The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-04-23
Workers Education


The Workers Education Bureau, an adjunct of
the American Federation of Labor baptized at the
Portland convention as a legitimate child of Amer
lean trade unionism, meeting in convention in
Philadelphia, has remained true to its sponsors by
barring Communist schools from affliatiOn
The Workers Education Bureau, beginning as
labor colleges endorsed by city central labor coun-
ellis brought into being by the activity of left
wingers. 1t was not long before offcialdom of the
American Federation of Labor sensed a danger to
its control in these institutions which, for the most
part dominated by Marxists
The American Federation of Labor has, since the
day Of its organization, frowned upon anything
in the nature of what it calls abstract education"
In this phrase is included whatever relates to the
class struggle and it is because any that is
worthy of the name of education must deal with
some phase of the class struggle, that the official
trade union movement made provision of any
kind for systematic education of it's membership.
1t is fact too well known to need extended
proof that whatever knowledge of the underlying
principles of the capitalist SYSTEM the class strug
gle, the revolutionary role of the working class,
has been obtained by members of the trade unions
has come from other organizations working class
political parties and the syndicalist unions.
But new times bring new methods and since the
world war there has been great skepticism mani
Testing itself in the labor movement, questioning
that would not be stilled.
Following the jesuit principle of "what we can
not destroy must control" the labor official
dom, reluctantly and with many misgivings gave
the Workers Education Bureau it's Enforcement. 1t
is supposed to be modelled after the Workers Edu-
cational Association of Great Britain and it must
be said, has in it's leading organs many types
amin oft ha into n,bo in
great Britain send the youth scurrying down the
path of knowledge in quest of pure truth. Any
thing savoring of revolutionary working class edu
cation is taboo.
The educational activities of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor are safely under control now
They train workers. not for combat but for negotia
ton. The ideal of the educators" is that of the
liberal middleclass economists who spend their
lives gathering data but never daring to arrive at
a conclusion.
The Workers Education Bureau operates
within the confines of capitalism and woe to the
unfortunate student who mentions Marx. Marx
and Engels are not respectable, they cause doubts
to the stability of capitalism to arise and natur
ally enough their works cannot become textbooks in
courses that touch only the fringe of capitalist
society.
In short, the Workers Education Bureau is
the physical courage of the twO-isted roughnecks
who fought their way up from the rank and file.
The emphasis in the Workers Education Bureau
is responsibility. The future trade union takers
must be gentlemen.
1t to be expected that an institution estab-
lished to counterfeit Communist activity and edu-
cation would not admit representatives of a Com
munist school. The last ones to expect this we're
those Communists who attended the convention
in Philadelphia But here as elsewhere the work
ers have had an opportunity to see the difference
between the Communist theory of education, edu-
cation for struggle against capitalism, and that
of the capitalist tools in the labor movement who
are simply fitting and women to fool the work
with little more efficiency
That Communist education is a factor in the
lives of the American workers is shown by the
trouble and expense to which the offcialdom of
the trade unions have gone to counterfeit it.
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