The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-02-21

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duced them to grant permission for
their further gagging.
The power of any ruling faction to
crush out fair discussion and to abol-
ish differences of opinion is also much
increased by vote to give the con-
vention the right to expel any member
whose principles are not those of the
l.. W. W. Let it be remembered that
the last convention, like all before it,
refused to state what are the prin-
ciples of the l. w. w. The result is
situation that is silly, and danger
GUS to unity.
n T the same time that this increase
n in authority over the members
is granted, the membership votes to
decrease the ability of the general
headquarters to organize or educate
by cutting the per capita in half
from fifteen cents per member to
seven and half cents. Plainly if
headquarters is to do anything, if the
|. w. w. means anything to its mem
bers, they ought to give it more than
80 cents year, double and not half
rations.
There is also, by virtue of the vote
on this ballot, an amendment to the
constitution which prohibits any Of
ficer of political party from belong
ing to the l. w. w. Here the anarch-
istic confusion is clearly shown, be-
cause it is also carried in this same
ballot that member of the l. w. w.
can become political officer, /. e.,
sheriff, policeman, a Judge, what
you will. Question No. 75.J
kHEMBERS of the /. w. W! Your
IVI general constitution now says
that if you are prominent in a politi-
cal party of your own class, you shall
be expelled, but if you play dirty cap
italist politics, run on the republican
ticket instead of on the Communist,
and become member of the capital
istic bureaucracy, that is, an actual
wage Garner who is sworn to break
strikes and send union men to JAIL
why, you are all right! Or if, like
Covington Hall and many other ter
rible "revolutionists" of the /. w. W.,
you worked for LaFollette and hoped
for real political appointment, you're
a good wobbly if you get it!
The Red international Afiliation
Committee, and the Communists with
in the ranks of the l. w. W., do not
believe that this ballot represents the
will Of the majority of the members on
this matter, nor on some other mat
tiers mentioned. The smallness Of the
vote, the fact that the bulk of the
vote comes from the "hall-cat" sec
ton (the branches in the cities) and
not from the jobs, where the real.
working members are to be found.
shows it.
THIS, and the long, involved and
1 frequently contradictory nature of
the ballot, but principally the iron CEN
sorship over access to facts or writ
ten discussion by the members, every
thing together combined to defeat the
true function of a referendum, which
is to find out what the members
choose between two or more well
understood policies, and give them a
chance to elect capable and expert
enced officials to carry out these pol
icies.
We are forced again to remind the
members Of the /. W. w. that their
organization seems to be absolutely
paralyzed. There has not been large
strike won by them for over a year.
There is at present almost no organ
izing going on-the financial reports
show that. There are no speakers in
the field. The only bit of worth while
theoretical matter issued for six
months is a single pamphlet by Mac
Donald; every other piece of literature
aside from the periodicals is fractional
and shamefully poor stun at that.
The circulation Of the papers is
down to zero. The general Office is