The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-03-24
Making War On the Left Wing As An
Attempt to Conceal Corruption
By WILLIAM Z. DUNE.

NEW YORK CITY witnessed the
!" spectacle Monday night of the two
outstanding officials Of the American
Federation of Labor, President Green
and Vice President Vol, accompanied
by a galaxy of minor satellites, pam
handling a public meeting in Beetho-
ven Hall for money with which to
smash a section of the labor move
ment--the New York unions Of the
furTiers and cloalzmakers.
The meeting was called, according
to President Joseph p. Ryan Of the
Central Trades and Labor Council
under instructions from President
Green. The one and only order Of
business was denunciation of the
Communists and the left wing leaders
like Ben Gold, and urgent demands
for finance.
Observers report that the audience
was principally composed of Forward
Socialists Officials of unions domi-
mated by the Forwards machine
This collection of right wingers was
assured time and time again by Ed
ward McGrady, special A. F. of L. or
ganizer, that the police department
was lined up with the A. F. of L. COM
mittee and against the left wing.
These statements effectively dispose
of the other statements by the same
elements that the Communists and
left wing had bribed the police.
IT is quite evident that the right wing
offensive is getting no substantial
financial support from the labor
movement as a whole but that it is
financed from such sources as the
Forward, the bosses and other enc
mics of fighting trade unionism. The
meeting Friday night shows further
that the secret supporters of the
drive against the left are dissatisfied
with the lack of progress. In the
Furriers' Union for instance the right
wing has no base among the member
ship on which to build and must de-
pend solely upon stoolpigeons and the
police department.
We are also of the opinion that the
speeches of Green and Woll indicate
a difference on policy Green is not
intellectually in favor of the cam
paign and the way it is being con-
Quoted In addition to this Woll is
using the drive against the left to
curry favor with the capitalist ele-
ments in the Civic Federation and to
appear as the most militant champion
of 100 per cent American trade union
ism.
Vol is carrying out the policy of
the Roman catholic hierarchy and the
Militia of Christ in the labor move
ment. He hopes to rally to his sup
port solid bloc of reaction that will
put him in the position Green now
holds.
If Green We're not weakling and
compromised by number of shady
associations he could easily rally
every honest element in the labor
movement to his support on pro-
gram of freedom for political express
sion and trade unionism free from re-
ligious and capitalist party control.
Failing this, with the continual rise
of energetic reaction in official labor
circles, Green is doomed to defeat.
Il
IT would be the greatest mistake to
regard the struggle in the New
York needle trades as something sep
arate and apart from the struggle
which is going on in the labor move
ment. The intensity of the struggle
here is due to the higher political
level of the needle trades workers
which makes clash between social
lists supporting the A. F. of L. of
ficialdom and Communists possible.
In other sections of the labor move
ment the issues appear more clearly
as a struggle of the rank and file with
left wing leadership against official
corruption, worker-employer co-opera-
ton and for militant practical pro-
gram-as in the United Mine Workers
of America.
The struggle in New York and else
where is not only an effort on the