The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-12-03

that party, as the political expression
of finance capital, led the country into
the European war to defend the in
terests of the House of Morgan, Com
pers followed it. Truly the leading
labor lieutenant of the capitalist class
he made the slogans of the war-mak-
ing machine the slogan of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor.
Now that Gompers is gone and the
democratic party is declining the Of
fetal family of the American. Fedora
ton of Labor strives to line up the
labor movement behind the Harding
Hughes-Coolidge government. When
ever the interests of capitalism change
the policy of the official machine of
the labor movement in this country
also changes. The so-called heads of
the labor movement never lead, never
have an Independent existence. They
always follow in the wake of the in
terests of the capitalist class.
The same is true of the state fede-
rations of labor. In New York the
official machine is an adjunct of Tam
many Hail. In Illinois of the Len
Small machine. In New Jersey of the
Hague machine. Similar conditions
exist in all other states.
1t is because of this intimate al
lance with the capitalist political ma
chimes that the State Federation of
Labor officials and their supporters
are ever watchful against any attempt
to induce the workers in the trade
unions to abandon the suicidal policy
of political non-partisanship.
From the official American Fedora
ton of Labor fountain head Of cor
ruption all the little mercenary tricks
ters in the labor movement draw their
inspiration and learn to repeat the
whole malevolent credo of the vindic-
tive reactonaries.
With the most astonishing billings
gate, blackguardism and coarse So
phistery these creatures state that
the American Federation of Labor is
the only agency that stands between
democracy and the dictatorship of
revolution" They conceal their
treachery by paying lip-servicce to
the labor movement while doing
everything in their power to stultify
1t. They want the movement to exist
only in order that they may have
some excuse to curry favor with the
capitalist class. But they resent any
efforts to make it effective against the
capitalist class.
Agitation for independent political
action on the part of the working
class meets with the contemplate
charge that labor party will usurp
the functions of the A. F. of L. If
there is any truth in such a charge
IL proves conclusively that the A. f.
OF l.. officials recognize the fact that
It is a political machine serving the
capitalist class, otherwise a labor par
ty could not possibly injure it.
It's Functions.
WHEN we examine the function Of
W the American Federation of La
Dor and the various state and city
declarations directly chartered by it
We discover the fact that they can
not call strikes in any industry what
soever. The only strikes the A. F.
OF l.. can possibly call are those small
federal unions. such as bookkeepers,
bank clerks and federal labor unions
in small towns where no regularly
constituted craft unions exist.
The A. f.. of L. has neither the
power to call nor prevent strikes OF
any International union. II its execu-
tive council should desire strike OF
one or all the unions affiliated with 1t,
It would meet with no response for
the simple reason that each interna.
tional union enjoys compiled auto
Auff ~