The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-02-25


meet and stop the terrible havoc
which the fierce and ruthless on
slaught of the German shipping lords
is playing with German seamen and
their organizations everywhere, from
Konigsberg to Hamburg, and Bre-
men. 4
1.-THE united front of all German
seamen," and "back into the conser-
vative unions to influence and control
them for revolutionary purposes"
such was the burden of the discus
sion of the principal speakers.
An I. w. w. Against Solidarity
OF course, things did not always go
smoothly. There we're some who
spoke against the solidarity of the
workers and amongst them a men,
Der of the l. w. w. conspicuous by
the big wobbly button on his coat.
But the number of dissenters was
negligent. There was also quite a
bit of mud singing, and, of course,
nothing definite, except a thorough
threshing out of the subject and a
general airing Of views, was accom-
plished.
However, nothing else can be ex-
pected from meeting of this nature
where the serious and business-like
atmosphere of a conference with its
delegated power is lacking. But the
thing to bear in mind here is that
the sentiment was one decidedly In
favor of the united front of all the
German marine transport workers
organizations.
This sentiment came to the fore
strongly every time an opponent of
the new idea had the word. Such a
one was continuously and most vio-
lently interrupted from all sides and
in the face of the most pressing en-
| treaties from the chair ian official of
the conservative Transportarbeiter)
to preserve order and to give the
speaker a chance to continue.
Otto Reiaer-A Barnaele on the
/ |. W. w.
And now comes Otto Rieger sup
posed to be the representative of the
l. w. w. amongst the Hamburg sea-
men. But is he? He may be official
ly, but I'll be damned if l can see
where he really is. For what we say
of one who, claiming to be a member
of the !. w. W., nay its sole and only
representative In the port of Ham
burg, gets up at a meeting of Ger
man seamen, like he did at this meet
ing, to announce, apparently inno-
Gently and fully convinced, that the
/. W. W. is not a centralized organ
ization, to prove which he tells these
workers what Bill Haywood has to
say about II! A scream, isn't it?
Who is this fellow and why does
the l. w. w. depend on such people to
represent it? For that this Rieger
has not even the inkling of concep-
ton of what the l. w. w. is, is clear
from the statement which l have
quoted him as saying at this meeting.
But that it not all.
How Long VIII the NJ. T. w. Permit
Thls7
There are sinister and unwhole-
some reports floating around this
port about Rieger. Stories of trust
betrayed and of heavy working class
funds that were misused, to say the
least. That the man is hated as any
scab in this town and that he has
given the l. w. w. a bad name
: amongst seamen here, of that there
cannot be the least doubt.
Last night / met him for the first
time and all doubt that might have
existed in my mind previously as to
; his unpopularity and the bad repute
in which he stands amongst Hamburg
seamen was dispelled then and there
when l listened to the remarks and
the accusations that workers from
: everywhere in that hall were hurting
at his head while he was talking
, And 1t didn't stop here. The I. w. w
itself was dragged into 1t, more than
one seaman at this meeting getting VI
: to say that according to his opinion
the |. w. W'syare scabs who refuse
solidarity with other organizations
} and with other members OF the work
ing class. a
Questions that Need an Answer.
Who is this Rieger, what has he
pulled of to make the /. w. w. sc
unpopular here, not to say more, and
: why does the |. w. w. keep him here
These are questions that should like
. to have answered. Does the |. w. w
keep this fellow in fat job perhaps
; because II thinks more of an insight
, flcant and dead local than Of its revo
lutionary principles?
And before l forget, what is the I
} w. w. going to do for the united
front movement? VIII II continue tC
stick to its old traditional policy q
policy followed all these many years
: without any success) OF trying e
! build up an international one bis
union outside OF and without reckon
! ing with the existing organizations?
Wake Upland Act.
America wake uni Your fails are