The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-03-21
AS WE SEE 1T
BY T. ). o'FLAHERTV

THE British working class have no
4 reason to be proud of the accom-
plishments of the labor party while
it functioned as His Maiesty's govern
ment. But it is an ill wind that does
not blow some good, and one of the
blessings that the elevation of Mac
Donald and company to the govern
ment brought to the workers, was
the elimination of Frank Hodges
from the official leadership Of the
Miners Federation of Great Britain.
*'*
OUTSIDE of the Metal Workers
~ Union of Germany, the M. F. of
G. B. is the strongest industrial I'M
ion in the world, at least numerically.
At the height of it's power it. num-
bered over one million members. But
Frank Hodges, it's secretary, until he
became civil lord of the admiralty,
almost wrecked the mighty union,
when he betrayed it on BLACK Fri
day" in conjunction with ]. H.
Thomas, his co-traitor.
WHEN Hodges decided to become
w the nominal head of His Ma
jesty's navy, the miners requested
him to relinquish his post as secre-
tary of the union. Tho he must have
known that his tenure Of office in
Downing street would be short, he
preferred even a brief fling at the
new position to wasting his brilliancy
on the coal miners. But he has lived
to regret his decision. A militant is
now in Hodges place and it looks as
if the ex-civil lord of the kings navy
ia destined to remain for a long time
to come on the outside looking In.
TIME London Daily Herald carries
l. very interesting news on the strug-
gle between the old reactionary OFF,
cialdom and the left wingers. A. J.
Cook, is now in Hodges place as sec
Rotary of the miners. He is fighter
and a staunch supporter Of the Brit
ish minority movement, which is or
ganized along the same lines as the
Trade Union Educational League
here. In fact the T. U. e. L. is the
model for the left wing in the trade
union movement of Europe. In this
respect at least the American revolu-
tionists have been able to make a
contribution to the arsenal of the
army of labor in other countries.
ONE of the biggest industrial bat
" ties in the history of Great Britain
is expected to take place before the
end of the year. The miners will be
the first to step into the breach. Cook
is leading the offensive. Like a good
general he is seeking allies, among
the transport workers and railway
men. This Is the Communist program,
the program that the Communists
have been advocating for the past
few years. That the British work
ing masses are ready to accept IL
testifes to their growing class con-
seriousness, to the influence of the
Communists and particularly to the
desperate situation in which British
capitalism finds itself.
A NEW Triple Alliance is the i'm
"A mediate aim of the militants who
want to face the enemy with a united
front. Therefore, a battle royal is
being waged inside the ranks of the
British trade unions. Frank Hodges
vs. lined up with the coal operators,
and is lighting Cook and his support
ers. hodges wants five-years' truce.
Like John l.. Lewis of the U. M. w.
Of A., he does not mention the miners
, or SLOW any concern for their needs.
He talks Of the country" and the
Industry as a whole" Cook says in
effect, ITO hell with the operators and