The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-09-18
NONP ARTISANISM
OF DETROIT LABOR
OFFICIALS FAIL S
Groesbeck Defeat Bares
Shady Deals

Governor Groesbeck went down to
ignominious defeat in the primary
election today and with him crashed
the policy of class-collaboration which,
under the leadership of Frank Martel,
the Detroit Federation of Labor has
been pursuing for some years.
Altho the Detroit labor movement
was strong for independent political
action in 1920, even running a candi-
date for governor, the results were too
slow for those in control who felt that
it was more expedient to sell the labor
movement than to build it politically.
The first horse trading was in local
offices, judgeships and petty appointive
positions in which Martel demon
strated the practicability of the policy
sufficiently to crush any opposition,
Second Venture.
The next venture was in the sup
port OF Postmaster Smith for Mayor
Of Detroit. The labor movement outdid
itself in fawning before this capitalist
politician, the district council of the
carpenters even adiourning its meet
ing to attend rally in his behalf.
However, the leaders had lost all
shame by now and any arguments on
working class principles and decency
were either automatically suppressed
or given practical" answers,
This period witnessed the spectacle
Of Dennis E. Bait the self-appointed
representative of the Communist In.
ternational, winning on the republican
ballot in the primaries and coming in
34th-a slight slip-up Of practicability
practical Politics"
In this period also Dennis E. Bait
and John T. Taylor, a former social
list, as delegates to the Michigan Fed
GRAFTON of Labor supported a motion
to recommend raising the salary OF
the governor to $4,000 per year
while they approved a maximum OF
$14 per week compensation for the in
jured workers and defended such
treachery on the floor of the Detroit
Federation of Labor.
DAAAAlE Tie AeA6bs W AuOuLAn a SLIuB-
gle between the jitney drivers and
the city has found Martel as ever
ready to champion the cause of petty
owners with the res; 1t thatahe has had
a sharp break with the street car,
mems organization and with Mayor
Smith. This development seriously
weakened the position of Martel and
he bet all his chips On Groesbeck and
a support of the litneys hoping to
humble Mayor Smith and pay his
-hoachmen with patronage which
Groesbecks might swing his way.
The returns of today constitute a
practical" Reputation Of everything
that MartePs policy includes. The la
Dor movement is bitterly divided over
issues which should never confront it
and the consciousness of the workers
is decidedly below what it was in
1920 after the first farmer-labor cam
paign-
But the consequences of this policy
extend much further. Petty political
influence shields many shady actions
and the political prestige" of Martel
ct al has aided "allies" to run blind
pigs and gambling dens in and near
the labor halls including one in the
official home offthe Detroit Federation
of Labor. Martel has been .censured
by friendly judge for attempting to
use infuencesin other than labor cases.
The organization policy of the De-
troit Federation Of Labor has not
escaped the blight of this mistaken
policy either Instead of initiating a
policy of organizing the workers in the
basic industries where, as the ex-
perience of Passaic indicates, the for.
ces OF the state, police. judges, state
constabulary, etc, must be openly
fought, Martel has chosen to center
his efforts ON master BARRIERS, hand
laundry owners, cleaners and dyers,
Mattresses, etc, where slippery tactics
pass as methods Of class struggle.
Marteps power and policy rests up
on the least important and least basic
OF the workers. He knows that even
the active participation of even the
few workers Oh the more basic indus.
tries now organized would send him
into a deserved oblivion
Martel works like those whom he
ousted, to feather HIS nest and pre-
pare a political roost when the work
ers get wise to him. The needs OF the
workers will only become the basis
OF the Federation policy when Martel
joins Groesbeck on the scrap heap.
MartePs role IS the same as Far
rington's except that the workers do
not recognize scabbing on the politi-
cal field as readily at present. When
they do Martel will take his pay open
ly and direct.