The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1939-07-20
Facing the Facts
With PHILIP PEARL


But we number among our friends
some well-meaning liberals who sim
cerely believe that the c. l. o. is
good thing for labor. Their knowl-
edge Of the labor movement is not
fundamental but based on hearsay and
impressions. They just have a feel
ing, cultivated by assiduous c. l. 0.
propaganda, that the John l.. Lewis
rebellionists are motivated by pro-
gressive idealism and this feeling has
been heightened by the dramatic and
spectacular fumadiddles of the C. |.
10.
Well, we want to address ourselves
today to these friends of ours just be-
cause they are liberal-minded, because
they are well-meaning and because
| they are amendable to reason. We
| think we can show them the light.
Just about a year ago the nations
attention was centered on the 1888
political campaigns The C. l. o. al
ways boastful of it's alleged political
power, was raising quite an uproar.
Through it's alter ego, Labor's Non
Partisan League, it made a great to-
do about blacklisting candidates and
defeating the enemies Of labor" and
| so on.
But, strangely enough, John L.
Lewis personally was as silent as a
tomb. He gave his personal endorse
ment to only one candidate, the secre-
tary-treasurer of the United Mine
| Workers, who ran for the Democratic
nomination for Governor in Pennsyl-
| vania.
Now if the c. l. o. has any political
| following in any State it should have
| it in Pennsylvania because the miners
vote is so considerable there. One
would have thought that Lewis would
| invade the State and make stump
| speeches in every town and hamlet in
favor of his protege. But he didn't.
| He stayed away from Pennsylvania
altogether. And his candidate lost
| anyhow.
Of course, the practical politicians
were hoping that Lewis would come
into Pennsylvania. They knew-and
| their knowledge has been confirmed
| by the Gallup polls-how unpopular
Lewis is with the great mass of voters
in this country. The fact that he de-
| cided not to take any personal part in
| the Pennsylvania campaign proved
that Lewis knew it too.
| There's the rub. Here we have a
man astute enough to realize the pub
/ lia I,c1ilyac, him, io+apcalx- hot ~
will vote against candidate he open
ly favors and for candidate he open
ly opposes. And yet this man pre-
sumes to become the leader of organ
ized labor in the nation.
! Is that idealism? How can man
who realizes that he has forfeited
public confidence believe he can help
working men and women of this
country by continuing as their leader?
How can a man so thoroughly and
widely hated by the American people
believe there is any hope of success
tor a rebel movement in organized la
DOR which bears the stigma of his
leadership?
All of which brings up two more
questions. Does Lewis care one whit
| about helping the working men and
women whom he presumes to repre-
sent? Has he any interest in the la
Dor movement other than his personal
power and glory?
| Seek and Ye Shall Find
We strongly urge our liberal friends
20 seek the answers to these questions.
And we wish to remind them that it
has been automatic in the labor move
nent ever since its earliest days that
is only hope of success rested upon
he good will of the public
We want our liberal friends to see
he C. |. o. in its true light. We want
hem to be with US. We want them
% understand the American Fedora
| ion of Labor, its structure, its prin-
:iples, it's history and its future.
7 The American Federation of Labor
S not fixed. 1t is more responsive to
| he changing will of the majority of
is membership than any other demo-
,ratic organization in the world. 1t is
not exclusive There is room for every
worker in the United States in its
,anks. 1t is not stand-pat. There is
'oom for every shade Of thought in
is councils. 1t is certainly not con-
sentative. For if you examine the
record you will find that the Ameri-
,an Federation of Labor has been in
he thick of the fight for every liberal
md progressive piece of legislation
adopted in the last half-century.
| Finally, despite c. |. o. propaganda
% the contrary, the American Fedora
ion is not slow. You must remember
hat it is based on voluntarism. 1t
,annot compel compliance of its own
members. 1t must convince them of
he right and depend upon the vol
lntary support of its members to
achieve its goals.
| This is the organization the c. l..
). has sought to wreck in the name
If idealism. To those of our friends
Who fell for this G. l. o. bunk we rec
ommend a perusal of Gompers' last
Message. We will quote but one para
graph in conclusions:
"No lasting gain has ever come