The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-03-14
A. F. of [. Leaders Betray
Tom Mooney

tried to be helpful to Tom Mooney" is a bare
faced lie Two or three examples of this boosted
help will prove that Scharrenberg has never
lifted finger-except to strengthen the bonds
that keep Tom Mooney in prison.
Among the many positions that this versatile
leader" holds is the editorship Of the Pacific
Coast Seamen's Journal, official organ of the
Seamens Union of the Pacific. One would sup
pose that this helpful person in his official Ca
pacity as editor of a paper circulated among
workers, would devote some little space to the
Mooney Billings case. Yet in the past three
years no more than eleven typewriter lines have
appeared in this publication. Considerable help,
indeed
The Convention of the A F. of L.. held in Los
Angeles in 1927, was the first one that failed to
adopt a resolution on behalf Of Mooney and
Billings. 1t has been openly charged by a re-
sponsible official of the A. F. of L. that Schar-
renberg was directly guilty of this cowardly
maneuver The proceedings at that convention
were so outrageous that Editor E. B. Ault found
it necessary to write in the Seattle Union Record:
"The American Federation of Labor passed the
buck on Tom Mooney and Warren K. Billings
to the executive council of the Federation 1t
is the first time since Mooney was first sem
fenced that organized labor has not fatfootedly
demanded his release. Perhaps the delegates
thought they would be violating the hospitality
of Los Angeles, whose Merchants and Manufac-
turers Association is largely responsible for the
conditions that have made the labor struggle in
California more violent than elsewhere. Perhaps
they are just too cowardly to take a stand on
behalf of the men who have borne the brunt of
the struggle to make union organization possible
to lot of people who would otherwise be work
ing under the most oppressive conditions What
ever the reason for the pussyfooting, it was not
creditable to organized labor and it will reflect
on the men and women who failed to do their
duty"
indicative of the attitude of Scharrenberg is
the fact that every time he met Edward Nockels,
Secretary of the Chicago Federation of Labor,
during the sessions of the Los Angeles A. F. of
L. convention, he would sptefuly greet him
with the following underworld phrase: We'll,
did you spring your friend. Tom Mooney yet?"
Scharrenberg has absolute control over the
California State Federation of Labor. Not only
is he Secretary Treasurer Of that body but he
dominates the Seamens Union of the Pacific
and the Waterfront Employees Association of
San Francisco. The Seamen's Union is credited
with membership of 5000 while the Waterfront
Employees Association claim 2,400 With the
manipulation of these votes Scharrenberg is en-
abled to retain his power at every State Con-
vention.
Incidentally brief glance at these two Or
CARNATIONS will shed considerable light on the
integrity of Paul Scharrenberg as labor lead
err" The Sailors Union of the Pacific, for which
Scharrenberg claims a per capita membership of
over 5000, in reality has little more than 500
dues paying membersl The San Francisco
Waterfront Employees Association was an out
and out scab company union Organized by en-
ployers in 1915 in order to crush the Internal
tonal Longshoremen's Association, and procured
the admission of it's delegates to the San Fran
cisco Labor Council. But it has never affiliated
with the International Longshoremens Associa-
ton.
These are Scharrenbergs "own' unions,
through whose votes he maintains control over
the State Federation. And while he hypocriticaly
and falsely attacks the Tom Mooney Molders
Defense Committee because it "has never issued
financial statement" the fact remains that
neither Of these organizations has contributed
one cent to the Defense Committee since it was
reorganized three years ago. On the contrary
Scharrenberg has done everything in his power
to prevent any organization or individual from
contributing to the defense Of Mooney and
Billings
The Shiny maneuver at the Marysullc conven-
tion his more to 1t than moral indignation over
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