The Daily Worker Newspaper, April 3, 1925, Page 3

LOSOVSKY WRITES ON REFORMISM IN PRE-WAR UNIONS The Third Kind of Union [ieee Ideology By A. LOSOVSKY. | General Seoretary of the Red Inter- ] national of Labor Unions. | Finally. we have the third move- | ment, the social-democratic trade union movement. the most represen- | tative of which has been the German and Austrian trade unions. What are the characteristics of this type of trade union organization? It has to a certain degree been between trade unionism and anarcho-syndicalism. In theory, the socilal-democratic trade union movement arose from the ne- cessity of creating a new social order. Therefore, it has been different than the pure trade unionism in that it had as its aims the problem of creating a new society, or the destruc- tion—under certain conditions—of capitalism, It was socialistic in the sense that it had socialistic ideas. | But we would be greatly mistaken if ‘we would mix the socialist ideas, or fn other words the socialist theory | and resolutions about socialism, with the everyday practice—with the pre- paration of the coming of socialism. | The “Gradualist” Idea. ‘The characteristic of the pre-war so- cial-democratic trade union movement { was the thought of the possibility of i arriving at the new society by gradual ] transition, separate victories and sep- erate changes of society. In this way, the overthrow of capitalism was not the aim of these unions, but the grad- ual change of society. And this de- velopment of socialist from a capital- ist society they visioned ag a devel- oped form of democracy, a developed democratic society which spreads its democracy to the maximum. It is the . development from political democracy, * gradually becoming ar economic and social democracy. | ‘This is the basis of the theory of — the social-democratic trade union movement. Socialism, from their point of view, is the legal son of democracy. It should gradually grow out of the flevelopment of democratic forms. { t ... Reformism and Its Aliases. | And now we see that the character- istic of the social-democratic trade un- ion movement which differentiates it is what we call “graduation” or slow evolutionary steps from one form into another. This idea has different names in different countries, but in * general and more correctly it may be understood as “reformism,” which means the idea of gradual change of ~ society by means of reforms. In France that which we call “grad- “uation” has had the name of “pos- f siblism.” In England the same thing a has been called “Fabianism,” adopted by the so-called Socialists who are for a slow, gradual transition from one system into another. “General Strike is Party Business.” The social-democratic trade union movement stands separate from the social-democratic party. It belleves somewhat in a division of function: . The party has to do with politics, we, the trade unions, have to do with eco- nomics. The general problems of the labor movement are under the juris- diction of the party, but we, the trade unions, should only have to deal with economics. And it is interesting tnat there were many cases where the trade unions of Germany refused to consider the ques- tion of a general strike under the pre- text that it was not under their juris- diction, that it was the business of the party. The Three Main Streams of Thought. We have, therefore, three ideologi- } is cal factions in the world’s trade union movement, which, before the war, , Were often in conflict with each other, ... These confilcts were mostly conflicts .. . of leaders of different countries, not- withstanding the fact that these fac- tions existed in every country. In Germany, where the socialist move ment was most infi jal, the an- _archo-syndicalist movement was very. “weak and mostly in so-called “local _. unfons.” 0 In France, where ¢he anarcho-syn+ “dicalist movement was the stronger, 4 alongside with it there existed a pow- I hime erful reformist trade union movement of pure German type. In America, and BPhgland where they have a specific type of trade union movement, other forms of the trade union movement also existed. rt The above is an excerpt from Los oveky'’s famous book entitled, “The World's Trade Union Movement,” a book of 126 pages which is invalu- to all who wish to understand _. the labor movement. It can be ob- tained for 50 cents, postpaid, from the T. U. E. L., 1113 Washington. Bivd., Chicago, II, Weavers on Strike for More Pay AMSTERDAM, N. ¥ +e wastes axminster, carpets ‘Gen ‘and Sons hero, oS for an increase in wages, strike, to which he responded, met, imantic into a feverish state. City Fathers Not Concerned On March 21st, an alderman wrote to Hizzoner, asking for a meeting of the common council “for the purpose of discussing the strike situation.” On the 23rd, the acting mayor replied that he had submitted the question to every council member, whose unani- mous opinion was that “The matter did not come under their considera- tion.” In reply, the lone alderman took a dig at his fellow politicians: “No one can be honest in politics, even in this small city, attested to by the thirty or forty places that are daily selling liquor.in the