The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-04-11

and Charles P. Howard, acting
president of the international
Typographical Union, try to
conceal their despotic acts be-
meath understanding demo-
cratic phrases. The latter
method is by far the more con-
temptible.
The history Of the negotiations
leading up to the present scale falls
into three divisions. There were
three distinct stages in the proceed
ings, to-wit:
First Act Of Betrayal
First: The rousing meeting IN
December when the scale committee
presented the proposition Of a six
hour day with a wage Of $50 and
$50 for day and night work respec-
lively, to be in effect a trifile more
than one year, or to be exact from
Jan. 1924 and Feb. %, 1925. This
was amended to demand S66 day
work and s72 night work on the
six-hour day basis, and left for the
committee to present the scale to
the publishers and endeavor its
achievement.
Second: The meeting Of March
%, when the scale committee re-
ported that the employers had re-
fused to offer more than a three
dollar raise and that the question
Of hours would not be considered by
the publishers. At this meeting
both Mr. Howard and Mr.. Rouse re-
ported that they could not recon-
mend the publishers proposition to
the union, the scale committee con-
curing in the report. Mr.. Howard
in particular emphasized the dec
laration that he did not want to
conceal anything from the member
ship-that everything was to be
open and above board. Then, 10
and behold, the membership was
presented with a ballot with three
clauses to be voted upon. (a) Ac-
ceptance Of the publishers offer.
(b) Arbitration. (c) a SIS increase
and IL rejected to ask for strike
sanction. Nothing was said about
when and where and under what
conditions the December proposition
Of the membership was abandoned;
not word about throwing overheard
the demand for hours and the re-
duction of the demands to a paltry
SIS. Many suspected that when
Mr.. Howard protested that there
was nothing to conceal, that vital
facts were being concealed from the
membership; Like Shakespeare's fe-
male Of easy virtue, he protested
too much.
Some 'Prog," He Isl
Third: The meeting of April 6,
called for the alleged purpose of
considering proposals as to wages
and hours upon which strike sane
shall be requested" (official call).
The membership, bewildered and to
large extent Infatuated at the
brazen abandonment of the original
demands had protested so vigorous
ly that Leon H. Rouse and his scale
committee were afraid to ask strike
sanction of the Executive Council
in spite Of the fact that the IS pro-
position of March %, carried by a
vote of eleven to one. Further
more it was felt that the member
ship would not vote for a strike on
difference so small as two dollars.
Many felt at the March 23 meeting
that the publishers really intended
paying So, but that the president
and scale committee of Rig Six
were afraid "a plain proposition of
that type would be defeated, so they
pretended they were waging a
ferocious conflict with the publish
ers and owners. Subsequent events
have served to lend weight to this
Interpretation.
Hog-Tying the Union.
The call for the April 6 meeting
was set forth plainly as being for
the purpose of formulating strike
demands from the International
Executive Council But again the
'joker" was inserted so that they
had no chance to present their own
demands. This "joker" was re-
vealed when Mr.. Rouse announced
that since the call for the special
meeting there had been another Of
fer from the publishers, that he
would advise the membership to ac-
cept.
At this juncture another heavy
jolt was in store for the member
ship. Instead of forcing the pub
fishers from their offer Of three dol
lars, the three dollars was accepted,
with the provision that there would
be dollar raise the LIST Of July and
another the LIST Of next January
making total of a five dollar in
crease after the scale has been in
effect one year, intead Of immedi-
ately or as Of January /, 1924,
even taking for granted that the
deceptive vote Of March 20, was the
will of the membership which it