The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-08-13
statement by the Red international
AfflIlation Committed


fact that ruinous split has begun.
The faction Of the g. E. B. which was
suspended by the Doyle-Fisher admin
istration and elected from headquar-
tiers by rank and file committee has
not only set up rival headquarters,
but actually has gone into the capital
list courts and asked for an injunction
to give it possession Of the organiza-
ton and control OF its property and
funds.
Defeat These Injunetionitesl
Whatever the constitutional tech
nicalities these iniunctionites may
have had to justify their previous po-
sition, this ignoring of the rank and
file, this scorning of the fact that bal
lots were being issued for special
convention to lot the rank and file de-
eide, this turning to the courts of the
capitalist class for help instead of ap-
pealing to the l. w. w. membership,
all this places these injunctionites be-
| yond the sympathy of every class con-
| scious worker in the /. w. W. or but
side it.
In this crisis the members of the
l. w. w. who are Communists and adj
herents of the Red International of
Labor Unions are gravely concerned
for the unity of the l. w. w. OBJ
viously, if the rank and file does not
act, and act quickly, the split will
deepen down thru the industrial
unions, divide the branches and tear
the l. w. w. to pieces from top to
bottom. We urge that the rank and
file everywhere demand special con-
vention, and that every shred of red
tape be brushed aside and delegates
representative of the entire member
ship be called into convention at once
to give the l. w. w. a set of officers
that cannot be the subject Of dispute.
Only in this way can the l. w. w. be
saved from complete wreck and ruin.
But let no one think that the funda-
mental confusion of ideas, of which
this controversy is but the climax, can
be settled simply by the removal of
some individuals from officel This is
a dangerous delusion. Unless the full
membership can at once express them
selves in a special convention, at
which the theological questions can
also be solved, the cleavage which has
already begun to divide the industrial
unions will tear them in two. Already
the press is perishing for lack of
finances withheld by puzzled or fac
tional sources in the branches. The
Communists and Red Internationalists
are fatty opposed to this wrecking OF
the /. w. w. and call upon the rank
and file to act quickly and insistently.
Merely One Symptom of Confusion.
This controversy, ruinous as it is, is
only one sign of many showing the
confusion of ideas so prevalent thru
out the l. w. w. Of recent years. IL
we do not recognize this fact, we will
be helpless to solve the present prob
lem of preventing a split, and utterly
unable to avoid similar dangers in the
future. 1t is time for a thoro exam
nation of our prejudices and policies
if the life and health of the !. w. w.
is to be the first consideration.
Under the plausible guise of defend
ing ourselves from persecution, a phil
osophy of Tolstoian non-resistance, of
pacifism and despicable liberalism, all
preaching worship of ancient bour-
geois distractions like democracy
and free speech" has been spread
like poison thru the l. w. w. propa-
ganda. The injunctionites have now
appealed for help to this capitalist
democracy" and the previous |. w.
w. propaganda of legalism will now
aid these splitters. But the present
administration is not without fault.
Doyle has continued this vicious paci-
fist propaganda, spreading these bour-
geois ideas to workers who come to
the /. w. w. seeking instruction and
leadership in waging class war against
the bosses. These ideas have weak
ened the fighting spirit of our mem
bership, who, as workers, If they mean
to be free, or even to defend them
selves against extreme oppression, are
compelled to wage class war on the
bourgeoisie, overthrow and suppress it
in both government and industry, and
establish the complete supremacy
the dictatorship-of the workers, the
Iproletariat.
This is the viewpoint of the revolu-
tionary unionists all over the world
who are affiliated with the Red Inter
national Of Labor Unions. 1t is be-
cause that they realize that, in order
to attain such goal, the proletariat
must be united both nationally and in
ternationally, they oppose every split
in the ranks of any genuine union
For the same reason they oppose the
traditional policy Of the /. w. W.
which has, incidentally, been proven
a failure for itself, Of splitting other
unions in order to organize, or try to
organize, itself. For exactly the same
reason Communists and Red Interna'
tionalists sharply oppose any effort "a