Evening star., 1938-08-22

arresting the demonstrators. Arrest
and imprisonment, preferably with =
little clubbing thrown in for good
measure. are held to be proof Of the
brutality of the capitalist class and
evidence of the inevitable violence Of
the class struggle. 1t Is held essential
in all Communist labor connections
with employers to use this provocative
tactic to the limit first in making de-
mands that are almost certain to be
impossible Of acceptance by the en-
ployer-including the invention Of
grievances where none in fact existed
and then In the use Of all possible
provocative violence against the en-
ployer with view to placing him in
an unfavorable light with the public
when he takes measures to protect his
life and property.
These things are elementary in the
labor union tactics Of Communists and
are as we'll known to the labor admin
istrators Of the Federal Government
as to any one. On no other subject
have the Communists written more
voluminously and clearly than on this
subject of their labor union tactics"
Claims 4,0OO, 900 Adherents.
Or. Matthews described the Ameri-
can League Against War and Fascism
as the most ambitious and influential
of all the Communist united fronts
ever organized in this country" Its
name was changed last winter. he said.
to the American League for Peace and
Democracy.
The American League now claims
100000 adherents in this country"
he declared. The extent Of its influ-
ence is. perhaps, better measured by
the fact that it has recently obtained
the Endorsement for its parade this
year OF the Solicitor General of the
United States than by claim of 4,0OO,-
600 adherents. II also numbers among
its supporters in one way or another
high personageS whose names I prefer
not to mention.
The decision to set up the American
league was actually made in Moscow.
1t all started with the triumphs OF Hit
Ter in Germany. Hitler's rule spelled
the disastrous defeat OF the Com
munist movement in Germany. 1t
also marked the complete failure of
the foreign policy Of the Communist
International in other countries of the
world. The substance of that Soviet
policy was the batting of social demo-
Gratis, Socialists. liberals, and the So
called ReformiSts among trade union
lists. Moscow declared that these,
rather than the Fascists. were the
chief enemies of Communism. They
were dubbed social Fascists' and were
everywhere. attacked and slandered.
The actual management of the
affairs of the American league was
turned over to Donald Henderson.
Mr.. Henderson had publicly declared
his membership in the Communist
party when he resigned from the So
cialist paxty and while he was still an
instructor in economics at Columbia
University. Mr.. Henderson was later
assigned by the Communist party to
agitational work among farmers He
Ao AAo" UilC AlSdu VI lLle OHlUcQ can.
merry, Agricultural, Packing and Allied
Workers Of America, which is affiliated
with the c. I. O.
Best Trick Ever Invented
I'VE had an almost perfect trick
for silencing any critics who sus-
pected or knew the Communist nature
of our united front. All we had to
do was to cry Red batting This cry
OF Red batting is the best trick ever
invented, short of firing squad, for
making short work of anybody who
dares to object to Communist theories
or practices. II he isn't effectively
silenced he is at least thoroughly
discredited in that vast flock of citi-
zens who like to think of themselves
as liberals. A Goth century American
liberal would rather face the charge
OF slapping his grandmother than to
be accused of Red batting. And SO
the cry Of Red batting enabled u,
to carry on the work Of Moscow in