Long Pt. 3
You hear Long sigh in relief over the phone. "Good. The feds and the national populists are going to be after us both from now on, and it's best we hang together. You'll get your copy tomorrow, although there's no guarantee they won't change it later and not tell me."
You exchange a few friendly words and hang up. There's much to be done. But now that you can guess at what you'll be dealing with, you can devise a proper counter...
Report from the Coordination Committee: 2 Influence on Support for Friendly Farmers, 95+6+30=131
The program of carrots before sticks has been an overwhelming success. The public acknowledgment of their demands may have weakened your position in the CSA, but that was greatly outweighed by the outpouring of support in response to the efforts of various local governments.
Delayed farm equipment was delivered, farming supplies were offered at cost, and in many cases, local SPA figures pitched in with the extensive labor farming requires, which has led to more than a few amusing pictures being taken and passed around. Newspapers have publicized this heavily, and many who were wavering have begun firm, if very moderate, SPA supporters in response.
There have been hiccups in the program, and between some of these hiccups and the complaints of the Fix-The-Price movement, it's clear that there is something rotten in the bureaucracy...
Something that will need to be bandaged over or cut out, one way or another.
Report from the State Legislative Committee: 4 Influence on Agricultural Subsidies, 64+22+29+21=136
However the state bureaucracies are already on the job as well, and while they might not be as competent, they are significantly less corrupt..and what corruption is present tends to be more pork than anything else.
And backing the bureaucracies to the hilt are the legislatures, shamed into compliance by the example of local governments. There are some muted protests from the left-wing of the IWW, but they are drowned out by the overwhelming support for several major reforms. Price controls are dramatically modified, and large quantities of grain and other basic agricultural products are now purchased at very fair prices.
Currently, that food is being sold off at similarly reasonable prices, but many in the CSA are arguing that since the state governments are already being controlled by the people, they might as well seize the means of production.
And many are arguing that the houses should be reformed to be unicameral, or else have their upper houses reduced in power. Several attempted filibusters by IWW-aligned senators inspired this recent conversation...one the IWW is not happy with.
Report from Norman Thomas: 2 Influence on Railway Socialism, 69+54=123, 2 Influence on The Reformist Coalition, 42+94=136
Another piece of legislation is passed this month in the Steel Belt and Iowa. It is defeated in West Virginia and the Dakotas, and struggles in New York to override the governor's veto, but now at last the government is allowed to repair "neglected" rails and then seize them as compensation for the work done. While a massive effort at beginning this program of repairs and seizures has begun, a counter-campaign is already evident in the works.
Lawsuits are being made by the dozen, and they are being passed through the court system with startling rapidity. Warnings are delivered by hotheaded Red Guards, but the occasional funeral is not enough to stop it...and the Supreme Court has taken the case and issued an injunction. One which is unofficially being ignored.
Norman has turned himself loose on the reformists like a starving wolf on a flock of sheep. He is charismatic, canny, and a genuinely good person. He's sunlight, and they are vampires.
Of course, it's not as easy as it could be. The coalition is not as organized as a proper party, spanning several across the spectrum. Even some of the corporatists and populists Long has frozen out like Charles Lindbergh, Henry Bennet, and William Lemke are hovering on the fringes of the coalition.
The official goals are "Serious but sensible reform."
Serious reform seems to mean pink unionism and social democracy. Sensible reform seems to mean strengthening the state to crush socialists. Naturally, Senator Thomas is working exclusively to form tighter bonds with those who favor serious reform. Even within that grouping, there is significant variation.
Thomas has decided to focus on... (Rank 3 options from 1 to 3)
[] [COALITION] The Progressives. The most powerful segment of the coalition, they are already broadly allied with you, but individuals frequently cross the aisle in specific matters. They are also the most popular among the American middle class, who are likely to vote exclusively for Progressive or Progressive-endorsed candidates this upcoming election. As more Progressives align themselves with you, the tug-of-war over them between you and Olson will grow more important.
