The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1944-12-14
President Duffy
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Yes, he did that, and so did others.
The Progressive Miners themselves
were born in secession. They had their
beginning in rebellion and secession
when they withdrew from the United
Mine Workers of America. They ask
ed forgiveness and were brought back
into the American Federation of La
Dor.
"Other organizations, large and
small, have done likewise. AS the
Master said, "Let him who is without
sin cast the first stone" God help
some of us if stone throwing becomes
a habit and a daily practice in this
convention.
"Aside from all that, what am in
terested in more than anything else
is the welfare of the rank and file of
the American labor movement. To my
notion that transcends all other con-
siderations. If my being sacrificed
personally in my present job will ad
vance the welfare and the interests
of my membership, God forbid that
would ever entertain the thought Of
doing other than bowling to the well
fare of the majority in my organiza-
ton. That, to my notion, would be
true craftsmanship. That would SIM
ply be matter of being honest with
yourself and with your God and with
your fellowmen in seeking the objec-
tives of the laboring people of this
nation.
Personally / would like to see John
L. Lewis back in membership in the
American Federation of Labor. | am
going to be frank with you. | hear
many, many members sitting around
this hall and in the hotel corridors
and other places deploring the lack
of force and fight and militancy and
determination in things pertaining to
the American Federation of Labor's
duty and obligation to its objective to
bring to the rank and file the things
they have a right to expect. | have
heard many of you delegates say, as
| personally have said in private and
| want to say here now in public, that
/ think we need the force of John l..
Lewis in the American Federation of
Labor, knowing that John L. Lewis,
when he does come back, is going to
be just like you and mean ordinary
human being, and he is going to sin
again and again and again. We have
an obligation to properly evaluate
and appraise those shortcomings and
misgivings. If they show disposi-
tion of sorrow and regret for those
things and are willing to come back
and put their shoulders to the wheel
and help in our common objectives,
God forbid that we become so uncon-
scious. that we cannot rise above our
petty personal differences and vote
as we should vote.
81 have no fear of John l.. coming
back into the American Federation OF
Labor, but | would much prefer settl-
ing any differences | may have with
him or any other representative of
labor within the house of labor. Bring
him back in here and let's fight it out
with him. | understand that he has
agreed to surrender all questions in
dispute as to jurisdiction except In
the case of Chemical Workers. | un-
dcrstand further that his District so
first established organization within
the chemical industry. If that be true,
it seems to me he might have prior
claim to organization within the
chemical industry. In all other in
stances, it occurs to me that he has
no claim.
81 repeat, | understand he had said
definitely and specifically that he will
surrender all such claims except
within the chemical industry. | feel
as | do because | honestly and truly |
desire, and | pray, yearn, | dream
of unity within the house of labor
God will not permit me to point the |
accusing finger at John l.. Lewis be-
cause of his shortcomings in that rel
spect when | sit here day after day,
as | have in convention since 1928 |
and | know some of the heads of the
largest organizations in the Ameri
can Federation of Labor have, at |
least, been equally as guilty in these
things as John L. Lewis. / think it
would be exceedingly stimulating and
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