Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1924-08-29
BY JOHN II. WALKER

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stone unturned. They stop at moth.
ing and they engage in every kind OF
a conceivable activity. and use every
possible method 10 accomplish their
purpose, TO prevent the establishment
of the union-when they fail in this,
then to defeat it in its efforts to inn
prove the conditions of the wage earn
ers, nullify its work of education,
enecmpas lis defeat, in its efforts TO
secure the enactment of legislation
beneficial to the working people, OF to
secure the election CT appointment of
officials in governmental position, that
would give the average man a square
deal.
They not only employ men to fight
the labor movement openly, but where
they are unable TO accomplish their
purposes by that method, they employ
them TO 90 into the union itself and
do their work there, and perhaps the
thing that they desire most, when
working within the union, is to bride
some one who is already member of
the union, to do that work.
Our state is not free from them,
and in later days, since the Illinois
State Federation of Labor has been
successful in accomplishing great
n:auy things in the Interest o. tha
workers, some of them of exceeding. =
g eat importance, 'thbly the defeat
of the proposed new state coBstitu-
lion, which would have des,yoyei
American Government in Illinois: and
latterly, in the primary election, de.
feating the entire slate of important
candidates for those interests (Which
are opposed to organized labor, in
ore of the large political parties
which for years, has largely had its
own way-these undercovef men have
been particularly active.
The trade unionists of Illinois, re-
call the delegate from the Bakers
Union of Chicago, at the Galesburg
convention of the Illinois State Fed
Grafton of Labor, who made the vic
ious attack, particularly on the oili-
GERS of the State Federation of Labor,
and whose name was used in connec-
ton with criticism of them, when
they were seeking the enactment Of
legislation which the State Federation
of Labor had instructed them to seek
the enactment of, and who, about
four years ago, when the union he
was member of (the Bakers OF
Chicago, came out on strike, was I'M
covered, as a paid stool pigeon in
the employ of a Detective Agency Of
Chicago, which acts for the anti-unlon
employers, he not only had betrayed
the workers in that industry, who
were fighting for recognition of their
union, by giving information to the
employers that was calculated to
enable them to defeat them, but he
also told falsehoods COMMITTED per
jury, to injure the men leading the
strike; the purpose of which was to
break that strike, and destroy that
union.
The fact that he was uncovered
and exposed, eliminated him, but 1t
has not meant the end of that sort
Of work. 1t is difficult to prove con-
clusively, when men are doing these
things for pay, for that reason, and
because sometimes honest men who
are doing the thing that is right, adj
vocate props s.tiGns that are unpopu-
Tar, it is diificul, for honest trade
unionists who perhaps may not be too
well informed, to diiferentlate be
tween the paid stool pigeon, who is
working inside for the strike-break-
ing detective agencies and the anti
union employers, and honest men,
with whom he disagrees.
In the long run however, circum-
stances pretty clearly indicate as
between them, but it is necessary that
our membership watch things Of that
kind, &ery closely, covering a period
of time, before they can be absolute
ly sure.
For the last three years large
portion of the labor movement IN
Streator, has been locked cut, where
the anti-union employers decided to
destroy the trade union organizations.
During that time a certain person,
who is an outsider, although a (cafd)
member Of a union in another town,
who for years has been living without
any visible means Of support, and
who has been working in close colus-
ion with the anti-union employer
and their representatives. politically,
publicly launched vicious attacks On
that strike, and the things that the
membership were doing, and that the
officers were doing. He did it in the
insidious way that stool pigeons OF
that character usually do IT, He is
not a member Of any Of the organiza-
tons that are, or were, on strike
He has not worked at any trade to
sneak of, for years. In fact, from
the best information | can get. he ha.