Montana labor news., 1933-01-05
AT THE THRESHOLD OF A NEW YEAR

eVerVWnefe tne anxious QueStlOn. Will ne approaching
year be a better one than the twelve months that have
just ended?" For millions the past year was one OF ex-
tended unemployment, worry and misery. For prac-
tically all the workers the past year has brought nothing
but constant deterioration in their living and working
conditions; the various wage reductions resorted to meant
a smaller piece of bread for the worker, his wife and his
children and it had a frightening and depressing effect
upon all the millions who, in spite of their most earnest
efforts, could find neither work nor bread for themselves
and their loved ones. Very little concern apparently
was felt among the more constituencies eXploiters as to
whether sickness and undernourishment were spreading
among the millions of families, suffering tremendously
from the prevailing unemployment; it concerned them
apparently very little that the cheeks Of the hungry chill
dren of the unemployed workers-0ur coming generation
-paled and faded away, as long as through increased
exploitation Of the broad masses still at work their prof
its could be maintained. In spite of the existing, ex-
tensive and constantly growing unemployment they even
raised the cry for longer working hours. "More work
and less wages!' was heard everywhere from among
those who themselves do not work, living on the products
of the labor of others. No other instance, perhaps, dem
~onstrates more clearly the a~bsurdity of the existing cap
italistic conditions.
To reduce wages for the purpose of being able to COM
pete, means the curtailment of the purchasing power of
the masses, thus bringing about an additional sinking
IN the consumptive power OF the people, which In turn
must lead inevitably to a further reduced demand in the
commodity market and simultaneously. thereby increas-
ing the economic crisis by producing and causing addi-
tional unemployment. That, however, does not seem to
trouble much those who are only concerned in the main
Itenance or Cnelr pf0flC or dividend rate. Neltner COM
mon sense nor understanding are being applied; con-
tinued profits and increased earnings are the forces i'm
peling them without regard as to whether humanity and
human dignity are going to the dogs. Maintenance of
profits and dividends under all circumstances is their
slogan, even if as a result of unhealthy and insufficient
housing conditions, undernomishment and unemploy-
ment, tuberculosis and other diseases, hundreds Of thou
sands of groWnups and children are being brutally sac
rificed. Everything is being sacrificed to the unsuitable
Moloch c~apitalism-that greedy monser-even human
dignity and human life.
When we, today, as trade unionists, at the beginning
of a new year, cast our retrospect over the past, we, with
tender sadness, are reminded of all of those felloW-fioht-
ers who for some time or other have loyalty fought with
us shoulder to shoulder until that grim reaper, Death,
took them away from us. We, who have been left be-
hind, however, must not only concern ourselves with a
retrospect into the past. Much more important than that
is to look into the future and to see what it has in store
for us.
Behind us there lies a sad period of an extended in
dustrial crisis with its attending unemployment. Behind
us lies also a period Of struggles with our employers for
the maintenance of the rights which we have secured
for ourselves through our organization; a struggle for the
maintenance and continuation Of hard-fought achieve
ments and a more than hard struggle for the preserva-
ton of a living wage scale. By means of this extended
unemployment capitalism might have Intentionally sue
ceeded in weakening us somewhat, but it has not been
able to defeat us because the power of the trade unions
is invincble and unconquerable.
At the beginning of this new year and fully realizing
the seriousness of the situation throughout which we
were compelled to go during the past few years, we can
not help but believe that the time will arrive when our
trade unions will be strengthened again, because many
of the workers who, during the time of the economic
depression thoughtlessly turned their backs to the trade
unions, will finally be compelled to realize the colossal
mistake which they have made. They will return to us
and rejoin the organization, reneWedly participating in
our struggle for freedom and justice. The time will not
be far off and the giant Labor will again be able to as
sert itself, and the trade unions who as a result of the
crisis and depression were forced into a defensive posi-
ton will renewedly assume their aggressive stand. When
that time comes we must be prepared to carry our mes
sage of enlightenment and encouragement renewedly
among the masses of the workers; more forceful than
ever it must be made clear to them that only by means
of a clear-sighted and clear-headed struggle can present
conditions be improved. And the more militant fighters
we win over to our cause the more we are able to strength
en- our ranks, the more strongly the necessity Of organi-