The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-04-08
A. F. of L. Leaders Betray
Tom Mooney

Jail, in order to ascertain whether Fickert was
telling the truth.
In 1916 the California labor officials all too
willingly accepted the word of Fickert and the
Chamber of Commerce that all the defendants
were guilty and during all the intervening years
they have acted as their spokesman, and re-
peated this ghastly lie.
The labor leaders do not yet appreciate the
depth of horror and resentment that has swept
over intelligent men and women everywhere as
a result of the frame-up They do not yet real
ize the contumely that must be theirs because
they chose to stand with the frame-up crew. But
soon they will hear the angry protests of the
workers, and they will know that Labor's wrath
has been aroused by their hypocrisy, treachery,
and infamy.
H. L. MENCKEN ON tom MOONEY AND
THE UNIONS"
H. L. Mencken, the iconoclastic editor of the
American Mercury in an article tinged with
bitter sarcasm, published in the Baltimore "Sun"
June II, 1929. accurately characterized and sum-
med-up the role of the labor leaders:
These Rabbits the Big Businessmen, know
their State California;, and what is more. they
know its labor leaders. Upon all save few of
the latter the lesson of MONEYS fate is surely
not lost They not only walk very softly, where
as formerly they were full of malicious animal
magnetism; they even work against Mooney be-
hind the door, What they fear is that if he is
released Internationally that he will upset their
applicant. Things, at the moment, go well with
them. They are ON good terms with the Bah
bits, keep the slaves they lead in order, and
get their fair share of public jobs Scores of
them have their shouts in the trough. They are
invited to all considerable banquets, and sit on
innumerable boards and commissions. Not few
know where and how to get good tips on the
stock market.
Mooney, turned loose, would spoil all that.
He harbors what are called radical IDEAS and
does not believe that it is wise for labor leaders
to be SO complacent. He would try to stir up
the slaves against them, and hence against the
Rabbits So they refuse to ask Governor Young
to pardon him, but content themselves with
asking for a parole. Out on parole, Mooney
would be safely hamstrung The moment he
uttered a word against the Rabbits or against
the labor leaders who play their game, he would
be clapped into prison again as a Red, and there
he would remain for life. Naturally enough, he
protests against being paroled. What he de-
mands is free and unconditional pardon, as
BELTS an innocent man.
1.-THE whole affair throws a curious light upon
the present status of the whole American Labor
movement. 1t has got so conservative that its
chief dgnitaries are quite conservative as
Andy Mellon himself. They are slick and shiny
fellows, hobnobbing with bankers, bishops and
such highly respectable fowl, and ready and
eager to put down every sign Of radicalisnl. They
draw big salaries, travel necessarily and luxuri-
ously break up all strikes that look serious, and
are first over the top when there is banquet
A few weeks ago group Of them went to West
Point, reviewed the Regiment Of Cadets, and
were given royal honors. simultaneously an
other group delivered the poor Rayon strikers at
Elizabethtown, Tenn, to the mercies OF the bos-
SEES.
ut goes without saying that such elegant fell
lows have little sympathy with Mooney He is
frankly agitator, and If he were set at large
tomorrow he would undoubtedly have something
to say about their sybaritic ways and he would
even go to the length Of arguing that they ought
to be kicked out to make room for men less
eager to curry favor with the enemy. Down
the line in the rank and file Of the unions he
has plenty Of partisans, but the men higher up
know how to keep the lid on. When resolutions
are passed, they are always mild ones. There
must be no Bolshevisml
ut may seem incredible, but am assured on
the highest authority that it is a fact, that dur
ing the 10 years Mooney has been in prison, the
American Federationist,' the organ of the AM
erican Federation of Labor, has never SO much
| as mentioned him. His imprisonment has been
discussed elsewhere to the extent OF acres Of
print, and even the most conservative news-
papers have had to take notice Of It. Moro, II
has had repcrcusscus ~ ONE the wossd, and