The Next Job - A New Party
THE NEXT J O B - A N EW PA&TY Fallait* m pl. « d fat the r M i ^ U JeJy 41k, M M * | his **th**i«*ti* tappertart a*. d**lar«d that ke weald twoep tfc* **aalry aad W *^e*ne*Waii* • HttU *****...
...Tha result* in th* campaign war* confuting...
...Socialittt had candidate* for Congre** In all dittrlctt, and...
...Tammany Hall protesting its friendliness for Labor and progress-^what a farce...
...In section* where Socialists were strong and where a strong La Follette vote was expected, old party candidates, running on the ticket with Mr...
...Ami fc*r« avis?t the ems »/ tin matter,* km s«B • ga***I...
...Will Senator La Follette's magnificent work, Senator Wheeler's glorious eloquence and enthusiasm, the superb work of the liberals, progressives and Labor men who cooperated so loyally, go to naught...
...Coolidge'* party, Still further, the list included such men as Cola L. Bleat* and Tom Heflin, who are among tha lowest grade politician* in the country—bitterly reactionary, opposed to every kind of progr?s*—both of whom waged hitter, vulgar and obtcene battle againtt woman suffrage, both of whom ara among tha leaders of the Southern Negro baiters aad Negro hater...
...by any name, the workers would support it—when they are ready to support it...
...It it now realized—what the Socialittt have been saying ell along—that the Rootevelt vote of 1912 wat not a Progreiiive insurgency but a Republican split...
...a a • a a America need* a new party, a permanent Labor party, ia which the Socialist Party will taka it* place a* a layal, enthusiastic cooperator...
...to perfect its educational and political machinery...
...hence hit sudden conversion to friendship for Labor...
...They pointed to tha fact that organisatiena totalling millions of members had endorsed La Follette...
...Ours is to build the Socialist Party, to make it efficient to do th* work that it did so well in the La Follette campaign, to prepare the ground for a new party...
...Tka Socialists war* outvoted oa tka in** af tka immediate organisation af a party and tha nomination of a fall ticket for a*ary oftca to b* voted far, and they had to b* «enteat with a decition ta hold a convention ia January to dite*** tka laaachiag of a party, after the election rotor ae had been fatly digested...
...They ••id that all that wat needed was a selection of good candidate* to ehaoce from, and that the good tente of the voter* would assert itself and thay would choose the best men...
...It has been a great campaign, a great letton...
...He, too, declared that the movement must result in a new party, or else it hat been a waited campaign...
...A landslide for Coolidge...
...Coolidge or Mr...
...Wherever an old party man is found profasting Ina friendship fas* Labor, there yet) will tad a strong B—iaBst district...
...Only Congreuman La Guardia had tha courage and manhood completely and openly to repudiate hi* former party and to stand foursquare for La Follette'on the Socialist ticket...
...wherever possible they waged •a aggressive campaign for them...
...Those who opposed the immediate organisation of a new party pointed to tha personal popularity and record of Senator La Follette...
...To consider Tom Heflin for endorsement for reelection to the United State* Senates to consider Cole Bleat* a* worthy of endorsement for his first ?lection to tha Senate, is tha height of fantastic nonsense...
...It is the batit for a new party—but unlet* tha leaders of the movement realise that it mutt ba to used, the work of nearly a year, the expenditure of time and energy and money, will have heen waited...
...In New York, Arthur Garfield Hayt, the brilliant La Follette State chairman, realised the anomaly of tha tituation, and toward tha end of the campaign actively ttumped for Karlin, attacking tha G. O. P. man for his attempt to, capitalise La Follette's ttrength for hit own benefit...
...Ther* are between four and five million votes for La Follette, a wonderful showing, BUT NOT THE LANDSLIDE THAT LA FOLLETTE'S ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORTERS THOUGHT HE WOULD GET...
...Thay pointed to the Rootevelt Progressiva movement af 1912, when the former President polled 4,126,020 vote*, as againtt 3,483,922 for President Taft and 6,286,214 far Woodrow Wilton, and received 88 electoral vote...
...Theodore Rootevelt the elder did not lead a ceuie...
...Nearly five million votes for a new party, a Labor party— what a magnificent victory...
...Nothing else...
...America ha* straggled far in tha rear too long—tha time hat coma to catch up...
...The sam* is true in practically every other case mentioned...
...Can w? afford to fail...
...The time has come to take stock...
...And there are greater duties ahead...
...The election if over, and tha poeltioa of the Socialist* is fally viaaseatad, If a aaw party i* not organised ia Jenaaryi If it do** mat nominate a fall tickat far every «tic* at *v*ry forthcoming election...
...Coolidge or Mr...
...what a commentary on the American voter...
...Then Senator La Follette declared in hi* la*t speeches that tha real campaign would begin after election, for the ettabluhment of a permanent party...
...That it, that thi* wat a one-campaign movement, and that Ha only purpose was to elect Senator La Follette a* President a* a good man, to be preferred as m man to either Mr...
...THE NEXT J O B - A N EW PA&TY Fallait* m pl...
...AH this indicates that the voters are not by any means afraid of the word Socialist and of the Socialist emblem...
...Among those endorsed were scores of member* of Mr...
