The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-02-09
By ARNE SWABECK.

When the movement toward ma
tional labor party in America gath.
cred real momentum for the first
time, in 1919, chill went down the
spines of the leaders of the two domi.
nant capitalist parties and of the re.
dictionary labor leaders who were still
following the outworn political Gus.
tom of "rewarding their friends and
Furnishing their enemies"
This movement held real potential
ties. 1t became ray of hope to large
working masses.
Change of Front of Federation.
The Chicago Federation of Labor
did pioneer work in this field. The
labor party was practically formed
under its tutelage. Yet today the
federation, or at least its official
leadership, has both in theory and
practice completely repudiated the
labor party idea.
Why this change? Is there less
need today than then for labor par
ty? This is not the case. The sup
preston of the workers rights has if
anything increased. The centraliza-
ton of power in the capitalist gov
eminent has gone on apace. The
failure of the primitive "non-parti
san" policy of the American Fedora
ton of Labor has been continually
demonstrated. The political weak
ness of the American labor movement
was never greater. The answer is
that the official leadership of the
Chicago Federation of Labor has tax.
en- big swing to the right.
Trend Toward National Party.
In October, 1918, the Chicago Fed
eration of Labor began by submitting
the question of the formation of 6
local labor party to a referendum
vote of its affiliated local unions
numbering some 100000 members
Eighty-five per cent of the unions re.
sponded favorably. In November OF
the same year, the Cook County La.
Dor Party was formed, with Morton
L. Johnson, we'll known militant, as
it's first secretary.
The following spring, the Cook
Comfy Labor Party participated ir
he mayoralty elections, entering
John Fitzpatrick, president of the
Chicago Federation of Labor, as can.
didate for mayor. The official count
credited him with $1,000 votes. Dur.
ing the same period, the Illinois La.
cor Party was formed and events
moved rapidly. On Sc tember 25, the
same year, the National Freedom Con,
| 7ention took place in Chicago, with
300 delegates in attendance, and or
Nov. %, the first convention of the
National Labor Party convened with
i,200 delegates. These delegates had
been sent by trade unions and local
| labor party groups in response to the
call based on the following program:
/. Restoration Of civil liberties.
2. The national ownership and
democratic management of the means
Of transportation and communication
mines, finances and all other mono
poles and natural resources.
3. The abolition OF excessive land
ownership and holding land out of use
for speculative purposes.
Labor Struggles in 1919.
Naturally, this remarkable pro-
gress had its basis in the gigantic
events of the class struggle, from
which it received it's impetus. Begin
aing from local scale some of these
events during the period from the
Chicago spring elections in 1919 to
November of the same year were as
follows:
Eight thousand workers, mostly I'M
organized, were on strike in the big
Crane manufacturing plants. Sew
eral thousand workers, mostly unor-
ganized, were on strike in the big
Harvester Manufacturing plants. Sew
eral thousand workers. mostly unor-
ganized, on strike in the Argo Corn
Products Refining Co., several strik-
ers shot by sheriffs and gunner.
Eighteen hundred Chicago firemen