The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 14, 1926, Page 12

_| Life and Struggles in Ireland - i a is ta @ HE Irish Trade Union Congress is the supreme organ of the Irish trade union movement, The great ma- jority of the organized workers are affiliated with the congress. The dom- inating factor in this body is the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union. Hitherto the executive committee of the congress functioned as the execu- tive of the Irish Labor Party. There was no political organization until re- cently, when it was decided to reor- ganize the labor party on the basis of individual membership, with a pro- gram that makes appeal to small farm- ers, small business men and the city and agricultural proletariat and intel- lectuals, Active work is now in progress for the organization of the labor party un- der the direction of Archie Heron, financial secretary of the Transport Union, who was “loaned” to the labor party by his union for the work. While an invitation is extended to the left wing elements—I presume the Communists are meant—it is a rather left-handed invitation, as the admoni- tion goes with it that proper political decorum will be insisted on, and un- doubtedly the court of etiquette will be controlled by those who seem to think that Communists can only he good when dead or else afflicted with mental and physical paralysis. The new development in political organization of the working class is a great step forward, even tho it will inevitably be under the conservative influence of Thomas Johnston and his followers for some time to come. It is the first time in Irish history that steps have been taken to organize a mass political party representing the interests of the workers and peasants, What about the status of the va- rious groupings, political and indus- trial, in the Irish labor movement? First comes the Transport Union, »with.50,000. members and a weekly publication, the Voicé of Labor. The union has a reputation for militancy and still retains that reputation. Its official organ sometimes is more like a mouthpiece for the labor party than for the union. It lacks a consistent policy, but is decidedly to the left, that is, comparatively. Compared to the official organs of American trade unions, it igs revolutionary. It is more advanced than Advance, organ of the American Amalgamated Clothing Workers, and much leap cynical. The Transport Union ofiiclals, regardless of their deviations, have spurned the idea of allowing the union to dabble in business. They favor co-operative ef- fort, but they have not yet, at least, descended to the level of excusing busi- ness ventures with the argument that this is the way to put the capitalists out of business, as some labor bank- ers and labor coal operators have done, The voice of Labor is friendly to Soviet Russia and hints that it favors the organization of a unified trade union international with the inclusion of the Russian trade unions. The union is affiliated with the International Transport Workers’ Federation, but the Irish Trade Union Congress is neither affiliated with reformist Am- sterdam nor with the revolutionary Red International of Labor Unions. At the Derry congress of the I, T. U. C. held last year a motion was made, I believe by Archie Heron, that the congress should affiliate with Am- sterdam in order to be in a position to assist the British trade unions in their efforts to bring about a meet- ing between the two internationals with a view towards unity. Others took the position, O’Brien among them, that it was by no means impossible that a break between Am- sterdam and the British unions would take place, the latter possibly with- drawing from the I, F. of T. U. As the Irish trade unions never had any international affiliations, not even with the British, as has been erron- eously assumed, it would require an educational campaign to convince the Irish workers they should affiliate, and in the event of a rupture between the left wing elements already affiliat- ed with Amsterdam, resulting in a with- drawal, the Irish unions could not stay and they could not withdraw without another propaganda campaign for withdrawal. Therefore the best policy was to express approval of the movement for international unity and await developments. This position carried. I found the officials of the Transport Union deeply interested in the work of the Anglo-Russian com- mittee and sympathetic with its aims. There are several sections of Brit- ish unions in Ireland that are not un- der the‘control of the Irish Trade Union Congress. In fact, the con- gress, even tho it is clothed with more power, in emergency situations, than the A. F. of L., is nevertheless very much like the “rope of sand” that Samuel Gompers compared the federation to at the Montreal conven- tion, Is there a left and right wing in the Transport Union? Undoubtedly there are left and right tendencies, as in all organizations, but the left has not yet assumed organ- ized form. William O’Brien, general secretary, gave me one explanation why such wag the case. He attributed this phenomenon to the rebellion, the Black and Tan é¢er- ror, and the civil war between repub- licans and free staters that followed. The members of the union, or many of them, participated in all those ac- tions. O’Brien was arrested and im- prisoned after the rebellion, with practically all members of the execu- tive. With bombs “bursting in air” burnings, executions taking place daily and nightly, there was little time to devote to inner union politics. The big job was one of defense against the external foe. TH the final military defeat of the republicans, the union mem- bers naturally began to look for some- thing else to fight about. It looked as if a left wing was in the process of formation. Geveral active members of the union were in the Communist Party. In fact William O’Brien and Cathal O’Shannon were originally members of the Communist Party, as they were.members of the Irish social- ist party, which James Connolly or- ganized. Cathal O'Shannon is editor of the Voice of Labor, No sooner was the civil war over than another obstacle to the develop- ment of a left wing appeared, This was a bitter factional fight which ended in the organization of the Work- ers’ Union of Ireland. That war is still on, without any indication of a truce, armistice or peace. The most progressive of the transport union members who were not affiliated with the virus 6f dual