...Further, there .were certain powerful and influential elements in the La Follette movement that war* still wadded to the old, discredited political method of "rewarding friendt and punithing enemies...
...That that objective was utter nontente was early seated by our standard bearers...
...That happened In many part* of New York, noticeably in the 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 30th Congreoional dUtrict...
...Dnvis' party and score* of members of Mr...
...i*t strength «ver ht iuUt up anywhere, if it isn't butlt upf How are we to get sections of tkt city when old party men, to fit any tupport, 'mfe*pmtend to I t "frutndly" to Labort Why—by building up, and sticking to mr sum partyI Aad whoa wa have built up our strength, when wa have district af tar district wker* th* eld parties have ta asaka believe to ha our friends to held their vote, we should have th* strength to »I*et oar owa, wa should be strong enough not to feel we watt elect a secondhand, twice removed "friend" who will pay attention te the deovtnds of th* worker* only after all hi* other business it disposed of, if he can find tha time...
...The figures available at this writing are still scattered and far from complete, but this, at leatt, it certain—that LA FOLLETTE POLLED HIS HEAVIEST VOTE WHERE THE SOCIALISTS HAD BEEN STRONG, THAT THE DISTRICTS THAT LA FOLLETTE CARRIED IN NEW YORK ARE THE DISTRICTS THAT THE SOCIALIST PARTY HAS CARRIED IN THE PAST—NO OTHERS...
...of the well-organised, well-oiled and wallfinanced machine, temporarily out of the G. O. P. That it why'he got tuch a vote...
...It is a remarkable vote that wat catt—a remarkable vote for a new deal...
...Is this campaign to be waited...
...In soma cases, as, for example, tha 14th Congressional district, New York, where William Karlin wa* tha candidate, tha Socialist had a superb record of years of battling for the worker...
...That La Follette a* President, and other "good men" cluttering up Congress-— no matter what their party or principles—wat tha objectiva of the campaign...
...he led a faction of the Republican party, with whole local, county and State committee...
...America need* to join the procoition ia which all tha other civilised nation* of tha world era enrolled...
...The last act ia the comedy wa* the treachery of certain Tammany Hall supporters who alto happen t* be officiais • f Labor union*, when they tried to knife the tickat aad deliver the vote of the workers to the Wall Street lawyer, a - * a - * » la all these maneuver*, in all th* attempts to lia* up L* Follette voters for Tammany Hall locally, and than to throw tha La Follette vote elsewhere, only oae idea prevailed...
...Each section of the movement has itt talk laid out...
...Davit, angled for the support *f the La Follette voter...
...Further...
...Fully half—and, in many catet, far mora thenhalf— of the La Follette vote in New York was cast under the Socialist emblem, and the whole huge La Follette vota in California was catt at a Socialist vote...
...They looked over Congrett and telactad shot* man'thay considered leatt unfavorable to themt their test wa* a narrow one, an arbitrary yardstick, maasurlag each one on how he voted on a limited number of bill*, not on his principles, his party and its record, or on hi* general outlook...
...to train speakers and lecturers and watchers: to serve the new party...
...Davit...
...First, Senator Wheeler declared in an exclusive interview in The New Leader that he wat working for a permanent party of the workert, farmers, aad all progrettivet, «omething like the Britiah Labor party...
...January it nearly here, January with itt history-making convention at which the new party will be born...
...Tha G. O. P. congreuman ' in question represents a district that has a strong Socialist vote...
...By any .name, the movement would be as bitterly assailed by the plunderers of the country...
...if it do** not demand and enforce absolute loyalty to tka ticket a* a whale front every member and every organisation withia the aaw party, then tha work of tha campaign will have bean watted, then tha movement that teemed so like • era tad* while it wat going oa will have bean a dead lots...
...The election is over...
...d**lar«d that ke weald twoep tfc* **aalry aad W *^e*ne*Waii* • HttU ***** aaatiou*, M U that ha « H U raw a l*U HHFTI, »ell * stag g«rin* popular **t* aad throw tha .lectio* hrta tha Haesa al Repr.teatativar Tha laatalhti, « » « » « , while whole-heartedly partiel, patimf ta tha aesaiaatlea of Senator La Follette, urged that tha aesaiasti— be made part af a movemeat far tka building • » af a a*w party of tka predacer*, to taka a partsaaeat pla?a la tka political Ufa of tka country...
...The campaign was waged, and as time wore oa, incident after incident occurred that showed tha sterility of the policy of merely naming a Pratidantial tickat...
...And yet La Follette leaders endorsed them and urged that votes he cast for La Follette and Blaase, La Follette and Heflin—a combination of nam** as intana as, for example, Eugene V. Debs and A. Mitchell Palmer I Those wera soma of tha incidents...
...The absurdity of thi* situation is clear...
...It it now realised that La Follette did not lead a La Follette movement, not a split in either of the old parties, BUT THE BEGINNINGS OF A NEW PARTY...
...If not—to work, Comrades...
...But because he had voted "yas" and "no" in * certain w?y on a few measures certain union officials considered his opponent on th* tickat of Strikebreaker Coolidge aad Union-Smashing Dawes a "friend" of Labor, and materially aided in the defeat of Karlin...
Vol. 1 • November 1924 • No. 43
