United labor bulletin., 1911-08-31
The Typographical Union
Delves Into Secret Workings
President Lynch and Local Members Attacked for Holding
Secret Meetngs---Clash in Early Hours on Frisco
Streets--Buiding Of Mythical Issue.

struggle has been going on for years
in the local unions of the international
typographical union against what is
claimed to be an illegal combination of
members to control the legislation of the
organization, locally and internationally.
This fight in the last three years has been
made both secretly and in the open by
the ant-international administrationists,
and it eliminated in open charges being
made at the San Francisco convention
two weeks ago against President Lynch
and his supporters, although the charges
were not written and did not specify any
time, place or act.
In Denver the fight has been most Bit
ter for three years. Members of No. 4e,
alleged to be members of secret organ
ization, have been sIandered by the Den
yer administration people who are op-
posed to James M. Lynch, until what in
fuenee they may have had in their or
eanization has been completely ruined.
It made no difference whether they were
old-time Supporters of Lynch or motif
they were influential members in No. 40
and were supporters of Lynch policies
they were classed wahnitas, the name
by which the inside" has been known
for years, and their names banded from
one to another among the younger mem
bers of the organization until their in
fuence for either good or i'll was COM
peteIy ruined. This course has been
pursued night and day for many months
in other locals of the |. T. v. as we'll as
in this, and II has resulted In the Danish
ment from the locals referred to Of the
men that have made the great Typo
graphical union what it is today.
In Denver the success of this course is
almost complete. Now that the old-time
members have been eliminated, those
ho 70
movement and continue to oppose many
Of the local administrators policies are
being undermined secretly by the pro-
paganda Of the semi-Socialist.
There is no question in the minds of
the majority of members conversant
with |. T. U. affairs that some sort of an
organization has existed and does now
exist in many of the larger locals in the
United States and Canada among the ad-
ministration forces of the international;
and there is no question in the minds of
those same members that the sntis also
hold meetings TO discuss their plans and
prepare themselves to oppose the other
forces.
The antis claim that the ~shnitas are
oath-bound, while they are not.
But their mode Of eensure and Of ruin
for one who does not support their views
is a thousand times more effective than
any oath that may be administered. II
a skull and eross-bones in a darkened
room, and the rays Of a red electric bulb
shining throgh the openings in the skull,
were placed before a Candidate, and his
hands laid on the Holy Bible. when the
oath was administered, it would not have
as much effect on a man Of brains, char
acter and honor as the thought that if
he expressed himself free and independ-
ent Of a faction in an organization that
he would be secretly undermined by
night and day until his very word would
be to a majority a signal to oppose the
proposition he advocated.
The writer believes that the following
words in the oath administered to print
ers should have been eliminated years
ago:
THAT ! will belong to no society or
combination composed wholly of
printers, with the intent or purpose to
influence or control the legislation
Ct this union"
According to information at hand the
laws were SC amended at the Frisco con-