On Monday, May 4, between 5 pm and 7 pm, a free lecture and dramatization will be presented at a New York city public library, on the history of the American Labor Party 1936-1955. See this web page for more information about the event, which is at 10 Jersey Street, Manhattan, between Mulberry Street and Lafayette Street. Thanks to Gerald Meyer for this news.
Ballot Access News
Edited By Richard Winger
Didn’t the ALP last another year? Running a few candidates in the 1956 election?
no, at least no federal or state office candidates.
Michael – in New York, parties must get 50,000 votes on their line for their candidate for Governor to retain ballot status. In 1954 John McManus received about 35,000 votes for Governor, so the ALP lost ballot status that year.
In 1958 the remnants of the ALP joined with the Socialist Workers Party and other groups to put a ticket on the ballot under the label Independent Socialist. They ran John McManus for Governor, and he received less than 32,000 votes so they were unable to create an ongoing party.
In 1954 the American Labor Party got 46,886 for New York Governor. Even though it lost its status as a qualified party, it could still have run nominees afterwards, by petition. But it didn’t, as far as I know.
After the American Labor Party lost its ballot status as a result of its failure to garner the requisite fifty-thousand votes for governor, it continued for another two years to maintain some clubhouses from which it sponsored some activities, such as picketing Yankee Stadium because of its failure to hire African-American players. However, the ALP was doomed. The NY State Legislature passed a bill forbidding any political party in the State from adopting a name with “American” in its title. In addition, the CPUSA, which was the backbone of the ALP, had (even prior to its demise) had withdrawn its support, largely on the basis of its belief that the existing political repression prevented the ALP from effectively functioning. For more information, see my “Vito Marcantonio: Radical Politician” and vitomarcantonio.com, which has posted a few articles on the ALP.
What I am surprised of more than the demise of the “communist-infested” American Labor Party, is why the Liberal Party died? New York State – and especially New York City – is more liberal than it ever has been. So why would there not be enough “liberals” to sign petitions to get the party back on the ballot. I think once it got ballot position again, and co-nominated the Democratic nominees, or the rare liberal Republican nominee, they would remain for many decades to come. It would give doctrinal liberals something to do, and enjoy the old days again.
I remember a photo in 1960 of John F. Kennedy in an outdoor New York City political rally sponsored by the Liberal Party. Standing with him were smiling Liberal Party leaders. In the 1960 Presidential Election, it was the votes cast for John F. Kennedy on the Liberal line, which gave him the votes to carry the state. Had Kennedy not carried New York State, I don’t think he would have been elected President.