The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-10-01
MISS Will KINSON
SAYS LEADER.S
MUzzLED WOMEN
General Council Used
Large Steam-Roller

Large Steam-NoIIer
BoURNEMOUTH, England Sept.
fa.-CBy Mail. Indignation against
the conduct Of the reactionary trade
union bureaucracy at the Trade Union
Congress continues 10 grow,
Ellen Wilkinson, former member Of
the Communist Party, who quit that
organization because she thought its
methods were not conducive to quick
success in revoluionizing the masses.
is bitter in her arraignment of the
leaders who betrayed the general
strike and who are now proving to
Miss Wilkinson's satisfaction, that
there is nothing to expect from them
except further betrayal. Miss Wilkin-
son Is probably learning that the Com
munist policy is the shortest cut to
the revolution after all
In an interview TO correspondent
Of the Sunday Worker, Miss Wilkin-
son has the following to say on the
machine methods used by Margaret
Bondfeld to still the voices Of the
delegates who participated in the
women's conference, She said in
part;
Miss Bondfeid's Promise.
"The General Council having almost
completely steam-rollered the Trades
Union Congress. tried similar machine
methods on the womens conference.
"Only the promise Of the chairman,
Margaret Bondfeld, that there would
be no similar tactics next year pre-
vented the moving Of the adjournment
of the conference before 1t had really
begun business.
"The women delegates have been
pressing for a conference at which
there could be discussion on the ap-
palling fall in women's trade union
membership, and on the general
apathy among working women.
Not a Rival Congress.
They had made It clear that they
did not want any kind Of rival con-
ference In which TO discuss things
!, that ought really to be dealt with on
the floor Of congress itself. The Cen
era1 Council seemed to think that It
was only under the most careful
shepherding that the women dele
gates could be- allowed to come to-
gether at all.
''Of the four resolutions, one was a
pious expression Of hope that some
day women would be organized; the
second made provision for the wives
of trade unionists, while the third
dealt with education in trade union-
ism for the children. The fourth
dealt with family allowances, a mat
ter surely more suitable fog the
women's Cooperative Guild or the
women's sections OF the labor party.
Futile Resolutions.
Not one resolution concerned any
issue In which the unmarried factory
girl, the business girl, or the wage
earning woman is primarily interest
ed. No mention was made of the APP
palling conditions under which so
many single girls have to exist today.
AS tho this was not sufficient, of the
five speakers officially appointed by
congress, only one was woman.
THE women made their protest.
They are willing to make allowances
for a first attempt, but 1t is to be
hoped that next year the General
Council will realize that the women
want to get their teeth into this spe-
cial problem of organizing women into
the unions, and the treatment they
receive when they get there They
want a whole day for the job, and
they want the Council TO make a
special point to the unions with
women members that women dele
gates should be appointed. At this
conference only 33 unions out of rs
who were eligible sent delegates at
all. and Of these SS were men and A
women.
miss Koran, the delegate from the
General Workers, in the course Of her
excellent speech said that the Cen
eral Council must get away from the
Idea OF thinking that women only
wanted to be amused They wanted a
serious conference not happy eve
ming for the poor
-And her remarks summed up ac-
curately the opinion of most of the
women delegates.
Next year the women delegates to
the T. o. @. win insist on something
radically different from this unsatis-
factory effort"
Mortgaoe Chs,a,s Aoa