The labor standard., 1919-06-01
RANK AND FILE
 OF LABOR PARTY
Eighty-Nine Per Cent. of Unions Answering the Questionaires Favor Formation of Labor Party - Labor Politicians Withhold Communications
(BY ABRAHAM EPSTEIN)

(BY ABRAHAM EPSTEIN)
 Much publicity has recently been
 given to official endorsements of the
 labor party idea by state and city
 central labor organizations. Little ists regarding how the rank and file
 of labor is regarding the labor party development. Recently an attempt has been made by an organization that has the confidence of labor in lead ing industrial state of the East to learn what the average trade union
 ist thinks of independent political
 action. The returns obtained are of
 significance. Two facts stand out: first, that, of the 285 unions answer ing the questionaire, the overwhelm- ing number, 89.1 per cent. favor the formation of the labor party; second, that but very small proportion of the membership are alive enough to the importance of the question even to state their attitude.
 While this failure is undoubtedly due to some extent to mere apathy, it may also be attributed somewhat to the feeling that the entire discussion is unconstitutional, from the stand point of the union. Thus one union replied, Although the men seem to think it good thing, the bylaws of our constitution prohibit us from go- ing into any political campaign as a body" Some also believe that the present is not the most opportune time for launching the party, one add ing, "in case the party is organized, it will no doubt receive the support of a large part of the membership" A third cause of failure to answer may be found in the refusal of the labor politician receiving the questionaire to present it to the membership of the union for discussion.
 Negative answers, as we'll as failure to answer at all were due not only to the foregoing causes, but to the def- nite opposition of two groups of labor, with opposing social philosophies., On the one hand, was naturally found the member of the Socialist Party who believed that the s. P. was adequate. The secretary of one union, for in- stance, writes that he is instructed to "send in protest against the forma- tion of a new labor party" adding that the local union "feels that in the Socialist Party we have labor party which covers the needs of the labor ing class" On the other hand, fear of Socialist influence deters workers from approving. "We positively re- fuse," declares local union in another part of the state, "to have any part in the same at this time, rather than plainly oppose it, as there would always be more or less l. w. w. and Bolshevism in same. To be success full we must be an independent body" The secretary concludes by declaring: ''You ought to be ashamed of this kind of letters"
 How. the Trades Stand
 Exceedingly interesting are the re- turns from the standpoint of trade and industrial affiliations. The reports show, for instance, that the best or ganizations, those which have most effectively used their organized pow CTS in enforcing their demands, are the most ardent in their advocacy of the Labor Party. The railroad men stand 99.1 per cent. in favor of the move On the other hand, the print CTS, the conservative wing of the labor group, gave 90.8 per cent. negative vote. The miners are strong in ap- proval. Of 6,310 voting members of the United Mine Workers, only 147 voted no, while, of the sixty locals participating, forty-eight voted unani- in favor of the proposal, and but one unanimously against it! The votes of the six city central trades councils, representing all of the trades of a particular community, stood 85 per cent. for, and 15 per cent. against. Of the 733 iron and steel workers sending returns, 649 favored the party Barbers and plumbers voted 98 per cent. in the affirmative, while nearly 95 per cent. of the brewery workers, similar percentage of ma and 89.8 per cent. of electri- cal workers were for. it. The propor- tion of other trades favoring the plan was: cigar makers, 63.7 per cent; 58.3 per cent; bricklay- CTS, 57.3 per cent; glassblowers, 52 per cent; miscellaneous trades, 97.5 per cent.
 These returns from 25,000 voters show clearly that an overwhelming majority of the wide-awake ele- ments in organized labor in this state the entrance of labor into politics. However, while much of the startling indifference evidenced in the failure to reply may be explained by the reasons given above, and by the fact that the organization submitting the referendum made no attempt to educate the workers upon this ques- ton, the negligible number actually voting is fact that the organizers and leaders of the New Labor Party will have to take into consideration. Moreover, the reconciliation of the two opposite extremes in the Amer ican labor movement requires all the statesmanship of the most capable of industrial leaders. SHERIFF WORKING
 ACATNCT DROETTEERC