The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-06-06
B. &O.' JOHNSTON
AND HIS GANG IN
ELECTION STEAL
c o unit is Announced
by Secretary Dawson
(Continued from ! lie 1l

Vice-President Anderson, who will
be neither vice nor any other kind Of
president unless he beats the John
ston election steal says, "a clever
steal has been worked" but doesn't
say what he is going to do about it.
He states that he actually received
1878 votes to 1870 cast for John
ston; that his watcher had challeng-
ed LAP votes as having been re-
turned too late or on supplementary
tally sheets-charged as illegal-but
that only $50 OF these challenged
votes were thrown out, while of the
1877 ballots challenged by John
ston's watcher, about 1,1O0 were
thrown out.
In addition, Anderson specifically
charges that Dawson, after receiving
tally sheets of early voting in many
lodges, had sent back to those lodges
to get out the remaining vote, which
came in on additional sheets in viola
ton Of union law.
How the Steal Was Worked.
Further revelation of the methods
used in stealing the election is dis
closed in the way Dawson illegally
handled the ballots The law enact
ed at the last convention provided
that Johnston should select one man
to look after his interests and his
opponent should select a representa-
tive to watch for the opposition in
the vote counting and supervise the
election.
Dawson took the position that this
did not repeal the old law, as 1t did
not specifically say 1t repealed any
former law However, the understand
ing was that the old law was repealed
which provided that the secretary
treasurer, Dawson, should count the
votes.
Trusting Souls DeIuded.
Everyone left the convention with
the belief that Dawson would have
to keep his crooked fingers off the
ballots and tally sheets. However,
when thes two supervisors took
charge" of the election, they found
that Dawson had beaten them to it.
DAWSON had opened all tally sheets
and ballots, removed and destroyed
the original wrappers, and re-wrapped
them, after checking them over on
his own blk
Evidently, Dawson had found too
many Anderson votes by about 5000
So the NJ hhiDe started to bring in
blue sky lgcals and to throw out as
many Anderson lodges as possible.
Dawson Pays Solitaire With Ballots.
The Johnston watcher, Of course,
had no kick at this thimble-rigging
scheme, and the Anderson watcher
was somewhat helpless for the fol-
lowing reason: The ballots come from
the postoffice in mail sacks, and all
of these mail sacks have been in
Davison's possession ever since the
first Of May, as he only gave the
counting room one sack of ballots at
time, and when he pleased. So
Dawson could and did play with the
ballots any way he chose.
The last day to mail ballots to
headquarters under the union law was
May 3, but Johnston lodges kept send
Ing in ballots up to May 1S-and Da-
vison counted them. About 1000
came in this way.
Anderson lodges, on the other hand,
were thrown out right and left, es-
pecially the real living unions in the
big industrial centers. At least If
teen heavy voting locals for Ander-
son were thrown out by the Johnston
machine.
Left Wing Big Influence.
The left wing, distinct from the
Anderson centrist group, tho support
ing him in the election to break the
Johnston machine as an outstanding
symbol OF class collaboration, evident
ly has had a tremendous influence in
the election, despite the attempts Of
Johnston to deprecate the left wing
at this time.
During the election Johnston thot
the left wing gathered around the
Trade Union Educational League so
important, that he published and sent
broadcast the statement Of the left
wing that it conditionally supported
Anderson against Johnston. John
ston appealed with this statement for
the machinists to drive out the reds"
but from the way the vote runs, the
reds are not at all unpopular. In
fact, they are balance of power and
seem to Bargaining.
"6. a o. Plan" the Issue.
The left wing made its fight on
Johnston because OF his infamous "B.
& o. plan" OF class collaboration,
which turns the union into a COM
pany union, working only for com
pany benefit. The left wing pointed
out that the Glenwood shops, where
the plan had a tryout, was so shot
to pieces It could not get delegate
to the last convention, and when a vote