The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-01-03

unions. The place of our trade unions
in history has been fixed and verified
by the experience and collective wis.
dom of the advanced section Of the
working class. But this does not in
the least mean that the present con
gress is not faced with a large num-
Der of extremely important questions
Of principle. l shall take the liberty
of touching upon some of them.
1 think that the most important of
these questions is primarily the ques-
ton of international unity in the
trade union movement. This ques-
ton is most intimately inter-linked
with the present International stu
alton, and vitality affects the working
class of our country. We have all
of us become convinced, during the
last few years, that international
matters cannot be considered as lux
uries, third courses, as questions that
ought to interest only the heads. Not
a bit. Every rank and file worker
sees that the international labor
that where the events taking place
in one country most vitality affect the
interests and struggle of the workers
of the other countries. That is why
to us the international unity of the
trade union movement is not desert
or question within the Jurisdiction
only Of the leading heads. No! This
is one of the fundamental questions
most closely related to the everyday
problems of the workers life and to
the basic questions of the trade I'M
ion struggle.
What we are going thru now is the
beginning of a new phase Of world
bourgeois reaction. Only very recent
~ the fifth congress of the Comm
tern produced an exact Photographic
picture Of the period that has been
dubbed as the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
era" Macdonald was in power in
England, Herriot in France; Wander
velde was expected to assume power
in Belgium, and Davidovitch in Jugo-
Siavia. Similar changes appeared to
be imminent in a number of other
countries. The Comintern was right
when it stated that that was the be-
ginning Of certain democratic paci-
fist wave. However, the fifth congress
did not stop there, but prophecied
that this EZRA" is nothing but a his
toric masquerade of the bourgeoisie
that stakes its money one day on
the social democrats and the next
day on the fascists, with equal sue
cess. Some of us were tripped up
by this ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS era" TAX
ing it for something genuine and i'm
agining that we would have to change
the tactic Of the international labor
movement. Now the facts have de-
cidedly overthrow their point of
view.
What has taken place during the
last few days is the beginning OF a
new wave, this time not of pacifsm,
not Of democracy, but Of the black
est bourgeois reaction. II only sew
eral months ago the bourgeoisie was
playing pink, 1t has now again chang
ed to black. The victory of the black
hundred republican party in America
headed by Coolidge. the victory of the
black hundred conservative tories in
England, headed by Baldwin, repre-
sent the beginning of a new chapter
of the blacklist world reaction. There
is not the least doubt that we viii
see similar things taking place in
|other countries as well in the nearest
future. One need not be a prophet
to foresee that Herriot's star in
France is already setting and things
will happen this way: either he him
self will turn black (laughter) which
is quite possible, or some black lit
tie fellow will be moved to his place.
The first is more probable.
We see similar processes in the
small states. There are a number Of
countries representing the vassals OF
the big capitalist powers. They want