The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 9, 1924, Page 12

, By R. A. NE of the great principles of the Soviet Revolution was that of complete equality of rights for women and men. Politically, this has been realized to the full. Legally, women (married or unmarried) are in exact- ly the same position as men. There is no sex disqualification whatever. Women are eligible for all govern- ment posts, Of course this does not mean women are taking an equal part in the work of government. Women are eligible, but they have tremendous handicaps to overcome—tradition, custom, and above all, illiteracy. In Russia proper, where illiteracy is no worse than in other parts of the Union, nearly 73 per cent of the women are _illiterate—about three times the proportion of illiteracy among men. The proportion of worien taking part in elections to the lower Soviet organs, such as the county and vil- lage Soviets, is on the average about 14 per cent of the total electors vot- ing. In the case of provincial Soviets, this proportion is only about 5.5 per cent. In the elections for All-Russian Soviet Congress, the proportions of women voting was only 2.9 per cent. Women have not yet learned to use these political rights. f With such low proportions of women voting, it is natural that the propor- tion of women elected to Soviet con- gresses is very low. In 1922 only 0.9 per cent of the total members of the district executive committees, and 2.3 per cent of the members of the prov- incial executive committees, were women. The percentages during 1923 increased, but no exact figures are at present available. The government is anxious to at- tract proletarian and peasant women to take a more active part than ever ® BARREN WISDOM @ (Continued from page 1) stances showing the fight of the Workers Party against the menace of LaFolletteism and for a Farmer-La- bor Pary. Third: The C. E. C. of the Work- ers Party at first favored an alliance between the Farmer-Labor Party and ‘the third party movement, provided it breaks completely with the two old parties, in order to maintain con- tact with the working masses for a continued fight against LaFolletteism and for a Farmer-Labor Party. Read the following quotations from the March thesis of the C. E._C.: “If under the conditions set forth above an election alliance, either national or local, is made the Farm- er-Labor Party must maintain a dis- tinct organization and carry on an independent campaign for its own program and utilize the situation to the utmost to crystalize in the defi- nite form of an organized Farmer- Laber Party all those workers and exploited farmers who can be brot to the support of a class party. Thruout any campaign in which we maintain an alliance with the third party, we must constantly criticize and expose it and its can- didates, show up the futility of its program, and make it clear to the workers who are reached by our own campaign that the third party will bring them no salvation and no relief. We must make it clear that the whole campaign is simply a starting point in the struggle for the establishment of a workers’ and farmers’ government.” What does this mean? ‘It means that the originally proposed alliance with the third party movement has been conceived as one of the means of fighting the menace of LaFollette- ism. This and nothing more. Later on, after consultation with the Communist International the C. EB. C. of the Workers Party has decided to drop the alliance proposition and to concentrate on exposing and fighting LaFollette from two bases only—that ~ in Soviet institutions. With this ob- ject in view, the Union Central Ex- ecutive Committee recently issued a circular in which, after noting with satisfaction the increase in the num- ber of women elected. during 1923 to government organs in the Ukraine, Siberia, and other parts of the Union, and the more active part taken by women in the work of thesé organs, it urges the Central Executive Commit- tees of all the Republics. in the Union to instruct their district and provin- cial’ executive committee to give every possible opportunity to their women members to carry out or to participate in the practical work of the Soviets. The women of the East suffer pe- culiar disabilities, even in the Eastern provinces of the Soviet Union. Since 1922, efforts have been made by the Soviet authorities to improve the lot of the Eastern women. On March 7, 1924, the Council of People’s Commissaries of the R. 8S. F. S. R., in consultation with the local authorities, issued a decree. This | decree, applicable to the Kirghis, Turk- estan, Bashkir Republics, makes it a criminal offense to give or accept payment (kalym) either in money or kind for a_ bride, or to compel a woman te marry against her will. ‘Similarly, a decree has been issued for the Oriat Autonomous Area, mak- ing it a criminal offense to steal a woman for the purpose of marrying her, or for parents or guardians to force any woman to marry against her will. Marriage with a women below the age of maturity, polygamy, and payment of kalym are also made crim- inal offenses. On the annulment of a marriage, a wife is to have the right to her own property, in addition to a certain proportion of the proper- ty that may have been acquired during the marriage. The trade unions of the U. S. S. R. of the Farmer-Labor Party and of the Workers Party. This policy has been put into effect at the June 17th Convention in St. Paul—a policy of fighting LaFollete- ism which the Workers Party has maintained all thruout its campaign for a Farmer-Labor Party. They Changed! Here we can see Boudin jumping up again gleefully and triumphantly shouting at the top of his voice: “Well, don’t I say they changed? They betrayed me. They failed to live up to my expectations. That’s all.” Yes, and we changed once more. When we found out, after July 4th, that the betrayal at Cleveland removed the basis for a United Front working- class campaign in the presidential elections, we entered:the campaign as the Workers Party and nominated Sign on the world’s first workers’ government. $2.00 a year SOVIET RUSSIA PICTORIAL 19 South Lincoln Street, Chicago, Il. RSS SST TSS PETS STS SSSSST SS SETS STH This will insure you a prompt monthly delivery of the only journal giving a keen, reliable analysis