city, because 4 board of alderman does not feel, as in the present strike situation, that the enforcement of law comes within their jurisdiction.” Open Shoppers Appointed The common council has not dealt with the strike, for the American Thread Co., does not wish it to. Act- ing Mayor Hickey, on his own initia- tive, appointed a committee, consist- ing of the following elite: George W. Hickey, acting mayor; James P. Bath, president of the chamber of com- merce; Harry W. Standish, president of the rotary club; T. Frank Canning- ham, president of the businessmen’s association; Russell A. Andrews, first selectman; John R. Pickett, assessor; James J. Lee, alderman; Charles A. Gates, county sheriff; last and not least, H. N. Billard of the Chronicle. Before this hotiorable guard of cap- ital, the strikers cbmmittee appeared yesterday afternoon to state their side of the case, as, tho, it needed further explanation, The businessmen in town hate to see their profits diminish. They are losing money, sines the strikers buy only absolute necessities. They want the strike settled, but they afe not concerned with the justice or injust- ice of the worker's fight. Whether the workers get 5,or 10 per cent or nothing, is not.the vital matter with them. They want, the strike to be settled, the quicker the better. The American Thread company has been shut up like @ clam, since the strike began. The company hoped to starve the workers into submission. Only the workers have expressed a desire to meet with the mayér’s committee, and naturally, the strikers will be asked to be “reasonable,” etc. Rely Upon Yourselves This reliance on mediation will do the workers Jittle good. When Pres- ident McMahon were here on March 18th, he advised the strike committee to go before the exchange club and tell them the strikers’ side of the con- flict. This went against the grain of one committee member, but they all went. The exchange club is a busi- nessmen’s organization, similar to the rotary club, containing members of, the chamber of commerce. Yet the strike committee representatives ap- peared before them. The strikers must remember that if the mills remain shut down, and no workers enter the mills to work, then the strike is won, and the ten per cent restored. The strike will be won more quickly, if more workers can be thrown into the conflict, if the Fall River and Holyoke plants are pulled out; and if the movement can be spread to the seventeen plants in England of the English Sewing Cotton company, limited. All Others Are Enemies Labor can only rely on itself. The role of those not a part of the work- ing class is to settle the strike at all costs, whether the strikers win or not. The working class has only it- self to fall back upon; that the tex- tile workers will learn before many moons are over. GET A SUB AND GIVE ONE! Six Months Jail for Organizing Workers WESTWOOD, Cal.—Charles B. Gris- wold, I. W. W. organizer, was arrested in Westwood for violation of the Bus- ick anti-I. W. W. injunction, the spe- cific charge being the enrollment of new members (loggers) into the or- ganization. This is the first arrest under the injunction in this part of California, Griswold demanded a jury trial, which was granted, the jury of lumber company employes bringing in @ verdict of guilty inten minutes. He was sentenced to six months in the ‘|county jail. The Worst Sunday Toil ROCHESTER, N. Y., April 1—| Three dead and 13 hurt in trolley and automobile accidents was the Sunday toll here, the worst since the opening ‘SECTION OF THE TRADE “COME INTO MY PARLOR,” SAYS THE OPEN SHOPPER SPIDER TO THE TEXTILE WORKER FLIES By WILLIAM SIMONS, WILLIMANTIC, Conn., March 31.—A committee of prominent people, the best in the city, have finally stepped forward to make a gesture at settling the strike, 18 days after it started. On Friday, March 13, the first week of the strike, I asked Acting Mayor Hickey what the city was doing about the “The city can’t do anything.” natural for a city council owned body and mind by the American Thread Co. But there’s nothing like throwing a bluff. And the “red menace” must be To continue to do nothing would be simply adding fuel to the red propaganda, which has thrown Will-+————$—$_$—_—_—_________. Which was BALTIMORE STRIKE, LED BY COMMUNISTS, WIANIKG SHOPS FOR UNION RATE BALTIMORE. Md.,— Eighty-five per cent of the struck clothing fac- torles in Baltimore have settled with the Amalgamated Clothing Workers’ Union. Wage increases average nearly fifteen per cent, bringing wages up to union stand- ards. Fifteen hundred workers in these tailonto-trade factories walk- ed out March 24. Communists or- ganized the strike. Anthracite Miners Now Discussing the Progressive Policy SCRANTON, Pa.