The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-02-24
Comment On
World Events

| LOndOn.-fOr those men WnC
burn for the destiny Of labor, anc
who have fought all their lives fol
the welfare Of the workers, the
Paris split Of the World Federation
of Trades Unions was indeed a sac
day. Of course it had been fore.
shadowed for some time. As one Of
the executive committee told q
friend Of mine during the Paris
sessions, it was a question of try
ing to reconcile the irreconcil-
ables."
Nevertheless the fact remains
that the high hopes Of the years
were dashed. Whatever may have
been said in anger, in the depths OF
his own heart every man yearnec
for something finer and better
Now we are left with a situation
that compels US to re-think or
what permanent basis world labor
unity can be built, to fulfil the
hopes of longing millions.
What have the Marxist and non
Marxists Of Europe to say? Let us
hear from Fred Copeman, formerly
on the central committee Of the
British Communist Party and dele
gate to the Comintern. He COM
manded two battaIions of the Inter
national Brigade in Spain. He is
now chairman of the Labor Party
and Trades Council of Central
Lewisham, one Of London's largest
boroughs.
4 4 y
eve have situation, Cope
man said, where an avowed mill
tant materialist ideology openly de-
mands uncompromising acceptance
of its ideas. But we have also a
large number of people who are de-
luding themselves that to be anti
Communist is enough, while they
still remain materialists at heart
and in their own daily living" He
added: "A new organization will
not of itself bring US nearer to our
goal. At its heart there must burn
an ideology that fires everyone
with common passion, plan, and
program. This will mean change,
of course-a change in human ma
ture. That's what it meant for me.
/ changed in my attitude towards
the men | had disliked and could
not cooperate with in my own
party"
His final words were, "Only be-
lief which holds within itself ideas
and ideals greater than those of
Communism will be enough to sat
isfy the yearnings of common peo-
ple."
Signor Umberto Calosso, CO.
founder of the Saragat Socialist
Party of Italy, is voicing the same
idea. 1t was Calosso who before the
Italian elections addressed 200
meetings throughout the country
and played an important part in
the victory of the democratic
forces. Some time ago | heard him
tell an international gathering that
we needed a solution that goes
deeper than the economic factor.
"That is Why, he said, "a change
of heart is something that We
Marxists need to learn"
:. :. !.
A British Mineworkers' Union
branch official, recently returned
from the North France cOalfields,
tells me of another example of the
penetration of this idea at a re-
markable gathering of workers
held there. Two thousand men and
women met at this conference ar
ranged by representatives of the
trade unions and management, to
plan for the development of Moral
Re-Armament in industry. He des-
cribed how a miracle of unity took
place between men in the CGT, FO,
and CFTC.
1t was summed up by a factory
worker who addressed the assem-
bly,. GAS a militant member of the
CGT", he said, 81 came here brist- |
ling with preconceived ideas. At the
end of the first day these ideas
were still there. After the second |
day | would like to say publicly
have felt three qualities in the peo-
pie here-good faith, unselfishness,
and goodwill. May these three quail
ties be found in every militant !
.rade union man, so that we may /
De finished with the divisions of the
class. / make the decision
o act, so that you will find these