The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-06-11
Steel Group Bolts
Capital When Told
To OK. Go. Union

CONTINUED from Page y
tions. They realized, and indicated
so to this correspondent, that most
of the local leaders dropped negotia-
tons yesterday out of defeat, rather
than out of defiance, as the CAPT
talist press declared.
They are aware that General
Johnson's declaration yesterday that
only the Steel and Metal Workers
Industrial Union actually raised the
"A. conventions economic demands
in Washington was the literal truth
They were ready to join hands with
the S.M.WI.U. in redoubling efforts
toward the strike. They realize that
the whole performance of the So
called convention committee of the
A. A., acting on the advice of
reactionary whipper snapper of a
young college postgraduate and a
liberal official of the Roosevelt gov
eminent, made it possible for
johnson and Tighe to call the turn
from the beginning.
The final statement from COM
mittee members again actively aided
the Tighe-Johnson tactic of at
tempting to brighten workers into
passivity by attaching the ancient
"red-scare" to any militant word or
deed. Sixteen members of the
committee complained last night
that General johnson, "as if to add
insult to injury followed up
the vicious steel institute company
union plan by a radio address in
which he called us, Communists"
Thus the committee aided
johnson and Tighe in their efforts
to make the workers believe that
the s. M. w. I. U. is restricted to
evade the real questions in dispute,
the workers economic demands.
The A. A. statement also avoided
sll mention of strike preparations.
Those close to them said this was
done consciously, that the group
we're urged to declare for immediate
strike preparation, and refused to
do so.
A. A. leaders declared, further
more, that they stood fast against
the government employer proposal
to call off the strike on the basis
Of an arbitration board not because
they were opposed to arbitration but
because the form of the board pro-
posed contained a provision that
virtually would insure that COM
pany unions would replace the A. A.
throughout the industry.
All this was but the natural up
shot of the policy of the committee
from the beginning. Their whole
policy, admitted to your cores
pondent privately two weeks ago
was to bluff" the Roosevelt regime
and the steel barons into meeting
the demands Of the workers.
Two of the Committees closest
advisers throughout their two weeks
in Washington were an official of
the National Recovery Administra-
ton, who has been a careerist on
for many years.
Another committee advisor" was
the fringe Of the labor movement
Harold Ruttenberg, product of, and
graduate student and instructor in
Andrew Melons University of
Pittsburgh, who is making study"
of the steel industry to write a
book about it. A typical smart
aleck economist, processing before
all capitalist reporters in Washing
ton extreme cynicism about the
ability of the A. A. men to carry
through a. strike, Ruttenberg also
joked before reporters about how
General johnson could bamboozle
the union leaders.
After ALL" Ruttenberg said on
Saturday morning, while the COM
mittee was comforting with John
son, they don't meet general and
the head of the MIRA. every day."
/ Implying that they would be bowled
over by Johnson's Importance. The
fact was that, while the majority
of the A.A. delegates did bow to
johnson and Tighe, several of the
committee at that very moment
were telling johnson that they
were through" with him and the
MIRA.
In addition to listening to such
a dangerous nitwit, the committee
apparently was subject also to the
presence within it's ranks of one or
more agents of the employers. Only
this could explain the combination
of provocateur threats of dynamit-
ing and bloodshed along with de-
featist declarations which were
spoken by the committee members
in private, and the gulf between
their bombastic publicity statements
to the press and their bootlicking of
Mike Tighe and every government
official in Washington. When they
left Washington, consequently, they
were split into three groups about
half a dozen frankly admitting fear
of a strike and readiness to COM
promise, about as many evidencing
complete confusion as to which way
to turn and no plans Whatsoever,
and the rest not only disguised but
determined to carry through the
strike
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