Marxists’ Internet Archive: ETOL Home Page: Trotskyist Writers Section: Farrel Dobbs
Source: The Militant, Vol. 12 No. 40, 4 October 1948, p. 4.
Transcription & Mark-up: Einde O’ Callaghan for the Encyclopaedia of Trotskyism On-Line (ETOL).
Dayton, Sept. 25 – Today I addressed 100 delegates attending the Ohio state convention of the (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People at the Wayman M.E. church in this city.
Speakers for the Democratic and Progressive parties were also present. The Republicans were invited but didn’t show up.
We drew lots to determine the order in which the speakers would be introduced. I got the middle spot. Each speaker had 10 minutes, with an official time-keeper holding a watch on him.
The Progressive Party spokesman opened with a dull presentation of Wallace’s “do-good” panaceas calculated to make capitalism “progressive.” I was next up.
“The Socialist Workers Party is a Marxist party, a revolutionary anti-capitalist party,” I began. “We fight for the creation of a socialist society. We are an anti-war party. Eighteen leaders of our party were jailed for opposing the second world war just as Eugene V. Debs was jailed for opposing the first world slaughter.”
After years of experience, a speaker develops an intuition about audience reaction. Before I had completed the fourth sentence I knew the Convention was listening to me.
I continued with an account of our predictions about World War II and how quickly they have been confirmed. There is no peace. Civil rights are under attack. Living standards are sapped by inflation. Jim Crow blights the lives of the Negro people. And we are being plunged toward World War III.
Then I tore into the lying capitalist politicians of all stripes, who have repeatedly deceived the Negro people. I demonstrated why capitalism itself is responsible for inflation, depression, war, race hate and lynch murder.
Frequent nods of approval greeted my explanation of the need for the working people and the oppressed minorities to break with the capitalist politicians and establish a Workers and Farmers government.
“Unite with the Socialist Workers Party,” I concluded, “in the fight to abolish brutal capitalism and build a socialist society where men and women of all races and colors, in all lands, can walk together in peace and freedom and know the full joy of an abundant life.”
My estimate of the audience reaction was confirmed by the applause when I had finished speaking.
The Democrat, who followed me, seemed a little uncomfortable, He mumbled a few words of criticism against Wallace for splitting the Democratic vote and said he thought there should be a big army “despite what the presidential candidate of the Socialist Workers Party has said.”
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Last updated: 26 March 2023