The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-09-13
Trade Union Delegations
To the Soviet Union are
Growing More Numerous
By ]. LOUIS ENGDAHL.

the same time that the Delegation of American Trade
Unionist headed by James H. Maurer president of the
Pennsylvania Federation of Labor returns to this coun-
try from the Union of Soviet Republics.
This assures, without doubt, that another attack on
trade unionsts who dare attempt approach to the
truth about conditions within the Soviet Union will be
the order of the day at this years A F. of L. con-
venon atho it is isolated the far Pacific Coast in
the midst of the motion picture colonies and in the
shadow of Aimee McPhersons Temple of the Four
Square Gospel" alias The Angelus Temple" alias 1.-The
Lighthouse"
Advance reports indicate the American delegation
will bring back very favorable report In this respect
it will not be different from delegations that have Wis
tied the Soviet Union from other lands Nor 1t eX-
pect different treatment from the labor reaction.
While in Moscow, had an interview with Gregory n
Menchansky, member of the executive committee of the
All-Union Soviet Congress, in which he reviewed the
efforts of the trade union bureaucracy in different
tries against the sending of labor delegations to the
Soviet Union. Nevertheless he pointed out, than
half dozen large delegations from different countries
would visit Moscow during the celebration of the Tenth
Anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution in November
Take for instance the effort to send delegation of
railwaymen to the Soviet Union from Austria. 1t
bitterly opposed by the Socialists, prophecy of the So
cast betrayal of the workers during the recent uprs
ing against the fascists in Vienna. But the delegation
went just the But with what results? Six mem
bers of the delegation who had been members of the
Austrian Socialist Party from Is to 80 years. ex
PEELED from the party The chairman of the delegation
Freiburger, who had been a member of the Socialist
Party since 1904, expelled, Manly, for 80
years member of the party who spoke at several meet
ings of workers what he had and learned in the
Soviet Union.
This is cited as warning to American workers against
the kind of propaganda that the labor reaction will seek
spread dscredt the report of the returning trade
union delegation to this country.
The Green Wol-Tobn regime in the A. F. of L. gets
its material concerning the Soviet Union from the Cool
idge-Kelogg state department at Washington. When
Timothy Heay head of the stationary firemens union,
f,rL+ 10 NC +iOy Tho IF
L. at Detroit for the right of trade unionsts to go
the Soviet Union if they desired the plot immedi
aey Matched and later carried out for driving Heay out
Of his official position The plan included the desruc
ton Of this union if necessary in order to discredt and
destroy Healy
The truth about the Soviet Union, therefore will be
brought back by the trade union delegation in spite of
great Obstacles not raised by the Workers and Peas
ants Government however, but by the labor ackeys of
the American employing class
We may expect that the report of the American dele
cation will be comprehensive than that of
the British delegation that went to the Soviet Union in
the fall of 1924.
This should be So since the delegation well equipped
with experts capable of getting up excellent report
while the last three years have furnished wealth of
material this period of Soviet constructive effort that
should open the eyes of American workers. who not
readers of the Communist and sympathetic press in this
country.
itself has had time and opportunity to gather in
formation about conditions within its borders This is
also true of the Soviet trade unions.
There is hardly country in Europe that has not seen
a workers delegation of kind go to the Soviet
Union Some of these have been composed of prominent
trade unions officials in the of the British del
egaon Others have been made up of local trade unions
officials while still others have been constituted excu-
sivey of and from the workshops, the rank
and file workers. Large delegations have gone to Mos
from Germany France and Czecho-Slovaka. Every
Scandinavian country has sent its delegation, of
them several This is also true of Finland.
During the latter part of August, delegation of 120
members organized blythe leaders of the largest Nor
wegian trade unons left OSLO Norway, for the Soviet
Union. The delegation made up almost exclusively
of workers from the bench. They planned to spend a
month within the borders of the Workers Republic An
other delegation of 112 workers from Finland is spend
ing September in the Soviet Union most of the time in
Leningrad and Moscow.
Belgium has sent it's delegation. Italy also, but it
had to go illegally. Mussoni is not anxious that the
Italian workers should learn the difference between his
fascist tyranny and the proearan dictatorship in the
Soviet Union
The tendency among the organized workers of capital
list Europe is to send delegations to the Soviet
Union representing various industries, instead of gen
eral delegations from the working class as a whole
Thus three different industries in Germany have sent
their representatives to the Workers Republic while
delegation has gone representing directly the Teachers
international Union.
Thus it is that the struggle to develop better
understanding between the workers still ensaved under
capitalism and freed labor in the Soviet Union is only
Just beginning. Battle they will against the Soviet
Union, the labor agents of capitalism the
mounting bond of friendship and solidarity between the
The American working class is backward. 1t has per
ritted students organizations mixed delegations of pro-
fessional people and other groups precede them
the Soviet Union But even the American working class
does 1t took several of effort to send the
small delegation the Atlantic that visiting
the Soviet Union But this delegation will be followed
by others, the outgrowth of greater ambitions in this