October 2, 1937 SOCIALIST APPEAL Auto Convention Shows Growth Victory of Bureaucracy Shows Left Wing Need cauin the auto leaders have unnecessarily com. the convention when he attempted jeral Executive Board are Martin promised the workers demands, to use the prestige of his posi supporters.
and from this conclusion pass tion to back some reactionary Like all phony compromises, it immediately into a head on col move of the Martin faction. So was short lived. Saturday, shortlision with those leaders and white hot was the general temper ly after the installation of the those workers who follow them that Martin throughout the con general officers, the convention There were dangerous movements venion did not dare chance any again broke into bedlam over By a Delegate of this sort in the Detroit district open attacks upon the sit down some bureaucratic ruling of Marin connection with the Chrysler strike or the so called unauthor tin and from then on an almost The reports of the United Auto Martin swallowed the oily strike. He continued, Labor ized strikes. but again and again constant uproar continued until Workers Union convention in the flattery of the press. The more generally including us Commun was forced to play up to the mili Sunday night when the convencapitalist press yave no hint of events revealed his own incom ists who approach this question tancy of the convention. reso tion was hastily adjourned.
the spirit, the boldness, the cour petence, lack of backbone and with our standards, have every lution introduced by Cleveland age and the resourcefulness dis total inexperience, the more he reason to proceed to the particu Local 217 upholding the sit down Militancy Diverted played by the delegates. Some insisted he was the chosen one lar tasks and problems facing strike, was passed by the con1100 of them gatherd at Eagle to lead the auto workers out of us with great confidence in vention unopposed by the Martin The delegates fight for demoHall, Milwaukee, on August wilderness, and the leter strategical line of the o. machine.
cracy, for rank and control, Their organization in one year mined he became to suppress the eadership and John Lewis for a militant policy of struggle had grown from 30, 000 members opposition of the rank and file, Before the next meeting the Lewis Arrives to preserve the union against the to almost 375, 000. The treasury and destroy their democratic progressive group, leading at the first convention had con rights.
On Friday, the fifth day of the bosses all this was channelized Communist Party member introsisted of some 34, 000. The Martin set to work. Using the duced a motion in the Detroit convention, Lewis himself finally by the Communist Party strateAuditor report showed on June power of appointment, he gather district auto council, that trait arrived in Milwaukee. But he did gists into a fight for a couple of 30. 1937 a balance of 428, 000. ed all the job hunters, all the caucuses be prohibited in the auto not stay long in town. He found union posts. Martin still retains at the convention the same specin many cases even greater power In the brief period of the year opportunists in the union.
With anion. At the next meeting of the ter that had haunted him years and control than he held before since the South Bend convention, ample resources the treasury, progressive group held in Toledo, back in the United Mine Work the convention. His bureaucratic the auto workers, by series of he sent his organizers up and the group was re named the ers, and Lewis was not in a posi campaign, he has already answift, bold and dramatic sit down the countryside in a vicious unity caucus. and a program tion today to ruthlessly slug the nounced, will continue with even down strikes had broken down red baiting campaign the fear of the auto workers, fear and confusion into the with the program of the Martin opposition out of existence. After greater determination.
The convention, however, reparalyzed the resistance of the hearts of the union membership. machine. the so called Martin quickly left Milwaukee, leaving vealed superbly the auto work a tactful diplomatic oration, he employers, established unions and Industrialists and the capital Frankensteen progressive signed agreements with all of the ist press were informed that cus.
precise instructioins with Dubin ers ability to fight, their determajor automobile and auto parts henceforth Communists would It included such points as (1. sky and Gassaway that he wanted mination to preserve the union, manufacturers with the single be expelled, unauthorized strikes No caucuses or groups to be al: an agreement reached on the Ex. the militancy they are capable leading rank exception of Ford. On the first would be tolerated no longer.
lowed in the auto union. 2) the convention must be adjourned and files realized before the conday of the convention, the 1100 Against the influence of outside vention was over that the Comthe following day.
delegates paid tribute to this Martin Lovestonites organizations who have memglorious achievement in a wild, Late into night the negotia munist Party and the right wing As the rank and file member bers within the automobile union, tions between the unity group Socialists, did not want to, and uncontrollable demonstration ship grew alarmed at Martin (3. For support of Labor Non and the Martin forces continued, were not capable of organizing which continued unabated hour actions, Martin felt the need of Partisan League, ete. Those clever with Gassaway and Dubinsky in or leading a fight of this kind.
expert advice. Through Charles Stalinists! They were going to the role of mediators. An agreeUniformly the delegates were Zimmerman of the disarm the Martin faction by ment was finally announced to build a new group in Plans are already under way rank and file from the shops, young men, who brain trust from the Lovestone mined was this Stalinist crowd side with one so called indepen basis of principles and policies, representatives he secured the assistance of a stealing their program. So deter: seven officers, three from each workers union, on the genuine felt a deep responsibility to the group. Munger was appointed to achieve unity with Martin, lent. The Communist Party lead to oppose the reactionary Martin membership of their locals. Not editor of the United Automo hat in the caucus they fought ers were jubilant. In reality the clique and to build the auto workonce was the convention called bile Worker, several other Love nd finally succeeded in defeat victory was a defeat. The pres ers union into a fighting organ.
to order but that practically every stonites were placed on delegate was in his seat, ready roll and the Lovestonites began land delegates for the right of dent has all the powers, the vice ization for the class interests of workers for business. Repeatedly they acting as the stool pigeons, the members with similar ideas to Three quarters of the new gen labor as a whole.
and complained to the chair about spotters hatchet men, the theo form groups within the union, the long meaningless specches of retical experts for the reaction for independent labor political lawyers, governors, politicians, ary Martin faction. The Stalin action etc. All they asked of which only interfered with the sts in the union feared that this Martin was his agreement to al serious work of the convention campaign of red baiting would low Mortimer and Hall to remain Every motion for special night mean their elimination. With the as vice presidents of the organsessions to complete important aid of several of the international ization and the retention of the business, was greeted with a officers and two of the executive secondary leadership of organizstorm of applause.
