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From The Militant, Vol. 12 No. 43, 25 October 1948, p. 4.
Transcribed & marked up by Einde O’ Callaghan for the Encyclopaedia of Trotskyism On-Line (ETOL).
NEW YORK – A day-by-day account of the past week’s tour activities offers convincing proof, that we are striking some telling blows for the Socialist Workers Party program in the industrial east.
Oct. 13 – Along with New York local members, I spoke at three street corner rallies in the Harlem district of New York City. Although it was a cold night, we had gratifyingly large audiences. Our comrades kept warm by hustling around with party pamphlets, election platforms and Militant sub blanks.
Oct. 14 – George Clarke and I proceeded to the Philadelphia party headquarters and then took off in a sound truck for Camden, New Jersey. This was a new “crossing of the Delaware” to bring the SWP program to the RCA and Campbell Soup Co. workers at a noonday election rally.
Later ini the afternoon, we spoke to the Westinghouse workers as the shifts changed at that huge Philadelphia plant. Considerable interest in our rally was aroused by the plant guards who forced us to move from our first location, on grounds that it was “Westinghouse property.” But Philadelphia’s sound equipment is powerful so we sent our socialist propaganda right across the “Westinghouse property” and right through the open windows of the Westinghouse plant, itself.
Oct. 15 – I made an early morning trip to New Haven for an interview over Radio Station WNHC. I had a very pleasant talk with the announcer, who expressed great respect for the lively election campaign that our Connecticut branches are putting on. And inasmuch as the announcer really knew something about politics, we had a very interesting and worthwhile 12-minute interview. This program is called Shoppers Bazaar. I know that the women listeners who took my “shopping hint” will find that the SWP program is the best buy in the field!
There was time after the radio interview to visit my youngest Connecticut constituent, Judy Chertov, our gubernatorial candidate’s pretty, found-cheeked baby girl.
Oct. 16 – George Clarke and I returned to Philadelphia and were greeted at the Broad St. station by an impressive delegation of the Friendly City’s finest citizens. I was presented with a dozen beautiful red roses. The best part of these generous receptions is that our people are genuinely enthusiastic about our campaign and genuinely eager to pay their respects to our candidates. They are at the opposite pole from the jaded, cynical, job-seeking delegations that greet the capitalist candidates.
There was no lack of enthusiasm at the election rally in the Philadelphia headquarters that night. Standing room only was the rule! We tore ourselves away from the reception that followed the meeting at 1:20 a.m. for the trip back to New York city.
Oct. 17 – This was the day of the famous Dobbs-Thomas debate and all that I had to do was to sit back and enjoy seeing an outclassed Social Democrat go down under the vigorous verbal hammer-blows of a Trotskyist champion.
Oct. 18 – I travelled up the Lehigh Valley to Allentown for ah election rally there. We had received some fine front-page publicity about the meeting and this must have frightened the AFL bureaucrats in whose Labor Temple we were scheduled to meet. At any rate, their refusal to permit us to use the Labor Temple hall left us without a meeting place 15 minutes before the scheduled time. But our resourceful people did finally rent a hall in the Elks Building and we had our rally. It was very cold in this hall because it had been closed up for a long time but our devoted members and friends sat there with their overcoats, scarves and gloves on for a full hour.
Contrast their behaviour with Tom Dewey’s! A small accident on his train made him denounce the engineer as a lunatic who should be shot at sunrise. It’s no wonder that Dewey isn’t a Socialist. He couldn’t take it!
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Last updated: 25 March 2023