Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1921-09-02


inionism Is played out and only re.
-etionaries and ehStruetsanists stu
ssrverse'v adhere TO that form OF Ia
a. organization Industrial organ.
afiaa." the one bag union idea, Is
he thins the modern. untothemin'
lie thing Well. II that we're true.
who. pray. would be APT 10 discover
IL Surely. the men aud women wha
Tor many years and decades nave
formed aud served labor unions,
DRIED IN and for them. won victories
n suffered defeats In the strnggie
II Industrial justice and industrial
| democracy. As matter OF tact,
here are industrial unions as well as
rade unions IN the American feder.
alton OF Labor The experience OF
9th types Is available for study and
omparison, II the trade unions have
rot seen Fit 10 scrap their organiFa'
ions and swallow the onehig@union
ldea. IL is safe 10 say there are better
reasons for this conservatism" than
he dilettante outsiders dream ef or
eckon vita IN their fantastic world.
| philosophy. The labor movement has
not stood still. IL has marched and
,Yolyed: IL viii continue 10 march.
aut II viii not change its policies or
Is methods at the superficial demand
# handful Of self-styled intellee.
tuais.
4 second grievance OF At least some
# the intellectualsls that the leaders
# the American labor movement are,
FOR the most part. suspicious OF and
diverse 20 what is called "independ'
mt political action" Why does not
not American labor form n distinct
political party. modelled upon The Brit.
sh labor party? The British labor
,arty is always painted in bright. al
uring colors as the most advanced
md enlightened body in the world.
Why. then. not initiate it Why not
profit by fits experienced Again, the
slow advance made In this country
~ the advocates OF distinct labor
party is attributed by the intellectuals
the standpatism. obtuseness and L.
norance of the majority of the lead
srs of organized labor.
This theory is as shallow and alb.
surd as that which has been com
nented on above in connection with
he one-big.union dogma. The over
yhelming majority of American un.
pNtolH arc oDpNSth w Stfdt a't uhA
dependent political action. They
| IRE citizens as well as trade union
SITS. They seyerally belong TO certain
parties and have no wish TO secede
| from them. The labor movement has
ipeciflc purposes and they Join II to
,romote these purpose. There are
spublicans. democrat socialists,
Jingle takers. indiyidualists In the Ia.
,or movement Means are suggested
ends. Some ends require political
| elton, and some require economic or
other modes of action. Americans
an not think in terms evolved by Brit
'sh or French or italian conditions
| rhey think. and rightly so, In terms
| hat have grown out of their own vital
experiences. A labor party In Amer
| ca would speedy resolve itself into a
party of few theoretical reformers
md no laborers. 1t would bring ridi.
| sule and contempt upon the labor
| movement from those who are seeking
10 destroy and discredit II.
| All" argue some OF the intelleo.
.uals, the majority OF union men and
| women are opposed to separate po.
| itieal action, What of it? II is the
business of leaders to lead-to blaze
| he trail, to strike out along new
paths, to show courage and foresight.
| The majority will gladly respond, AT
least after while, to inspiring and
| bold leadership"
| The trouble with many of our phil.
osophers of the closet Is that they
| have a sneaking admiration for be.
nevolent despotism, for distatorships,
| for oligarchies. That is why some OF
them have been apologizing for Rus
sia's cruel, tyrannical and insane Boil
| shevik experiment They have no
| faith in democracy, no real use for IL.
| They do not understand or sympa.
thize with the democratic character
of the American labor movement.
| They look down on the rank and file,
and offer every encouragement to
would-be bosses who believe In driv'
Ing instead of leading. and who
would impose or exploit personal
ideas, wrecking the whole movement
by premature, or unsound. or sopho.
moric fads and fancies, rather than
honestly represent and voice the con.
victions of the rank and file.
Finally, there is another and even
more foolish charge that certain
=
intellectuals are prone to prefer
namely, that 1t Is Inconsistent and UNI
American to adopt the slogan, Re.
ward your friends and defeat your po-
litical enemies" or to advocate the
nomination and election of city, state
and federal lawmakers solely because
of their tested and proved loyalty and
its essential proposals, Better, say
these wiseacres, "a separate labor
party than methodical discrimination
against good, nice candidates who
happen to be out of sympathy with
labor If a wage worker is citizen,
how can he vote solely with view to
his economic interests and ignore the
larger and deeper national issues,
such as war and peace. tariffs, trusts,
finances, colonial policy, and the like?
Is not a narrow trade union platform
a class platform?
Such farrago of fallacies and freak
pseudo-ideas is hardly worthy OF ser
ious attention, yet some "intellectn'
ais indict the leaders of the labor
movement precisely on such grounds
as are advocated in this farragO II