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From The Militant, Vol. 12 No. 41, 11 October 1948, p. 4.
Transcribed & marked up by Einde O’ Callaghan for the Encyclopaedia of Trotskyism On-Line (ETOL).
“All the Militants are for Dobbs and Carlson,” reads a sign prominently displayed above the literature rack in the Minneapolis headquarters.
But Comrade Vincent Dunne, who originated the slogan made a serious omission in the sign. He left off the name of the SWP senatorial candidate from Minnesota. Certainly, all the militants in Minnesota, are for V.R. Dunne, a former leader in the historic truckdrivers strikes of 1934 and now our senatorial candidate.
It’s a certain thing that one 1934 militant – now a bartender in a Willmar tavern – is for Ray Dunne! After our Willmar public meeting last week, a number of us stopped at this tavern for refreshments and conversation. Our friend, the bartender, introduced himself, shook hands with Comrade Dunne and asked about the meeting. Then, he came over to our table and shook hands all around.
When he was given a copy of the election platform and The Voice of Socialism, he was pleased as punch. He assured everyone in the place that “it was these boys, Vince Dunne and Farrell Dobbs and the others that really did something for the working people in this state.”
As we were leaving, several people came over to shake our hands and to say that they were with us.
We made some friends at the Willmar meeting itself. This was our first meeting in Willmar and the first meeting of my tour where farmers outnumbered the workers in the audience. These were working farmers, radical-thinking farmers, who agreed immediately with our call for a Workers and Farmers government. And they made a down-payment on that plan by contributing to our campaign!
Very few candidates have the same entertaining personal experience that I had in Minneapolis the other day. All day long the phone was kept busy with eager questioners who wanted to know who the Socialist Workers Party vice-presidential candidate is. It seems that a local radio station had included a question about vice-presidential candidates in one of its quiz programs.
When I answered the phone and told the questioners that I was the vice-presidential candidate, they were quite surprised. Usually, they went on to ask me for the names of all the other vice-presidential candidates so that they could fill in the answers to the quiz. I obliged them, of course, but then I asked them for their names and addresses so that we could send them information about the Dobbs-Carlson campaign.
I think that we can all agree that the women who get the SWP election platform will be much further ahead than if they had received just a box of Soilax!
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