FIRST NEGRO CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.
By Joseph Hansen The Socialist Workers party has won the historic distinction of nominating the first Negro candidate for the highest office in the coun= try. Negroes have been nominated for the vice-presidency but never the
FIRST NEGRO CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.
By Joseph Hansen
The Socialist Workers party has won the historic distinction of | nominating the first Negro candidate for the highest office in the coun- - try. Negroes have been nominated for the vice-presidency but never the
-Aollers ‘1.50 or 2/15 s. or 37,50 francs to: Pierre Frank, 21, Tos. Ab oukir, Paris 2¢,
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~ Ome , , ‘presidency of the United States, L The American socialist candidate is Clifton DeBerry, a 30-year-old. ‘unionist and civilerights’ fighter who was born in Holly Springs, ‘Mississippi.
Edward Shaw was named as DeBerry's running mate, Shaw is forty, ‘@ Native of Illinois, a former seaman, a draftee and at present a printer, He has been very active in work a imed at presenting the truth about Cuba and in defending the Cuban Revolution in the very heart of.. its mighty imperialist foe.
The two nominations were made by the National Committee of the Socialist Workers party at a recent meeting; and the nominating speech for the slate was made by Farrell Dobbs, who was presidential candidate for the Socialist Workers party four times,
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The candidecies of DeBerry and Shaw mark a turning point in the history of the Socialist Workers party and thereby the American socialist movement, ae
Dobbs. first ran in 1948 together with Grace Carlson as vicepresidential candidate. -Both were. from the Twin Cities, Minnesota, and both.were products of the great union organizing drive of the thirties that culminated in formation of the CIO.
Dobbs gained fe m3 as one of the young leaders in the bitter strike struggles that. converted Minneapolis from one of.the worst open-shop towns into a union city. He spearheaded the subsequent organizing. © drives in the Northwest that eventually rolled up such power for the Teamsters Union that it became. the largest and one of the strongest unions. in the country.
There. is no doubt that Farreil Dobbs could have become one of America's top labor bureaucrats -- a James Hoffa, He turned deliber~ ately away from such an undignified and unworthy career to devote his’ full talents. and energy to the struggle for a socialist America. He thus symbolized the best in the militant vanguard of the American trade-union movement, and that was how he was appreciated as the presidential candidate of the Socialist Workers party.
In 1952 Dobbs was joined by Myra Tanner Weiss as the vice-presidential candidate and the two defended revolutionary socialism at the height of the hysteria generated by the Korean War and the worst witch-hunt in the history of the United States.
They ren into a similar situation in 1956 in the crisis over Suez and the red-baiting of the still virulent McCarthyite. movement.
In 1960 Dobbs was the only presidential candidate to defend the Cuban Revolution, After a trip to Cuba, he took on both Kennedy and Nixon wherever it was: possible on radio, TV, the newspapers, on the ' streets and in public gatherings. His remained the strongest voice
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still echoing the militant mood and. the great struggles of the thirties.
A new development has now occurred in the United States «= the rise of the Negro people. This is a turn fraught with boundless pos~ . sibilities for it is tied in with the colonial revolution that has shaken the entire world.
A new generation of militant fighters has appeared on the American political scene, a generation that is learning about the class struggle in the streets and jails of the South and in demonstrations that have flared up from coast to coast as the most oppressed sector of society rises to its feet, seeking justice and fair treatment.
DeBerry and Shaw represent this new generation. As banner bear-~ ers of socialism they can be expected to put on a fighting campaign. measuring up in every respect to the militant tradition of American socialism, »
Revolutionary socialists throughout the world will no doubt wish them the best of luck as they go forth in the main citadle of capitalism in 1964 championing the cause of the oppressed everywhere,
TINY PANAMA STANDS UP TO THE U.S.
Roberto Chiari, the conservative president of the tiny republic of Panama, told Lyndon Johnson, the head of the mightiest imperialist power in world history, that his people demand a revision of the one-- ‘sided treaty foisted on the Panamanians., Chiari said this direotly .to Johnson over the telephone when the U.S. president called up January 10 to see if something couldn't be done to stop the Panamanians from demonstrating in the streets.
On the same day the Panamanian government courageously broke dip= lomatic relations with Weshington, Foreign Minister Galileo Solis wired Dean Rusk that American troops had killed 17 of his countrymen and wounded 200. It was reported that three U.S. soldiers were killed and 54 wounded in fighting January 9,
Officials at the U.S. embassy in Panama burned secret records and moved out as the anger of Panama's people reached explosive proportions,
In the United Nations, Panama'ts representative Aquilino Boyd levelled grave charges against Washington January 10. "Panama," he said, "is the victim of an unprovoked armed attack against its unarmed civilian population, an attack which has caused at Least. twenty deaths and three hundred wounded. This act of aggression was perpetrated by the American forces without the least act of hostility on the part of the Panamanian government and people,”
The outbreak of violence January 9 was caused, Boyd said, by - residents of the Canal Zone “who are distinguished’ by their hostility
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toward Panama, their racial prejudices toward the Panamanians and the disdain they display toward the obligations contracted by the United States for the benefit of Panama.
