The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-11-15

of the industry The railroad union
officials gave up the national agree
ment without struggle, and, retreat
forced by an outraged rank and file
to call strike which, first sabotaged
by the leaders, finally crumbled under
the infamous Daugherty injunction.
On a smaller scale the same expert
ence was gone thru in other indus
tries.
This organized betrayal by the
leaders aided the attack of the capital
lists materially The destruction of
labor organizations and the wage
sIashes that followed, resulted in
Decentralization of the entire labor
movement from which it is suffering to-
day. The unions are weaker now in
every way than they were in 1920. But
the employers have been strength
ening themselves, and preparing for
new open shop" attack upon labor.
side-Tracl<inu the Protest
Millions of workers were growing
restless and disconnected with the
course of affairs. One manifestation
Of this was the growing weight and
volume of the demand for a farmer
labor party. In this the Communists
and the Trade Union Educational
League were playing a leading part.
Gompers and his official family saw
a great danger to their domination in
this movement. This was undoubtedly
one of the major reasons that brought
Gompers finally and unwillingly to the
support of the LaFollette movement
in the presidential campaign, risking
a split in his official machine. This
action was forced, on the one hand by
the pressure of the rank and file de-
manding a new policy, and on the
other by the cynical reputation of all
pretence of consideration for labor
by the two major parties of capitalism.
Gompers, the C.PP.A., and their
allies, were able to divert the threat
ening 'farmer-labor party movement
into the LaFollette stream. Now,
after the election. the LaFollette mo-
vement stands without its expected
victories-but this does not mean the
defeat of LaFollettism which, on the
political field, corresponds with the
latest fads of class collaboration ma.
chinery in industry. Millions of work.
ers voted for LaFollette-more than
were counted-in spite of the fact that
LaFollette forgot" to give even lip
service to the cause of labor in his
campaign. LaFollette is accepted by
large numbers of the confused work.
ers as their spokesman.
Great masses o. workers are
still, however, under the domination
of the old capitalist parties, as shown
by the big vote of Coolidge and
Dawes. The working class is still at
a very low political level Large mum.
bers of working class votes were ga
thered for the strikebreaking puppet
lof Wall Street, Coolidge, and the ex-
ponent of the open shop" and Fa-
scism, Dawes, thru the crude terror
ization symbolized in the slogan of
Coolidge or Chaos, with the threat
of closed factories and unemployment
should the candidates Of America i'm.
perialism not be elected.
A Struggle for Spells.
But LaFollettism defeated is more
dangerous to the labor movement than
LaFollettism victorious at the polls.
The latter event would have disillu.
stoned masses Of workers and prepar.
ed them for the inevitable step to
class action. In defeat the middle
class politicians will be more radical
with their phrases and in condemna.
ton of big capital, thus confirming
their hold upon the confused workers.
At the same time the sense of defeat.
where victory was expected by many,
will cause reaction away from all