—The anthracite miners received another lemon from the “impartial” umpire of the anthra- cite conciliation board, Charles P. Neil when he denied the tracklayers of the Pine Brook colliery an increase in wages now being received by some of the tracklayers working on the main haulage ways. The argument used by this “impartial” gentleman is that in 1902 the tracklayers had a differ- ence in rates and for that reason he cannot grant a uniform rate to all the men even tho they are doing the same kind of work, After deciding that the operators need not pay the men same wages for same kind of work, Mr. Neil realized that to uphold his reputation as an impartial umpire he had to do some- thing for the workers as well, and, so he forthwith expressed his full “sym- pathy” for the grievance of the track- layers. This decision is another nail in the coffin of the infamous conciliation board that unfailingly hand# all the important decisions to the operators and much sympathy and occasionally a minor decision to the miners to keep them pacified. The Progressive Miners’ Committee demands in its election program the unconditional abolition -of the concil- iation board and calls for the direct settlement of all grievances between the operators and the union with re- presentatives of the grievance com- mittees present at the settlement. The progressive program is attracting wide attention in the present district election campaign. For the first time the miners are discussing vital issues in connection with the eléctions. Bernard Zaleskas and John Witcun- as running as candidates on the pro- gressive ticket for district president and vice president are the only candi- dates running with a program in this election. The union bureaucracy working hand in hand with the mine bosses are already threatening the support- ers of the progressive candidates with the loss of jobs for distributing the progressve programs in the unions and the mines. Road Boss in Illinois Trims Wages on Poor Unemployed Workers HILLSBORO, Ill—Work on the hard roads near Hillsboro begins with the law of supply and demand work ing beautifully for the contractor, in this case of a company from Texas. The company opened an employment office in the middle of March and put a notice in the paper. A modern Coxie’s army of jobless greeted the boss when he showed up at 7 a.m. He promptly cut the ad- ‘| vertised rate of 35 cents an hour for laborers to 30 cents and so many men were left after all the jobs were filled that the fortunate ones expect an- other cut next month. The wages paid men with their own teams and serapers is 60 cents an hour and the team owners feed their own horses. The shift is 9 hours. Thus is Mlinois being pulled out of the mud. The workers here are un- organized so they are helpl: Down in despised Williamson county when the hard roads contractor reached Herrin he ran up against a solid la- borers’ union, There was a flareup and the usual howl from the boss about not enuf money from. the state, ete. But when he laid the concrete thru ‘Williamson county he paid the uniom-muckers 80 cents an hour and see epadneg an 8-hour day. et your friend subscribe to] oy the DAILY abn ica Ask him! BY INQUISITION Villain Runs Away with Audience fe (Special to The Daily Worker.) DETROIT, ,Mich.—aActing on the suggestion of William Reynolds, ex- expelled member of the carpenters’ union, that any dirty work against the carpenters should be arranged for in the Hotel Statler and not in a regular meeting hall, the inquisitors led by Cosgrove and Duffy arranged for a star chamber session of the dis- trict council in that place for Friday evening, March 27, When the delegates, including Rey- nolds, having béen notified by tele- phone or telegraph, had arrived in the lobby, Reynolds was advised by Cos- grove that the “evidence” would be submitted to the delegates, a state- ment would be made by the commit- tee and the delegates would get a chance to “justify their action.” Reynolds, so Cosgrove intimated, would not be present as the commit- tee must be “consistent” with the attitude of the general office which lid not recognize Reynolds as a mem- ver, but he would be told “in brief” what had happened afterwards and would be allowed to make a state- ment and be given a hearing. When the delegates, marched into the parlor, Reynolds marched with them, although again advised by Cos- grove that he “could not.” When all had been seated, the following little drama occurred: Act One—Scene One Cosgrove (in the chair): “This meeting cannot go on until all those not recognized by the general office as members are removed.” Reynolds: “Brother Cosgrove.” Cosgrove: “I want no statements from any non-members.” Reynolds “I have stated that I would never again leave a meeting of the district council unless forced to do so. Howeyer, if you wish ‘to pres- ent any evidence against me and make statements and allow me to answer them and assure me that my case will not be discussed further, I will leaye, then, so that any other business might be taken up.” Cosgrove: “Weare giving no as- surance to any non-members,” Reynolds: “I am giving most em phatic assurances that I will not leave Now do your stuff.” ONE NIGHT STAND DRAMA PLAYED Cosgrove: ‘Reynolds, you must leave!” Reynolds “Cosgrove, I am here!” A delegate:. “A point of informa tion.” Cosgrove: “I will answer nothing while Reynolds is here.” A delegate’ “We had enough czars. Come on, fellows, let's go.” Business of walking out amid general laugher. Curtain Five delegates for Local Union 1805 remainéd with the whitewash com- mittee from the executive board and the jnjunctionites Botterill, Sharrock, and Fish. Even with this “select” group, a strong fight, not for Reynolds but against the method of procedure of the general executive board and against their stupid conduct in De- troit, developed. Fish, the district council secretary who was forced by Botterill to sign the injunction, was especially bitter against that fossil- ized autocrat. A Great Bellyache Develops The inquisitorial mission has learn- ed during its brief visit that even those few who nominally support them are very sick of what they must support. The great majority are open- ly opposed to the bullheadedness of Hutcheson and his coterie of auto- eratic associates and parasitic ap- pointees. They have made it manifest o these plump parasites that Detroit s no parking place for old dotards with the temperaments of retired rear admirals. * Sharrock, whose, reputation as a progressive and career as a labor leader has been broken in a vain ef- fort to uphold the G. E. B,’s miscar- riage of justice, sat thru the meetings Thursday and Friday with a smile which said, “This is the bed you made tor me. How do you like it?” “Choose Your Exit Now” The “five ¢réoked aces,” as one delégate called them to their faces, have returned to Indiana with food for some long, long thoughts, We hope that their actions in the future will prove them chastened and wiser. Part Time Work to Starve Workers Into Accepting Wage Cuts WOONSOCKET, R. I.—Attempt to cut wages of Woolen goods workers will be met by @strike, Curtailment of operations, with part time work, Is seen by the union as an attempt of company management to get the work- ers so hungry that they will accept a wage cut wheniiit is offered. So far no Aes grr vont gg hh Jeen made to po ei an as Bren AILY WORKER ION EDUCATIONAL LEAGUE : Page Three PROMISES OF TEXTILE BARONS TO MILL WORKERS ARE BROKEN AS WAGES FALL AND JOBS MOVE By LELAN D OLDS (Federated Press Industrial Editor) The fraud Senator Butler and his textile associates put over on New | England cotton mill operatives when he promised better earnings and ability to compete with the south as a result of wage cuts is appearing in the statistics of the industry. Wages of cotton mill workers in Massachusetts | in February averaged $19.76 a week compared with $20.05 a year ago and| the number on the payrolls remained 12 mills averaged only 150 hours per? % per cent below 19 New England spindle while southern mills averaged 274. Increasing Production. Cotton mills thruout the country are averaging 208 hours of operation per spindle, compared with 194 hours in February, 1924. But Secy. C. S. Green of the Southern Yarn Spinners Assn., says: “Mills will soon reduce opera- tions by a cut of approximately 25 per cent.” The sharp contrast between aver- age hours in New England and the south during February is shown in the department of commerce figures: February cotton mill Hours per operation spindle Maine ............ 187 New Hampshire 154 Massachusetts 188 Rhode Island . Connecticut . Alabama Georgia North Carolina .. South Carolina . Virginia .... Southern with 17,420,952 spindles reported 4,780,000,000 spindle hours operation while New England with a million more spindles report- ed only 2,770,000,000 spindle hours, about two million less. In 1924 New England lost ‘nearly 400,000 spindles while southern states gained 570,000. Better Move the Union Along. What this means is revealed in the in the annual report of the New Eng- land Southern Mills, a Massachusetts corporation. It says: “A year ago we had under way the moving of 35,- )00 spinning spindles and 15,000 twist- er spindles from Lowell, LeRoy and Newburyport plants to a new building under construction at Hogansville, Ga., At Tucapau,-S. C., we have installed ‘he necessary machinery for the man- ifacture of crash toweling. These crashes were formerly made at the old Stark Mills in Manchester, N. H.” ‘The Manufacturers’ Record reports hat the equipment of the new Worth nills of Forth Worth, Tex., consisting of 16,000 spindles was moved from the “airhaven mills of New Bedford, Mass. The company’s statement de- cribes this as the transplanting of & nill to a place of lower wage costs md gloats over the fact that 2,000 vorkers applied for the 350 jobs avail- able when the mill opened. California Sticks to ‘Criminal Syndicalism’ states SACRAMENTO, Cal.—(FP)— As- semblyman Hornblower’s bill to re- peal the California criminal syndical- ism law was unanimously killed in committee, Hornblower and two rep- resentatives of the State Federation of Labor defended the bill, pointing out its injustice to innocent men, and characterizing it as an example o: “post war hysteria.” om No. | Trade Unions in America By wm. Z. Foster, James P. Cannon and Earl R. Browder Is, with a brief statement of the American trade union movement, a history of the development of the left wing and an explanation of the structure and program of its guiding spirit—the Trade Un- fon Educational League. 