The wave of violence began, according to. reports, when Ameriéans. hoisted the Stars and Stripes in violation of solemn agreements reached with the U.S. government.
Behind the outbreak stood sixty years of arrogant imperialist domination. In the same years that the United States was getting a firm grip on Cuba through occupation forces, the newly emergent imperialist power decided it needed a canal across the Isthmus of Panama,
The main engineering work was done by "Rough Rider" Theodore Roosevelt. He swung the "Big Stick" on Columbia and, failing to get immediate satisfaction, inspired a "revolution! on November 5, 1903, in the northern province -- under the "protection" of American marines. Three days later Roosevelt recognized the new republic. Two weeks later the puppet government signed a "treaty," conceding the Canal Zone to the Big Brother of the North, ~
The U.S. government agreed to pay for the concession which was. of enormous strategic economic and military importance to the United States; namely, the peanut amount of $10,000,000 cash and $250, 000 rent each year.
Panama has succeeded in getting the unwelcome tenant to increase the rent over the years to make up for inflation, In 1936 Franklin D. Roosevelt agreed to make it $430,000. In 1955 it was agreed to pay $1,930,000 a year. The truth is that in-the entire period in which the. Panama Canal has been in operation, not more than five percent of the tolls have gone to Panama,
During the years other minor concessions have been made to Panamanian demands, notably in 1959 under a Republican administration, ' President Hisenhower formally admitted that Panama retains nominal sovereignty over the Canal Zone One of the main consequences of this was recognition of the right of the Panamanians to fly.their flag side by side with the Stars and Stripes on certain public buildings.
In 1963 Panama won further modifications of the unequal treaty. One of the concessions was agreement to pay Panamanian workers a minimum wage of $.70 an hour, to be raised to $.80 an hour in 1964,
This gesture in the direction of equality of pay remained rather insubstantial, however, since American-born workers are given special bonuses as well as high pay. Moreover ninety percent. of the well-paid positions are held by American citizens. ,
Panama's imain demand now is complete revision of the treaty. "It is necessary to nationalize or internationalize the canal," said Panamats representative in the United Nations, “and guarantee special privi- | leges to the country it crosses."
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THE DEMONSTRATIONS AT ORAN
On Monday January 6 a few hundred people demonstrated before the offices of the city administration.at Oran. According to one report, two grievances were involved, some street peddlers protested an order barring them from streets where vehicular traffic is especially heavy, and workers employed at a city project to replace a.shanty town with decent homes, protested not receiving their pay. (A different report said they protested being laid off.)
v- The following day a crowd estimated from 1,500 to 2,000 roamed the city. They were mostly very. young youths, They shouted such slogans as "Vive Ferhat Abbas!" and "Vive Ben Kheddal" (These are right-wing figures who represent the neocolonialist tendency in Algeria.) The youths also shouted "Vive de Gaulle!" And there were some reports that a French flag (perhaps more than one) was waved.
The crowd stopped streetcars; smashed windows; swung clubs on. parked automobiles, The city administration was invaded, and the offices wrecked, according to Paris papers,
By evening a counter demonstration was underway. Some 7,000 supporters of the government marched through the streets, shouting "Vive Ben Bellat" and "A bas 1a contre-révolution!" ["Down’ with the counterrevolution!" ] -
On January 8 the city turned out massively. Even the bitterly anti-Ben Bella rightist press in Paris admitted that at least 100,000 people demonstrated .in favor of the government, while the Algiers press put the figure at 200,000; that is, half the population of Oran.
Hastily painted banners carried slogans denouncing the bourgeoisie and the counterrevolution. The FLN [Front de Libération Na tionale] was hailed as "The Sole Guarantee of the Socialist Future." Other banners carried mottos Tike “Socialism Is’ Synonomous with Social Justice," Pictures of Ben Bella were borne..by many.
In Algiers, the government took the vandalistic demonstration of Tuesday as a serious move by the counterrevolution. Among..the steps the government took was organization of revolutionary tribunals of the people such as were set up in Cuba when the counterrevolution raised its head. A number of arrests were made in Oran and these simple courts went into action, meting out jail sentences.
In a fighting speech, Ben Bella declared: "The socialist revolution will not submit. . . In Oran we have broken the backbone of the counterrevolution, and we will continue to follow the road taken by Cuba, Yugoslavia and China."
_In the aftermath of the events it was clear that behind the events in Oran stood the big problem of unemployment which Algeria is still © far from solving. This problem is all the more bitter for those who placed the greatest hopes in the revolution against French imperialism
but who have not yet been able to. win the guarantee of steady employment.
it is ‘this economic difficulty, a classic one in the opening stages of a great social upheaval, which the counterrevolution seeks to exploit, That the counterrevolution was active in Oran is quite evident. Jean-Frangois Kahn, special correspondent of Le Monde admitted [in the issue of January 13. 13] that there could be "Tittie doubt.of it."
