The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-08-26
Statement Of tho Trade Union
Educational Leapue.

Educational League.)
THE One Big Union of Winnipeg
/ is busy trying to split the miners
Of Nova Scotia away from the United
Mine Workers Of America. Since last
May it has had Ben Legere stationed
in that district for the purpose OF
bringing about this division. Legere
is carrying on propaganda among the
miners, asking them to call conven
ton for the purpose Of splitting away
form the United Mine Workers and
Joining as local units" to the One
Big Union.
Inasmuch as this propaganda has
gone so far that Legere has a letter
printed in the Maritime Labor Herald
organ Of the miners, issue of Aug
18th, it is necessary to face the issue
thus raised, fairly and squarely. For
the sake Of the miners who may be
misled by this splitting propaganda
it is necessary to review the situation
and to restate the policy OF the Com.
munists and other left-wing elements
which is in harmony with and ap
proved by the Red International and
the Communist International.
origin and Accomplishments Of
The o. 3. U.
The o. B. U. developed out Of an
abortive left-wing movement in the
trade unions of the Canadian west
during 1888. Defeated by the re.
dictionaries in its first attempt to
swing the Canadian Trades Congress
in 1918, the left wing abandoned
itself to childish despair. AT a spe
cial Western Canada Labor Confer
ence, held in Calgary in March, 1919
with delegates from local unions from
Winnipeg to the coast, 1t was decided
to start a new labor union, indepen
dent of all existing unions. A ballot
was taken, and the majority was in
favor of the proposal The Winnipeg
general strike occurred before the de.
cision was put into effect, but after
the defeat of that strike the workers
of the West were more than ever in
favor of secession. The o. B. u was
launched, and the unionrt5s of West.
ern Canada swarmed into it. In
short, after one years effort at re.
shaping the unions, they gave UP at
the first defeat and ran away from the
fight.
The backbone of the new organiza,
ton was composed of the loggers OF
British Columbia and the miners OF
District Is. Things went smoothly
so long as no problems faced the
movement. But at the Port Arthur
Convention, September, 1920, the in
ternal unsoundness showed itself in
sharp differences Of policy that tore
the organization to pieces. The min,
ers and loggers demanded the appli-
cation Of the principle of industrial
unionism. But the leadership in
Winnipeg, controlling with the votes
of the large number of miscellaneous
units" insisted upon the geography
caP' form of organization. When the
principle of industrial unionism was
rejected, the miners and loggers quit
the o. B. U.
Since that time the o. B. U. has
ceased to be anything but a destruc-
tive factor in the Canadian labor
movement. BY 1922 it was apparent
that it had become a mere she'll. 1t
depended upon football competitions
for its finances. It's role has been
that Of maneuvering with groups of
workers in revolt against the reaction
airy union officials, splitting them off
in small units" where they would
have no reactionary officials to fight
and leaving 5he labor movement gen
orally in the undisputed control of
these reactionaries. The result OF
the o. B. u. movement in the West
has been to almost completely disor.
ganize that territory. The workers
are disguised both with the A. F. of
L. and the o. B. U. Those who are
organized have lost all heart for the
fight for revolutionary principles, and
the bureaucrats reign unchallenged.
The net result of the o. B. U. split
Ais a terrible setback for the revolu.
tionists and for the whole labor move
ment Because the militants were
drawn out of the unions, and the I'M
ions themselves split, the labor move
ment became helpless and the masses
were left without leadership in their
struggle against reacticnary policies
and officials.
Effect Upon the Miners Of District 10.
What the o. B. U. split Of 1918 did
to the miners of Alberta should be a
warning to the miners of Nova Scotia.
The vast majority OF the miners left
the U. NJ. w. of A. in a body, and
Joined the o. B. U. Only very few
were left in the old organization. But
there were enuf, when added to the
follies Of secession, to do the dirty
work OF the reactionaries. Led by
Dalrymple (now the creature of
Lewis in District 26) the agents of