THE CONVENTION OF 4oo,ooo 13\' B. K. GEBERT The New Soviet Electoral Law LEON JOSE PH 01\' The Recruiting Drive l•" RED BROWN The Farmer-Labor P arty M ovement in the Municipal Elections l. .\MTER Karl Marx's "Capital" Farm Legislation and the P eople's Front J E RRY COLEMA After the Youth Congress CARL ROSS TWENTY CE~TS NEW BOOKS On flac 4}1NI'£RMA'I'IOMA& List New edition of a timely book! WHEN JAPAN GOES TO WAR by 0. TANIN and E. YOHAN How long can Japan last in a major conflict? Here is the answer, based upon first-hand observation by two specialists on the Far East. Only $1.00! • You've been waiting fm· a book lik.e t !:Jis! RECONSTRUCTION: Tile Battle lor Democ:rac:y by JAMES S. ALLEN If you want to see how Marxist-Leninist theory, correctly applied, can throw new light upon our historical past, read this penetrating analysis of the struggle of the Negro people for land and freedom during the period after the Civil War. 256 pages-$1.25 • Remember Tom Paine! THOMAS PAINE Selections from his writings, with an introduction by James S. Allen. 2 5c • I 50th Birthday THE U.S. CONSTITUTION Including the Amendments, also The Declaration of Independence With an introduction on the "Revolutionary Background of the Constitution," by Earl Browder. 1 Oc • Order from your local booksbop or from WORKERS LIBRARY PUBLISHERS P. 0. Box 148, Sta. D New York City VOL. XVI, No. 10 OCTOBER, 1937 'Jhe COMMUNIST A MAGAZINE OF THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF MARXISM-LENINISM PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE U.S.A. CONTENTS Review of the Month A. B. The Convention of 40o,ooo B. K. GEBERT 891 The New Soviet Electoral Law LEON JOSEPHSON 906 The Importance of the Present Recruiting Drive for the Future of Our Party FRED BROWN Development of the Farmer-Labor Party Movement in the Municipal Election Campaign I. AMTER Karl Marx's "Capital" 934 Farm Legislation and the People's Front JERRY COLEMAN 946 After the Youth Congress CARL ROSS 954 From the World Communist Press Book Reviews A. W. BERRY Recent Books Acknowledged Entered as second class matter November 2, r927, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the Act of March J, r879. Send checks, money orders and correspondence to THl! CoMMUNIST, P.O. Box r48, Sta. D (5o E. IJth St.), New York. Subscription rates: $2.00 a year; Sr.oo for six months; foreign and Canada $2.50 11 year. Single copies 20 ctmts. PRINTED IN U.B.A. ~209 A Statement of the Editors on Plans for Improving "The Communist" N ACCORDANCE with our aim of making in Soviet Life; The Passing of Pure-and­ I The Communist a magazine of wide­ Simple Trade Unionism in the U.S.A.; spread interest to all who want to be Every Class Struggle Is a Political Strug­ really informed on the vital economic, gles (how this is manifesting itself in the political and social questions of the day, U. S. today); a series entitled: Classic the editors will undertake a number of Types of American Trade Union Philoso­ extensive improvements. phy, Program, Organization, and Practices. Foremost aiQ.ong the new features will The Communist will also publish, more be the increased presentation of theoreti­ often than hitherto, philosophic articles, cal articles, enlightening with the Marxist­ elaborations of the principles of Marx, Leninist projector the practical problems Engels, Lenin, and Stalin. It will present facing the American working class and with frequency hitherto untranslated the progressive forces as a whole. Marxist-Leninist writings and documents. Such issues as the right to work, the It will make permanent the recently in­ development of progressive industrial troduced feature "From the World Com­ unionism, the sit-down strike, the advance munist Press," and will present impor­ of the People's Front movement, the de­ tant documents illustrating the advance velopments in progress among the middle of the socialist society in the Soviet classes-farmers, intellectuals and small Union, and the world-scale progress of business people, the people's fight against the united front and the People's Front. the war menace, and other issues of do­ Polemics will be conducted with current mestic and foreign politics, will be bourgeois ideologies and with issues treated in a theoretical, fundamental way, brought forth in Socialist Party periodi­ on the basis of the underlying Marxist­ cals. Reviews of important publications Leninist principles, with the issues set in will be regularly included. their historic perspective. Finally, emphasis will be laid on deep­ To bring The Communist closer to ening the understanding of our readers trade unionists, we shall organize special in regard to the history, the revolutionary discussions of trade union problems and and democratic traditions of the American basic issues, involving the trade unionists people and on the historical development ,as active and responsive readers and, to of the progressive people's