The solution to the problem of unemployment is very difficult in Algeria in the aftermath of seven and a haif years of one of the cruelest wars in history, the departure in mass of the French, and the-refusal of the West to grant substantial credits. Kahn cites a typical instance of the problem:
"Throughout Oran many plants are still closed. Seicador, an enterprise for handling oranges, which could employ 250 workers and provide a living for 1,500 persons, has not yet reopened its doors because it lacks a qualified chemist, n
It is to close such glaring holes that the Algerian government has appealed for aid from all sources, Heartening responses to the appeal have come from many countries, but as the events in Oran show, the trickle of aid must be increased to a swift flow.
_ Otherwise, the danger to the revolution is bound to increase,
[To send aid to Algeria, or to inquire about how you can help, write to the Bureau National pour l'tAssistance Non-gouvernementale, _ 26 rue Ben M'Hidi Larbi, Alger, Algeria.]
AIGERTA CORRECTS SOME ERRORS IN NATIONALIZATION -
The Algerian Revolution has had to face many economic difficulties, the causes of which are well known: the heritage of the colonial period, the structure created by it, the lack of skilled workers and professionals, The Algerian Revolution has energetically taken the road toward construction of a socialist society. To get the economy — going after the departure of the French was a real feat. The inauguration of the self-management system contributed a great deal in this,
But to get things going could not constitute more than a single stage. Bigg ser problems arose: planning, investments, profitability, etc. ° Lo
The Algerian government began the year 1964 with a certain number of measures which have been represented by various newspapers as a "retreat" -- as if the socialist orientation were being abandoned. This interpretation is completely false, a lie.
Some small businesses which had- been nationalized were turned: back
to their former proprietors, Minister of Economy Bachir Boumaza, re= calling that Ben Bella had declared "that it was better to commit ten to fifteen percent errors" than do nothing and thus go one hundred per=' cent wrong, said that the measureshad been taken to rectify these "ten to fifteen percent errors,”
In the same speech before the National Assembly, he declared:
We will not nationalize the coffee stands and the beauty parlors, only the key industries and those that provide goods of prime neces~ sity to the peasants,
"We agree to the existence of a semipublic sector with foreign industrial groups, whether they are strictly private or nationalized like Renault. We also wish to maintain a private sector with skilled people whom we lack, We are also willing to let these enterprisés take part of their profits out of the country, With regard to this, the new ‘regulation on transfers of funds will not affect the provisions of the code of investments,
"We are prepared to guarantee private property for a certain period, but eventually the private sector must disappear,"
In the context in which it is expressed, the program can lead toward socialism -- considered, of course, within a world framework likewise moving toward socialism -~ under more rational conditions. No valid objection can be made to the principles enunciated in the situa~ tion. A certain amount of trial and error is inevitable in practice,
In practice, too, it is not at all sure or even likely that ‘foreign capital, although it is primarily concerned about profits, will feel inclined to help the policy of a government resolved to move ahead toward socialism, “For various reasons the French government at the moment has a stake in practicing "co-operation" with revolutionary Algeria, But how long will this go on? Whatever the answer may be, it is necessary for Algeria to try to follow a flexible policy in this) respect as long as possible without injuring the scolaltat aims that have been decided on.
BEN BELLA REAFFIRMS SOLIDARITY WITH CUBA
At a reception inaugurating the headquarters of the "Algérie- Cuba Committee" in Algiers January 4, Ben Bella reaffirmed the strong ties of solidarity uniting the two countries, Following remarks by a number of other speakers, Ben Bella took the floor to say a few words:
"I should like to express the deep pleasure I feel at the inauguration of this first headquartérs, which I‘hope will not be the last. There are times when the heads of state say what they really feel. That's what Itm doing right now. I feel great emotion at attending the inauguration of this first headquarters of the 'Algérie-Cuba Committee,!
"T hope that the Committee will not confine its activities to the. capital alone but will also get into the other towns of the country, “because I would like everybody to know, once and for all, that despite the different nature of our two countries, the determination of men and peoples have united these two countries in a-way never before seen in the world,
"Brother Serguera [Comandante Jorge Serguera, the Cuban ambassa~ dor] said many generous things about us. I would like to say how grateful our revolution and our militants are to the Cukan Revolution. Even in the prisons we followed the struggle of this people that wanted to stand erect. I'd like to say that we feelclose to them, That's . what I told Fidel Castro when I went to Havana. Today our friendship is deeper, firmer, and without a rift, ©
"any blow struck against the Cuban Revolution-is a blow struck -against the Algerian Revolution." .
Ben Bella encouraged the members of the “Algérie-Cuba Committee" in their activities and concluded:
"T would-like to see these ties established on a mass scale, —
"Long live the Cuban Revolution! -
- "Long live the