The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-08-20

Not since the Central Labor Coun-,
Gil Of San Francisco knitted Tom
Mooney and killed the Mooney general
strike movement, has there been such
a crowded council as there was on
Friday night, the twenty second Of
July, when the Crank and File Con-
ference Committee" of the BuildingI
trades came to appeal to the council
to initiate referendum on the ques-
tion Of a general strike of the bay
district crafts as weapon to combat
the American Plan" movement.
The press Of the city had been car
rying excited headlines for two days.
That brought out the crowd, both of
spectators and delegates, and caused
+, the machine to go into hasty caucus
to see that the general strike was not
put across.
Indeed, they can near being taken
by surprise. The movement had gain
ed headway so quickly and so unex-
pectedly. 1t was scarce week since
the rank and file of the building
trades, locked out for months and ap.
parently benumbed into dull lethar-
gy, suddenly decided to form rank
and file conference to negotiate with
the builders exchange. Spontaneously
from every building local in the
district, came delegates to the con
ference. The papers hailed it as a de-
cision on the part of the workers tc
make peace and accept defeat. The
conference appointed committees. Il
directed them to adjust, to inter
view the builders exchange, to treat
with the Chamber Of Commerce. How
innocent and spineless it all seemed
For Self Education.
But to the observant, there was {
new note in this conference. II ris'
to support the resolution directing
our adjustment committee to confel
with the Chamber of Commerce." de
clared Norman H. Tallentire, th
carpenter who later moved the gen
eral strike resolution, because ther
are some here who think that. the,
can get something besides arrogan
dictation from the Chamber Of Com
merce. / want those fellows to Sc
for themselves that the Chamber i
inflexible in it's determination to pu
across this plan misnamed "Amer
ican" in the bay district. I want thes
fellows to get some idea of the func
tion of a Chamber Of Commerce"
81 am supporting the resolution t
direct our adjustment committee t
confer with the builders exchange
for the same reason. They have sal
that they would not deal with the cor
rupt representatives Of labor Nov
/ may or may not agree with thes
gentlemen that the representatives Q
the building trades are corrupt. Bu
l submit that if our representative
are to be criticized, such criLicisI
must come from the ranks Of labo,
and not from the ranks of these gen,
lemen of the Chamber of Commerc
who are our enemies.
J "They have stated that they woul
not deal with our leaders. Yer
well, let us send a committee of OF
: rank and file. They will get no MOI
than our leaders did. But they wi
: learn their lesson"
al I thought Of the old line tactics I
( the doctrinaire radical unionist
other days. How he would leap to h
feat to pooh, pooh and sneer at Il
: idea Of expecting justice from Chan
e bers Of Commerce. And mayhap, ca
ry such rank and file conferen'
with him. But leave great numbe'
with the idea still in their heads, I"
we had sent delegates to the Chamb'
Of Commerce, we would have gottt
concessions" Tallentire was deterr
e ined to insure the political educatit
S Of every one in the building trade
h He was determined to see that th'
learnt from their own experience al
: their own conviction what he alreat
organize an International relief