The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-07-26
Trade Unions as War Machines
BY EARL r. BRowDER.

But Lne WORKING CLASS mus lISeA,
whenever the capitalists wish to fight
out a quarrel with those of another
country about markets, swept into
the great war fever that grips the
land on such occasions. How is this
contradiction brought about? The
explanation is to a great extent to
be found in the skilled use of the
workers own organizations to break
down their resistance to war, and
then deliver them to the war appara-
tus. The trade unions are among the
principal war machines of the CAPT
talist class.
My first experience that brought
this home vividly to me, and which
will serve as an illustration, was in
the early days of 1917, when the Unit
ed States was being showed, against
the will of the masses of the workers,
surely-into the world war. At that
time l was president of small local
union in a mid-western city, and
delegate to the Central Labor Coun-
Gil. The overwhelming sentiment of
the union men was holly against par
ticipation in imperialistic war This
was expressed in the fall of 1916, for
example, by the adoption of a reso-
luton denouncing the invasion of
Mexico by American troops, and call
ing upon union men to take action to
stop it.
But the trade union bureaucracy
got to work. Swiftly and with preci-
sion, and evidently working with un-
limited funds, it began to mobilize
the enthusiastically inclined, crush
those who led the opposition, and set
up its active nuclei in every union
and council to prepare the war fever.
One of the first agents of the war
mongers to come into this particular
city from the seat of war, Washing
ton, was George L. Berry, since
Major" breathing peace from one
nostril and fire from the other. He
organized the local Eeutenants of the
drive, and taught them the technique
of the thing - talk peace all the
time, but class peace, and scare 'em
to death of the Germans"
Within another month the Berrys
Of America had prepared the ground
In the unions. Then Gompers called
the conference of the heads of the
various International Unions that is
sued the infamous declaration pledg-
ing the unions to war.
The machinery to put this declara-
ton into effect had been carefully
established. All organizers and Off
Gals of the unions had been called
into Washington and coached. They
swarmed out over the country with
commissions to recruit skilled work
ers for war industry at unheard of
wages. They told of the immense
earnings to be made by "going along"
and how anyone who bucked the
game would be broken. They argued
that the unions would be destroyed
if they did not cooperate, while if
they went along, they would prevent
conscription, alleviate abuses, ensure
"just peace" and an early one. And
above all, they had lots of cash with
them. Money was cheap and plenti-
full for key men in the unions.
We all know the result. The Amer
lean Federation of Labor became one
of the most important war machines
in the country. The only promise
that was kept was for the high wag-
es-the others were quickly forgot
ten as unnecessary The unions were
corrupted, delivered to the govern
ment, swamped with a flood of mex
perienced members, and organically
attached to the Official war machine
the Department of War and the De-
partment of Justice.
international union Offices sent out
letters to all local union secretaries
and presidents, appointing them as
agents of the government, or
the special purpose of reporting all
e. AL