LIFE AND WORK OF DEBS
Claessens, August
Life ande Work of Debs THE BENDIM CROSS, A Bi^mphy ef Eugens Victor Debs, ft* Ray Gmger. Btmtger* University Aw. 516 pp. Revieved by AUGUST CLASSENES ANUMBER OF YOUNG COLLEGIANS ax* 4o«**...
...Lens' radical American isolationism concerning the labor movement...
...Ha is aimcet esuel in depicting Gene's faults and weaknesses...
...Let one report at once that this is the meet onenplate life of Debs yet published...
...In the pages on Communist control of a few AFL and CIO unions, Lens, who is himself an important union official and writes fromjjersonal observation, gives concrete details of how in many cases Communists use the unions for purely political purposes in the interest of the foreign policy of Soviet Russia...
...I hate to mention it, but I feel sure this defect will catch the attention of many...
...American Labor Movement — Complete LEFT, RIGHT & CENTER...
...1 «m frequently interviewed by such write...
...He tells how...
...Hinsdale, Illinois: Henry Regnery Co., 1949...
...The author relates how for some time these labor racketeers enjoyed high protection from some municipal and state officials, and to a certain extent from leaders of the AFL...
...Lens even gives instances, less known generally, of Communist cooperating with racketeers in controlling labor unions...
...Among this kind of labor officials were the well-known criminal, Dutch Schultz, and similar gentlemen who later went to Jail or were liquidated by fellow-gangsters...
...Gene's early life, his years in railroading, his early efforts in organizing workers, his clash with the narrow craft unions, the start and short life of the American Railroad Union the Pullman Strike, and Debs' first experience in the Cook County and Woodstock, 111., jails, are all excellently told...
...U. B. Office of Inter-American Affairs...
...Revieved by AUGUST CLASSENES ANUMBER OF YOUNG COLLEGIANS ax* 4o«** biographies of Debe, Hillqult,, Mad other heroes of the Sodaliet wed Labor roovexaent...
...There feeeureriat in atom far shea* who Mad JMej JKessre jeans 44vertary in the Hante, which gave a lurid picture of a life long fuarrel between Debs and his wife Kate...
...August Claessens is national secretary of the Social Democratic Federation...
...later, liberals, Socialists and Syndicalists regained some influence...
...Probably his week was finished before Stone's book appeared...
...The exposure of these influences is balanced, however, by reporting the activities of unions which have cleaned house of such elements and are new successfully working in the sole Interest of their members...
...Nor do I quarrel srith Dabs' leXtlams...
...A CONSIDERABLE PART of the book is devoted to describing how racketeers and ordinary criminals were able to get control of legitimate unions or to create unions for the sole purpose of blackmailing contractor*, movie studios and manufacturers by threats of strikes or violence...
...He draws no portrait of a ¦seat, but tens the story of an indefatjgaWa worker, a man who rarely compromised with his ideals, a truly lovable, tad considerate person, one of the finest men who- ever lived and suffered en this earth...
...But the Communists and their fellow-travelling friends term Red-baiting any mention of concrete facts exposing their nefarious and traitorous activities all over the world...
...After a short historical survey of the precursors of modern labor unionism, such as the Knights of Labor, and of the influence of the foreignborn, mainly German Socialists and Anarchists, among them the "Utopian" Wilhelm Weitling and the Anarchist pamphleteer Johann Most, the author describes the founding of the AFL and its early leadership by conservative trade union bureaucrats, who promoted business labor unionism, pure and simple...
...RES'S LIFE AMD WORK as a Socialist is excellently described...
...Gene and Kate are lovers to the bitter end...
...Stephen Malt was Director of Research...
...Reviewed by STEPHEN NAFT THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH INFORMATION on all aspects and ramifications of the American labor movement from its beginning to the present...
...Some leaders, who rose from the ranks of labor, became labor profiteers to the detriment of the workers, as their main objective was to keep their lucrative jobs which enabled them to live like millionaires with lackeys and chauffeured limoulines...
...His four strenuous campaigns for the presidency, his many tours, his difficulties with inner party politics and factions, his experience with the IWW, the war yeurs, his indictment, trial and in, carceration at Moundsville and Atlanta, all are well documented...
...He had his lucid moments and vacillated frequently when he did read and 0% eJss^Oa^y* ^BnUt a^^atsisaV g)^Sff^seQe)gss ^^seje^ ^tHftgs) ^j^ vs»Qsm eJ0 si ^l»Dsl^5i a^0 ^KepsY KBl*" ally matted, end ten ansdeu* te aeUt and usually mmer Ugteaefi tabs* ssv portent scatter* was* fero«gfet te bis aMontJraj) ¦^Pe^fcy ^S^is^JpdF .-^9 ^^^^Hj^^P ^^ff^itSS^fi^^f^^- :^^|mJP^sV the left-wing attitudes of Debs aad (be groups fighting for these Jtfaals...
...If he considers "ReJ-baiUng" unsupported name-calling, any sensible person must agree with him...
...In the mass of material gathered by Ginger are quotations from letters, excerpts from articles and interviews given to the newspapers by Gene and Kate, impressions gained by Visitors who met Kate, her solicitude for Gene's health and comfort, and the bad feeling that existed between her and Theodore, Gene's loving and indispensable brother...