movement in the extent possible, as contributors. We the United States. are desirous of involving the trade union­ We invite all our readers to offer their ists by soliciting their questions and sug­ suggestions for further improvement of gestions and by responding to them in a The Communist. systematic way. It shall be the purpose of this feature to make The Communist, WE ANNOUNCE FOR THE much more than in the past, an instru­ FORTHCOMING ISSUE ment for trade union activists. Earl Browder, "Twenty Years of Soviet The editors have drawn up a six-month Power." project for the publication of such ar­ Jack Stachel, "Whither the Socialist ticles on trade union issues as: Party?" Trade Unionism and Communism; The V. J. Jerome, "A Year of Science and Structure and Function of Trade Unions Society.'' REVIEW OF THE MONTH Approaching Twentieth Anniversary of October Revolution. Proletarian Dictatorship Builds Socialism. Triumph of Socialism Over Capitalism. America Facing Fundamental Problems. Good Machines and Rich Harvest Creating Danger of Scarcity. Not a Paradox. American Labor in the Highway to a Socialist Conclusion. Unity of Labor and Victory of People's Front. Labor Moves to Alliance with Farmers and Middle Classes. Lewis' Speeches. Farm Legislation and Struggle Against Rising Cost of Living. What Is Wrong With Scarcity Features of New Deal? Soviet Union Solves a Problem. A Power for Peace and Progress. The Soviet Government and the Mediterranean. Chinese Communists Write to Browder. "New Republic, Makes a Mistake. On Trotskyism and Bukharinism. Stalin, the Teacher and Leader. Can You. Dis­ tinguish Lovestoneism from Trotskyism? Friendship of American and Soviet Peoples. Congress of Party Builders. E ARE approaching the twentieth proletariat, was the means of libera­ W anniversary of the October Rev­ tion from the class domination of the olution. landlords, capitalists and imperialists. November 7, 1917-0ctober 25 by It was this power that enabled the the old Russian calendar-was the un­ peoples of the Soviet Union, headed forgettable day when the great social­ by the working class and led by the ist revolution began. The dream of Communist (Bolshevik) Party of centuries was coming true. Lenin and Stalin, to abolish capital­ Within a month, we shall be cele­ ism and to establish socialism. It en­ brating the twentieth anniversary of abled them to abolish exploitation of that event. Twenty years of Soviet man by man; to make the economy of power, state power in the hands of the the country serve the needs of the working class, gm;erning in alliance people instead of the profits of the with the toiling peasantry, and creat­ exploiters of the people; to establish ing the widest, most genuine, and an economy for use instead of for most effective democracy in govern­ profits. It enabled them to do away ment that the world has ever known. with crises, unemployment, anarchy This is what is expressed in the Stalin of production, insecurity and the Constitution and in the new election moral of dog eat dog, all of which law based upon the Constitution. follows inevitably from capitalism and It is twenty years of the existence monopoly domination; and to substi­ of this new working class democratic tute for it a planned socialist economy power that we shall soon celebrate: a in industry, agriculture, commerce fifth of a century of Soviet power. and finance, providing for all citizens This power, the dictatorship of the of the Soviet Union, as a matter of THE COMMUNIST right, security of employment, a de­ versary of the socialist revolution, the cent and ever-growing standard of Soviet Union presents a united and life, education, leisure and the widest happy family of nations, a voluntary opportunities that ever existed "for union of many peoples, living and life, liberty and the pursuit of hap­ working harmoniously for the well­ piness." being and happiness of all. We shall also celebrate the abolition This, too, is the triumph of social­ of all forms of national oppression ism over capitalism. A triumph for and discrimination which was the working people and all exploited brought about by the socialist revolu­ everywhere. A guide for all of them tion. Under capitalism and imperial­ to their eventual socialist liberation ism, small or backward nations are from the anarchy and brutality of "god-given" objects for robbery, capitalism and its fascist storm troops. spoliation, and oppression to the bene­ A promise and a guarantee that so­ fit of the monopolists of the strong cialism ·will inevitably prevail in the and advanced nations. Colored whole world. It is the triumph of the peoples (whether black, brown or scientific teachings of Marxism-Lenin­ yellow) are designated as "inferior ism, of the truth of world Commu­ races" whose only function is to do nism, and of the leadership of the the dirty work for the "superior races" Bolshevik Party and of Comrade and be destroyed in the process.