The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-08-14
WILL EXPOSE
UTW BETRAYERS
BY LISTON NJ. OAK

SoRntC IuClflflJ OHc VI bttC NdSOOiIid
defendants charged with murder,
was refused the floor today at the
State Federation of Labor Conven-
ton in session at the House Of Rep
resentatives here. The American
Federation of Labor bureaucracy
succeeded today in tabling the mo-
tion made by a rank and file dele
gate, that Melvin be given the floor
to appeal for the support of the In
ternational Labor Defense campaign
to mobilize the American workers
for the support of the defense.
Riding roughshod over the indig-
nant protests of many of the dele
gates who expressed their desire to
hear Melvin, the steamroller mach
inery worked fast, tabling the mo-
ton and substituting a resolution
asking the State to give "fair
trial" Even the local capitalist
papers report that the majority of
the delegates were disappointed and
indignant, and that many say they
will make a motion to reconsider,
and invite Melvin to speak.
The defense organization and Ma
tional Textile Workers Union i'm
mediately made arrangements to
hold mass meeting at the county
courthouse tomorrow evening, where
Melvin, Juliet Stuart Poyntz, Dewey
Martin and c. w. Saylor will speak
to the convention delegates and the
workers Of Raleigh, appealing for
support to the defense which in
reality is a trial of the workers
fright to organize into unions for
struggle, to strike, and defend them
selves when attacked.
The A. F. of L. and United Tex
tile Workers bureaucrats will be ex-
posed by the speakers. The Eliza
bethtown sellout which Kelly and
McGrady hail as "the greatest VIC
tory for organized labor in the his
tory of the South" will be shown as
proof of the treachery of the UTW
officialdom.
The desertion OF the strikers at
Ware Shoals will be exposed as part
of the general program of betrayals
in the class struggle Of the UTW.
The significance of the Charlotte
conference to initiate a general
movement of struggle in the South
will be emphasized
A resolution on the defense of the
% arrested textile workers has been
mimeographed and will be distrib-
uted together with statement from
the NTW to all delegates. Organ
izers of the NTW will demand the
floor tomorrow at the convention.
D. B. Scoggins Of the Typograph-
ical union of Winston-Salem made
the motion at the session today to
give Melvin an opportunity to pre-
sent the case of her fellow-defend-
ants. 1t was opposed on the ground
that the "AFL has spent millions
of dollars fighting Communism, and
the officialdom would censure the
convention for allowing Commun-
st to speak"
The convention is divided sharply
into two groups, one of the typical
fat boys Of the AFL bureaucracy,
complacent and hard boiled, and the
other Of rank and file delegates from
skilled crafts. Whenever the rank
and file delegates denounce the cap
italist press or make any progressive
proposals, the chairman, T. A. Will
son, president of the State Fedora
tion, turns to the capitalist press
representatives, apologies for the
statement made, and commends the
capitalist press for being very fair
to labor. and condemns the progress
sive recommendations
Speeches of Winslow, McGrady,
Kelly and other officials are full of
sentimental appeals to enlightened
employers" for higher wages as the
means Of slleviating unrest and pre-
venting the growth Of Communism,
and securing efficiency. They all
advocate the cooperation of bosses
hnd workers as the means to secure
Industrial peace.
The orientation Of the whole con-
vention is toward appealing to the
capitalists, especially the mill own
ers, to help them organize for mu-
tual benefit (meaning benefit of
losses and bureaucratic official
DOM. They will attempt to strength
Continued on Page Five)