Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1948-11-26
'Wobbly' Rough And Tumble
Story of an American Radical
by JOHN BROPHY
for Labor Press Associates

EDITORS NOTE John BrOphy is veteran of 49 years
American union acvyas miner and active officer of the
nnOis-and recently director of industrial union
councils for the CIO Born in 1883 in Lancashire England
BOphy is the of miner and first took out card in the
miners union in 1899.
tWobbl by Ralph Chaplin U. of Chicago
5000 autobiography In relation to the IWW for
of his time It's greatest value is the
description that organization which Ralph Chaplin
active participant its and the who made it,
This feature of the book with its lively account of the
part played by the organization
behalf of the and oppressed labor makes it worthwhile
reading for all those who would know American labor history
satisfactory the last chapters where the
author has deeply troubled by the contradictions
in life and labor and ends with That is good but not
enough He do better he gives his mind to the problems
of today Another book on labor in order from him when he
has thought this through.
What makes labor agtaor? 'Wobby" shows that in this
it largely result of the conditions of the ninees
This the period of the which began in 1898 with its
miners general strike of 1894 followed by
American Railroad Union strike with its nuncons federal
troops and Debs Imprisonment All OF these conditions during
the boyhood of Ralph Chaplin made for deepseated resent
men among the wage earners against injustice This resent
IWW
In graphic pages industrial union organization esab-
shed in 1905 is shown by Chaplin dealing with problems
of labor that craft unonsm unable unwilling to face
Its agatona mancy for redress of grievances aroused
labor fronts fought speech,
the right of the workers organize to better their conditions
Its activities ranged the country from the Pacific
among the ongShoremen there and the logging and numbering
of that the mines of the West and the South
west and the wheat fields of the Midwest
For the first time labor that possible
to organize migratory labor at that time part
Western able to to organizaona grips with
the problems of the production workers It's strike the
MKee Rocks plant of Pressed Steel Car Company the
textile plants Paterson thousands
of workers involved taught valuable lessons of trade
ionsm of which laerday unions the beneficares AS
labor it be said of the IWW that in like
period did labor movement do much with little in the
way of material resources.
The founders and organizers of the IWW had gotten hold
sound dea industrial unionism, of correcting
bettering working conditions and improving
The WW failed when to maintaining unions
because of its revolutionary concept dogmac
with the class struggle idea make and sign
not only for employers but for labor The result that
grievances adjusted and the strike ended the unions
tended to fade out This is implicit all through Chapns story
Bad days to the IWW when il mitantly opposed
counrys entry into World War Public opinion
its offices raided its leaders and maltreaed
imprisoned and it recovered With its dissipation
of its leading elements joined the Communist Party small
of its vigorous elements of which the author of
one continued to oppose the CP.
Whatever the shortcomings of the IWW and they
serious contributed much the wide acceptance of the
dusral union idea the American workers. particularly
among the production workers. It's agaonal methods
also important union development Ralph Chaplin
Wobby tell the story we'll of of the colorul native
movements which operated during first
of this