The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-03-18

source OF supply for these dele
progressive wave in that dis
trict put the machine into diff
cult straits when preparing for
the 1924 convention.
1t was unable to carry the
vote of the District Five dele
cation strongly for the ma
chine as has been the rule in
the past.
An unofficial count of the
roll-call vote on the removal Of
the appointive power of the
international President shows
1877 votes for the machine and
2l8 against it. In the 1922
convention the District Five
delegation voted on the Howat case.
231 with the machine and lax
against; in the 1921 Convention on
the Howat case, 264 with and 100
against.
Thus machine majority of f3A
votes in 1921, and of 96 in 1922 was
turned by 1924 into a progressive
majority of FL, change in sentiment
Of 100 votes from 1921 and lit votes
from 1922.
Machine Violates Constitution.
When the sources Of these 1877 ma.
chine votes are examined, it is seen
that to run up this total the machine
!ndisputably violated the Constitution
IN some cases; almost certainly vio-
lated It In others; and perverted it
IN others; in order to defeat the
wishes of the rank and file.
The whole system of payroll rem
resentation is contrary to the inter
ests of the membership. To speak Of
one of the payroll representing" a
certain local union is to Joke: the
payroll represents neither the locals
from which they have credentials, nor
the interests of the membership as a
whole, but solely the Lewis machine.
Out of the 1877 machine votes, 100
were cast by elected or appointed
employees or well-known henchmen of
the machine and out of the 100 votes.
% were illegal or questionable. Most
or all of these votes would not have
been cast at all had the constitution
been complied with and had the sys-
tenn of payroll Misrepresentation not
been In vogue; or at least the machine
would have had a considerable
amount of trouble to secure the votes.
The other 46 payroll votes and the
SO machine votes by rank and file
delegates by no means indicate that
the sentiment of the members for
whom these votes were cast, was in
accordance with. the machine on the
appointive power issue.
Preponderance of Pay-RolIers.
When a member of the payroll by
hook or crook gets a credential from
a local, there is one or more votes
cinehed for the machine on anything
or everything. A rank and file dele
gate even tho friendly with the ma
chine is more or less subject to being
influenced by fear of the membership
of his local union. The payroll dele
gate is little bothered by what one or
two locals think.
When the delegates get to the con-
vention they find that for every two
or three rank and file delegates there
is a pay-roller. The District five
delegation included 169 delegates of
which 80 were appointed or elected
officials, ITO were well-known bench
men Of the machine, and 129 were
from the rank and file. There was
thus a quite sufficient force of pay
rollers to keep in touch with all the
rank and file delegates and to keep
under control all delegates subject
to any of the many forms of influence
the machine knows how to exert.
The methods used by the District
Five delegation to roll up the votes
are typical of what the Lewis machine
does turnout the union whenever the
occasion demands and wherever the
opportunity affords. Not only is the
District Five Administration respon-
sible but the International Admin
stration is more responsible for allow
ing and encouraging the manufacture
of votes in a subordinate division and
for profiting from the results.
In some districts, for example in
Illinois the manufacture of votes does
not go on as it does in District Five
and other sections. But it is of vital
interest to the Illinois miners that
District Five and other such sections
be cleaned up because otherwise the
Lewis machine will be able indefinite
ly to manufacture and control enough
votes to overcome a very strong OPP
position from Illinois and other states.
Illegal Votes--Delinquent Locals.
Article XII, Section of the Inter-
national Constitution states, ANY
Local union becoming delinquent
.sust comply with Section 10 of Ar
ticle ID and be in good standing for
four months previous to the month