The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-10-25

movement believing that that is it.
Said the secretary of the big miners
local of Staunton, III. to me: Il am
for LaFollette because / believe it is
the beginning toward labor party.
On most of the other progressive is
sues l agree with you fellows. am
with you in the fight to rout the labor
takers who have infested themselves
upon our movement"
He did not realize that the LaFol-
cite movement has served as the
main factor to defeat the labor party.
While the LaFollette movement has
two faces ready made, in Illinois it
takes great care to appear primarily
under its labor face, yet the state
campaign committee is dominated by
Representatives OF non-labor elements,
progressive republicans, republicans,
progressive democrats, Irish-Ameri-
cans. German-Americans, etc. Not
that this composition is anything in
cidental or for that matter different
from any other state.
Nowhere has the manipulations in
the prediction maneuvers Of the
astute but visionless trade union bu-
reaucrats become as politically cor
rupt as in Illinois. The labor endorse
ments Of the "progressiVes" was skill
fully engineered ITO include Governor
Small; the champion among corrupt
capitalist politicians; Skhe good
roads governor" who builds hard
roads in the state paying the workers
40 cents an hour, working ten hours
a day. AS the miners, due to unem-
ployment we're compelled to engage
in this kind of work, they realized
why these were called "hard roads,
This Governor Small as soon as the
zero hour for the filing of independent
nominating petitions had struck, an
nounced himself as a regular repub-
lican; a supporter of Coolidge and
Dawes and all that Wall Street stands
for. This, however, did not disturb
the labor politicians in the least. They
knew the game and are continuing
their Endorsements of capitalist poll
ticians.
Meanwhile unemployment is in
creasing in Wisconsin, Indiana and
Illinois. The big factories are laying
off help, steel production is at a low
ebb and many mines have remained
closed for months. The workers are
feeling the realities of the capitalist
method of production.
Two hundred Illinois mines have re-
NAMED closed for more than six
months, the remaining 1877 are operat.
ing, averaging one-third time. Forty
three thousand Illinois coal miners
have been unemployed for more than
six months, the remaining $1,000 av-
lerage two days week. September
1924, found $4,000 fewer workers EN-.
lployed in the factories of the state
than the same month last year. The
free employment agencies report 142
applicants for each 100 jobs while IS
per cent of the entire working popu.
lation of the state are on less than
Iflll-time establishments and
misery in prospect.
| From the old parties nothing can be
Expected. From the capitalist govern.
ment or the capitalist manufacturers
organizations nothing but ruthless
prosecution Of the capitalist aims in
the class struggle can be expected
The LaFolIette movement offers nc
hope Of relief for this prospective
starvation and misery. On the con
trary its avowed aim is to keep CAPT
talism in power and maintain the
lcapitalist system of production. Only
the Workers Party organizes and pre-
pares the workers thru a militant
struggle for their immediate needs
and for the overthrow Of capitalism