St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1944-12-08

proposals.
Toe Line or Get Out
All the heated discussion on the
Negro question occurred in the
Randolph Webster resolution, call
ing on the convention to condemn
and abolish the Jim Crow "auxili.
airy" unions established by some Of
the AFL international unions.
Randolph accused the Boilermak.
ers, the Machinists and the Elec-
trical Workers unions in the All
of resorting to these auxiliaries tc
deny Negroes the right to vote in
conventions, to participate in nego-
tiations for a contract or to partici.
pate in governing the organiza.
ton into which they pay dues.
at is" he said, "trade union i'm
perialism, a form of dual member
ship in the AFL, under which first
class membership is given to white
workers and second class member
ship to Negroes"
Apparently referring to the fact
that the AFL last year adopted a
resolution opposing discrimination
and calling on all ALL unions to
accept all workers into membership
without discrimination of segre-
CATION" Randolph said:
"These unions (Boilermakers,
Machinists, and Electrical Work
ers) should either toe the line or
get out of the ALL"
Randolph told the delegates that
if they voted for the committee
report, instead of for his own reso-
luton, it would be because they
were afraid of bringing down upon
themselves "the vengeance of the
high command of the ALL"
Randolph's speech was bitterly
resented by some of the delegates,
especially those from the unions he
named.
Charles ]. MACEDONIAN, president
of the Boilermakers, said that in
all his years. attendance at AFL
meetings he had never heard a
more offensive address," He re-
ferred also to Randolph's "arro-
giant and insolent statements"
"Some of US are getting a bit
tired of being kicked around by
professional agitators," MacGowan
continued. From some of his ut
terances, wonder if he's in the
right organization"
Leo G. Loring, president of the
Tennessee Federation of Labor,
also attacked Randolph.
eve don't have any race prob
lem in our State" said Loring. "T
don't have any complaint against
unions taking in Negroes, but I OBJ
Ject to the Pullman car porters tell
ing US who to take in. We are the
sole judges of our own membership.
II think it's high time to put a
stop to this professional agitation
in the labor movement. The white
people aren't raising these prob
lens; it's the Negroes"
Israel Zimmerman, of the Sayre
(Pa.) central labor body, said he
could hardly believe his ears when
at labor union convention he
heard members refer to "profes-
sional agitators" and "outside agi-
tators."
"How many times have we not
all been charged by anti-labor
spokesman with being outside agi-
tators' who have come into "a peace
full community to organize the un-
2" Zimmerman said.
Won't Wait
Replying to MACEDONIAN, Randolph
said: "Now if anyone thinks that
Negroes are going to wait a thou
sand years to get their rights they
have another thought coming"
"Get as mad as you like, but the
Negroes are going to fight for their
rights no matter how mad you get"
Frey, secretary of the Resolu-
lions Committee, complained that
those who condemned the ALL for
failing to solve the Negro problem
voiced no expression of approval
for what the ALL has done for