The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-05-28
BrOnn'S Poison Gas

COMPARED to those liberal journalists
y who pose as friends of labor" only to
be in a more advantageous position to
spread their poison against the working
class, a scabby rat becomes a DESTROYS
household pet.
The claimant for first position in this
rank is Mr.. Haywood Broun, who in the Toledo
auto strike. shoots some of his own brand of poison
gas through his column for the scripps-Howar
chain of newspapers
The capitalist press, finding it extremely diff
hcult to squelch the nationwide indignation of
the workers against this brutal assault, find in
Mr.. Haywood Broun, socislist-trained, pen-prosti-
tute valuable apologist for the savage expoiters
The cruX of Mr. Broun's conclusion after viewing
the strike at first hand is that it els monstrous
and meaningless brawl"
In spite of the fact that Broun himself admits
there is to believe that the Auto-Lite con-
Germ definitely was picked as a spear-head in the
drive Of the automobile industry for the open shop"
he shamelessly ISLANDERS the strikers and their SYM
pathizers.
Here is a militant battle that involves directly
the rights of 25OOOO workers in the auto industry
and to Mr.. Broun 1t is a meaningless brawl"
Soldiers are brought in by the capitalist state and
slaughter two workers wound hundreds, spatter
the sidewalks with blood The workers resist and
again and again brave gun fire, poison gas, to
beat back the spearhead in the drive for the open
shop"
Broun goes on to strip himself in his column
Just as the strikers stripped another rat in Toledo
What I watched this afternoon brick
throwing Just for the fun of it." Try as hard as
he may Broun cannot for the life of him confirm
his rotten SANDER. Broun does not go to the trouble
Of asking an adult striker or sympathizer why
they show such heroism unarmed against forces
of the bosses. armed with the most modern
slaughter equipment. He picks out IL year old
lad and asks why he filings bricks. The child's
reply is complete refutation of his whole scabby
column. The boy says he is throwing rocks, ito
help the strikers!"
To Broun the motive of the Toledo workers in
coming down to the picket lines to help their
harassed brothers is no different from that of
Coney Island picknickers
AFTER literally dishing out his vilest ISLANDERS,
n Bron does not forget to affirm his great love
for the workers, but concludes still 1 want to
get on record my sympathy for the thin line of
National Guardsmen." Not having gone to great
enough lengths to besmirch the strikers, he goes
to great depths to help the bosses cover up the
fact of their use Of naked force against workers.
It's stuff and nonsense" says Broun to say that.
the militia are symbols of the capitalist system"
While Broun finds ample praise for the militia
in shooting down workers, he wants the workers
to withdraw and let the open shop bosses do as
they please with the life and interests Of the strik-
ers. In its present phases 0he strike)" he says,
lis a monstrous and meaningless brawl. I am back,
hook line and snker, into my pacifism." Broun's
"pacihsm" sees nothing wrong with the capitalist
state the auto bosses sending armed men to shoot
down strikers, but it sees everything an1iss when
the workers refuse to submit.
A former much wanted member of the Socialist
Party one of its congressional candidates, Brouns
pacifism extends not only to the question OF war,
but to the day-to-day class struggle. Like the So
cialist Party today he wants the workers to CAPT
tulate completely before the offensive of the Roose
welt regime.
No wonder Mr.. Broun, quite conscious of his real
role after interviewing the 12-year old strike SYM
pathizer sneaks off like yellow dog when strikers
gather around him to hear him express his sym
pathy" for the workers Il did not want to get
marched through the streets without my clothes,
explains Broun, 80 I desisted"
But he did not desst from standing naked in
his column, exposed fat bloated enemy of the
heroic Toledo strikers.