The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-06-10

and drive conditions low enough to
enable American industries to com
pete on the world market and create
sufficient surplus profits to financi-
ally establish its world dominion.
The bureaucracy did not yield to
the amalgamation movement and be-
gan expelling its advocates. 1t is then
that the first great collision between
modern progressive policies and the
old A. F. l.. methods settled down to
a chronic civil war and crisis inside
the trade unions. Amalgamation
meant that as against trustified in
dustry labor is to units its forces
on industrial lines by amalgamation
of it's craft organization as against
the greater centralized strength of
the employers. There was to be
greater Capitalization of organiza-
ton and methods Of struggle on the
part of the trade unions.
Finally, when in 1925 the A. F l..
leadership sought to prevent the de-
velopment of third party movement
and finally helped to strange it, it
was clear that the bureaucracy made
a sharp turn to the right and was in
the way to gradually surrender be-
fore the might Of trustified indus
try and finance, enormously strength
ened by profits and expansions made
during the war. Indeed the employ
ers had as a result Of the open shop
drive scored a great victory. With
one swoop they took away almost all
the gains labor made during the war
and with it went also all increase in
membership the A. F. L. made during
the war.
che Drive for Cheap Production.
With the war gains of labor taken
away, and with a high cost of living,
American capitalism entered it's i'm
perialistic career having the advan-
tage over European capitalist COM
petitors, seriously weakened by the
world war. This was the stage set
ting for the present prosperity which
we have had with us for the last
five years or so. We know that
American industry and finance dur
ing the war developed at a rate that
would normally take 1915 years to
cover Efficiency, speed up" etc,
etc, were the notices during the war
They meant hundreds of millions to
the employers. Such patriotism was
turned by the profiteers into huge
profit But, boy oh boy. this was
nothing in comparison to the speed
up" and efficiency drive we had in
our latest prosperity. 1t was just one
terrific drive for cheap production,
double up" "speed up" new machin-
cry, standardization, efficien Y
schemes, introduction Of women, child
and youth labor on an enormous scale,
moving of industry to the South and
West for cheap unorganized labor.
Thus the output was increased
nearly so per cent with the same pay
roll and what did the trade union
bureaucracy do? They cooperated in
this drive to increase production and
eliminate waste. They assumed the
role of speed up" and efficiency
foremen to the employers. What is
the waste in industry that is being
eliminated? Skilled mechanics are
being replaced by semi-skilled and
unskilled. Working men and women
are being replaced by new machinery
and this is being done with the as
sistance of the trade union bureau
cracy so that the employers may
make greater profits at the expense
of the workers. This is the policy
that was officially adopted at the
Atlantic City convention of the A. F..
L. in the resolution on so-called new
wage theory to the accompaniment of
the usual anti-Red speeches.
Now American capitalism faces a
new problem. We are confronted with
the European industry reestablished
TO more than the pre-war strength
with the very aid of American cap
ital and as a result we are face to
face with much sharper struggles and
imperialist rivalries for the control
of the worlds markets, with the U. S.
driving for supremacy.
American capitalism saved Euro
pean capitalism from collapse and
helped to force wages of European
labor far below pre-war standards.
Europe now again can produce cheap
er than America.
There must be new drive against
American labor in order to again re-
stabilize production on a still cheaper
basis, wages must go down and pro
duction must go up in order to I'M
derbid European capitalist empires.
American imperialism must strength
en- its position in South America and
the Far East.
A new open shop drive is coming;
in such drive the left wing is in great
danger. 1t may inflame the workers
to resistance and struggle. The trade
union bureaucracy takes another
sharp turn TO the right. This time it
goes to the very front of the drive
Of the eXploiters to fight the left
wing and thus to assist in the contin<