The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-13
DAILY Worker Midwest BureaD
Protest Anti Red" Drive

CHICAGO, Oct. 70. = Repeated
protests against the vicious anti
Red program of William Green's
communication to A. F o. L. unions
calling for the expulsion of Com
munists led John Fitzpatrick. head
of the Chicago Federation of Labor,
to shut off discussion of the matter
by delegates at the last c. F. Of l..
meeting.
Delegate after delegate took the
floor after the communication had
been read, to speak against this at
tempt to split the working class.
An obvious ma jority was against
publishing the communication In
the Chicago Federatiorist.
Green's Letter Denounced
Elmer johnson, recording secre-
tery OF Painters Local 637. exposed
the dangerous character OF Green's
letter in the light of his own eX-
perlerce in union activity.
'In my experience in the local
union. together with Progressives
who fight for lower dues and bet
ter working conditions, We have
been called Communists by the re-
dictionaries. This communication
will help reactionaries in ell locals
to prevent militant struggle of
their membership"
He pointed out the use of the
"Red Scare" in the Frisco strike.
He then stated that the attack was
what we would expect from the en-
ploycrs, but that, coming from the
A. F. of L. president, it was a COM
pletely vicious statement.
Democracy in Unions
1--WE must fight to keep all our
members" he concluded. I'VE must
stand for democracy in the unions,
for freedom of expression and
political opinion"
John Hecker then asked the body
if it was the policy to expel political
enemies from the unions why the
unions didn't clean out the Repub-
lican and Democratic politician.
who act as betrayers of the labor
movement. He pointed out that it
was Communists who were always
in the front ranks Of the picket
lines.
In the midst of what was the
stormiest meeting of the c. T. of L.
in months, a Socialist. Leatherman,
of the Pockatbook Makers Union
made talk supporting the whole
Green program while pretending to
oppose it. He stated definitely that
he was in agreement with 90 per
cent Of Green's statement. He was
against the motion The said) to
publish Green's letter in the Fed
eraticnist because ne believed Com
munists should net be expelled
from the unions. but should be left
without Influence. He PROPOSED that
the locals make it a standing rule
thst Communists could not be OH
the ballot in union elections.
About do7en speakers all told
sroke a4ainst the motion, and John
Fitzpatrick finally took the focr
in a desperate ATTEMPT to prevent
rejection of the anti-Red stand. He
pleaded with the delegates prem
lslng that no one of them would be
expelled. He rantad about Commu-
mist boring from within" tactics
and then cut loose with some high
powered oratory about Communism
being a cancerous growth, a fe3-
terous object. ETC., ETC., etc.
When he finished dozen dele
gates demanded the floor, but Fitz-
patrick hastily rushed the matter to
"a vote without further discussion.
At least q per cent of the dele
gates voted against publication Of
the letter, end mest of the rest
ohstsined However. the machine
was able to muster enough votes to
pass the motion by a small ma
jcrity,