The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-02-06
THOMAS AIDS BALDWIN
Betuy Hungry British Miners
By THOMAS BELL.
Concluded from last issue).

Miners March. Here is a concrete
case. Tens of thousands of miners
are without any prospects Of work,
following the defeats of last year
| Destitution is rampant, and local gov
eminent boards will not help. No
| finer case could be taken up, even
by opportunist parliamentarians
whose sole concern is no more than
a formal opposition to the govern
ment. A march Of the unemployed
| miners on London could have roused
the whole of the workers r1ovement,
and put just that pep" into it that is
so badly needed. Such a stimulus
would have had tremendous political
consequences. Yet the entire bureau
cratic machinery (aided by the Com
munist renegade, Wall, who acted as
the poor tool of the Party managers
in London) worked night and day TO
prevent the march.
I The excuse of a Communist "stunt"
will not wash. The march arose out
of the appalling situation in the min
ing areas of South Wales where des-
titution is terrible What does it mat
ter if the Communists did take the
lead in preparing the first steps in
the march? The facts are that fol-
lowing A. J. Cooks appeal the local
labor organizations were prepared to
render every assistance until the
Party managers from Eccleston
Square got the wind up" and out
lawed the march. The real position
is one Of sheer funk and cowardice
on the part of our official leadership
in the sole desire to curry favor with
the bosses and to do nothing to alien
ate votes to the general election.
Aid to Capitalism.
/ We do not hesitate to say that this
policy of depressing the fighting in
stincts Of the workers is direct SER
vice to capitalism. It helps the CAPT.
talists against the workers. 1t is a
betrayal of the workers. But it will
not always succeed. The Communist
and left workers will find way of
defeating this policy of betrayal and
cf saving socialism for the working
class.
| What is it the capitalists are aim
ing at? The policy of the capitalists
in this country at present is quite
clear. Faced with formidable world
competition and fighting for their
lives, they seek to extract more values
from the. workers. Reduced wages,
longer hours and naturalization of
industry are a means of prolonging
their rule, especially if the trade
unions are cripped by a policy of
lunionq ore crippled bv a policy of
Party abandons socialism. Part of
the process of bolstering up capital-
ism ard in getting these detectives
is to win the labor leaders away from
a policy of resistance or struggle, and
to inveigle them into Industrial
Peace Campaigns" and pure "minis-
/ terialism." This is the fundamental
policy of the captains of industry"
/ "Class Collaboration"
At the moment the capitalists can
register certain successes. They have
! succeeded in forcing responsible men,
bers of the 7. u C. to openly iden-
( tify themselves with industrial pe ace
talk to the extent of some of them
blardishly formulating programmes,
+, thus tanning the workers in the strug-
gle against the capitalist offensive.
i There is said to be differences be-
tween Citrine and Thomas. But these
are not material to the workers or
/ inimical to the capitalists. If sny-
thing, the policy of peace pact be-
i tween the general council and the
/ large capitalist organizations the
policy Of Citrine) is even more deadly
than the local pacts between the work
ers and the capitalists in particular
industries 1.-THE policy of Thomas and
the railway companies). Both of them
have the same end in view, viz, to
tenn the workers organizations to
capitalism
But is there real objective basis
fer this "class collaboration? Can it
materialize with even limited advan-
tage to the workers? We think not.
British capitalism has lost its world
monopoly. 1t is no longer able to
exploit the colonies without challenge.
A native industry and nationalist
bourgeoisie is challenging the hither-
to undisputed rule of British capital.
A growing proletarian movement in
the colonies and dependencies now
a offers powerful resistance to one
time unbridled exploitation.
Labor Faces Crisis.
British, capitalism therefore is nc
longer able to afford concessions to
even the labor aristocracy of the in
4 dustrial metropolis. This being SC
there can be no objective basis fol-
carrying through policy of class
. collaboration and industrial peace
The leaders of our T. U. C. and the
general council and of the Labor Par
ty, are, in these circumstances, sim
ply playing the role of decoy- ducks
in their political direction.