THE COMMUNIST PLAGUE IN OUR UNION

...Tha Communist party is concerned very little with the economic welfare of the workers as such...

...They are moving heaven and earth to destroy our organization...

...Herbert Morrison, Secretary of the London section of the British Labor party, recently figured out that the total income of the English Communist party for 1924 could not have exceeded the sum*of ?5,000 sterling (twenty-odd thousand dollars), while its expenses were at least ten times that sum, and this deficit could have been covered from no other source but Moscow...

...The scandalous manner'in which they conducted the' recent strike of the textile workere in Petersen, N. J., may serve aa an example of how little they ear* for 'the true interest* of tha worker...

...14 of the Communist "International Pre** Correspondence," of February 24, 1924, it is stated: "All Communist faetiona in th* union*, regardless ef sis* and Im , portanc*, must be subject to tha party organs (the executive committee of the nuclei) or to the central committee...

...The Hungarian Federation numbers 869 members and publishes a daily papsr...

...The reply to this was given by no one else than Zinoviev, the President of the Communist International, who is also one pf the triumvirate which governs Russia...

...For this purpose, tha Communists in sll tnions must form Communist faction* and with their aid to govern spiritually the unions and lead them...

...supporters from holding any office in their organizations...

...The trads unions of Belgium, Cxecho-Slovakia, France, Poland, Austria, and several other countries, all followed one of the two courses above mentioned...

...At its special congress on December 15, 1920, it adopted the following decision : v "The unions are obliged, with all means st their command, not to allow th* Communists and th* follower* of th* Moscow Government to carry on their dtstractiv* activities " In January, 1921, th* German Metal Workers' Union, at the bead of which is the well-known radical Socialist Dissman, adopted a decision thst anyone pursuing within ite unions any activity prescribed by the Communist International "increase* thereby the already difficult struggle against the capitalists, and must there for a bs ragard ad as aa en.my of the Union " The German Union, of Railway Workers acted with even greater firmness in this matter, when its Berlin locale elected Communist* as members of their local executive boards...

...to giv* spaeial and ample assistance to th* Communist International" (The.i...

...Therefore, every tendency to minimize tha importance of this work must ba energetically com-batted, In each trade union organisation, the party member* must be organised In Commaalat factions and muat act aa a unit upon each question...

...From all this it becomes clearly evident that the destructive activity which is systematically earried on in our unions, the campaign of hate end incitement thst is being waged by this so called Trade Union Educational League against our International and its leaders and aetivs workers is being directed by the Communist International, and that the members of the Union who belong to the League or to the Communist party are only carrying out the orders of the Communist Central Committee...

...In the old union* ia an overwhelming majority of the coun trie* And themielve* today under I jb* influence*1 of and ere Swing led by the Communist party" (Minute*, page tf...

...In each union, whare only three persons In sympathy with Communism may b« found, there must at one* lie organised a Communist nuclei (call), Such Communist nuclei working in non-partisan organisations must b* unconditionally subject to th* party organisation as a whole, without ragard to ths fact whtthar tha Communist party la thst locality axiats...

...The leaders and active workers of our Union, who are against the Communists and their tactics, are being daily maligned and slandered in these sheets and represented to the workers as "agents hired by the bosaee to betray the interests of the workers," and servants ef the Department of Justice...

...From Their Own Mouths Paragraph 9 of the "Theses of the Communist International" prescribes: "In sll organisations without ex...

...In our trade, seasonal in it* nature and always beset with many complicated industrial problems, there always ha* been, and always will be, a dissatisfied element of workers...

...The Central Committee of the American Communist parly, however, is itself only an agency of Moscow, and the interest of the "world revolution" in Moscow demands the destruction of all existing Labor unions, wherever they cannot b* captured by th* Communists, and wherever they refuse to accept order* from Zinoviev and Losoysky or their local agents...

...The Central organ of the German Trede Unions Die Korres-pondenz Blatt, in its issue of August 12, 1922,' states: "The worst enemy of any fighting organisation is the enemy within the^ranks...

