Montana labor news., 1938-10-27
STATE HEAD OF (I0
SCORES TH0RkEL50N
Pres. Sylvester Graham Chal-
lenges Thorkelson to Prove
Allegations.

leHSes 1nOrkelSOn 10 ITOVc
Allegations.
In a TRADE of red-baiting and at
the same time appealing to members
of organized labor to elect him to
Congress, Doctor j. Thorkelson, in
an address at Helena, Oct. q, 1888,
is responsible for the following state
ment, according to the Helena Daily
Independent of Oct. %: 'The CLIO
is nothing but a Communist organi-
cation evoked to split and destroy
the A. F. of l.. and the unity of
labor"
DR.. Thorkelson, in fairness to the
labor organizations of this state or
elsewhere for that matter, should
admit publicly that the above state
ment made by him is a malicious
lie, and I challenge him to prove
that the CLIO is in any way domi-
mated by the Communist party or
any other political party.
The doctor takes great pains cir
culating the claim that he is a mem
Der of the Longshoremen's and Sea-
mems Unions, and as everyone who
knows anything about the labor
movement, IS per cent of the above
unions are affiliated with the clio,
now I hold that he is either a traitor
to his union or else he belongs to
the is per cent which is dominated
by reactionary labor leaders and
known to be a company union.
Is he really a member of organ
lied labor? Does he think that his
spoken word is convincing proof to
a union man after making classifying
statements at Helena concerning the
CLIO? Maybe he thinks that by
merely producing a photostatic copy
of a union card he can square him
self with 10000 members of organ
lied labor in his district? The doctor
appears to be a bit dusty in his
knowledge of labor, he evidently has
not been told by his corporate back
ers that the following unions: The
Butte Miners Union No. /, Basin
Miners Union No. %, Philipsburg
Miners Union No. "a, East Helena
Smeltermen No. u, Jardine Miners
Union No. SO, Anaconda Smeltermen
No. III, Poison Industrial Union No
891, Mayflower Miners Union No
288, Beaverhead Miners Union No
1856, Twin Bridges Miners Union No
10, Pony Miners Union No. q, Nam
mouth Miners Union No. 70, Town
send Industrial Union No. 1871, Butte
Stationary Engineers Union No. SO.
Office and Professional Workers No
80, and several other unions thai
space does not permit to list, com
prising a membership of approx
mately 10000 members, are affiliate:
of the CLIO. Does he think he is
justified in calling the workers 'oi
his district Communists? So far as
union labor is concerned he has con
demned himself in his feverish eff
forts to qualify himself as a repre-
sentative of the corporations Of Mon.
tana,
To my knowledge, Thorkelson ha.
not been endorsed by a single unior
of organized labor, however, hi
opponent, Congressman Jerry ]
O'Connell, has proven by his RECORD
in Congress to be 100 per cent fol
the working man and the New Dea
and has the endorsement Of The
majority Of the workers and farmers
organizations.
In further proof that Thorkelsor
made classifying statements at Hell
ena, the CLIO and A. F. of L. are no
at logger-head in any issue of i'm.
portance in the state of Montana
It is a well known fact in labol
circles that the two organization
set in the same Trades and Labol
Assemblies in any Montana city
where the two organizations exist
I feel that the A. F. of L. member
ship doubt very much his assertion
concerning the CLIO and that they
are not alarmed by his ranting abou
the CLIO destroying the labor move
ment of the state.
Again l challenge Doctor j. Thor
kelson for proof of his statement
concerning the CLIO or publicl!
apologize to the membership which