The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-02


ing prevents the communists from
directing the sum total of all these
strikes and manifestations THROUGH
the /. w. w. as well as through other
organizations. The duties of COM
munist carry him not only on the
political field but also, well into the
industrial field Of activity. In the
words Of comrade Radek: 49,. by
approaching this evolution of the
unions on their way to revolutionary
struggle the Communists will be able
to play the part of an element unit
ing the politically and industrialIy or
ganized workers in their joint strug-
gle for the suppression of Capital
| ISM"
The last and most inspired words
on the subject are had by comrade
Mulati thus: "But certainly, the I.
W. w. as union will be the proper
organization on the economic field IF
it manages to get the masses Of the
workers within its ranks" There we
have it. The word 'if' speaks for it,
self, further comment is unnecessary.
Now let us draw some conclusions
for ourselves. Let it first be restated
| that the work of Communists in this
and every country is all-embracing
|. e. it is called for both industrially
and politically. But the work of the
Communists on the industrial field is
1 carried on with special purpose in
view; control of industry. For gain
ing this end, Communists utilize not
only the existing revolutionary and
conservative unions, but seek also to
create special instruments, such as
factory committees etc. Now, the act
of gaining control of industry is
political act. AS comrade Radek puts
it, "The industrial struggle becomes
a political struggle" Why? Because
in the process of taking over the in
dustries the workers must inevitably
meet with the armed forces Of the
capitalist State.
| More particularly concerning the I.
w. W. we shall hear from the late
John Reed: "After all, the l. W. w.
is not so much regular Labor Union
as it is propaganda committee.
Every year thousands of workers en-
ter its ranks and every year thousands
leave it. But the I. w. WIS insinuate
themselves everywhere, in all craft
unions, in all factories, eternally
preaching and arguing for industrial
unionism and workers control over
industry" This was printed in the
international magazine of the Third
International and was read by the
workers the world over. 1t is a splen-
did appraisement of the value of the
|. w. W. which is not SO much to or
ganize the workers on comprehen-
sive universal scale as it is to serve
as source of revolutionary inspira-
tlon and leadership for the more back
ward and less aggressive workers.
But there is another side. Let us
hear comrade Lenine again: "There
can be no doubt that the Messrs.
Gompers, Jouhaux, Henderson, Legien
etc. are very grateful to such left re-
volutionaries who, like the German
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Party (heaven
preserve US from such principles) or
like revolutionaries in the American
l. W. W. preach the necessity of quit
ting reactionary trade unions and re-
fuslng to work in them." Which pre-
sents another, less. noble, phase of the
L w. W. and shows the necessity for
much educational work within it.
Although | cannot accuse comrade
Mulati of upholding this impossible
view, at the same time 1t is ten to
one bet that the comrade is an old
"Wobbly" who, though attracted by
the glamor and partly convinced by
the logic of Moscow, at the same time
has not yet outlived his chronic in
fatuation for the three letters. And
there are many more in the same con-
dition. Remedy: pill.
| 1t is only to be regretted that pills
OF this nature lose much Of their ef-
fectiveness by being coated with the
proverbial sugar; in justice to him
self, however, comrade Mulati would
do well to swallow it-bitter as IL is
Prisoners in the Bytisky prison in
Russia have the right to choose their
own room. The prisoners, excepting