1113 W. WASHINGTON Seen on a Street Car By A WORKER. A young man with a copy of a capi talist paper in his hands from appearance—-an office worker of $15-20 per) is about to take an unoc cupied seat in the street car. He glances at a copy of the DAILY WORKER which happened to be ly ing on the seat. He throws it onthe floor, settles down and reads the cap italist sheet. The majority of us, like this young tan, neglect to read our own paper.) Why? Our paper brings to us our class problems. It enlightens us on the exploitation of the workers by the | capitalist class ‘in power. It points out for us how injunctions, the army, | the police, thugs and dicks are used by the capitalists to break our back bone in strikes for better living condi: | tions. The DAILY WORKER teaches us that thru the establishment of work- | ers’ control, unemployment, child la. bor, race discrimination, unsanitary housing and working conditions and| bloody wars will be abolished. Workers, the capitalist press mis. | leads you. It tells you you are free and promises you a heaven beyond the grave as a reward for your suf fering on earth. “Workers, do not let the capitalists muck, at. you because of your ignor. ance. Read your own paper, the DAILY WORKER, not the capitalist sheets. Patronize our advertisers, Women’s Eight Hour Bill Side-Tracked > By House Committee SPRINGFIELD, Ill, April 1—The bill limiting the, work of Illinois wo- men to eight hours a day and six days 4 week, has been reported out of the committee on industrial affairs with no recommendation, and consequently will not he placed on the house cal- ender. The industrial affairs committee claims to haye committed an over- sight, but the proponents of the bill declare that it was purposely shunted to one side, Urges Combine Against Reds. CINCINNATI, Ohio, April 1—That the democratic and republican parties are both parties of capitalism was shown in the speech here of Governor William Brandon of Alabama, who urged the two parties to combine to fight the Communists. Brandon sug- gested a conference of both parties in Washington. The Little Red Library The first two numbers of this little pocket-size library, destined to become the most popular of any working class publications ever issued in this country, are now being sold by all Daily Workers Agents thruout the country. Tf you have not as yet scen'a copy of this splendid little propaganda giant, and have not enjoyed the valuable reading in each, be sure to ask your local Daily Worker Agent for @ copy—sor @ dozen copies, (They are twelve for $1.00.) 10 CENTS EACH They can also be had by mail from THE DAILY WORKER LvD. (judging | WORKERS FIGHT ~ INJUNCTION IN | ILLINOIS HOUSE | Exnptedtes Lobby for Court Power The Illinois Manufacturers’ Associa |tion in a private letter sent only tc |members of the organization, reveals the employers’ reliance the courts to suppres: unionism and aid in breaking strikes. The letter is headed, “Anti-Injunc tion Menace,” and declares: Bosses Fight Unionism | “Labor union leaders are planning to force a vote in the house of the | Mlinois general assembly on t antl jinjunction bill (H. B. 28) Tuesday | March 31. “Unless a herculean effort is made jon the part of ma turers and | Property owners generally, tl pro posed legislation will pass the house It is a vicious measure in every par (ticular in that it deprives the court jof the right to protect life and prop. | erty and is for the purpose of aiding |the extension of the most radical kind of unionism.” | The anti-injunction bill, which aims to prevent court interference with the right of workers to strike, came ur ;On the floor of the house today an¢ a bitter debate began immediately. “Labor is in danger from this power of injunction,” one representa jtive said, “And the menace is ever greater in Illinois than elsewhere |Labor is asking to be relieved of the |type of employer who wants to rule | by injunction.” | Witnesses to Prove Gompers Was Sane Included LaFollette WASHINGTON, D. C.—It appears that when the widow of m Gom- pers last week gave up her fight to | get more from his estate than the le- jgal minimum which he left her in his will, made just before he, started to Mexico, some interesting develop- ments were lost to mankind. Samuel, Junior, who got the bulk of the estate, was prepared to bring wit nesses to prove that Samuel, Senior, was in his right mind when he made the will. Among others, these wit- nésses included Senator LaFollette. Samuel, Junior, has been and is getting along famously as a govern- ment piecard under the republican ad- ministration of both Harding and Cool- idge. He is chief clerk in the U. S. department of labor, the chief func- tion of which is to*betray strikes with so-called “mediation,” to prevent any “radicals” from getting into the coun- try, and to deport them without trial if they get radical after they work for Judge Gary and the other open shoppers. Samuel, Senior, leaves a $25,000 home in Washington, among other legacies, including bonds in some in- vestment not revealed. Give your shopmate this eopy of the DAILY WORKER—but be sure to see him the next day to get his subscription. No. 2 Class Struggle Class Collaboration By Earl R. Browder Is a splendid study of the methods of labor bureaucracy to divert the workers from militant struggle thru the B. & O. plan, insurance schemes and workers’ education, A most valuable number for the thinking worker, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS