The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-08-22
The Analganated
Turns A Corner
By JACK HARDY.

ONCE its inception the Anlalgamated Clothing
Workers Of America has given lip-service to
radical doctrine, True enough obstreperols
Communists and members of the Trade Union
Unity League were to be slugged and expelled
from the organization whenever found within
the unions ranks But that, it was commended
was because they failed to comprehend the full
implications of the higher strategy of the Hill
man machine, which never deviated from it's
radical principles for single moment and which
had its own patented approach to the co-opera-
tive commonwealth. Indeed, the preamble of
the Amalgamated constitution begins:
"'The economic organization of labor has
been called into existence by the capitalist
system of production, under which the division
between the ruling class and the ruled class
is based upon the ownership of the means of
production. The industrial and inter-
industrial organization, built upon the solid
rock Of clear knowledge and conscious
ness, will put the organized working class in
clear control of the system of production, and
the working class will then be ready to take
possession of it,
The union was not in existence long, however
before its day to day policies and activities made
it clear that such sentiments as the above wese
merely a sop to the radicalism of the militant
$1,000
was no actual difference between the Amaga-
mated officialdom and the Matthew VOLS and
other A. F. of L. bureaucrats. Ten years ago
prominent Chicago employer was able to report
to the National Industrial Conference Board an
open-Shop employers research organization. that
as reSulB of his experience with the Anlalga-
mated Clothing Workers he had found that
while the leaders of the organization protested
sooialistc aims, in practice they save their So
cialsh for the evening meetings" The long ex-
pulsion record of the organization, from which
class conscious workers have been elected as
fast as they could be discovered and the con-
tinuous concessions made to the employers at
the expense of the hard-fought gains of the
workers in the industry, have fully borne out
the above observation of the employers
Today the Hillman clique feels itself strongly
enough entrenched to openly espouse its fascist
aims. With the workers caught in the iron grip
of the depression, the administration is certain
enough of itself to abandon even the radical
phrases with. which it has covered itself for
years.
In statement recently issued by the A. c. w.
in answer to charges of the National Labor
Council of Toronto that it was a "red" organ
ization, the union vehemently denies that it IS
even pink, and advances its record of the past
ten years as an answer to the charges of the
council. give years ago." the union statement
boldly admits spent $25O,OOO in a campaign
against reds We have elected them from our
union and they have no voice in its affairs.
Does it seem likely that some of the most con-
sentative clothing manufacturers of the city
would deal with us if we we're red organiza-
tion?p
Members of the Amalgamated League and
needle workers generally must give the widest
circulation to this new statement of the Anal
gamated officials. Where they have previously
covered their gangsterism and general fascist
policy with left phrases, they now openly deny
any "red" aims. The rank and file will know
how to reply