[] [COALITION] The Farmer-Labor Remnants. The smallest party by sheer size, they are also the most militant and radical section of the coalition, and the only group to have their own paramilitary.
[] [COALITION] The Technocrats. A peculiar group popular among many intellectuals, they are focused on finding the most efficient means of organizing society. Socialism and national populism hold equal attraction to them.
[] [COALITION] The West Coast Progressives. A small faction of reformists are staunchly aligned with Creel and his clique, although his recent actions have made them uncomfortable. Appealing to them might damage his support base.
[] [COALITION] The Longists. Huey Long is proudly and staunchly a reformist, even though many within the coalition don't like him due to his corruption, his fondness for machine politics, and his authoritarian tendencies. The Longists in the coalition are something of a fringe element as a result, but working closely with them would help build ties with Long.
[] [COALITION] The Establishment. The most numerous but also the most diffuse, Democrats and Republicans alike have joined the coalition even though the hearts of both parties remain under corrupt industrialists and plutocrats.
[] [COALITION] The Socialists. Finally, you could shore up your own support by means of appealing to the right-opposition in the SPA and rallying them to your cause.
Report from Smedley Butler: 2 Influence on Instilling Discipline, Pt.2, 57+28+20=105
The camps keep churning out disciplined trainers, Butler keeps visiting Red Guards units to make sure they shaped up, and standards continue to rise. There's not much more to say, honestly.
Perhaps the only unusual thing is Butler spending a little extra time visiting rural areas to make sure they are up to snuff.
Report from Charles Schenk: 2 Influence on A Program of Subversion, 86+12+10=108, 1 Influence on Find Tools, Farming Edition, 51+10=61
Despite the unfortunate setback of the fire, Schenk has continued working hard and finished establishing his organization. They are dedicated, loyal, and ruthless, capable of assuming false identities and tearing groups apart from the inside. Soon, they will be unleashed.
You inspect them, marching along the ranks. Their faces are nondescript, their eyes are steady, their manner is relaxed. If you passed them on the street, you wouldn't think twice.
And they are utterly loyal. Schenk is mostly confident of that.
Their first task is to find "friends" in the Fix The Price movement. A few spies attend the slowly dying meetings and look to see who still attends and who is still angry. There are more than a few, even if they are scattered. Bribes are handed out and drinks are bought, and some of those angry farmers find themselves developing relationships with socialists. They might have lost much to the Red Guards, but they are greedy and easily deceived. A few of them are, anyway.
Just to be thorough, Schenk makes sure to bribe a few members of the more moderate Fix the Price advocates and their newfound Anti-Mortgage Militia.
Report from the Propaganda Committee: 1 Influence on Arts and Entertainments, 52+5=57, 1 Influence on Street Theater, 8+10=18, 2 Influence on Attack the Segregationists, 54+15+20=89, 1 Influence on Tales to Tell, 16+10=26 1 Influence on We're Singing on the Radio, 22+10=32
Seizing factories is one thing, but art galleries are rarely heavily guarded, and theaters are almost never guarded at all. As the Red Guards move to take control, some works of art are packed away, some stars flee, but the majority are resigned to circumstances for the moment, although an increase in unrest or any instability could change that.
If that's the case, you'll simply have to start replacing their art with proletarian culture, a process that has already begun as the masses view art that was once kept away and begin discussing their own ideas.
Unfortunately, the groups who were hired to begin creating thought-provoking skits and comedies were very unpopular. The money spent on hiring them was utterly wasted, although at least now the Committee knows who they shouldn't hire. And one of the would-be actors got a new job working as a comedian's straight-man at one of the smaller New York clubs. Having seen the fellow in action, you think that getting repeatedly hit in the face with pies is an appropriate career for him.
Perhaps the reason the theater groups were so awful is that they were picked in a rather rushed fashion. Everyone was far more interested in the more prestigious, intriguing, and important task of making the segregationists look as incompetently villainous as possible.
