The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-01-06
AS WE SEE 1T
CHICAGO FEDERATION OF LABoF
A. Lively pIscusslon-some Dead Ar
nuHsnts. FItzpatrIek's Ghost. Com
munIsts Fight for fundamentals.

NF there were no Communist dele
gates to the Chicago Federation
Of Labor It might strike the Musi-
FANS union in whose hall the sessions
are held to provide an orchestra to
play the "Dead March" during the
proceedings. It would be dead body,
politically speaking. AS 1t is, the
presence of Communist is enough to
cause a feeling of tension behind the
little round table which John Fitzpat-
rick, president, belabors with his
gayel, whenever he desires to add en-
phasis to his arguments, such as they
are.
THERE was quite lot Of excite
| ment at last Sundays meeting Of
the federation. 1t originated, limo.
gently enough when Comrade Arne
Ewabeck. delegate from Painters Lo-
cal No. 1914. rose to protest against
the action Of Thomas F. Kennedy,
delegate from the G. F. of L. to the
VI Paso convention of the A. F. Of L.
IN endorsing the military training
camp system engineered by the Am
erican capitalist class and railroaded
thru the convention under the leader.
ship Of the late Gompers and his safe
iitss. This was in contradiction to
the past policy of the federation
Ewabeck pointed out. The speaker
made q very telling speech, criticizing
the FL Paso convention. its sins OF
commission and omission.
LIE dealt with the menace Of CAPT.
II talist militarism, unemployment,
the organization of the unorganized,
making particular reference to the
complete fizzle made by the so-called
committee for the organization Of the
steel workers. He was followed on
The floor by another delegate, not
Communist, who took exception to the
action Of Delegate Kennedy in com.
Knitting the Chicago Federation Of La
Dor to a militarist program. 1t was
quite evident that Fitzpatrick did not
desire Kennedy's report to be brought
up ON the floor, as it was not read to
the body but deposited in the columns
Of the Federation News, which is not
very widely read, for various reasons.
THEN, a very sign cant incident
l occurred. A delegate from the
Metal Polishers, by the name Of Diehl
new a kite In the form of an unmask-
cd suggestion that the Communists
be expelled from the federation. He
thought the time was overripe but
perhaps there was still time. This
speaker tried to look impressive but
failed notably. He referred to those
who criticized Kennedys report as
~birds," an epithet which may be
partly responsible for the way some
Of the delegates flew" at him later
on.
HELEGATE DIEHL made such a
- novel argument in favor of the
military training camps that it de-
serves to be recorded in history. II
he did not stumble on 1t accidentally,
he should be given credit for more
fertility Of imagination than one
would suspect This is what he said
in substance: II is quite evident that
the critics Of the report did not read
the report. II they had they would
know--if they can know anything
that what the American Federation of
Labor convention actually did was to
take mIIItarism out Of the hands Of
The mIIltsrists. According to this
kind Of logic we could Iabolish the
capitalist system by taking the OK.
ploitation of the masses out Of the
hands OF the capitalists now in con.
troll and turn the business over to the
leaders OF the American Federation of
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