The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-08-01

ticles analyzing the PAN American
Federation of Labor and its recent
convention at Washington)
&
MARTINEZ Unmasks Pan-A. f. of L.
The Washington convention would
be a memorable one if only because it
furnished the unprecedented spectacle
of the rising anti-imperialist protest
of Latin America finding its way
even into the Pan-American Fedora
ton of Labor, where everything was
organized against it. The Ocotal
massacre provided the setting but ac-
tual accomplishment must be credited
largely to the championship of dele
gate Martinez of Venezuela, whose
convention fight, tho defeated, could
not be annulled.
Martinez's stand in opposition to
the rest of the convention was hest
tant and faltering but it will have
deep-going consequences. For not
only did Martinez say his say, at least
momentarily, but he obliged Mr.
Green and the others to defend their
own position. Their replies to the
Venezuelan "hot head" as they called
him, constituted as perfect an eX-
ample of self-eXposure as has ever
been witnessed
Delegates Were Fakes.
Before the convention was four
days old it had become plain that the
greater part Of the participants were
not labor delegates at all but a choice
collection of government agents and
toadies!
Most Of the evidence came out in
the discussion on Martinez's general
resolution against the Monroe Doc
trine and American imperialism.
Martinez had attacked Wall Street
and Washington for their consistent
aggressions against Latin America,
pointing out among other things that
they had robbed Colombia of the Pan
anna area in 1903 and continued to
tyrannize over the republic of Pana-
ma to this day, that they held Cuba
under the Platt Amendment, that
they had violated the sovereignty of
Haiti, Santo Domingo and Nicaragua.
that they had repeatedly conspired
against Mexico, that they were sup
porting the most fragrant and re-
pulsive relationships in Latin Amer
lea: such as that of Gomez in Vene-
zuela, that of Leguia in Peru and that
of Machado, the notorious assassin of
trade-unionists. in Cuba.
AS soon as I heard the reading of
Martinez's resolution l knew it was
going to mean trouble, but l was en-
tirely unprepared for the exhibition
that followed twas not Green or
Woll but the 1atin-Americans who
jumped first to their feet with eager
replies upon their lips!
Peruvian Traitors Loudest.
II understood the report of the
resolutions committee was to be ac-
copied unanimously" one Of the
Peruvian delegates declared indig-
nantly. "This resolution is an insult
to all of us. There is no tyranny of
any kind in Peru. I believe the only
tyranny that exists is in the hot head
Of the delegate from Venezuela. We,
who come as delegates from a land
where freedom reigns, where labor
has every legitimate right, cannot
consent to statement being made
that the President of Peru is a
tyrant. :"
Now the dictatorship of Leguia in
Peru has long been one of the scan
dals of South America. To anyone
even vaguely familiar with the con-
ditions in that unhappy land-where
there is labor CONSUMPTION act I'M
der which practically the entire Per
uvian working class is conscripted to
work certain number of days each
year without pay on the construction
jobs of the Foundation Co. (owned
by Wall Streets interests, with Presi-
dent Leguia himself holding some Of
the shares)-this speech of the Per-
uvian delegate is tell-tale one. That
it was no chance utterance was
proved the next minute, when the
other delegate from Peru rose and
elaborated upon it.
The Peruvian delegates had much
to say in the convention, both in
support of Leguia's government and
in support of any reactionary meas
ure that came up for consideration.
To complete the mission for which
undoubtedly they had been sent to
Washington, they introduced chau-
whistle resolution on the Tacna-Aric
question, denouncing the population
of Chile and demanding that the
Tacna-Arica territory be handed over
to Peru, in accordance with the patri-
otto insistence of the Peruvian gov
eminent"
Peruvians From Paper Organizations
Inasmuch as the Federation of La
Dor of Lima, the only labor body in
Peru having any substantial strength,
has refused to have anything to do
with the so-called Pan-American
Federation of Labor, it is worth while
asking what organizations were re-
Hnorc,,oJOL EN,,1Io,.v ~, oo,.t n, -, -,