Washington State Legislators Stage Local Witch Hunt
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Workers of the World, Unite! Devaluation of Franc And the Western Bloc ■— See Page 3 — THE MILITANTPUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTERESTS OF THE WORKING PEOPLE VOL XII.— No. 6 NEW YORK. N. Y„ MONDAY. FEBRUARY 9, 1918 9 PRICE: FIVE CENTS AFL CHIEFS UPHOLD 2-PARTY♦ MISRULE Auto Plants Shut Down BLFE Continues Council Stages Political Washington State Jim Crow Policy In New Disguise Farce at Miami Parley By Art Preis Legislators Stage Negro Firemen Demand FEB. 3—While warming their senile hides and Full Union Membership thin blood in Miami sunshine, the 15 “elder President Robertson, of the statesmen” of the AFL. Executive Council have Local Witch Hunt | lily-white Brotherhood of Lo-' been disporting them-* ! comotive Firemen and Engine- selves since Jan. 26 in a By Daniel Roberts 'organization that has a mass fol lowing among “senior citizens" in | men, announced abandonment Oi shameless p o litic a l S E A T T L E , Feb. 2 — An as the low income brackets. The ac J Die union’s policy bailing: promotion ] fa rc e . i and senority to Negro iiremen, ioi- I sortment of several dozen ex- tivities of the Pension Union since They have decked them ¡owing a Supreme Court derision Stalinists are currently parad 1938 were responsible for securing selves in the fetching costumes for the old people in Washington ] upholding a lower court ruling that ing before the Canwell Committee, Negro filemon must not be discrim of "independent” politics. But created by the state legislature to the highest pension rates and the best overall pension system in the inated against. their gestures and postures are investigate “ un-American” activities Robertson stated that the BLt'.J,: those of solicitors for the two-party in the state of Washington. The country. was‘serving notice on the 13 south dive of Big Business. witness list includes Louis F. Bu- WIPE OUT GAINS ern railroads involved that class ! - dcnz, former managing editor of the On Feb. 2, the entire AFL Coun Last year the legislature and Gov cation of Negroes as “lion-promo:.- , Daily Worker; Manning Johnson! cil lined up in chorus formation ernor Wailgren, over the opposition able" must be dropped from the. un- I former N. Y. State Organizer of for the first act of their burlesque. of the WPU, moved to wipe out the ion contracts. This action was made! This was their unanimous rejection the Communist Party; Jesse gains made in prior years. The $50 Fletcher, former Stalinist big shot necessary by I lie conit decision, of Henry WMlace and any third- floor on pensions was removed, the ! siifoe these clauses endangered the party candidacy for the U. S Presi- in the Building Service Union; Nat escalator clause was eliminated, a Honig, former editor of the Inter validity of the existing union con ’ dency. Their theme song was “ Do modified form of the means test tracts. Not Split the Liberal Vole." national Woodworker; Howard Cos- was instituted, liens were placed on tigan, former head of the Wash A "NEGllO JOB” The next act. played the follow- I the property of pension recipients lug day. was performed largely in ington Commonwealth Federation and the overall appropriation re For many years the Job of fire and opportunists of lesser light. Thousands of auto workers stream from the Dodge plant in Detroit as management shut down the tlie vein of low slapstick comedy. duced.' man was tire toughest and dirties;, works during the last cold spell. Practically ail plants in the area closed down following orders to curtail Here the cast of characters was seen The Canwell Committee is made The Pension Union charges that in railroading, in the South it was industrial gas for home consumption. George Edwards, Detroit City Council president stated, “The puli-, trying to contrive their own political up of the most reactionary legisla it is being subjected to the “anti- a “Negro Job.” But as locomotives lie is left with the assumption that Consolidated Gas di-sires a shortage as a propaganda basis for its WILLIAM GREEN tors from the rural districts. When 1 program and set-up. red" investigation in preparation were improved, white men began to proposed new pine line.” Federated Pictures I Senator Burton K. Wheeler, and création of the committee was in for even more drastic cuts in tlie lake firemen Jobs. FALLING APART even announced his acceptance. the discussion stage in the legisla pensions. The BLFE first negotiated in the They were seated around a ma- I Then the farce got out, of hand chine called Labor's League for ture, one of its present members. The only noteworthy testimony in 1920's “50-50” contracts under which altogether. Wheeler advised -.theiri Political Education, blue-printed at