The daily Nome industrial worker., 1917-03-31

system. All these would have been let loose to attack striking workers and the courts would have been packed with frame-ups. Now we cannot get away from the costliness of these expensive prosecutions and the subtle use which employers make of it to crush the workers, and this would indicate that it would be much more efficient and much more educational were the workers to keep even pace and complete connec- tion between their economic organi- zation and the political organization. The latter should not be scrapped, for scrapping it leaves the workers helpless in the event that they are victimized by frame-ups.
 We observe that many who decry wholly such socialist political action by laborites, themselves as a last to bear upon capitalist politicians. When this one or that is on trial for something or another occasioned by labor struggle or strike, We discover circulars sent broadcast L" protest to the Governor, the Presi- dent, to Congress. And these are advised by the very men and the very leaders who have been instru- mental in making all those officials feel independent of labor in every way, and completely prevented there being any such thing as labor repre- sentation.
 We can reasonably understand that the labor politician should grow in disrepute on account of his re- cord, but we can hardly question the earnestness and sincerity of many
 men who have represented labor in i the socialist councils. What short
 comings they presented clearly | enough were due to limitations of
 view rather than anything else.
 Moreover, those who intolerantly and completely decry all working i class political action besides being
 extremists who hesitate to follow
 their own direct action views to the i logical conclusion, are just as likely and in fact are seen to become doc.
 trinaires quite to the same extent i as those who have made of the soc
 ialist party narrow and intolerant 1 sect.
 We have to recognize the prior
 necessity of job organization. But
 there is simply no reason why that should antagonize us against any industrial political organization which would unseat many of those
 in official position who are, and
 show they are, absolutely antagon- istic to labor
 That there is the danger of
 electing laborites to office who
 will turn and rend to | pieces those WHO pldCcu tHCH III power is quite correct. But
 those things are not inevitable. We
 have no reason to think they are certain. It is true that a Sheriff
 Macrae was once labor union off
 cial, but whether as a union official ] or as a sheriff he was still willing to be the tool of those whom he , wanted to serve for money. It would I be a hopeless condition of things if | we believed that every laborite who
 entered on or was candidate for a political position would become re- reactionary tool of the employing classes. To believe that would be to ] believe that the labor union move ment, the socialist movement, the 1 industrialist movement was hope l less in the extreme. We must have | confidence in some men, as some men are tried and true and to be 1 trusted. If we are to live in perpe- tual dis.rust of our fellows, we can have neither economic nor political
 solidarity and we might as vel
 stop all agitating.