The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-11-29

/ a. - - Ol II. SCOOQ IN
tne way. Ten to fifteen million
workers stand ready to be orrani-
!eo-Dut they want industrial un-
ions SO they can strike back eff |
1ectlvely at their exploiters.
DRIVE FOR
INDUSTRIAL UNIONISM
Now some union leaders have
IeIt this pressure coming from the /
Workers-John L. Lewis, Dubinskv
etc. These men understand that
the workers are determined to
drive forward to real industrial
unlonlsm. Therefore they have
brought the issue into the open be-
cause they are interested in main
tanning their positions in the un-
ions. This split has tolled off, like
a death bell, the fate of G reen,
Hutchinson, and other arch-reac-
tlonary takers. They understand
that their life in the organized la
Dor movement is limited to months
unless they can tear the unions a.
part, terToriZe the workers. and
strike fear into all of those who
are making the drive for industrial
unionism.
cat the last convention thew de-
cided that they would have to
strike and strike fast. They de-
clded to throw their whole resourc-
es into the battle. They decided,
also, that they had to make a spec
tacular start-to bein with a bang.
They had to write in letters of fire
across the sky that it meant death
to any worker who dared raise his
head for any progressive idea.
"But why did they choose Mimi
eapolis as the place at which to
strike the first blow? For two
very good reasons. Minnesota is
like an island that is looked upon
by the workers of the rest of the
country, struggling for their
rights. Whatever you may think
of the Farmer-Labor party, you
must recognize that it represents
a new course-the workers here
have struck off upon the path of
independent political action thru
the Farmer-Labor party. Bill
| Green, the old Republican wheel
: horse, and other craft unionists,
closely allied with the two old cap
italist parties, resent this political
expression of the workers. nd so
they come here hoping to smash
the Farmer-Labor party. At the
same time they intend to strike
blow at the industrial unionists.
Tobin and Green understand that
! if they can make a spectacular and
! smashing blow at STA, they can
smash the industrial union move.
ment a severe blow. It is pure
7 business logic with them. They
l didn't come to Minneapolis simply
to get after reds, radicals, and
7 communists ;they wish to blaze a
trail here that will terrorize the
workers all over the country.
THE PURGE"
OF 1924
| "In 1924, Paul Smith, personal
) representative Of Green, purged
! the unions here of reds. Between
! that time and 1884, when STA came
into the picture, not a single strike
: was won in Minneapolis. The Cit
t liens Alliance succeeded in MAX
ing Minneapolis an open shop
town. Woe to the people who back
red drives. They are only the
g bureaucrats of the labor move
q ment, and the capitalist enemies of
: the workers.
t GAIL of the newspapers here have
: taken up the cry of communism. D..
These are the methods and tools
!. of the capitalists. But this is not
/ simply a flash in the pant is
v going to be a long drawn out, a
bitter fight. Lewis can't move a
single step forward-he has fired
y his best shots. Publicity and
V newspaper articles do not take
over unions. Maybe we'll see fell
lows double up, and bend their
heads before the onslaughts of the
bureaucracy as if their heads were
IL upon hinges. On the other hand
e young, new militant leadership
will be thrown up in the process
3 Of the struggle.
'But let us be on our guard
It watch out. Lewis plans delgiber-
atelv to perpetuate some outrage
ie To frame somebody. That is the
l. next card which they intend tC
IS play. We offer Meyer Lewis
, they say he comes from Iowa.
- passport back to where the tall
corn grows. Let's send him backlf