The events this month give ample fodder, as the KKK commit yet more highly public atrocities, including literally crucifying several Longist militiamen and locking black congregants in their churches, and burning the buildings down. The more moderate segregationists are smeared with these actions, articles condemning them as offering moral support to "the horrific barbarians whose atrocities would shock the butchers of the Congo" popping up like mushrooms after a rainstorm.
Their logic is torn to shreds, their beliefs derided as foolish and ridiculous, the so-called science which supports it is called outdated and illegitimate...and those who peddle it are called the same. Many simply stop talking. The rest wish they had.
Meanwhile, the creation of the first round of general entertainment begins. All manner of popular forms is used, from comic books to adventure stories to romances that are not meant for children. You pick out one that looks especially interesting...
[] Captain Communist, a comic book about a surviving Bolshevik fleeing from the Whites accidentally interrupting a magical ritual and gaining great power
[] The Adventures of Solik the Mighty, a pulp novel about a mysterious and deadly wanderer righting wrongs and battling monsters on his journeys through the land of Ob
[] The False Princess, a story of intrigue and romance as the beautiful maid Selina takes on the guise of a princess to help overthrow a wicked king but falls in love with his loyal bodyguard
[] [REDACTED] It's in the best revolutionary tradition, but you are hiding this one from Hannah. And probably Louise too.
There are plenty of songs out there, from the stirring to the melancholy to the upbeat and cheerful. And now people can listen to them without a live band. As long as they have a radio anyway. It's not a complicated thing to set up, just involving a few signatures and leaving it to the stations.
Report from Ben Little: 1 Influence on Union Donation Drive, 34, 2 Influence on Union Charities, Fundraising,80+54=134
Ben Little goes out to speak. And people gather around to hear. He is as persuasive as ever, but there just isn't that much to give. Strike funds are running low, savings accounts are growing fewer every day, but people still determinedly soldier onwards and the increasing efficiency of the economies of various states and their steady integration means that people still have some to spare, and the belief that things will get better.
And though they might grumble more, they still listen to him, both out of respect for his long years of bloody experience and because of his sheer charisma. Integrated into the decentralized planning apparatuses, charities and shops are set up to help fund the unions and the CSA. Serving as community centers, stores for voucher exchanges, logistics offices, and more, these newly formed "public unions" are proving popular sites for fundraisers that leave everyone better off. And if some deals are made for the people's benefit in their back offices, so much the better.
Report from the SPA Cadres: 2 Influence on A Union Home,50+79=129, 2 Influence on On the Women's Question, 21+84+15=120
Working in conjunction with the new public unions, they are built as integrated parts of the new homes. The construction is not yet finished, but it is progressing rapidly. Each building might be nothing more than a brick of concrete monolith, but they contain many thick-walled apartments and access to plentiful amenities. Some of the more green-thumbed workers have even begun adding gardens to supplement the existing ones.
Some of the more imaginative people involved have begun imagining the next step, entire cities where you can live your life never leaving their confines, vertical farms feeding entire blocks, grand arcologies, and other such flights of fancy.
But for now, people are sticking to a single proven design of good quality. It will keep people warm and let them sleep, and if they have to share laundry and bathrooms and don't quite get to decide what temperature to keep their homes, it's still a serious improvement over the alternative.
To be honest, you don't pay too much attention to that. The construction workers are paid, the labor brigades are mobilized, you are sure things will take care of themselves. What's far more interesting to you is the New York Conference on Women's Liberation, a grand affair that you had absolutely nothing to do with. The streets are filled with debate, the conference halls with well...conferences. Emma Goldman visits, as does Rosa Luxemburg, stepping off a boat from France. Your own wife holds a panel discussing how the wives of workers can be their own people.
It's a grand and exciting time, one in which a great deal is said and a great deal is done, but once more the lesson you learn at the end of things is that you must go much further.
Well, no one ever said a revolution would be easy. And doing many at once should certainly be harder.
