New Britain herald., 1918-06-04
|. v. v. IS WORLDS
GREATEST MENACE
Labor Organization Threatens
Maximum War Production
(By Hamilton Kendal1.)

of the World has startled every pa
triotic, home-loving. God-fearing citi-
zen of the United States-yet a great
majority of the great American pub
lie are grossly unfamiliar with the
scope and ultimate purposes Of that
revolutionary element in our indus
trial life. AS Il worker in the lumber
camps of Washington for the past
few years. | have touched elbows with
them, have, through personal contact
and intimate association become thor
Oughly familiar with the aims. ideals,
methods of applying the most sacred
weapon of the orga nization, sa botage,
and the insensate, unreasoning, deep
seated hatred every T. w. w holds
toward the present form of govern
ment.
In writing this article I took into
consideration the possibility of criti-
cism and charges of mis- statements,
and | assure the reader that this COM
prehensive analysis of the greatest
menace in America today, as great a
menace, as real a menace and as far
reaching a menace as the Imperial
German War Lord, is conservative.
There is no exaggeration in this
statement, in every district where this
"outlaw' organization dominates
the populace know--believe me, they
know that nc evil could strike a more
paralyzing blow to law, order, decency
and liberty than this anarchistic, God
hating, law detesting band Of NAL
contents.
In considering the 7. W. w, 1t Is
first of all necessary to understand
their fundamental principal--the en-
ployer must go, 1t is equally neces-
sary to understand that their word,
agreement or contract is worthless
they frankly and officially announce
S much. An employer dealing with
an ordinary union may come to terms
with the ganization for definite
time and be certain that the terms Of
agreement will be faithfully complied
with. The reverse is the policy Of the
I. w. w. To agree with them as to
wages, hours or working conditions
today does not insure the employer
against strike tomorrow and if he
is not confronted by a strike he will
have to contend with systematic
sabotage, organized loafing and in
genious methods OF causing him finan-
cial loss. No matter how high the
wages, how short the day or how
pleasant the working conditions--the
I. w. W. is the relentless enemy of
the employer. Nothing save the ex-
termination of the employer and over
throw Of judicial and legislative gov
eminent will satisfy him.
The 7. w. w. is literally a revolu-
tionary orga nization which had its
inception in Chicago in 1904. when a
group Of radical labor leaders, under
the leadership of Thomas J. Hagger-
ty. editor Of the official organ, and
Clarence J. Smith, general secretary
treasurer of the American Labor I'm
ion, formed the organization by a
combination of the Western Fedora
ton of Miners the United Metal
Workers, the American Labor Union
and the Socialist Trade and Labor AL
lance.
The brilliant Debs was a warm sup
porter Of the embryo organiza ton
and for some time after the Chicago
convention made stirring appeals to
his radical adherents to join the "One
Big Union" However, the party lead
ers became entangled in bitter con-
troversies and in 1905 the Western
Federation of Miners withdrew, and
three years later the Socialists and
conservatives announced their dissolu-
ton Of interests. The radicals opened
up headquarters in Detroit and called
the new radical branch the Detroit l.
w. w. {.
The two organizations, though
practically synonymous so far as
principles are concerned, have been
bitter. implacable enemies. A deep
seated antipathy between both radi-
cal orders and the socialist party, the
Legitimate Trade Unions" and the
present form of government has pre-
vailed since the forming Of the two
branches of the I. w. w.
A perusal of the I. w. w. platform
(Preamble) is sufficient to convince
the most skeptical observer that the
organization is founded on principles
with tendencies bordering on anarch-
ism, as the following excerpts will IL
lustrate:
THE working class and the employ
ing class have nothing in common;
beween these two a struggle must go
on until the workers of the world or
ganize as q class, take possession of
the earth and the machinery of pro-
duction and abolish the wage system
-moreover-the trade unions aid the
employing class into believing that
the working have interests in COM
mon with their employer" In
stead of the conservative motto: "a
fair days work and a fair days pay"
we must inscribe on our banner the
revolutionary watchword, abolition
Of the wage system $50. ..tn
According to the I. w. w. the en-
ployer, no matter if a corporation,
farmer, contractor, or peanut vendor
If an employer, rich or poor, he has
ceased to be a necessity in industrial
or social life and is merely a super
f1uous parasite. They point out that
any lasting agreement between en-
nd MI iS