The Butte daily bulletin., 1919-06-07
They Will Learn
{ From st. Louis Labor. J

The great trouble is that too few
people even attempt to understand
the American labor movement -
Exchange.
To understand the American labor
movement is not an easy matter.
Some contemporaries VINO made Sc
rious attempts to learn to understand
it were more beWildered than salts
fled by what they found.
They expected to meet with the
spirit of brotherhood. and in many
cases were confronted by animosity.
they expected to find justice, and
often found favoritism; they expect
ed to find d general community OF
interests, and were shocked by the
display of brutal selfishness.
Where they expected genuine de-
mocracy they found despotism, and
| where they looked for political soli
darity they discovered political trick
cry Thev expected to meet leaders
that could really lead. and found
them tagging behind their times and
trimming their sails to the wind of
opportunism,
Where they hoped to find men of
strong convictions they met time
servers. and instead Of hearing of
the class-struggle they found politi
cal wirepnllers doing the dirty bust
ness of political party machines Of
the capitalist class.
OF course. the men who We're thus
disappointed in their expectations
only touched the surface of things.
The sore spots of the labor move
ment caught their eyes, and dwelling
on them they forgot that what they
| nj
they were stopped to form hasty con-
clusions instead of piercing the sur
| face and studying the great. sound
promising body of the movement.
The masses that make up the
American labor movement are hon
est men and women, their solidarity
is genuine. their sense of Justice is
healthy and they are deadly opposed
TO every form of autocracy and des-
potism.
1t is true they have not yet learned
the lesson of political solidarity and
are still following the leadership OF
capitalist politicians. But they de-
spise the political trickster even
though he displays a union card.
| they have nothing but contempt for
the timeserver and demagogue, and
they have nothing left for the polit-
ical heeler and bunko-steerer who
betrays everybody that has dealings
with him
The masses of organized labor of
America are the flower of the work
ing class of this country, although
they have not yet realized that the
great class struggle in which they
are engaged is not only an economic
but also a political struggle, and that
they must conquer the powers of the
government as we'll as the powers of
the factory, must win elections as
we'll as strikes, if they wish to see
their ideals of social justice and real
democracy come true.
But they will learn every great
lesson practical life can teach them
they will learn all the lessons the
working people of other countries
have learned and are learning. They
have the brains; they have the abll-
ity and they soon will have the in
centive, too, to enlarge their mental
horizon as far as economic and no-
litical questions are concerned.
And the capitalist class of Amer
lea, their employers and their en-
ployers' political tools, will cheerful
ly assist them in their studies of in
, stitutions, conditions and happen
ings.
Don't worry, our American 1abo,
movement will soon find the right
direction. Capitalism will take care
of that. and then the political wire
pullers and tricksters. the timesery,
ers and demagogues, the egoists anC
the parasites will find their occupa
tiOn gone.