The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-06-12
Facing The Facts
With PHILIP PEARL

In the days before Mussolini and
Hitler, May Day was day of pa
rades in the industrial cities of Eu-
rope, parades with few riots and
demonstrations thrown in. The usual
headlines of the following morning
would read something like this:
"Twenty Dead in May Day Riots"
There were even a few such affairs
in this country.
May Day then was the traditional
Labor Day of Europe, especially of
the more radical labor groups. 1t was
field day for the Communists, who
would busily organize trouble for
weeks beforehand and then duck out
when the fighting started so that
usually innocent workers suffered the
broken heads.
On this May Day there will be no
riots in the cities of Europe, even
though there will still be parades.
This year Hitler, Mussolini and Stain
are organizing the parades and they
do not permit riots within their own
bailiwicks.
The parades this year will not be a
march of free and independent work
ing men, but a procession of slaves,
goose-step of robots. The workers of
Europe are no longer free. They have
been completely subjugated by dicta-
tors They have no rights, no privi-
leges, no will of their own. They are
merely the work slaves of the State.
And, to tell the truth, the fault is to
a large extent their own.
Worshipped False Gods
The workers of continental Europe
were led astray and pursued strange
paths and worshipped false Gods
Their faith in the democratic princi-
pies of trade unionism was not single
and complete. They went looking for
short cuts to a millennium and they
got lost in the jungle of Communism.
The rise of totalitarianism in Italy
and Russia and the collapse Of democ-
racy in France can be traced directly
to the apostasy of labor. When the
workers of Italy deserted democracy
for Communism, they got Mussolini.
When the workers of Germany grew
impatient and rejected trade-unlon-
ism for Communism, they got Hitler
When the workers of France ignored
the danger signals and were seduced
by Communist leadership, Hitler
moved right in and took them over.
1t seems to us that the experiences
of the workers Of continental Europe
should stand as an everlasting warn
ing and reminder to the workers of
America.
It seems to us that the intelligent
working men and women of this coun-
try, having seen what happened tC
their brothers in Italy, Germany ano
France, should never forget the les
son.
1t seems to us that the truth is nov
so self-evident that there should NJ
longer be any danger in this countr!
of Communist control of the labo
movement.
Yet there is danger, an immediate
danger, the same danger that spclle'
ruin and degradation for the worker
of continental Europe and that DANCE
is right here in our midst IN our owl
country.
The Need Tor OfhCial courage
The danger lies within the leader
ship of the ClO That Leadership
from the beginning has ilrted wit
Communism and has made bedfellow
of Communists. Ben GitloW, forme
secretary of the Communist Party il
the United States, testified at the de
portation proceedings against Harr
Bridges few weeks ago that tn
birth of the CIO was the direct re
suit of Communist plots to captur
control of American labor. He ough
to know.
In the five years since the ClO wa
formed, the influence of the Commun
lists within that organization has bee
strengthened and intensified, rathe
than weakened.
Today, when the energies Of the ma
ton are being concentrated IN
mighty national defense program, tn
CIO with its Communist leaderShi
has become bottleneck of progress
The ClO and its leadership have neve
pledged their aid to the President O
the United States III the defense pre-
gram. Instead, they have bcrate
President Roosevelt as IA "warmor
ger" They have denounced the wa
in Europe as an "imperiaIist' wa
seeking to make Great Britain tn
culprit. They have never ofiicial
indorsed the policy of the Unite
States in extending every possible al
to Great Britain and other democra
cies battling against totalitarian az
gressors. They have fomented m
norty strikes, Communist strikes an
strikes of all kinds, to embarrass an
hinder the defense program. The
have played the Communist Part
game and followed the Communis
Party line to the hilt.
Up to date they have gotten ava
with it because those in authorit
have lacked the courage to put tn
finger on the real cause of the troubl
and have contentcd themselves wit