The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-12-22
Comment On
World Events
(From the Evening Star,
Washington, ID. CD

tional Confederation of Free Trade
Unions appears to be decisive
step in the emancipation Of genuine
organized labor, on a worldwide
scale, from the numbing, destruc-
tive influence exerted by the Com
munist-dominated World Fedora
tion Of Trade Unions. That this
drastic step was vital had long
been recognized by anti-Communist
labor leaders everywhere.
Many unions, especially in the
English-speaking countries, had
Ire dy withdrawn from the
WFTU, but such negative gestures
had to be supplemented by positive
action in the shape Of new inter
national organization based un-
equivocally on opposition to total
itarianism and dedicated to indivi-
dual human rights and liberties.
This objective has now been attain
ed by the formation Of the ICFTU
after. more than a weeks proceed
ings Of the Free World Labor Con-
ference called in London and at
tended by delegates of 48,000,O00
organized workers in most coun-
tries outside the Iron Curtain.
Il :. =
The draft charter of the new or
ganization is broad enough to COW
er both Socialists and advocates of
free enterprise, as witness the in
clusion of the British unions, the
CIO and the AFL. The only seq
'ment of non-Communist labor
whose adhesion is still uncertain is
the federated Christian unions of
Continental Europe, mostly Roman
Catholic. Certain constitutional diff
ficulties still have to be ironed out
in this respect. But their anti-com-
munism is as staunch as any of the
others, so the differences are more
formal than substantial.
The mere existence Of the
ICFTU should act as a powerful
magnet in disrupting unions in non
Communist countries which are still
under Red leadership. 1t is hard
to see how many working men can
fail to be attracted by the platform
of the ICFTU. For, while not spec
ifically mentioning or advocating
socialism, it declares the workers
right to social justice, work, choice
of employment, and the changing
of governments and political insti-
tutions by democratic means. This
leaves the old WFTU with nothing,
ideologically, except Communist
slogans and assertions whose fall
sity has become glaringly apparent
through the subservient status of
labor in every country under Com
munist domination. Indeed, it is
hard to believe that knowledge of
the new organization and what it
stands for can be kept from the
workers within the Iron Curtain,
inevitably inspiring comparisons
not flattering to their Red task
masters.
X !. !:
The capture of the once-respect-
able WFTU by the Communists is
a classic instance of Red infiltra-
tion. 1t was done chiefly by count
ing the membership of unions as
unions, regardless of how they
functioned.
Technically, all labor in the Sow
let Union is organized, the total
membership exceeding that of any
other country. This gave the Soviet
unions and others under Red lead
ership a voting preponderance in
the organization which they used
ruthlessly for their own ends. The
worlds free labor has now deserted
that edifce and has built a new
house which it can inhabit and put
to constructive purposes.
y X y
Hunger, social injustice, poverty
and despair are the strongest allies
of dictatorship and war. The surest
way of safeguarding democracy,
security and peace is to raise the
standards of living of the peoples
of the earth.-President Harry S.
Truman.