The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-08-24

fedeGdIlOn OF LdDOT anu It's recent
convention at Washington
Undeniably, President Green S
''keynote" address at the opening
session of the convention at Washing
ton contrasted in an important re-
spect with the inaugural addresses
that Gompers used to deliver.
Gompers always made it a point to
ignore entirely general questions of
international relations unless specific
events forced them upon his consid-
Grafton. Green's speech, on the other
hand abounded in phrases such as:
I'VE believe in the self-deter-
mination of nations. - THE
people of every country have a
right to handle their own domestic
problems. :" I'VE are IRE
vocably opposed to the use of arms
or declaration of war in any dis
dispute with our neighbors of Latin
America. :"
The Green Doctrine"
These phrases by no means indica-
ted that the so-called Pan-American
Federation of Labor was actually to
become the defender of Latin-Ameri-
can national sovereignty against U.
S. imperialism. They were merely a
recognition of the fact that the ortho-
dox Gompers method has failed to
get results for the P. A. F. of L. in
Latin America and that some pretense
of approach to the point of view of
the Latin-American labor movements
must be made if anything like bona
fide international trade-union fedora
ton is to be created.
The essential content of the Com
pers and Green policies is the same of
course. And Green's bland hypocrisy,
no less than Gompers' lofty preoccu-
patton, has operated to serve the ends
Of Monroe-Doctrine Imperialism.
"The Green Doctrine" as one of
the Nicaraguans termed it at Wash
ington, fits neatly into place with the
whole past direction of the Pan
American Federation of Labor and
actually reveals the aims of the or
ganization more clearly than ever be-
fore. Thanks to the opposition of
Martinez of Venezuela, Green was
obliged to elaborate his doctrine" at
the Washington convention in such
detail that the abstract generaliza-
tons of his inaugural address took on
flesh and blood. Indeed their features
stood out SO sharply that no one who
caught a glimpse of them at Wash
ington can fail to recognize them
again.
What is the purpose of this 'labor
instrument of the Monroe Doctrine"
which goes by the name of the PAN
American Federation of Labor?
The character of the organization,
its methods and some of its secondary
aims have been dealt with already
in the course of these articles. The
present article is an attempt to set
forth the central purpose of the in
strument which we have been de-
scribing.
The Panaman Treaty.
Considerable illumination is pro-
vided by the action of the Washington
convention with regard to the pend
ing treaty between the United States
and Panama. Readers of The DAILY
WORKER will remember that the
new treaty which the United States
Government has been trying to fasten
upon the already mutilated Republic
of Panama" would destroy all serious
pretense of Panaman sovereignty
and is so abhorrent to the people of
Panama that even the servile Pana-
man legilature has thus far refused
to ratify it. The Pan-American Fede-
ration of Labor convention-in which
delegates from Panama were supposed
to be participating-took up the
question of the treaty and passed a
resolution upon it.
Here is the resolution:
WHEREAS, a new treaty is
pending between the United States
and Panama, negotiations concern
ing which are still in progress:
therefore be it
''RESOLVED, that we express
our earnest desire that the new
treaty may help to cement the
fraternal friendship between the
two peoples, leaving untouched the
sovereignty of the Republic of
Panama; and be it further
'RESOLVED, that copy of this
resolution be sent to BOTH gov
ernments, asking that THEY take
it into consideration when negotia.
ting a new treaty" Emphasis
mine.--M. g..
Equal Responsibility.
No protest is registered re
against the outrage which Wall
Street and Washington have proposed
to perpetrate against the people of
Panama. There is not hint that the
United States government is to blame
for the treaty that was drawn up.
The fiction is maintained that the
United States and Panama are on an
equal basis in this matter, and BOTH
governments are asked to work out
something satisfactory in the future!
In other words, instead of taking
steps to defend Panama against