The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-11-27

Continued from Saturdays Daily
WOrker)
Do you know what is really the
matter with Ambridge and Greens
burg? First Of all, we lquidated the
whole issue of concentration. VIZ
worked away from the decisive plants
at Jones & Laughlin, etc. If we hac
concentrated there properly, we woule
not be talking about the terror in
Ambridge. That is the answer. The
Steel workers would have had a rea
perspective Of big struggles.
And it is the same in the Miners
Union. If we had concentrated, as
We decided time and time again, ir
Fayette County, we would not bt
talking about the U. M. W. A. lead
ing this strike-we would be leadins
this strike.
Failure In Concentration
fail to understand how some COM
radeS can get so far, discussing every
thing in the world except concentra-
ton at this date. If we have hac
hard shedding for the time being ir
the Pittsburgh area, does this NEAR
that our policy or organizing revolu-
tionary unions and independent lead
ership is wrong? No. 1t simply means
that we did not concentrate and or.
lganize these unions in the right places
to begin with and missed moments
that were more or less decisive.
What does 1t mean when the
Amalgamated, headed by Mike Tighe
this serVile tool Of the bosses, can
come into Weirton, one of the worst
company towns, where there are no
elections, where every policeman is
appointed by the company, and stage
a strike of $4,000 workers. The work
ers do not believe the Amalgamated
especially. They want to join union
because 1t means battle for better con-
ditiots. And We are monkeying
around in Ambridge Why, If we had
Jones & Laughlin in South Pittsburgh
or Alleduipa we would not need to
talk about sweeping up and down the
valley. We would be sweeping UP
and down the valley.
Struggle On Broad Scale
It does not mean that we are
against small strikes, or against or
ganization of small plants. No. We
are for strikes everywhere when they
are properly organized and there is
a prospect of winning. But steel
workers know instinctively on the
basis of their experiences dating with
the Homestead strike and coming up
through 1919-1920 that you won't
make the steel trust yield, you won't
make the government yield, and you
won't build powerful industrial
union in steel unless you have a per-
spective of struggle on an industrial
scale in the steel industry. This we
failed to give to the steel workers, I
think, and II I am wrong, I would
like to be corrected.
In regard to the question of oppor-
tunism in the leadership of the trade
unions, it is my opinion that these
comrades who are in pretty direct
contact with workers tend to get the
most backward expressions, or tend
to emphasize the expressions Of the
most backward workers.
Bringing Party Forward
These comrades, in my opinion
think of the Party in another period;
they don't think OF the Party In the
present period. They think of the
period when the Party was brought
forward SO ineptly in previous situa-
tions, when the working class was
not SO radicalized, when the working
class was not so conscious, not Sc
interested in political questions; they
think any attempt to bring forward
the Party now will repeat those I'M
fortunate instances. This is one basis
for opportunism among our leader