CAMPAIGNING FOR REVOLUTIONARY SOCIALISM IN IMPERIALIST AMERICA
By Evelyn Sell
What is it like to campaign for revolutionary socialism in the strongest capitalist country in the world? Right now it's very exciting, very encouraging, very rewarding. The Freedom Now revolt, the antiwar activities. among youth, the growing rank-and-file resentment in the unions against deteriorating job conditions and continuing unemployment ~- all this helps create conditions favorable to revo-= lutionary-socialist ideas, We are still isolated from the mass of American workers but we are attracting individual youths and participants in the Freedom Now movement thirsting for revolutionary activities and a Marxist education,
Let me tell you what the election work of the Socialist Workers party is like in Michigan. We launched our campaign at a May Day rally, Frank Lovell, running for governor, spoke on why White Work-ers Should Support the Negro Struggle for Equality." I, running for | U.S, senator, spoke against the American intervention in South Vietq © nal.
These talks were reprinted as leaflets and distributed, along with other election material, among students in high schools and colleges, to the crowds at public gatherings, and to union members at their meetings, |For copies, write: | Sootalist Workers Party, SST Woodward, Detroit, Michigan, 48204, USA.]
During the summer when school activities are at a minimum and union meetings are customarily suspended until fall, we engaged in neighborhood activities, going door to door. Much of our work is done in’ the Black Ghetto, As one of our projects, we set ourselves a goal of selling 500 subscriptions to the weekly socialist newspaper, the. Militant, Our score was 634, The Militant is important in our work since it carries news about our campaign and about the national campaign of the SWP presidential candidates,
This was preparatory work for the intensive phase that comes in the weeks before the election in November, But our candidates have already spoken on a variety of subjects at a number of meetings. These include college groups in and out of Detroit, union meetings in the area, the weekly Friday Night Socialist Forum, street meetings, and broadcasts on a local radio station, This station offered each party on. the ballot fifteen minutes a week, which, we, of course, accepted.
Wherever possible, our platform is shared by campaign supporters, At our May Day rally, for instance, a high-school student, newly recruited to the socialist movement, gave a short talk on the history and meaning of May Day. Negro teen-agers speak at our street meetings. Most of our radio broadcasts have featured young speakers, : Just before school ended for the summer, some of our youth supporters
participated in a mock election sponsored by a higheschool club, A prize was offered for the best nomination speech at the mock conven= tion. The speech for the SWP candidate was judged the winner over the Republican and Democratic contenders. On this s experimental level the democratic process proved successful enough, .
We have two main aims in our electoral work, Our first aim is to carry on effective publicity for revolutionary socialism among workers, Negroes and students. We go into the heart of the Blaok Ghetto with our leaflets and other literature, We hold street meetings. We go to the high schools and colleges. At union meetings we explain the basic ideas of socialism and urge the workers to break with capitalist political parties and take the position in society that is rightfully and historically theirs, In the final phase of the campaign we will distribute leaflets at plant gates. Possibili-~ ties here are limited only by financial resources; Detroit has immense armies of workers, many of whom will think over what is said in a socialist leaflet. —
The second aim of our campaign is to provide training for new recruits to the soéialist movement. During an election campaign there are innumerable opportunities for young people to develop their talents as organizers and speakers, Besides practical work of this kind, we carry on educational work on the theoretical level == an essential part of the training of revolutionists, Thus this summer we held classes twice a week on Trotsky's History of the Russian — Revolution, We are now studying The Theory 0 OL the Negro Struggle Oe Our motto is "Marxists in word and deed,
Of course, all:is not smooth sailing. The long years of
witch-hunting in America have left their mark, Sometimes we are faced with nasty reactions from people affected by government brainwashing. The police harass us at times, arresting distributors of leaflets for instance. We are able to continue our work and to expand it in face of such difficulties bécause our ranks include determined fighters with the skills that come of long experience and intense dedication to the socialist revolution, This year our work has been aided by a favorable turn in the social climate,
To illustrate some of the difficulties to be found in campaigning for revolutionary socialism in capitalist America and how we go about meeting them, let me give a single example, While our campaign opened last May Day, the election work really began a year ago when we collected the signatures necessary to win a place on the ballot. In all states the big parties automatically appear on the ballot; but in many states the same election laws providing these facilities for the political machines of big business make it impos-~ sible for a minority party to get on the ballot. Michigan is one of the better states -~- the laws merely make it very difficult, One of the requirements is almost 15,000 signatures; in practice, however, it is necessary to get about double the number because they must be — valid signatures and it is Democratic and Republican officials who
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determine what is "valid." One year we were ruled off the ballot because of an unfavorable interpretation on this rule,
'It is not possible even to rely on areas where sentiment may be favorable or relatively favorable. The law requires petitioners to bring in a geographical spectrum of signatures, Thus we are com-~ pelled to work in areas that may be positively hostile.
We go to busy shopping districts and ask passersby to sign our petitions, Occasionally we are met with slurring remarks, others hurry by, but a gratifying number will sign, Sometimes the local police interfere, Often they go no further than to check the stateapproved petition forms, It is not unusual, however, for a petitioner to find. himself. taken to the police station for further questioning,
After many years of this kind of work, we have learned much about it. Experience helps us to expedite the mountainous work ine volved in the red tape. Our teamwork and careful preparations help reduce the effect of police intimidation,
As a result we are able to help friendly organizations who. lack experience in all this, The Freedom Now party publicly acknowledged our assistance in completing their petition campaign,
Our enemy is formidable; our present forces still small and. isolated, I often think, however, of the words written by Tom Paine, an American’ revolutionist of 200 years ago: "These are the times that try ments souls, The summer soldiers and the sunshine patriots” will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman, Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this conso~ lation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the. triumph,"
Ours will be the glorious triumph,
Directeur-Gérant: Pierre FRANK. . teur),