The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-09-19

approach Of 54 A. of L. Conoenion Emphasizes Record
Of StrkeBreaking by Bosses Agents in the Labor Capf

ship developing out of the ranks of
two or three million newly organized
workers and they have decided to
force a finish fight while the pres
ent A. F. Of L. officialdom is still
in control.
Alarmed by the tremendous scope,
unprecedented militancy and the
increasing political character Of the
mass struggles, monopoly capitalism
has, judging from the events of the
last two weeks, entered upon a new
stage of its drive against the living
standards of the entire American
working class. The capitalists in
tend by force to compel retreat
Of the working class and its organ
izations.
1t is impossible to overeStimate
the seriousness of the consequences
for the labor movement implicit in
the program adopted after a two
day session in Hot Springs on Sept.
10 and IA of $50 leading Industrial
ists," a program proposed by George
Houston, president of the Baldwin
Locomotive Works and chairman of
the Durable Goods Industries-the
organization Of big capital in the
basic industries.
Want Greater Control
According to the New York Times
of Sept. Is, the program calls for
N. r. A. to be redrafted so as to
be still more favorable to monopoly
capital, to "be so changed as to
provide for mOnOpOiistic control of
certain industries in the form of
modified cartels under government
supervision"
This proposal is sweeping and
brazen enough but the key point
in this program Of monopoly capital
deals with wages and hours:
1t is claimed that "wages are too
high in many lines" and opposes
further wage increases" 1t is in
tended to arrange for further wage
decreases, if possible"
In regard to working hours the
Hot Springs program maintains
that eff maximum hours are not
abolished, they should be set so
high as not to interfere with the
restoration Of parity between wages
in manufacturing and the general
price level"
Program Fights Insurance
All legislation for unemployment
insurance, old age pensions and
other social measures are to be
fought more intensely than ever by
the combined forces of monopoly
capital backing the program. Gen
eral unemployment relief by the
local, state and federal governments
is to be abolished, according to this
program.
In other words, the program calls
for the still stronger organization
of monopoly capital against any rise
in living standards of the toiling
population; for a decrease in liv-
ing standards; for fight to the
finish against all demands and
measures which interfere with prof
its and the rapid increase in the
amount of profit to be wrung from
American workers.
1t is uncomfortable that this Tory
program should have been adopted
in the midst of the mass upsurge
in the textile industry and in the
face of the general militant temper
of the working class unless its spon-
sors were assured that, after some
demagogic gestures and the usual
empty threats of President Green
and other recognized" labor off
Gals, these same officials will try
to organize and lead retreat, will
try to organize the surrender of
the labor movement to this new
program of monopoly capital.
Cheered by Green's Words
Do not these monopolies have on
record President Green's announce
ment of the need for launching a
new campaign to drive the Reds"
out Of the labor movement? Do
not these multi-millionaire and bill
llonaire enemies of the working
class know that such a campaign,
if successful, would mean cutting
the living, fighting heart out of the
organized labor movement? Do
they not know in 1923 it was such
a campaign that alone made pos
sible the foisting of the castrating
policy of labor-management COOP
GRAFTON upon the labor movement?
or course they know it! Pres
ident Green, whatever he may say
IN the future, has already given his
guarantee of disruption and per-
secution within the labor movement
while labor's enemies drive with all
forces against it on the outside.
Other leading officials will have
their special tasks.
We do not have to go beyond