The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-08-19

ress, but It travels mighty quick the
other way. The elimination of that
body's orgy of treachery to the work
ing class had its eliminating point
last Sunday when the LaFollette-
Small ticket was endorsed against the
protests of the Communists, the only
faction to stand for the principle Of
working class political action. The
Socialists as usual were first in trea-
son to the interests of the workers.
The progressivism of the Chicago
Federation of Labor has been washed
away. 1t did not take long to do the
washing. Fitzpatrick and Nockels
had to choose between the Gompers
wrath and the coy snugness Of po-
sition basking in the sunlight of CAPT
talist appreciation and the security Of
fat salaries, more than necessary to
renew the portion of the pants most
worn by labor leaders.
NURING the discussion at Sundays
alleged radical, Anton Johannsen,
took occasion to reflect on the sinceri-
ty of the Communists who supported
the Foster-Gitlow ticket on the ground
that they were employed by the Work
ers Party and therefore paid to sup
port the ticket. Communists, said Jo-
hansen, never turned down chance
to take a trip to Moscow, and added
that if Russia is so very good and
America so very rotten why don't they
stay in Moscow? If Johannsen had any
originality he would invent something
newer than that in the form of a re-
tort uncourteous. That is what the
capitalists say to the worker who de-
mands a higher wage: "If you don't
like this job, why the door is open"
This Babbitry passes vogue with the
average "dumbell," but it should be
beneath Mr.. Johannsen. However,
when an anarchist hits the toboggan
he travels faster in a downward
course than reformed rouge who
gets religion and goes in the general
direction of Christ.
MR.. JOHANNSEN is an unphilo-
lVI sophical anarchist. He poses as
a skeptic and sneers at the passing
show. But perhaps there is method
in his madness. A man who is able
to command a salary of 500 a week
from the Automobile Manufacturers
Association, for organizing sales, ac-
cording to Mr.. Johannsen, does not
find his radicalism so much of a IL
ability. And Mr.. Johannsen. would
resent the suggestion that he will
vote for Coolidge and Dawes, or
Davis and Bryan or LaFoIlette and
Wheeler or whatever capitalist COM
bination his paymasters are behind,
merely because he is working for the
Automobile plutes. During the July
Srd conference, in the midst of the
confusion caused by Fitzpatrick's de-
sertion of his position on independent
workingclass political action, Johann
sen sagely whispered into the writer's
ear: "This fight is made for nothing
else except to save the jobs of two
men," The two men were Fitzpatrick
and Nockels.
MEN like Johannsen may feel that
lVI the workingclass are unap-
preciative of their sacrifices. There
fore they desert the class struggle
and go over to the enemy, not openly
as labor leaders used to do once upon
time, but in the newer and more
respectable fashion. At one time,
not so very long ago, it was con.
sidered a crime for labor leader to
go over to the master class. But it
is no longer crime. The labor fax
ers have built themselves a philo-
sophy in which they clothe their
treason. 1t is the mantle of respect.
ability, and it is known as class col,
laboration. From Gompers down to
the socialist party there is a united
front open or unanavowed. And it is
not surprising to find a frothy wind
bag of an ex-anarchist joining the
anvil chorus.