The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-12-31
Granite Union
Official Gags
Rank and File
BY a Worker Correspondent

QUINCY, Mass.-It does not suit
Mr.. Squibb, International President
Of the Granite Cutters Union. to
allow opponents of his ideas free
dom of expression in the trade jour
nal Of that union.
AS editor, he exercises his right
to veto any and all material that
does not meet with his own per-
sonal wishes. One must agree with
Squibb, otherwise it is a waste of
time to send anything to that Jour-
nal.
The latest evidence of this is
Squibb's exclusion from the Granite
Unions Journal of Dan McBains
report on the state of the trade,
with some criticism of the proposed
N.R.A. agreement for the union.
Dan McBain is secretary of the
Concord, N. H., branch Of the Gran
tie Cutters Union. 1t cannot be
claimed by Squibb that McBain's
letter did not arrive in time for
publication. That is one alibi Squibb
used before in similar cases. Let
tiers from other secretaries further
away from Squibbs office than
Concord, N. H., are dated the same
or even later than McBain's. Yet,
those appeared while McDain's was
excluded.
That proposed N.R.A trade agree
ment for the granite cutters was
originally bosses proposition
Squibo and his executive board
sponsored it heartily and pushed
it along so quickly that the general
body of granite cutters had no time,
if not to know of it, at least not
enough time to weigh it up and
down in all its aspects and con-
sequences.
The Barre, VT, and the Concord,
N H., branches asked that a con-
ference of delegates from all
branches concerned should be called
first to consider the matter. This
would have included such branches
as New York and Philadelphia, for
the wage rate and conditions in
New England, the section that is
covered by the agreement, affect
more or less directly conditions in
those branches near by to the New
England line.
BY letter and telegram, Squibb
and his council we're asked to call
first for such a conference which
would be more representative of
the rank and file than Squibb and
his self succeeding council could be,
as that council is elected entirely
by Quincy members and frequently
by less than twenty voting! AT
least half of these being union Of
ficials, they naturally aid each other
| to retain Office.
Barre and Concord were the only
branches sufficiently alive to the
dangers of that agreement and with
sufficient cooperation within each
branch among members to act. 1t
must not be thought that other
branches were all unanimously in
favor of that agreement. The sue
cess SO far of Squibb and his coun-
Gil lies in the failure of the rank
and file members to get together
and the inevitable failure of the
lone and isolated individual who
dares to oppose the Official coterie
in his particular branch.
The action of Concord and Barre
was not altogether in vain. Squibt
and his council are tacitly pledged
to the bosses to put this thing
through, but they are wishing now
in view of the growing knowledge
on the part of the members, that
they had not been quite so precipi-
tate about it.
There is resentment in Barre over
the fact that this branch was not
allowed to vote on the question OF
a New England agreement.
1t will take some tall explaining
on Squibb's part to tell why Quincy
was permitted to vote and Barre
was excluded as well as why Nc
Bain's letter was suppressed.