Bienz, proposed that the committee the hearings was given by Budcnz. the railroad companies replaced Ne tiiat. he could only take the JplJ the San Francisco convention last be given Judicial and executive pow He stated before the Canwell Com groes with whites until parity was on a "part-time” basis, if at aiii CIO Packinghouse Locals October to be the AFL's political ers Including the right of summary mittee what he lias already dis achieved. But in 1941, the union put Besides he could not accept without conveyance. execution! While the committee closed elsewhere, namely, that he ' on a tighter squeeze and a great the understanding that he did hot I Then, right on the stage, one did not receive the powers Bienz and other high-ranking Communist many Negro Bremen last their Jobs. go along hook-line-and-sinker with of the biggest parts of the machine asked for, its attitude is one of Party officials ill this country par The Negroes, for whom the union the Marshall Plan and did not sub« dropped off — the carpenters’ union virulent hatred toward anything ticipated, under instructions from To Vote on W a g e S t r ik e scribe to the AFL's position of .,opK bargained, were not—and still are led by William L. Hutcheson. Daniel connected with labor. tlie Kremlin, in the plans of the position to all Congressional candt“' nqt—permitted to become members Tobin's teamsters' ' union,, started The Camvell Committee has been assassination of Leon Trotsky in The International Executive ^ take .a„.mt,e. among, the workers to ers committee meets Feb. 8 and 9 dates who voted for the Taft-B art- of the union. coming loose. John L. Lewis had enjoined in the courts from acting 1940. determine if they will accept the to formulate demands on (lie "Big ley Slave Labor Bill. [ Tile Supreme Court decision does Board of the C IO United Pack wrenched off — in technical par for the State of Washington. Its The rest of the testimony was ; company's final offer. Four'' corporations —. Goodyear, This led to a.free-for-all among; 1 not solve the problem of the Negro inghouse Workers has instruct lance. “disaffiliated” — the miners' hearings, which began on Jan. 24, only pathetic recanting on the part The CIO Packinghouse Union's Goodrich, Firestone and U. S. Rub the Council members that did not! railroad firemen, nor does it ensure ed the UPWA locals in the Armour union a number of weeks ago. therefore have no legal status. Nev of former Stalinist hatchetmen as fight was made tougher by Hie un ber. The Oil Workers w ill' launch appear to be in the original script: equal rights. Archibald Bromscu. a t and Swift plants to be prepared But tlie denouement, came in the ertheless they are being held in the well as fingering of present-day dercutting agreement signed last its wage drive on Feb. 9. of their show. A section of thei torney for the Federation of South- for a strike vote not later than • attempts of the Council members state armory in Seattle and receive Stalinists. week by tlie AFL MeatcuUers’ lead The CIO United Automobile Council, headed by David DubiH« | cm Colored Locomotive Firemen, Feb. 14. lo get a "reputable" driver for the ; fu ll protection of the state police. In the eyes of class conscious ers with tlie big packers. After Workers, which is demanding a 25- sky, "revolted.” They said they; pointed out that the BLFE is now machine. For months they had Testimony by the renegade Stal workers the real indictment of the This action followed the meat secret negotiations behind the backs ccnt increase, plus five cents in would not accept Wheeler. , attempting to deprive additional packing trusts’ out-ol'-hand rejec been, hunting high and low for some inists is receiving full spread pub Communist Party is not contained firemen of their jobs by means of a J of their members, they agreed lo ^ health and welfare benefits, lvas A T IIIN DISGUISE licity in the local daily paper. The in the testimony of the witnesses, tion of the union's demands for take a miserable 9-cent an hour [ already felt the effects of Walter old-line capitalist politician in need \ new' subterfuge. He stated tiiat the Seldom has the American labor organization under current inves tu t in the fact that the party should minimum decency and cost-of-living increase. This has'strengthened the heather's weakening policies aflopt- of a $20,000 a year job, to take the union is proposing new contract steering wheel of LLPE. movement been so disgraced as by tigation is the Stalinist-led Wash have had such a wretched crew of wage increases. hand of the profiteering packers ed at the recent General Motors changes, ostensibly in line with the: The UPWA leaders, during the They had reached a point of frus the Miami spectacle put on by'.the ington Old Age Pension Union, an stool pigeons in its leadership.