Текст пісні
America has a two-party political system. Yet minority parties
Continue to pop up on national, state, and local ballots. What is
Their role on the American political scene? In a few moments we will
Be asking Mr. Norman Thomas, one of America's most distinguished and
Respected minority party leaders, to discuss the subject with us
This is Howard Langer in New York. Directly across the table, tall
Thin, gray-haired, is the dynamic head of the American Socialist
Party. Norman Mattoon Thomas was born in Marion, Ohio. His ancestors
Were Presbyterian preachers and his father was pastor of the
Presbyterian Church in Marion. Young Thomas had the usual odd jobs
Of a boy of his time in a small town. At one period he had a
Newspaper route. The paper was The Star, owned by Warren G. Harding
Norman Thomas became pastor of the East Harlem Church and chairman
Of the American Parish. This was an aggregation of religious and
Social agencies on New York's Upper East Side, supported by the
Presbyterian Church. He might have continued indefinitely in this
Field, but aroused the opposition of contributors to his work because
He was, in the First World War, both a religious pacifist and a
Socialist. So he resigned his church posts. He first ran for office
On a socialist ticket in 1924. After that he was regularly a
Candidate for some office for many years. He ran for governor of New
York, mayor of New York City twice, and president of the United
States six times. His highest vote for president was in 1932, when
Some 900,000 votes were officially counted for the socialist ticket
The platform was a socialist platform, going beyond the
Immediate demands which the Democrats and Republicans later
Accepted. The socialist platform of 1932 came far nearer
Anticipating the reforms made under Franklin Roosevelt and
Accepted by the Republicans than any documents of the old parties
Today Mr. Thomas is chairman of the Postwar World Council
An active member of many committees, a writer, and a lecturer