The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-06-09
ROUSE HAS ROUGH
RACE IN BIGGEST
PRINTERS union
5000 Votes for the Left
Wing Program
BY JOSEPH MANLEY.
Especial to The Daily Worker)

The dictatorship of Leon the First
is crumbling. This is the outstand-
ing and significant fact resulting from
the recent election of Typographical
Union N. 6, of New York.
Leon Rouse, the president Of Big
Six, had, for the past ten years, ruled
without serious rivalry the affairs Of
this big and important organization.
1t is particularly significant that an
opponent who with only few short
weeks Of preparatory campaign rolled
up almost 5000 votes as against the
approximate 5000 votes of Rouse.
Darcy Milliken, the candidate for
president against Rouse represents
the anti-thesis of the policies that
Rouse, for the past ten years, has
been fastening upon Big Six Rouse
with his high-handed and dictatorial
methods has almost completely abol-
ished every last vestige of democrat
ic form in Local Union No. 6. Rouse
himself has appointed all committees
of the union, including the executive
committee. Consequently, this ma
chine built by Rouse is fighting saw
agely to prevent it's destruction.
Rouse Sacrifices Rank and File.
Rouse's attitude towards the en-
ployers has been one of collaboration
and the avoidance, at the expense Of
the rank and file, of all militant con-
flicts between the workers and the
employers. This high-salaried execu-
tive fights only for his own personal
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. He never fights for
the demands of the rank and file.
doc" Milliken on the contrary rep
resents the rank and file revolt
against Rouse. Milliken is a printer
of many long years standing, fore
most in the progressive movement,
and recognized widely as a leading
left winger in the printing industry.
He works daily at his trade and in
his spare time edits the Industrialist
advocate of amalgamation in the
printing trades industry, and Eastern
organ of the left wing in the print
ing trades. The Trade Union Educa-
tional League printing trades group
has taken leading part in the cam
paign.
Milliken's platform, which was dis
tributed thruout the entire New York
printing industry, while not a full left
wing platform embodies many pro-
gressive policies, which 81 carried out
by Big Six, would make 4 a lighting
trade union.
The attempt to displace Rouse, was
not merely the effort of one or two
individuals, but was the beginning of
real rank and file movement, led by
the class conscious elements, to de-
velop militant policies in the printing
trade unions of New York.
MlIIlken Carries Big Shops.
An analysis of the votes cast for
Rouse and Milliken is significant, Mil
liken carried almost solid the votes
of the printers in the big book and
job offices of New York. For instance,
the printers in the Federal Printing
Shop, the biggest book and periodical
shop in the United States, voted for
Milliken, as did those Of McGraw-Hill
and others. Milliken carried almost
all the newspaper Offices. He, for in
stance, carried the American by SO
votes, which two years ago was car
ried by Rouse. On the other hand,
the shops, which gave Rouse the ma
jority were the small-one, two and
three men shops.
This election struggle has laid the
foundation for crystalized left wing
movement in the printing trades of
New York. The lesson of this strug-
gle is that the rank and file are in
open revolt against the class collabor-
alton Of Rouse. They are demanding
and will not rest, short Of militant
leadership, and policy of struggle
against the employers rather than
Rouse's policy Of collaboration.