The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-02-17
CLINTON LABOR
LEADERS DESTROY
WORKERS FAITH
Hear Bolsheviks Who
Speak Wednesday
(Continued from PAGE y


of the workers and at last labor won
control only to have their hopes
crushed to earth. Not one Of those
elected knew anything at all about
administering the affairs of a city;
only the mayor appeared to have even
a semblance of an idea of the duties
Of office.
There was much wrangling and de-
bate over minor matters while import
ant questions, such as franchises,
were summary dealt with and liter
ally given away.
Handing out of appointments, the
division of the spoils of office, result
ed in some who were practically IL
literate being placed in responsible
positions. At least one was placed in
lunatic asylum soon after appoint
ment.
At the following election the labor
candidates were showed under with
the exception of the mayor. His at
tempt to run for third term found
even his friends opposed to him hav-
ing the job permanently.
Clinton's first experiment with a
union labor city administration ended
in a debauch that made the workers
blush for shame and lose faith in la
Dor candidates.
The only thing credited to the labor
administration is that they paved
more streets, and employed more la
Dor in times of depression, than any
former administration.
Manufacturers Wanted Municipal
Ownership.
The question of municipal owner
ship of the water works has been
twice up before the voters in Clinton.
The last time the manufacturers and
bankers put up a big campaign but
it was defeated to 1.
With control of the city admins
tration the factory owners could get
their water supply at nominal, cost
and shift the burden of maintenance
onto the city, thereby spreading their
large volume of consumption over the
entire population. Under private own
ership of the water plant they have
to pay for what is delivered. The
voters seemed to understand this and
voted accordingly.
Building Crafts Have Lost Heavily.
During the past two years there has
been almost steady decline in mem
bership of the building crafts in Gin
ton. 1t is estimated that they have
lost forty per cent and there are no
indications of revival, rather the re-
verse.
There is no semblance of COOP
Grafton between the building crafts
and as far as modern building con-
struction is concerned, they still act
like the guilds Of old, every craft do
ing its job and attending to it's own
little affairs as tho the contractor, the
profit system, social labor and the
class struggle did not exist.
There is also a Boot and Shoe
Workers Union which is bought by
the factory owner, on the 100 per cent
plan, from the international union.
The badge of their serfdom, known by
the euphenomius title of the union
LABEL is sold along with the workers
Just as the serf went along with the
land when sold under feudalism.
These boot and shoe workers have
conditions just little less irksome
than the non-union factory This is
done to pad their collar of serfdom
and fool them into the belief that they
are the chosen of the masses.
"5. and o. Plan" For Northwestern
Clinton shop crafts put up a splen.
did fight during the shipments strike
on the railroads. Locally they had
very able leaders who succeeded in
salvaging something from the wreck.
In spite of many sacrifices made by
the few courageous spirits, the de-
sire for overtime has played havoc
with rules and schedules until the
more ignorant Of the masses have be.