The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-10-02

tear themselves away from the system
atically organized constant round Of
pleasure and dissipation long enough
to spend a few hours in the conven-
ton hall they will waste their time by
listening to stupid twaddle from CAPT
talist politicians, priests and employ
ers; they will wrangle endlessly over
asinine jurisdictional quarrels between
the various unions, adopt a stiIl-born
resolution or two about organizing the
unorganized, or the release Of polit-
cal prisoners, or the value" Of the
union label, and they win finally wind
up by electing the same old gang to
control the A f. of L. and by selecting
some other summer resort or wet
town wherein to hold next years con-
vention. If anything progressive, not
to say revolutionary, gets by the con-
vention it viii be seven days marvel
The Road TO PrOgress-
THE situation in the United States
Il would be a dismal one indeed II
the blackly reactionary A F. Of l.
conventions truly reflected the under
standing and aspirations of the work
ing class, or Of even the organized
section OF it But this Is VIGOROUSLY
not the case. The A. F. of L. conyen-
lions do not represent the rank and
| file. They are dominated by hard
boiled bureaucracy, which in many In
stances maintains itself in power with
ruthlessly autocratie measures in the
face Of widespread rank and file oppo-
sition and discomfort Who, for ex-
ample, viii attempt TO say that the
John L. Lewis Clique represents the
viewpoint of the country's coal dig
gers? Or that Hutchinson is true
representative of the carpentersI The
growing reyolts in their organizations
answer these questions. And what Il
true of Lewis and Hutcheeon Is also
true Of the great bulk Of the bureau
Gratis who make up A F. Of l. conven-
tons. They do not represent the view
point Of their union membership.
The rank and file. under the pressure
Of low wages. long hours, and ruthless
speed-up systems, want to make. their
unions into fighting bodies. This they
have shown times innumerable in the
inner union struggles In the miners.
carpenters, machinists. needle trades,
etc. But this is not to say that they
are class conscious or revolutionary.
The great bulk Of organized labor rank
and filers are what may be vaguely
classed as "progressives." They want
to struggle against the employers and
the reactionary bureaucrats, but they
have only the most hazy ideas Of how
to go about it. They are disorganized
and demoralized. The so-caIled pro-
gressiYe leaders are weak. program
less, and sickly tools of the frm-willed
right wing reactionaries.
No intelligent left vinger win expect
much OF a progressive nature to be
accomplished at the coming bureau
cracy-packed A F. Of L. convention,
nor will he be disappointed IL nothing
is done. He must look elsewhere,
cAAOAS9 lie AA%N1oSop AOA PA0bA Noo~ 4AAA
the situation is increasingly promising.
The masses OF workers are gradually
reviving from the slump they fell into
after the big defeats of 1919-23. They
are turning an ever more ready ear to
the propaganda Of the left wing organ
lied IN and around the Trade Union
Educational League Even the col
lapsed progressive leaders are be-
ginning to show some signs OF revival
and of organized opposition to the
right wing. Signs of this are the op-
position slate TO the Lewis machine in
the miners election and the formation
Of the trade union delegation to the
Soviet Union in spite Of oficial con-
domination by the A r. OF l.
The broad policy OF the left wing
in the present situation is clear. II
ic 70 nn0hfliza fha raplr and dIo p,ocooo