The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-09-18
WAS IT. INSULTING TO THE
Ia. F. OF L.?

In our is tue Of September 4. we pub
lished an EDITORIAL calling attention to
the fact lat Labors Day is the time
honored first of May the day on which
the class-conscious workers of all ma.
lions meet and march and speak and
sing of the unity of interests, not Of
capital and labor but Of the wage
slaves of the world, of whatever race
or hue or cline.
At the same time it was pointed out
that in America May Day as Labors
Day is ignored, even by the workers
themselves, and the first Monday in
September set apart for Labor Day."
To repeat two paragraphs:
Labor Day" September the first, is
the invention of the capitalist class, or
the devil 1t should be ignored by an
awakened, intelligent, class-conscious
working-class, and May first, Labors
Day the world over, for centuries,
should be recognized as international
Labor Day. by all the workers of
America.
Naturally, Mr.. Gompers and the cap
italist class would strentuously object
to any such an uu-American display
of class solidarity, of class conscious
ness Mr.. Roosevelt and President
Wilson would also view with alarm
any such radical evidence of interna-
tional working-class solidarity. What
would become of race antagonisms,
race hatred, and patriotism? Besides,
what right has the American wage
slave to select his own day of recre-
alton and contingencies? Leave it
to the bosses.
COR, I should have added, leave it
to those under the control of the
bosses.)
Basing his editorial on the above
views regarding what day the workers
of the world should unite on as Labor's
Day, the editor of the Labor Journal
pretends to find in the editor of the
Commonwealth an enemy of organized
labor, wolf in sleeps clothing" to
borrow his own bromide expression.
In mock heroic periods the "loyaP'
scribe of the Labor Journal relieves
his pent-up indignation and loyalty
thusly:
at might as well be understood here
and now that the trade union forces
are not to be swerved from their 10y
atty to our recognized Labor Day nor
from the labor movement in this coun-
try which finds its expression in the
American Federation of Labor. Union
labor knows that through it's organ
iZation, with all its imperfections and
mistakes, it has done wonders in i'm
proving the material conditions which
surround men and women of toll.
What reformation or change in the
form of organization to meet changed
industrial conditions is needed, will be
brought about within the organization
and not by any band of high-brow,
theoretical obstructionists from with
out. The labor movement is too firm
ly grounded to be swept off it's feet
and made an adjunct of the Industrial
Workers through any such insinuating,
uncalled for aspersions upon the labor
movement as marks the editorial
printed above. We have no doubt that
the Industrial Workers are highly
gratified with their new-found ally,
who talks about the solidarity of the
workers" but does not hesitate to sell
advertising space to firm which de-
liberately locked out of it's Chicago
factory it's union workers and has gen
orally been placed unfair by organized
labor throughout the country"
We are informed by the above
writer that the Commonwealth has
been carrying the said advertisement
"for three weeks past" If this is So
we respectfully ask why this loyal
unionist did not object to the adver
tisement the first week he saw it?
The editor of the Commonwealth
has not been supplied with the Off
cial unfair list of the Everett Trades
Council" and has no means, often, OF
knowing that firms have become UNI
fair.
In regard to the advertisement re
ferred to, we contracted with them
for a year, nine months ago, at which
time they were fair, and, so far as we
knew, were still in good standing with
the A. f. Of l..
AS the Commonwealth always fights
with the workers as against the buy
ers Of labor-power, we have at once
dropped this fii,a from our columns
contract or no contract. No, we most
assuredly are not antagonistic to the
A r. of L., nor any other body OF
wage-slaves who are organized to bet
ter worzing-class conditions.
While Socialists generally recog
nize in the A. F. of L., as now or
gained and controlled, union which
tends to hold the workers in eco
monte and political subsection TO the
owning class, we are, nevertheless
not against" the A. f. of J.. in any
sense involving personal animosity
Whatever IT'S shortcomings, the A.
f. OF L. is at least a partial express