Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1946-06-28
Political
Action
by
Clayton
Rusch
chairman
of the

group IN and out of CIO who
d eff end the right of free
speech and the right to criti-
cize. Yet, let any CIO writer
criticize them and he is la
beled as, a reactionary red
batter. 1 submit that the right
to criticize works both ways
and l intend to exercise that
right.
I wish to begin my analysis
with a glance at history.
When a group in power,
with the political organization
necessary to WELD that power,
use it in their own rather than
the peoples interests, they
create conditions which cause
the formation of an opposition
group. In such cases neither
the group in power nor its op-
position are likely to support
programs which serve the best
interests of the people.
A case in point is the Marx
iSt movement which was gen.
Grated in the middle of the last
century. The ruling cliche had
concentrated all power in the
hands of the wealthy interests.
The Marxists sought to con-
centrate all power in the
hands of their own political
organization which was sup
posed to represent the inter-
ests of the workers. The ruling
cliche had used religion as a
cloak to rationalize and cover
up un-Christian practices. The
MarxiSts embraced atheism
and rejected all religion as a
devise to enslave the workers.
The ruling group promoted
the concentration of wealth
into fewer and fewer hands.
The Marxists sought to abolish
completely all economic in
equalities.
HEIRS
The present heirs of the
Marxist movement, Commun-
lists and Trotskyites base their
plan for salvation on the
writings of Marx and Engel.
Any deviation from the teach
ings of the masters is regarded
as sacrilege. They represent a
school of thought as obsolete,
as outmoded and as unwork-
able as the unrestricted cap
italist economy to which they
are opposed.
In order to find the answer
TO modern social problems, we
must reject all antiquated So
lutions. 1t is true that many
great thinkers, now dead,
have made great contributions
TO modern knowledge; but
their writings should be an
alyzed and studied in the light
of current events, and not
swallowed whole as the an
Swer to modern problems.
The answer lies not in the
complete abolition of economic
inequalities; nor in the estab-
lishment of the Classics So
ciety"; but in the achievement
of industrial democracy.
DEMOCRACY
An industrial democracy
would guarantee sufficient
governmental regulation of in
dustry to assure jobs at living
wages and adequate social Sc
curity safeguards for all. 1t
would foster and promote
freedom of speech, press and
religion. An unrestricted cap
italist economy would tend to
restrict such rights and
Marxist government could not
tolerate them; excep as mean
ingless window dressing.
The achievement OF an in
dustrial democracy is the goal
of the CIO-PAC. We seek to
accomplish it by promoting
passage of social legislation
Our legislative program is
basea upon the needs of the
people. In promoting it we
need not concern ourselves
with the verbal or written
brick bats hurled by either the
big business or communist
groups. After all such opposi-
ton is from minority groups.
Our task is to carry our mes
sage to the majority of the
legislative program is designed
people; whose interests our
to protect and advance.
Membership in PAC is only
one dollar per year. II you
are not a member see the PAC
representative at your local or
shop or come to the PAC of