The daily worker., 1928-11-21
The One A. F. of L. Demand That
Will Be Realized

Living up to its reputation as the most
venal and reactionary labor bureaucracy in
the world, the American Federation of Labor
convention now in session at New Orleans
has before it for action the recommendation
of its Metal Trades Department favoring
bigger navy. At the Saturday session of the
various departments the resolution advoca-
ting bigger navy was passed by the metal
trades branch and on Monday became Off
cially part of the proceedings of the con-
vention.
The demand for bigger navy is the one
demand of the convention that will assuredly
be realized. What is significant as showing
the depths of depravity to which the labor
lieutenants of capitalism have sunk is the
fact that the demand for bigger navy be-
comes the major political slogan following
close upon the new outburst of imperialist
jingoism since the election of Hoover The
Coolidge Armistice Day speech in which he
proclaimed the intention of the United States
to build the mightiest navy on earth, the an
nouncement of the gigantic naval program of
Secretary of the Navy Wilbur, the imperialist
journey of Hoover to Latin-America the
fierce European reaction against the Coolidge
threat are all indicative of general political
realization of sharpening of the worldwide
struggle between the great imperialist
powers of the world that must inevitably
culminate in new war for a new redivision
of the world. The demand of the Metal Trades
Department for bigger navy supplements
the imperialist armaments program of the
government at Washington.
1t is not to be doubted that the sponsors
of the proposition for a bigger navy are the
direct spokesmen for the strike-breaking
government. 1t is not to be doubted that
an agreement is already in existence which
provides that in case of danger of real labor
organization in the basic industries, that is to
say the potential war industries of the
country, the takers of American Federation.
of Labor will step in and create a spurious
organization that will be nothing more nor
less than an integral part of the war machine,
a means of delivering the workers bound and
gagged to the war-mongers
At the Identical time the Metal Trades De-
partment advocates bigger navy the labor
bureaucracy performs another service for it's
lmperialist masters by laying plans for
Strengthening" the Pan-American Fedora
tion of Labor which is nothing other than
the yellow labor counterpart ,of the Pan
American union, composed of agents of the
yankee imperialist government and the vassal
governments in the service of Wall Street
that terrorize the Latin-American masses.
The big navy program enunciated by the A.
F. of L. Metal Trades Department should be
utilized in all Latin-American countries to
expose the true role of the Pan-American
Federation of Labor as agents of dollar des-
potism.
But while the bigger navy proposition of
the convention at New Orleans will be re-
allied because the imperialst butchers have
placed it on the order of the day at Washing
ton, the other demands will not be realized.
The takers will not organize the unorganized
into labor unions for the simple reason that,
as agents of the capitalist class, their job is to
prevent organization. They will not succeed
in crushing the Communists, but on the con-
trary will have to answer for their crimes
against labor before ever larger sections of
the working class that, under Communist in
fluence, recognize the Greens, the Wolls, the