unionism stayed with the parent organization and raised the slogan of unity. As the secessionists laid claims to the mantle of radical- ism, many of the healthy but unsea- soned progressivgs split with the I. T. G. W. U. The result has been almost disastrous for the trade union move- ment as a whole and a deterrent to the development of a left wing. Nevertheless, my opinion is that the Transport Union is the center of grav- ity of the Irish labor movement, and that from within its ranks will be de- veloped the leadership that will play the big and leading part in the class struggle in Ireland in the future. The Workers’ Union of Ireland does not exist outside of the city of Dublin to any considerable extent. How many members it has on its rolls appears to be a mystery. In many respects it reminds me of the O. B, U., that was organized by Ben Legere in Law- rence, Massachusetts. Ben was a re- sourceful fellow and while he re mained in Lawrence he was usually able to stage a demonstration of some kind. Incidentally, he was an actor by profession. Ben’s members did not have to bother much about paying dues. Their moral support and ideo- logical kinship was sufficient. But when Ben left Lawrence the O, B, U. disappeared. The Workers’ Union of Ireland ex- pects its members to pay dues, but the executive relies more on a rather flourishing coal business than on dues payments for revenue. It must be admitted that Jim Larkin is a very resourceful leader, Indeed, it is very doubtful if anybody else could have thought of the devices he brought into play to defeat his enemi The coal dockers w on strike. Most of them, I believe, were on the rolls of the Workers’ Union. Scotch coal companies had a practical monop: oly on the Dublin market. Larkin conceived an idea and then took ac- tion. He organized a coal company, made a contract with a: British com- pany to supply him with black dia monds and now the union is doing a flourishing business with the Scotch sucking their thumbs. Of course everything is not easy sailing. There is sometimes trouble about cash and quarrels with commit- tees over this thing and that thing, and there is also a feeling that bust ness and unionism do not go hand in hand, The Workers’ Union of Ireland has no publication. Its organ, the Irish Worker, went out of business over a year ago. The membership is probably in the vicinity of one thousand, tho this can- not be officially learned, as no figures have been made public, There are two central bodies in Dublin, the Workers’ Council and the Dublin Trade Council. The former is dominated by the Transport Union and was organized in the early days of the Russian revolution. The latter has not a large affiliation and is domi- nated by P. T. Daly, formerly an ally of Larkin, but now a member of the executive committee of the Workers’ Party of Ireland, the only organization in Ireland of a Communist character. The Workers’ Party of Ireland. cae the Communist Party of Ire- land was liquidated in 1923 there has been no organization there that systematically issued Communist prop- aganda, The members of the dis- solved party maintained themselves as a unit in a Connolly educational society. Under the guidance of Rob- ert Stewart, now acting secretary of the Communist Party of Great Brit- ain, plans were made to launch a Workers’ Party in May, 1925. The program and platform was published and the prospects were bright, when, to the dismay of the organizers, a few days before the scheduled date of the conference that was to launch the party, a statement appeared in the public press to the effect that the Workers’ Union of Ireland would have nothing to do with it. The pro- ject was then indefinitely postponed. THE TINY A Weekly Vol. 1. A GOOD REASON By Charmion Oliver San Francisco Teacher of a pub- lic school address- ing a pupil who is a Young Pioneer: Teacher: “Lillian Bunow, will you please tell the class what is the shape of the earth?” Lilian: “The world is round.’’ Teacher; “Wit you explain why?” Lillian: "Well, outside of Russia there is little that is square so it must be round!” FAIRY TALE By Charmion Oliver A priest in our neighborhood said to his congrega- tion one Sunday the ont ¢ _ ear t were put into prac- _ is Soviet Rus- words;— make a good house Fable, Edited by Jeanette Newman, New York Johnny Red, Assistant. Saturday, August 14, 1926 =} “There is a strike in Passaic *Tis going for When will it finish, I ask When will it - away? Children of Bolsheviks! Heed to my By, T. J. O'Flaherty _ This year, however, a Workers’ Party was organized, in which neither the Transport Union nor the Workers’ Union are officially represented. The active leaders of the new party are former members of the Communist Party of Ireland. The infant party has not much prospect of immediate success, as the objective conditions are not at all favorable to the rapid growth of a Communist Party. Never- thelesg, those comrades seem to be tackling a difficult job with courage and enthusiasm, Having no funds to publish a printed sheet, they are issu- ing a mimeographed bulletin called “The Irish Hammer and Plough” from 47 Parnell Square, Dublin. Tho not an affiliated section of the Commu- nist International, the party follows the political and industrial line of the Comintern and urges a united front of the warring trade union factions against the employers. Evidently the comrades have learned a good deal from their past mistakes and have discarded the leftism with which the late Communist Party was afflicted. The rebel spirit which the British failed to quench is not dead in Ire- land. But it is taking a nap. Peadar O’Donnel, militant republican leader, and one of the few in that movement who has a social program for the work- ers, attributes the present apathy to the strain of the long-drawn-out strug- gle that lasted eight years without intermission, The general opinion is that this condition will soon pass away and that a more militant spirit will soon manifest itself among the Irish workers and the republican national- ists. * Communist propaganda is sorely needed in Ireland and the attempt of the Workers’ Party of Ireland to sup- ply this want deserves every possible encouragement, WORKER No, 12 FAIRY TALE By Sidney Nadol- pd Grand Rapids, Mich, — The textile bosses had to tower the workers’ wages be- Cause they hardly themselves, that’s a A pattie tale (Sing to the tune of _ Yankee Doodle) Oh, dough there is a plenty B Sa : ; 4 * i Ao, NRE EI a a er