The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-02-13
MILL OWNERS
ATTACK MASS.
40-HOUR LAW
Gompers' Spokesman
Crawl Before Masters
BY H. M. WICKS.
Especial to The Daily Worker)

ford have started drive against the
48-hour law in the state of Massa-
chusetts. One Richard Long, a tool
of the mill owners, introduced bill
in the legislature to repeal the law
A joint committee of the Senate and
Legislature was appointed and held
public hearings this week.
AS is usual in such hearings the
Legislative agents" of the American
Federation of Labor were on the
job crawling before the legislative
hunk2ys of capitalism in the most
scrvile manner.
Wednesdays session was particu-
larly interesting. The case for the
mill owners had been presented by
drooling individual, an attorney
named Dresser, representing the AS
ISOLATED Industries. This person
talked at length about the destruc-
tive inroads of Southern competition
upon the industries of "our common
wealth"
Labor" Crawls.
A Mr.. Charles Hodgson Of the
A. F. of L. legislative committee
arose and attempted to defend the
law dga.rs- repeal. He opened his
address with humanitarian sentiment
talism and declared hat he does not
believe in placing the dollar sign
above a humanitarian law. In a
feeble attempt at convincing argu-
ment he said the proposed repeal
was a blow at women and children
in the industries of the state. Then
he had brilliant inspiration as he
remembered that the bill was passed
under the Coolidge administration.
He switched his argument from the
women and children to a eulogy of
the wisdom of the scab-herding,
strike-breaking midget politician
who now sits in the White House
at Washington. In the city of Bos-
ton, the identical city in which Cool
idge first gained notoriety as strike
breaker and enemy of the working
class, this alleged representative of
labor, fawning before the republi-
cans on the legislative committee, in
dulged in crude, disgustingly sycho-
phantic exhibition of grovelling by
asserting that since the law was
signed by Coolidge it must have been
good law. "He (Coolidge) never
made many unwiSe moves, otherwise
he would not be where he is"
Praise of Coolidge failed to inn
press the committee, So. the legisla-
tive agent began to sS-8inn. adjusted
the big Elk's tooth dangling from
large chain on green vest, and
emitted this grammatical gem: MAT
ural conditions Tin the South, pre-
sumably) doesn't allow the efficiency
as exists in the North" 1t reminded
one of HinEy Drinks famous saying,
'Them as has sinners, wears 'em!"
Argues Both Ways.
In trying to meet the attacks of
the corporation lawyers and appear
eminently respectable before the COM
mittee, Mr.. Hodgson endeavored to
reply to the charge that organized
labor would force the mills to leave
the state with the assertion that:
at would be useless for me to an
swer that if the industries isn't here
there won't be any work"
Then in the next sentence he
claimed that even tho the industries
did leave it would be better than
sacrificing the women and children
and that other industries would take
their places. The legislative agent
of the decrepit State Federation of
Labor was not able to perceive his
own contradiction after one Of the
flunkeys of the sshoe workers had
openly laughed at lhis blunder. To
mind capable of eternally crawling
before the employers in the alleged
interest of labor nothing could pos
sibly strike him as inconsistent. In
stead of devoting their time to
strengthening the political power of
the working class. these agents Of
the Gompers machine take part Of
the dues paid by the members of
organized labor in order to persuade
the capitalist class that Hhe labor
movement is respectable and the de-
fender Of civilization.
In conclusion Mr.. Hodgson declared
that labor needs no defense as it has
proved to be beneficial to both en-
ployer land employee in the past and
that it would continue to so function.
The only worthwhile point brought
out during the whole proceedings
was the fact that the talk of Southern
competition is baseless, because the
same capitalists that control textile
mills in the North also control most
of the mills of the South, therefore
they are only competing with them
selves.
1t is unlikely that the 4S-hour law
will be repealed, as the peanut poll
ticians are afraid Of the voters and
from the presentation Of the mill
owners II is doubtful If they are
making a serious effort to defeat It.
The efforts of the representatives
Of the labor unions trying TO prove
to the committee how respectable
they are could be utilized to better
advantage by exposing the class
character Of the government in order
to develop Independent political ac-
ton on the part Of the organized
workers Of the state.