The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-09-07
BY JOHN T. FLYNN

copyright. 1850. f'EA Service. Incl
NEW YORK, Sept. Where is
labor going? Its course may be
fairly surmised. The federation,
while Mr.. Green dominates it, seems
bent on reviving the NRA one way
or another. Primarily it is inter
ested in those features which aid
labor.
But Mr.. Green seems to feel that
these can not be obtained unless
capital is given the right to regulate
trade practices, which means price
and production control. Hence the
federation has put itself behind
three important bills-the Guffey
bill, the Walsh bill and the OMa-
honey bill.
The Guffey bill is a plan to re-
vive the NRA in the coal industry.
The Walsh bill is an attempt to
impose NRA labor standards on all
contractors seeking government
business. The O'Mahoney bill is the
most ambitious. 1t is a plan to pro-
vide for Federal licensing of cor
porations engaged in interstate
commerce.
Critics Smell Fascism
Critics of these bills say they are
the entering wedge for introducing
the italian system of the corpora
tive state, which is the heart of
Italian Fascism. What will happen
to labor? One can only guess.
Forces more powerful than inten-
tions of any leaders are swaying
its destiny.
There can be no doubt there is a
potent ferment both inside and out
side the federation. Wherever this
shows its head, there are alarm
lists to rise and cry, Communism!
1t is certainly left wing. But left
of what? What is left? 1t is a
broad avenue which includes such
widely separated mortals as the
moderate liberal Democratic Sen
ator Robert Wagner and the red
leader, William z. Foster.
These left-wing labor malcon-
tents are numerous. They include
the well-organized Amalgamated
Garment Workers and the Interna-
tional Ladies Garment Workers, al
ways labeled left" There is the
Unity League with number of affil-
lated unions, some of which COM
prise many Socialists.
There are the anthracite miners,
opposed to John L, Lewis rule, but
hardly more left than any other
union. There are the fur unions
which do have a number of Commu-
nists in them. There are the farm
workers unions in the Far West.
which were criticised as agents Of
Moscow in the Imperial Valley, and
the new and unique Farmer Ten
ants Union in the South-Share-
troopers.
Some Groups at Odds
Inside the federation are large
disaffected groups like the steel
workers rank and file. They held
a convention in Pittsburgh in Feb
ruary-78 out of 122 steel unions
said to be represented. President
Tighe called them Communists and
expelled about 80 locals.
They insist Tighe has 100000
members enrolled but only 1000
dues-paying members and that the
steel union could have them all if
it had an aggressive leadership.
Similar groups are to be found in
many unions.
Out of all this emerges this fact.
With a few minor exceptions, these
leaders and their unions are not in
any sense Communists. The last
thing they are dreaming about is
change of government in America.
Their detectives are hardly different
from the federation's.
They merely want a different ap-
proach, a more vigorous leadership.
They think the labor leaders are
old, too we'll satisfied with life as it
is; that the world has turned
corner, but the leaders are drifting
on unaware of it. They want labor
organized on new lines.