...It labecause I realize that some partymembers never tire of hob-nobbing with this element and alsoparrot the slogans of this nomadi:element that prompts me to relateour experience with it in Oregon,especially in Portland, in the lastelection...
...they are an afraidof the Socialist party because ofits name, although there is aclamor for Socialist relief measures...
...All these tactics are injurious the party and I insist thatere is no prejudice against thee party, but people are confusedith the multiplicity of partiesat advocate Socialism or a few ocialist ideas under differentmes...
...Besides, a liberal still hase simple lesson to learn thaipitalist editors would combatcialism under one name atickly as under Its true definion whenever It commences toallenge their power...
...A bitter feud developedwithin the Republican organization with the result that disgruntled and disappointed politicians,ably assisted by the Evening Telegram, owned and controlled bythe Fleishhacker interests of SanFrancisco, * California's utilitymagnates, occasionally mentionedin the Tom Mooney affair, and the owners of many of Oregon's utili- ties and large manufacturing e« uwl9hmenL, uke miiu ftndwood working planta, etc...
...We Socialists have aneaking Idea that it Is this inreasing vote which la disturbinghe calculations of the old partieind that accounts for the suddenppearance of third party advoates who shout from the houseps that the public is prejudicedgainst Socialism...
...Some of them becameMeier's spokesmen...
...Somold-time Socialists who never misan opportunity to denounce organized labor, execrate preacherand viciously assail active Socialists as reformers who have forsaken Marx, lost no time in enlisting in Meier's cause...
...afterhe got us into war they gladlysupported the war...
...In no otherway can the Increase In savingsbank deposits in recent months beexplained...
...Farmers were promised cheap power,lower taxes, better roads, prosperity and a market where theycould sell their goods at a highprice...
...That mustcontinue to be the case until the purchasing power of the masses ofworkers Is restored...
...Of course,under the promise of doing allthings for all men, many othergroups joined the Meier bannerBig business was promised a bigbusiness man's administration andefficiency in government...
...It might be well to relate thatErnest M. Whitesmith, of Eugene,requested the jN...
...Inthese cities huge war industrieswere built overnight and skilledlabor flocked in from all over thecountry to man the new factories.Because of a lack of adequatehousing f cilltlea, these workerswere crowded together in old, unsanitary structures...
...Williams came on the scene,made a Socialist speech, belittledthe Socialist vote, claiming thepublic was prejudiced against theparty, asked for the organizationof a' third party, which wouldeither run candidates of Its own,or indorse candidates of otherparties, but not of the two oldparties...
...To meet the situation the United tates government created the U. . Housing Corporation...
...The Promises Betrayed Any school child should haveknown that the promises were impossible of fulfillment...
...Instead of electricpower we have police power andhis board of education abolishedthe school of journalism whilethey made every effort to retaina high priced football coach...
...I am n«ej*aa**aa«*n*1b*M**)j*B*^l...
...They are nowswinging to Roosevelt who, theyclaim, believes in 'progressive'ideas and power development...
...etween July 25, 1918, when its, ppropriation was first available nd the armistice in November, lans bad been gotten under way or 128 projects in 71 communities...
...Since his election he has forgotten his electricpower and other promises...
...By Albert Streiff mud, or group- aoleague* are bobbing up turge a new political alignmentmoat of them led by *e!f-*tyledliberal*, who are wrong on everpublic question, especially in< hooaing candidates for publiornce...
...The drys were promised law enforcement, while thewets pointed with pride to his personal habits...
...TheSocialist party is out of reckoningbecause of public prejudice, canidates with a Republican andDemocratic label will not be enorsed...
...Even some halfbaked Socialists, with libera] tendencies...
...Hepushed a state constabulary billthrough the legislature in oppos*-tion to labor...
...I am sure if we obtained tbao-operation of Eastern Socialistshen on western speaking toura only a small degree it wouldelp us considerably...
...Insisted that the Socialiscandidate withdraw to Insure thelection of Julius Meier...
...This ought to interestur liberals and militants who alo usa a lot of big words...
...others attracted byhigh war-wages, stayed on, butwere inefficient because of un ealthy living conditions...
...let us stay with our name ande will win out sooner than weink...
...The Socialist party In this state,hile still a small group, by itsntiling effort has been able toncrease the vote for our leglali.ive ticket In Multnomah CountyPortland) from 15,000 to 21,000otes...
...pecifications had been completed or 83 of these...
