BolshevismCapitalismCominternCommunismIV InternationalSocialismSocialist PartyStrikeWorkers MovementWorking Class

JUNE 1921)
THE WORKERS COUNCIL 69 68 THE WORKERS COUNCIL (JUNE 1, 1921 During the days of the Enclosure movement, when model country? The formula is very simple, thousands of peasants were being driven from their judging from Finland. Let Russia and Mexico take little plots, and were forced to wander on the high note. First, it is required that about 20, 000 or so ways in search of something to do, some of them oc Socialists be murdered, the Reds of course, not the cassionally took to robbing the merchants and lords. Yellows. mistake in this case would be unforParliament promptly passed a law which declared that tunate. Then imprison about 30, 000 or more of any one found on the highways without being able those who are active in the labor unions so that all to prove that he was engaged in some form of useful the leaders will have been done away with. For work, was to become the slave for a term of years methods of prison treatment Horthy may be conof the one who apprehended him. Should the va sulted. Next the Socialist and Labor press must be grant later attempt to escape, he was to be a slave destroyed and the editors imprisoned. network for life. This law not only would make the highways of spies must be built up to prevent the spread of somewhat safer, but would also provide a rich source any ideas that might prove injurious to the public of cheap labor for the nobles. At the same time other welfare. Labor and Socialist schools must be laws prevented the farm laborers from uniting for closed, and the public schools must be used for the economic purposes, and wages were fixed by the Jus inculcating of patriotism.
tices of the Peace, the landowners.
Such a recipe is bound to work for the momentThis was possible at a time when Parliament con and receive the blessings of America. Mr. Finley, who has done his little bit to make New York a sisted only of representatives of the clergy, nobility and gentry, it might be said. In the United States, model State by affirming the expulsion of teachwhere all people are equal in the eyes of the law ers known to be radical, is undoubtedly capable of and where the people elect the judges and the legis certifying to Finland being a model country.
latures, no class receives any special privileges. At any rate, we are so taught, and the average American ANTI BOLSHEVIST CRUSADERS IN THE worker believes it. When the Lever Act is used to OF L, CONVENTION crush his strike while those sections of the Act inTo the uninitiated onlooker the Denver convention tended to punish profiteers are declared unconstitutional, he quickly forgets about it if his favorite pitcher held in June must be the scene of momentous decisions of the American Federation of Labor that is to be wins his game. letter written by Samuel Untermeyer to the Atand startling developments. America is in the midst of an industrial crisis that has thrown millions out of torney General of New York State protesting against the action of Justice Vernon Davis in letting a employment. Practically every important labor group in the country has been brought into open number of self confessed building materials dealers off with fines instead of punishing them with prison conflict with its employers who hastened to utilize the favorable situation to cut down wages, lengthen hours, sentences should bring this matter forcibly to the attention of the workers. In his letter, Untermeyer and force the adoption of the open shop. Almost every European country has seen offers to resign because he feels that the action of the revolutionary court nullifies the work of the Lockwood Committee, working class uprisings of greater or lesser conseHe points out that the men who were let off so easily quence during the past year. The whole nation, in so far as it thinks at all, is vitally concerned in queswere men of wealth and political influence who had long been open, persistent, and defiant lawbreakers; tions of peace and war, and even the most conservative that they were shameless profiteers; that two years are agitated over programs of international disarmaago, July 1919, he had filed papers with the District ment. It would seem that there is enough material of vital interest to the working class of this country Attorney against some of these very same men, but that no action was taken, and the papers were reto keep a convention healthily busy for a number of months. As a matter of fact, these problems disturb posing peacefully in the sacred archives especially reserved for a favored few who are apparently above the gentlemen who are to meet in Denver not at all.
and beyond the reach of the criminal law.
There is only one important question before the Mr. Untermeyer is saying nothing new to be sure.
of Shall, or shall not Samuel Gompers be the next He knows quite as much, for he is a part of the class president of the American Federation of Labor?
that is beyond the reach of the law. Why should not Important enough, surely. For Samuel Gompers the favored few, the capitalist forces, be beyond and truly represents the spirit and the essence of Amerabove the law? Don they place the judges on the ican organized labor, that spirit that answers every bench for that purpose? And don they place their injustice from its masters with pleas for fair play, representatives in the legislatures and in Congress to and submits patiently to one indignity after indignity help along?
from its courts and its legislatures, in the name of Americanism. His is the spirit that allows corrupt MODEL COUNTRY labor representatives to trade their unions into the Finland, a Model State, so runs a headline in hands of their enemies, that creates interfactional disthe New York Times. Then follows a long account putes, that make labor solidarity an unknown quantity of the glories of Finland written by the politician in of organizations. It is the spirit that took educator editor, Mr. John Finley. One always hold of radical after radical and Socialist after Sosuspected as much when the United States recognized cialist, of the Johnstons and the Hayes, of the Moyers, it.
and turned them into sensible trade union leaders.
