The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-09-22
RAILWAY UNION CONVENTIONS AN
ORGY OF REACTION; PROGRESSIVES
BATTLE BRAVELY AGAINST ODDS

before hand that amalgamation and
the progressive program of the rail
road amalgamation movement would
come before these conventions, and
they were all we'll prepared with stock
arguments to confuse the minds of
the delegates. Perhaps never before
was the stage so well set and the re-
dictionary machine, both inside and
outside of the Garments and Boiler
makers unions, so we'll oiled and or.
ganized.
Going to Rounds
While the boilermakers and car
mems conventions we're in session in
this city, the convention of the Bro
therhood of Maintenance of Waymen
is meeting in Detroit. Similar bull
doing tactics are being used in all
conventions. Most of the speakers,
delivering the same speeches, are
making the rounds from one conven-
ton to the other in a concerted at
tempt to use the big stick and brow.
beat the delegates into line with
their reactionary policies.
ProgressiVes Were Organized
After three and one-half days of red
batting of the progressive delegates
the conventions finally took up the
various propositions before them. Be-
lieving that they had the progressives
rushed by that time, one of the first
measures taken up after disposing Of
he officers reports were the. amend
nents dealing with amalgamation.
However, they found the progress
We element we'll organized and in the
,armen's convention the proposition
was debated from $3.50 a. m. until adj
journment at Friday session. Delegate
after delegate pointed to the Shop
mems strike of 1929 showing the
necessity for amalgamation, and stat
ing that their membership was over
whelming in favor of bring all unions
under one head. Others stated that as
soon as amalgamation would be brot
about that tens of thousands of work
ers now on the outside could be brot
back into the various unions. raft
unionism was dead issue was the
the keynote of all progressives.,
Progressive Rally 100 Votes,
At the close of the debate the Off
cialdom one after another took the
! floor pouring a stream of lies and
falsifications about amalgamatien and
the progressive railroad workers that
were supporting it. They Numbered
that amalgamation and Communism
were synonymous and if adopted by
the convention 1t would destroy trade
unionism on the railroads, For an
hour they again plunged into a. red
batting campaign attempting to, fright
en- the delegates into voting against
amalgamation or any other progress
i've measures. ..s,.u
After refusing to permit7a roll call
vote which had been voted upon and
carried the day previous, the question
was put and altho no count was made,
the progressives claim over a, hundred
votes in favor. ~ .gt.s7ee
The same tactics were used by the
machine in the boilermakers conven-
ton where the reactionaries succeed
ed also in defeating the measure.
The progressive delegates were not
disheartened by their defeat under
such circumstances. After the con-
ventions had adjourned they stated
that the rank and file of the unions
were for amalgamation and the fight
had pust begun. They we're determ-
ined to carry on the struggle in the
future among all trades and come to
future conventions in larger numbers
and better organized.