...Oregon has anopportunity to nominate and clec'a real, big business man," and assured the audience that Meier wasthe long looked for Moses whowas to lead the people out of thepolitical and economic wildernessby introducing water power development in the state and harnessing Oregon's huge water supply...
...Thusfar our pleas have fallen on deafears...
...This is a prerequisite under the present system,if our factories are to operate tocapacity again., Neither has the(llass-Steagall law, liberalizing theconditions under which the Federal Reserve System may extendcredit had any wholesome effects.The truth is that both bankers andbusiness men, activated by theprofit motive, see no point In attempting to return to normal economic activity just so long as thedemand for the goods produced remain* far below normal...
...Itill accomplish the double purposef putting millions to work and ofproviding decent homes for threat majority of workers and their families now miserably housedin old tenements and shacks...
...Homes for 38,000 eople were completed...
...E. C. of theSocialist Party to engage him asan organizer at $2,000 a year,even though he carried - o card Inthe party, nor contributed to itssupport, and has either been unwilling or unable to organize alocal in bis own town, reputed tobe honeycombed with Socialistsentiment...
...I. P. A. Tactics Before Howard Y. Williams,executive secretary of the L. I.P...
...This is the result ofboth unemployment and wage cuts.In other words, the working classtoday can spend only one-half asmuch in dollars as they could threeyears ago...
...How does it come thatWhitesmith suddenly discoversthat the public is prejudiced,against Socialism and that weneed a new party with anothername...
...or-ganized an assembly of electorsand nominated Julius Meier, Oregon's richest man and merchantprince, to oppose the Republicannominee for Governor, withoutentering any opposition candidatesagainst the regular Republicanstate nominees...
...Its funds ere provided by Congress and it aa charged with the duty of uilding homes for war workers...
...The Socialist party fc many months hasrecommended that this can bestbe done by,, a great program oflum clearance and rehousing...
...Many skilledworkers finding the situation Intolerable quit...
...In the lastelection they supported Al Smith,the great "liberal.'' Now thatRoosevelt is in the field they discover that Raskob, financier andmunition magnate, picked Smith,financed his campaign, and thatbe was the tool of Wall Street asmuch as Hoover...
...The liberals now fell overone another to get on the Meierband wagon...
...If wetake the liberals and progressivesseriously it is a foregone conclusion that we cannot grow...
...But, there Is no excusefor a Socialist to get excited Oregon's Sad Experience With a "Progressive" GovernoThe Socialist Party and L. I. P. A. Tactics about the accusations of these so-called liberals and progressivesthat the Socialist Party will neveramount to anything because j?prejudice against the party...
...During thenominating session one of themshouted, at the top of her voic?,"At last...
...I am sure Easternmrades would strongly resent if we conducted ourselves !nis manner...
...The V. S. Housing Corporation Shortly after the United Statesentered the World War, It becameincreasingly clear that war materials could not be effectivelymanufactured unless housing facilities were provided by the federalgovernment in places like Bridgeport, New London and Erie...
...I am suref Williams had openly supported mimic* party he woulave stood better chances of wining the respect of intelligenisteners who are not Interestedn smoke screens...
...Moneytalks...
...The Increased purchasing power arising out of the decline In the coat of living hasfound Its way Into the vaults of savings banks, rather than intactive circulation...
...60 contracts had ctually been let and on 40 contruction had been started...
...Then whom do they expect o Indorse unless It Is some Comunist running on an Independenticket without a label...
...The probabilitis that the actual decline in purchasing power is close to 50 pecent...
...At last...
...These liberal groups predict that the Socialist party wiUnever amount to anything andthey never lose an opportunity tobelittle it...
...In one thing the liberals can bidepended upon...
...The prejudice, ofourse, is in the minds of the librals...
...A., appeared in this state aweek ago, Rev...
...Others bitterly assailed the Socialist candidate for not withdrawinfrom the race...
...The federal government is the logicalagency to restore the purchasingpower of the workers...
...Whitesmith approached a committee of the Socialist party and suggested thatwe withdraw from the field andsupport candidates "selected byIheir group and act as an educational body to instruct their nominees in the art of political science.With the debacle of the liberalsin this state still fresh in ourminds we turned this proposaldown cold...
...It Is wellknown that those with jobs feelso economically Insecure at presentth.t they are banking as muchmoney as possible for the rainyday of unemployment...
...Meier bad an unlimited castf-paign fund...
Vol. 13 • May 1932 • No. 20