What necessary ingredients for a Unfortunately, however, the opposition that threatens Samuel Gompers is anything but revolutionary. in the of so auspiciously begun, simply Though it is clever enough to operate with extremely petered out. As Max Hayes, one of the White Hopes, radical phrases to catch the sympathy of those who to whom the Socialist movement looked for salvation are dissatisfied with the inability of the organization recently said in the Cleveland Citizen, Excepting a to meet the present crisis with a bolder front. There few occasions, the Socialists made no organized atis John Lewis, the president of the miners, a good tempt to get the said decapitation schemes republican and an arch reactionary, whose only real, being either hatched out by disgruntled or ambitious objection to the present incumbent of the coveted brothers for themselves or friends on the conservative presidency ist that the latter is still too radical in his inside, and the Socialists were picked as goats to views. There is talk also of a dark horse to be sprung feel out the opposition sentiment, and not infrequently at the last moment by the railway workers who are the talk was so much superheated atmosphere.
bitter, because Gompers, whom they had foresightedly The June convention will concern itself not at all elected to the position of honorary presidency in their with the socialist enemies of former days. For GomPlumb Plan League, has covertly attacked their gov pers and his worthy opponents alike have found a ernment ownership plan. There are also other groups foe more dangerous and more deadly to their own that harbor more or less serious grievances against ambitions. The restlessness that is taking hold of the Grand Old Man, who are ready to support an the membership, its vociferously expressed dissatisopposition candidate, without inquiring too closely faction with its leaders, aimless and headless as it into his views, provided only that he stands a reason may be, is a more potent force than any candidate able chance of being elected.
that was ever put into the arena by the Indianapolis These groups, little as they have in common, are crowd, or by any other group. Gompers knows it.
prepared, in view of their own impotence, to hand They all know it. And for this reason the Denver over the control of the opposition movement to the convention will put itself unmistakably on record as so called Indianapolis crowd, a conglomeration of unqualifiedly opposed to bolshevism and radicalism in Knights of Columbus and Militia of Christ men, whose whatever shape or guise it may present itself.
chief objection to Gompers, aside from his radical No one knows better than we how far the memberism lies in the fact that he is a Jew. These gentlemen ship of America great body of organized labor stands succeeded, several years ago, in electing two of their behind the international revolutionary labor movemen into the Executive Committee, but up to this time ment. But the ground has been ploughed, and the there have been no evidences of a revolution in the seed must be planted, by a strong, revolutionary and very placid life of the of family. The truth class conscious movement that not only knows what of the matter is, that after all, Gompers is the most it wants, but is willing to work for it in the strongintelligent and the most efficient of the reactionary holds of American labor. Mr. Gompers has overknaves who are fighting for the job, and in the end reached himself. In his enthusiasm over the fray, fear of their common and most dangerous foe, the he has given to the term Bolshevism a significance, radicalization of the American labor movement, will that is far from repugnant to the worker whom it was lead these gentlemen to think twice before they invoke supposed to terrify. The rank and file has lost its a specter that will not down.
fear of revolutionary phrases. Let us make the most This fight against Gompers as the head of the of it.
American Federation of Labor is not of recent origin.
To the Communist Parties of all Countries For years the Socialist Party waged open war against Dear Comrades:him, with a conspicuous lack of success. By its The Executive of the Comintern in conjunction with method of boring from within it succeeded in boring the Secretariat of the Womens Section of the Comintern are calling an International Conference of women workers men into good positions, who thereupon took up their in conjunction with the forthcoming III. Congress of duties as trade unionists so seriously, that they soon the Communist International in Moscow. The Conference forgot that they had been elected for the express pur must prepare experimental work among women on an pose of overthrowing the very machine of which the international scale, to define of women workers in the various countries as dictated by the international situation, clever Gompers had soon made them an integral part.
and also the methods and form of work among women As good trade unionists they soon felt the necessity in connection with the fundamental task of the Comof delivering the goods to the rank and file that had munist International, viz. the unification of the proletarian elected them. To accomplish this laudable end they forces including women workers for hastening the prowere constrained to sustain amicable relations with cess of capturing the Dictatorship of the Working Class.
The Executive Council of the International Secretariat the very men whom they had sworn to oust. Whenfor work among women therefore asks you to send ever it was possible strong socialist minorities organ delegates to the above mentioned conference. It is reized themselves in reactionary unions for agitation commended delegates should bring with them reports in writing of the work done among women. The following purposes, minorities that might have done useful and is the proposed agenda for the conference: effective work had they concentrated less upon the The participation of women in the struggle for the winning of important offices and more upon the edu capture and the strengthening of the Dictatorship of the cation of the rank and file, had they made it their working class; II. Methods, forms of work of the Communist Parties among women; III. The participation of business to teach the membership not that a socialist women workers in the economic struggle and economic official is more honest than any other, but that their construction; IV. The International Secretariat for work only hope for better conditions lay in the overthrow among women and its problems; An International Congress of women organizers. With Communist greetof capitalism by the working class.
So the great Socialist crusade against Gomperism retariat for work among women, ings, The Executive Council of the Comintern, The Secare the