The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-01-09
By WILLIAM z. FOSTER

by WILLIAM IL. FOSIER
The need of the workers for 9
press of their own, loyal to their in.
terests, is fundamental. For the
workers, surrounded as they are by
oceans of capitalist propaganda and
confronted with a maze of battling
problems, the existence of a labor
press which honestly analyses the
situation, educates the masses, and
leads them in their everyday strug-
giles is life and death question.
But the labor takers have learned
how to sell out to the employers
even this basic institution and they
arc doing it wholesale. One of the
most destructive phases of the wide
spread class collaboration corrup-
ton in the American labor move
ment is the prostitution of the labor
press. This assumes the most aston
ishing forms. 1t saps the vitality
and understanding of the entire la
Ecr movement.
Capitalistic advertising is main
high road to the debauchery of
labor papers. This, piled on the
other influences tending to make
the labor papers reactionary, is
disastrous. The employers and
their political agents contribute
huge sums to the trade union jour-
mails for advertising. Thus they
are enabled to dictate the policies
of these organs and to reduce their
editors to the most abject vassaIs.
BY buying up large numbers of
labor papers in this manner the
employers inject the poison of
their propaganda directly into the
veins of the labor movement. The
American labor press is tainted
with the money of the enemies of
the working class. This fact has
contributed enormously towards
hindering the theological develop
ment of the toiling masses in this
country.
National Labor Papers
The central national organ of
the trade union movement is the
American Federationist, official or
gan of the American Federation of
Labor. This paper, which should set
an example of proletarian honesty
for the whole labor press, is, en- the
contrary, deeply afflicted with all
the forms Of the corruption which
destroys the usefulness of many la
Dor papers and turns them into
enemies of the working class. It's
columns reek with all kinds of cap
italistic propaganda and also with
advertisements of the worst labor
batting companies in the United
States.
Every monthly issue of the Ameri-
can Federationist contains 20 to 80
pages of capitalistic advertising a
large share of which comes from
corporations which rank among the
rabid "open shop" concerns in the
country. For example, in the March,
1927 number, which is typical, we
find represented such notorious
"open shop" companies and prod
ucts as Standard Oil Company, Pru-
dental Insurance Co., General Elec-
trio Co., American Brass Co., Proc
ter and Gamble, Fleischman's Yeast,
National City Co., American Smelt-
ing & Refining Co., Pittsburgh Plate
Glass Co., Philadelphia Electric Co.,
Utility Securities Co., Wrigley's
Gum, ETC., etc. These firms
expect nothing from the American
Federationist as an ordinary adver-
Using medium. What they contrib
ute is SO much "hush money" given
With the expectation of "softening"
'nion labor's policy towards them.
Nor are their investments in vain.
The advertisements Of the American
Federationist are handled by a broth
II of Frank Morrison, who makes
thousands of dollars yearly from this
ource Of corruption