...e, THIS REVIEWER DOES MOT agree, however, with Mr...
...True, Debs was temperamentally, emotionally, and ideologically a left-winger...
...All those who stood so adamant against dual unionism, sabotage, and violence are damned as allies of the capitalists and" Gompers and the narrow, selfish craft unionism that cursed the early America nlabor movement...
...They promoted strikes and sabotage in war production factories When Hitler and Stalin were honeymooning, and as soon as Hitler doublecrossed his erstwhile comrade, they suddenly reversed their policy in the interest of their Kremlin bosses, by apposing all strikes (which might have , delayed sending arms to Russia) and wage increases...
...Ginger warmly defends Kate and her interest in and devotion to Gene's ideals and work...
...Ginger does not saHalthe "Debs Legend...
...Some two years ago I wai visited by a young GI who questioned me at length about Debs...
...Near the end of his book he says...
...But what strikes this reviewer as peculiar is the author's continuous insistence on his opposition to what he calls "Red-baiting...
...He Is the author of "Questions to Communists...
...Conflicting Forces in American Labor...
...Bay Ginger has done a remarkable job...
...This," the author writes, "not only feeds grist to the Stalinist mill last to that of the reaction...
...Ray Ginger tries his best to give an all round picture of Debs, to be extremely fair, to quote all sides of a controversy or of a factional fight...
...By Sidney Len...
...a healthy, secure American workingman with a high standard of living is worth a hundred times the Marshall plan billions in the fight against Stalinism in Europe...
...Ginger's book makes no reference to Irving Stone...
...how the IWW was created and declined, and the Stalinist Communists subsequently infiltrated the labor movement, first through the establishment of the Trade Union Educational League, and, after its collapse, through the attempt at organizing a dual union federation, paradoxically called the Trade Union Unity League, under the leaership of ex-Syndicalist William Z. Foster...
...In view ef ehe liberal and democratic attHeea at seek unions they are certainly far te the left of the totalitarian Stalinist outfits called "left-wing" unions...
...To one familiar ' with lads, material and sources of information regarding Debs it is exasperating, I am ashamed to say, to be unable to find anything left out in Debs' long and hectic life...
...There are interesting pages about the creation of the CIO by autocrat John L. Lewis with the help of the Communists, how he suppressed—by methods identical to those used in "elections" in totalitarian countries— all opposition in his personal realm, the Miners Union, and how he jumped in and out of the AFL with the aim of expanding his domain...
...However, every Socialist should agree with the passage et the end of the book in which Lens objects te the general use of Mm term "right-wing ameas'ser such organisations as Mouther's UAW...
...There are f or,ty pages of referenoes, sources, bibliography and acknowledgements in the back of this book...
...4.00...
...His book, The Bending Crou, just reached me...
...This book's material on Communist activities in labor is probably the most concrete and damaging that has yet appeared...
...It is as warm, many-sided, oemplete and diversified a work as lead* berg's Lincoln...
...THE DEBS FAMILY in Terre Haute is warmly described...
...However, this should not detract attention from this truly magnificent book...
...It is difficult to see why an illiterate, starving farm laborer jn Italy should get enthusiastic about the high standard of living of American workers, end for this reason reject the eld extended to Italy by the Marshall plan...
...In that novel our sympathy was seduced by a tale of a valiant hero battered by a hostile environment and at home by an enemy of all he stood for and fought for...
...445 pp...
...He tells She story of Kate helping in the huge mass of correspondence, managing the Debs Publishing/j06mpany, staying with Gene at meetings and masehissg In parades wis* him MM...
...But the left wing side of the battles that shattered and eventually smashed the Socialist Party are given much mbre prominence and emphasis...
...t am not quarrelling with Oiaaar gad his sympathies, although I think hlsjiepealed strictures against Debs as a, thinker and a fj^oreMclsa are overtone —la fact, contradicted la many psssaasa in the book...
...There is probably no publication in existence containing so much aad so varied material on the subject in one volume...
...However, Ginger was familiar with the gossip About Kate...
...There are a few errors,* but they are insignificant...
...And when it comes to such material the book is a real gold-mine of facts and proofs for any intelligent and wellinformed opponent of the Communists...
...What I wish to strew is that the opponents of Debs in many others, are cryptically described as "reformers," "conservatives," etc...
...One serious flaw runs through the best part of the book...
...Such unions netted million-dollar incomes to the racketeering "labor leaders", while the workers were betrayed at* every turn...
...He vms had access to many unpublished and itnpihllftsait letters by G and state ' He notes * j eg* a lo^d^^g trissjse to JCeis vsntria^t by Gene 1*1*21 to a ward, this is ett very devastating to the Adversary story...
...Social security for the workers in the United States is the only foundation on which Stalinism can be defeated anywhere or) earth...
...This picture is false and lopsided- Undoubtedly, It will be corrected when the fuller stories of Hillquit, Berger and other Socialists will be written...
...In Ray Ginger's book the story is quite an opposite one...
Vol. 32 • July 1949 • No. 31
