The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-12-28

mills close to the cotton fields. But
1t also means that the great indus
trial struggles Of New England will
be transferred to "The South" where
the new mill slaves will organize
and fight to improve their lowly con-
dition. Similarly the cotton grow
ers will continue to be victimized
by the powerfully organized cotton
industry thru low prices, and as
continued result of the fact that
everything the cotton grower needs,
as well as everything he has to sell,
passes thru the toll-taking hands of
the profteers. Instead of the tight
ening leadership, therefore, of the
new industrial class in 1.-THE South"
over the Southern farmers, especial
ly the cotton growers, there should
be the alliance of the cotton grow
ers with the city wage workers, not
only with the mill workers, but with
the steel workers of Birmingham,
Alabama; the lumber workers of
Georgia and Mississippi, the oil
workers of Louisiana, Texas and
Oklahoma; the coal miners of Ken
lucky and Tennessee, and the rail-
road workers of all these states.
"The South" is hell bent for pro
lection" in the words of the Chi
cago Tribune correspondent, but it
is the protection of profits and not
the protection of the welfare of the
city and land workers that is sought.
Labor must protect its own inter.
ests.
Against the so-called protective
tariff organizations now springing
up in the south there must be reared
the labor party, the closely allied
producers and consumers co-opera-
tives, the unions of farm workers as
well as the unions of mill hands,
steel and lumber workers, coal min
ers and other wage labor.
The industrialization of "The
South" and the breeding of southern
tariff democrats will have it's effects
on the democratic party in other
sections of the country. 1t has al
ready been shown that the success
full democratic candidate for the
senatorship from Massachusetts,,
David l. Walsh, running on a "pro-
tective tariff" platform, defeated
Coolidge's bosom friend" William
M. Butler, himself a multi-million-
aire mill owner.
CAP Smith, Tammany Halls gov
ernor in New York, who is trying to
get the democratic presidential no
mination in 1928, and who has al
ready been flirting extensively with
the southern democrats, goes a step
farther by handing out the posi-
bility that Senator George demo
crat, Georgia) might be considered
as his running mate for the vice
presidency.
There remains the struggle, how
ever, between the middle class ele-
ments who live directly off the farm
ers and suffer also thru repeated
farm crises, as opposed to the great
capitalists. Thus, alongside the de-
mand for higher tariffs on meats
and dairy products, in addition to
the great farm staples, there goes
a denunciation of the high tariff en-
joyed by the United States Steel
corporation and other steel interests
concerned in robbing the farmers
thru the farm implement trust.
Thus Representative Dickinson
republican, Iowa. suggests a reduc-
ton in the tariff on manufactured
articles in his speech in congress on
farm relief. Dickinson becomes en-
phatic in attacking the tariff on the
wares Of Secretary of the Treasury
Andrew Melons aluminium trust.
But this gets an immediate rise out
Of the new converts from THE
South" to high tariff doctrine. Rep
resentative O'Connor democrat of
Louisiana) thnnders in protest
against the laying Of rude hands on
the foundation OF our prosperity, de-
claring, II am for reasonable pro-
tective tariff" o'Connor, during the
course OF his speech told this story:
IL remember some years ago,
when some republican. think face
tiously. proposed a tariff on cotton
OF more than an inch and one-six-
teenth in staple length that a great
pandemonium and scampering was
caused on the democratic side as
almost every fellow interested in
cotton wanted to vote for that par
ticular rate altho he was most anx-
ious that the balance of the tariff
rates should be as low as possible"
Thus the Louisiana democrat re-
veals how each group struggles to
protect and foster its own economic
interests. Labor should profit by
this lesson from It's class enemies.
II, too. must battle for its economic
interests. II cannot fight as vassal