of the latest developments in the You will enjoy it even more with the large number of interesting Photographs that appear only in the pages of SUBSCRIPTION DURTIOG | .scrcenicnekeicticiensteeriessdeibiesstataibianlel uinlniectin st ssibeiantnicchcsoatbohans asomaisasaa sail Stehet Be MO cic nisdeanniieda eimai chee. cots Sh have generally been very successful in attracting women members. But the same conditions which have hin- dered the participation of women. in the work of government have natur- ally affected their participation in the active work of the trade unions. At the fifth All-Russian Congress of Trade Unions in September, 1922, note was taken of the growing parti- cipation of women in trade union work in the resolution of the congress on organization. This congress decid- ed to carry on the work of organizing women as part of the general work of the unions, and appointed special women organizers im unions and trades in which there were a large number of women workers. According to the report of the All- Russian Congress of Trade Unions for 1923, the number of women mem- bers of trade unions has decreased slightly, owing to the greater propor- tion of unemployment among women resulting from the concentration of industry and the cutting of govern- ment staffs. On the other hand, the proportion of women taking an active part in trade union work has in- creased very considerably. At the present time, women make up 36.6 per cent of the trade union membership; 21.5 per cent of the dispute; committees; 32.5 per cent of the labor protection committees; 30.3 per cent of the educational commit- tees; 18 per cent of the mutual aid fund commissions; and 32.6 of those in attendance of delegate meetings. These figures are high, compared with the trade union statistics of the Western countries. The proportion of active women workers, whilst high in the lower committees, particularly in those or- ganized by the factory committees, is considerably smaller in the higher and central departments of the trade unions. In the factory committees Communist candidates. Too bad, Mr. Boudin, isn’t it? Even Sam Gompers did not like this change of ours. He went as far as charging us with betraying the Farmer-Labor movement. What , do you say? To us these changes indicate only one thing. The Workers Party is con- stantly adjusting tactics to serve its main strategic aims, which inthis case are: Fight. LaFollette and pro- mote the movement for a Farmer-La- bor Party. Now, Mr. Boudin, just a few words in conclusion. We find in your article some very suggestive, one might say, even illuminating expressions. For instance: In introducing the term “menshevik” you say in parenthesis: “to eborrow a little color from the Holy Land.” Which strikes us as an apology before the mensheviks and a sneer at Soviet Russia. Are we right? Dotted Line! : $1.00 six months “ nn eee |to foreign policy and conditions in - |Women in the Soviet Union and the local trade union committees, women constitute on an average 14.4 per cent of the mombers (varying from 0.9 per cent in the sugar work. ers’ to 36.7 per cent im the’ Tailors’ union). The proportion of women in provincial councils of trade unions is only 6 per cent (varying from 26.4 per cent in the above-mentioned unions). In the presidiums of the provincial councils, 5.7 per cent, and in the central executive committees, 4.2 per cent are women. In 1922 only 3.5 per cent of the elected members and 10.4 per cent of the paid officials of provincial trade union councils were women. In 1923 these proportions increased to 5.7 per cent, respectively. The co-operative movement has car- ried on systematic propaganda among women. Since 1921, at every delegate meeting or conference of peasant or proletarian women, lectures have been formed for the systematic study of the co-operative movement and of all questions concerning co-operation, ans its significance in socialist recon- struction. Many women are attend- ing educational courses on co-opera- tion. . This agitation has borne fruit. The number of women who have joined the co-operative societies is considé erable. Women take part in the ad- ministrative and control commissions, as well as in co-operative conferences. In the local administrative depart- ments there are now more than 7,500 women workers and peasants. Thruout the provinces of the Union, special womens’ eonferences are held from time to time, at which the range of subjects discussed varies from the most hum-drum needs of the peasant Germany. There are peasant journals, edited and written by peasant women. Many peasant women are well-known as splendid organizers. Then again in developing your pic- ture of a Communist deputation offer- ing the crown to LaFollette you say sarcastically that you realize, of course, that this tactic leads “in a straight line to the Great Revolution, the regime of Lenin, and the dictator- ship of the’ proletariat under the Bol- sheviks.” The tone makes the music. This little phrase of yours breathes so much bitterness, malice and impotent rage toward the Lenin regime and the Bolsheviki that we can’t help feeling that we are dealing here, in the per- son of Boudin, with an enemy of the Communist International. Are we right? Poor Fish Objects. The Poor Fish greatly resented the insult when a Communist called this dying “hero” a “poor fish”: THE DYING SOLDIER. A soldier of the plunder bund was dying on the job, His breath was coming hard and fast, his heart could hardly throb, His guts were hanging out of holes torn through with chunks of lead, And every time he choked and gagged the blood flew from his head, . Still in his agony he gasped the song he loved to sing, How glorious it is to die, to die for God and King. He left a wife and little ones, he left them all alone, His only care was for his God and King upom the throne, . The God and King were all he had, he was of peasant birth, He didn’t own a foot of soil in all the blooming earth, And yet how rich he deemed he was, how dearly he did prize His King that sat upon a threne, His God up in the skies. Oh thrones and altars, what a joy, what happiness you bring, That makes a peasant glad te dis, to die for God and Kimg. RIVERVIEW—RAIN OR SHINE AUGUST 10th—SUNDAY PRESS PICNIC DAY A 2 eee NE © SOR Ot NOLEN ER tae ee te