By Fore and Aft York State Committee is refrainboard members, a national pro ers. At this point, the battle had ing for the first time in its Background of the Con Sutright reactionaries, union poli. lique fight for union posts.
gressive group was organized. degenerated into an unprincipled Hard on the heels of the New history from running vention ticians, and anybody who cared York Times and the New Yorkmunist Mayoralty candidate. The Communist Party will throw the Has to Fight Herald Tribune, Earl Browder has full weight of its influence befirst meeting of the progressive In the great struggle with to join, were accepted.
now announced officially General Motors and the state thel hind the American Labor Party At Milwaukee itself it finally Communist Party support of La candidate for Mayor, Fiorello forces of Michigan, President Martin had proved to be just The Toledo Meeting dawned on the Stalinists that Guardia for re election. It must LaGuardia. Amter emphasis. they must either fight or they be admitted that this was not another sky pilot with a gift of At the first meeting of the were licked and on their way out. much of surprise. However, some critical support to La Guardia. And are the Stalinists giving gab. During all of the crucial progressive caucus held in To Hastily the unity group was others of LaGuardia friends feel Not a bit of it. No such halfnegotiations with the General ledo some and one half te named again, the unity and that Browder really ought to way measures for Browder. The Motors management, Martin was months prior to the Milwaukee democracy group. No longer have waited for official action ticket offered is such a serious in the east, addressing local union Convention, delegations from were speeches made about there until after the primaries they effort; it satisfies all the condimeetings.
Flint, Detroit and other centers being no differences between the are afraid that some of the La tions which we demand.
As soon as the General Motors reported how local organizations unity group and Martin Frank Guardia Republicans will be emstrike was settled, the Michigan were thrown into turmoil by the ensteen. Against their own will barrassed slightly by the whole tion, states Browder, is even The significance of this elecnewspapers had abruptly chang red baiting campaign, how local he Communist Party combination hearted embrace of the La international. And in saying this ed their line towards the union unions organizers were fired and was compelled to fight, however Guardia Communists.
organization. The previous policy arbitrarily replaced by Martin timidly, however inadequately Browder is entirely correct. In of frankly expousing the open henchmen, etc. The purpose of against the Martin Frankensteen in the best People Front man date, La Guardia, in this election, Browder official statement is supporting the capitalist candishop abandoned. Now the the caucus, it was explained, was bureaucracy.
ner. In political content of course, Browder papers discovered great virtues to fight these arbitrary acts, re Now the delegates proved eager the arguments are identical with fully the international line of the carrying out faithin the United Automobile Work establish union democracy and to fight for democratic rights those used during the national People Front, is putting through ers Union. As a matter of fact, the militant policies which had and for the aggressive policies election campaign last year in in the given national and local the union was the finest thing in built the organization. Plans which had built their union. Time justifying indirect support the world. The only thing they were elaborated for an enlarged after time Martin was stopped Roosevelt. Defeat Land on treachery and betrayal which now of conditions the same policy of objected to, for the good of the meeting of the caucus in the cold in his attempts to wield the Liberty League Hearst! was the strangles the fight of the workworkers themselves it goes with near future, and all delegates in gavel and run the convention in slogan then; now it is, Defeaters in Spain, China, and France.
out saying, was some of the ex tructed to return to their locali the high handed manner charac Tammany! Forward cerses that the union committed. ties and arouse their membership teristic of labor conventions. Re victory of the people over Wall that at the same time that the to the It is not in the least an accident to the danger facing the union peatedly the Flint, Detroit, To Street! shouted Browder over Daily Worker comes into the open Bosses Advice?
organization. So far, so good. ledo and Cleveland delegations, Station WINS.
Union headquarters were bomwith its support of La Guardia, all on their feet, would refuse to Browder Steps In But last year let Martin go on until some opbarded with a shower of gratuithe People it carries on an openly chauviposition speaker received the floor Front line in the United States nistic campaign with respect to tous advice. What the union need Then something happened. The ed was responsibile leadership. Communist Party told its auto or until the point of order was fuller stage. Communist can vocating war by the United States had not yet been devoted to its the Chinese events, virtually adWhat the union needed was ecognized.
get people, they had no business didate still appeared on the ballot, against Japan, and promising in rid of the irresponsible agitators, fighting Martin. Browder brought discipline its membership and put the matter up at the plenary sesLewis Man Booed even though he was forgotten in advance complete support of such the campaign. The Stalinist a war. Indeed from the fundaan end to wildcat unauthorized sion of the Central Committee in The delegates showed more de members themselves were not mental class point of view, the strikes. Then the union could June. On occasion. he said, we termination and fight than has yet prepared to swallow a com policy of support of LaGuardia Grow big and strong like the see developments which give rise probably ever been shown in any pletely open capitulation.
United Mine Workers of Amer to great uneasiness when com labor convention in recent years.
is an inseparable link in the gene Today the farther step can te ica and Homer Martin would un rades rush into snap judgments Ora Gassaway, personal repre taken. Israel Amter, New York, ral class policy which leads diquestionably become another lon big questions of trade union Isentative of John Lewis in this state Chairman of Communist rect to support of the coming John Lewis.
policy, consider that trade union convention, was twice booed by Party, declares:. the New war.
Browder and LaGuardia Comtwo