The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-08-24
Let Us Have Peace!"

VenJlOn.
The following paragraph from the
report of the executive committee at
the third convention of the P. A F.
of L., held at Mexico City, is char
acteristic:
The collective action of the ma
tiOnaI labor movements of all the
American countries thru the
medium of the Pan-American Fede-
ration of Labor will be an important
obstacle to the enforcement of
militarism on the American con-
tinent, WHEREVER 1T MAY
( ARISE, and will contribute much
to the realization of that noble de-
sire which has been manifested on
/ all sides since the European war
the conservation of peace in the
! western hemisphere and the estab-
lishment of the most cordial rela-
/ tions between the American coun-
/ tries"
Is there any suggestion here that
there is a specific menace to peace in
the Americas-American imperialism
and that this menace must be re-
sisted energetically? On the con-
trary, the report goes on to hint that
the main trouble in this part of the
world is caused by the fact that i'm
perfect and dictatorial governments
exist in Latin America (Which is the
excuse given by the imperialists
themselves for their interventions "to
restore order'O. The real reason for
imperialist intervention is hidden,
while it is slyly intimated that the
one fundamental guarantee of justice
is the democracy" of the United
States, which our Latin-American
brothers are advised to confide in and
emulate.
Here is the language of the report
itself, skillfully refraining from men,
tioning the United States or any other
nation by name but nevertheless
leaving imputations which are so
plain that no one can mistake them:
In Praise of Democracy.
But in order to make this in
fluence for peace) more effective, it
is necessary to impress upon the
peoples that they should demand of
their governments the application
of the modern principles of true
democracy.
AS a matter of fact the point Of
view put forward in every statement
of the P. A F. of L. on international
relations, expressed sometimes in
the mere turn of a phrase, or insinua-
ted in the general tone of address
is that the United States government
is the loving elder sister of the Latin
American nations who should be
looked to for guidance and leader
ship. Sister may make mistakes in her
treatment of her wards, she may ad-
minister too harsh thrashing now
and then, occasionally she may ex-
hibit fleeting egoistic tendency, but
she is essentially good hearted and
generous.
Naturally the elder-sister attitude
does not jibe very well with the
theory of equal responsibility" eX-
pressed in the resolution Of the
Washington convention regarding the
Panama treaty-but it is only another
aspect of a uniform general method
which the P, A. F. of L. uses without
particular regard to outward con-
sistency.
Those Unfortunate Blunders."
The P. A. F. of L. does not simply
ignore the manifold aggressions of
American imperialism. That would
- .,,,-ooc.,1,lo o,oIaoxrorc 70 axy
plain them away, always avoiding
the course of laying responsibility at
the door of imperialism or of the
United States government as an i'm
perialist instrument. At best such
incidents as the massacre of 300
Nicaraguans at Ocotal are presented
as the result of a mistake" or 'the
recklessness of a subordinate" or
''bad and interested advice"
The effect is to conceal from the
workers in the United States as well
as those in Latin America that it is
not mere "excesses" which must be
combatted but systematic course of
imperialist development in which
these "excesses" are by no means
accidental.
Told TO Shut Up.
while the Latin-American repre-
sentatives may feel that they are
suffering from many injustices," de-
clared President Green in rebuke to
delegate Martinez at Washington,
''the Pan-American Federation of La
Dor is not a clearing house for all
the political grievances of the Latin
American countries"
And further along. =.
Never would the people of the
United States support any admins
tration IF AT ANY TIME 1T AT
TEMPTED to seize one foot of
| territory from any Latin-American
nation. But the American people
will support our government in
! protecting Peru, Venezuela, Guate-
mala, NICARAGUA, etc, against
aggression on the part of any Euro
pean nation. :. But instead of
denouncing our government it