The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-06-22
BY ROBERT DUNN.

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THE need for a labor party to unite
the workers must be apparent to
anyone who has observed the work
ings of the Tammany machine in New
York City and it's relation to the lead
ers of certain labor unions. The OBJ
ject of this article is merely to sketch
some of the incidents in this relation
ship. The reader can judge for him
self what the effects of it must be
upon the trade union leaders and upon
the general problem of trade union
political unity.
To barter the labor vote" for polit-
ical preference has been one Of the
favorite parlor tricks of the trade
union leadership almost since the
days when unions were first organized
in this state. The labor leaders have
always taken part in politics of the
most partisan character, tho, of course,
protesting publicly that they were in
terested in the game only as mon
partisans." And the labor leaders
have for decades been more or less
strenuously opposed by the socialists
and socialist-laborites, who have
claimed that the trading of votes for
personal jobs was not the way to get
labor ahead in the political field. One
of the most militant and articulate ex-
posers of the labor leader in this role
was DanielsDe Leon, who declared in
season and out of season that the
trade union leadership was betraying
the workers at every election. In the
national, state and local councils Of
labor the socialists carried on the
same constant attack upon the "fat
boys" who were feathering their nests
by trading the labor vote for business
and political jobs.
Political Rewards.
DUN down the lists Of the important
~ officers of the New York State
Federation of Labor, for example,
and you find a goodly number Of
them who found their way into happy
political positions thru these methods.
Even before the days of the State
Federation, when the state body was
known as the Workingmen's Assembly,
we find the first president, Jim Con-
molly of the Practical Painters Union,
ending up as state factory inspector.
He was followed by w. N. Thayer of
the Typographical Union, who was
later president of the common council
of Troy and the warden of Dannemora
prison. The next president, Tom Dow
ling, a blacksmith's official was re-
warded by the position of state COM
missioner of labor statistics. After
him came Bill O'Brien of the granite
cutters, who was later the sheriff of
New York county. Then with the for
nation of the State Federation of La
bor we find Jim Lavery, a typograph-
ical man, the first president He was
later appointed to the state civil SER
vice commission. Martin Murphy of
the molders followed Lavery He, in
turn, became a civil service commits
sioner in Buffalo and then went into
business. The next executive was
John Pallas of the pattern makers,
who became park commissioner OF
Greater New York, while the next in
line, W. o. Jones, graduated into the
job of building inspector at Utica
Finally we come to Jim Holland, the
present incumbent, who has held sew
eral appointive, tho apparently not
so lucrative, offices from the state
while still in labor Office. He is now
on the board of standards and appeals
The press on February announced
Hollands appointment by Mayor
Walker as a "lay member" of this
board at salary of $500. The New
York Times says: HE formerly held
the same position at per diem rate
of $40 for each session e. but was
dropped by Mayor Hylan after he
came out in favor of Walker for mayor
in the last campaign. If Mr.. Holland
retains his $4,000 position as head of
the New York State Federation of La
Dor, the two jobs will together net
him tidy income of $12,5 from sal
aries alone. The average factory
worker in the state, it may be we'll to
remember, earns annually, if en-
ployed full time, approximately $3.50,
or one-tenth of this amount.
The same evolution of labor leaders
could be followed thru all the other
Offices of the state federation. Among
the secretaries and treasurers, vice
presidents and legislative agents who
I later held public Offices were Alexan-
Ter Troup, later a collector of federal
customs under President Cleveland;
Richard Curran, now a member of the
state industrial board; Edward Bates,
later deputy secretary of state; John
Williams, later a state labor commits
sioner; Patrick Doyle, later with the
state railroad commission; Jim Lynch,
now the head of the International
Typographical Union and once the