The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-07-09
Bare Faced steal.

6dFe raced o1eAis
With tremendous outspoken decis-
ion of the rank and file the last cleo
tion showed that the membership in
all of the large industrial centers was
Overwhelmingly against the Johnston
administration. In the city OF New
York, to give an example, the vote
was approximately 1890 for the An
derson slate and "a for Johnston. In
Chicago, the biggest and strongest
district in the International the vote
was 300 to about 500 for Johnston.
The Canadian locals gave the Andsr-
son slate majority over Johnston OF
over 1900
Other important centers like Seat
tie. Pittsburgh, etc, gave an over
whelming vote to the opposition. In
spite of these facts the administration
is announcing the election Of William
H. Johnston by a majority OF 9s4 votes
over his opponent, J. F. Anderson.
How Il Happened.
The members Of the organization
are asking how did it happen? The
answer is that the administration
counted itself into power and stole
the election. In the last convention,
held in Detroit, a new paragraph was
added to the constitution whereby the
counting of the ballots was supposed
to have been taken away from the
general ecretary-treasurer
This proposition caused one Of the
most bitter struggles in the conven-
ton but in spite Of the administra-
ton forces It was finally carried. At
ter the convention the administration
forces Immediately started to make
their own Interpretation of that
clause.
One mistake seems to have been
made by the progressive elements who
proposed the clause. They forgot to
mention that this new law naturally
supersedes the old one, and as a re-
suit Johnston and his clever lawyers
in Washington made their interpre.
tation to mean that the old law still
stands.
Two contradicting Laws.
Sc we find two laws in the consti-
tuition, Section IA, stating that the
general secretary-treasure shall
count and supervise the ballots in the
election and paragraph is stating that
the candidates or the tellers of the
two respective candidates shall super
wise the counting of ballots. We find
therefore that nothing was accomplish
ed by having this bitter struggle in
the convention.
After all, the powers that be do as
they please in spite of the understand
ing of every delegate in the conven-
ton who understand that Dawson
would no longer count ballots. In this
election Dawson counted all of the
ballots first and then after he had
done so gave them over to the regu-
larly appointed tellers. In other
words, he knew the results before the
tellers knew anything about it.
Sabotauing Election.
A number of other crooked maneu-
FSiS were mdu6. TOT example, we
find that locals have sent in their
ballots and forgot to send in the tally
sheets. In the past these sheets were
taken. care of in Washington by the
officials. There are other examples
where we may have the suspicion that
some of the secretaries have been
tools of the Johnston administration
and deliberately sabotaged sending in
the tally sheets.
Local 50, in Detroit, had a majority
for the Anderson slate, but it was
never counted. According to inform
alton that the writer has, the secre.
tary of Local So is a Johnston man
and he claims to have sent in the
tally sheets. The question to ask is
Where are those tally sheets?"
1000 illegal Ballots.
II this tactic has been followed in