...They ere not wor-ned whether the worker* are pro-pared to go out on etrike for the winning of any given demand*, just as it does not matter to them whether the demande advocated by them mey or mey not be realized They are primarily interested in creating' turmoil, In arousing one group of the workers against the other, in breaking down the authority of the leaders, and in this way gain followers for their party through the tumult which they thus arouse...

...Losovsky reports further: "During this time w* have carried out th* decision concerning the Joint work of th* 'Pressure' (ltd Trad* Uaioa Isternational) and th* 'Comintern' (Communist International...

...Mo Labor union can exist without discipline, and any on* of our members who places ths discipline of rn* Workers' psrty sbovs the discipline of his or her union snd slds thereby our enemies to plot sgsinst and injure our organization, is himself an enemy of the Uni*n and mutt not be permitted to hold any office in it...

...In the "Theses," published by Zinoviev in the Moscow Izvtstia of April 28, 1925, which were endorsed by the Central Committee of the Russian Communist party, which means by th* actual Government of Russia, we read: "It is th* taik of th* Russian Communist...

...Other workers are disgruntled because the Union has set into operation strict working rule* which must be observed...

...18) "and, therefore, while yielding dally mors and more conclusions to th* growing capitalistic dements In our land, it is n*c*is*ry at th* Sam* time, by every means and in a full meatura, lo support th* division* ef th* proletarian revolution in all countries...

...Faithful to the sacred mandate of their pope, Lenine, who preached that a political opponent may be slandered and maligned, if he can only be blackened in the eyes of the masses, and that "if necessary, the Communists may use trickery, shrewd maneuvering and any Illegitimate means, including the suppression of facts" (see Lenine—"The Infantile Disorders of Leftism and Communism" —Russian edition, page 61—Moscow, 1925), the Communists stoop to the meanest forms of falsehoods snd slander in order to discredit our Union in the eyes of its members and before the general public opinion...

...Aa attempt maat b* mad* te convert th* Trad* Union Educational League let* * great opposition movement ef th* Left Bloc...

...In his report to the congress of the Moscow "Red Trade Union International," Leeovsky, the Chief Commissar of this Red International, state* that ia the course of one year, between the Arst congress of this International and the second, the Moscow, executive of the lad Intarnatiohal had deaft thirty-three time* with matters pertaining te the American Trade Union movement...

...page So...

...These.," page 29...

...Specially about America, Losovsky reported as follows: "During tha past year, there his bean formed ia Americs ,with the aid of the 'Proflnttrn (Moscow Trade Union International) and directly with your participation ¦ movement whleh works under tha banaar of th* Trade Union' Educational League This movement has embraced Wld* m*ss*a and today represent* th* root of th* American revolutionary Leber movement...

...The faction* receive their Instruction* from the party and work under It* control, "Th* party must support energetically the Trade Union Educational League and do everything possible to dtvtlop and spread tha League...

...Aa the Communists, however, have continued their destructive work, some oL these unions wsre finally compelrn to expel them entirely from their midst, while others adopted decisions barring Communists snd Communist...

...It is high time that our own International adopt, once and for all time, radical and firm measures to check and eliminate the Communist plague that is raging within our own ranks...

...They are subject to the iron discipline of the Communist party, and they must act snd vote in each and every union matter or problem not as ilnion members, or as their conscience would dictate to them, hut in accordance with the decision of the secret central committee of the Communist party...

...Sea "Kraihelt," Monday, May 15, 192s...

...The Communists hsvs declared war Upon ut and bur reply to them must be—WAR...

...It is deer, therefor*, that anyone who openly support* in eny uienner...

...The Communists in the uniont, therefore, are a State within a State...

...According to the financial report of the Workers' party, this party had in 1024 15,233 members...

...T» give every form of assistance lo tha American Communists !¦ one of th* principal task* of tha Communist International...

...and Maintain at its expenee a staff of paid organisers and agents to fight and demoralize our Unions, their existence will remain ia jeopardy—unices we take energetic and timely measure* to gut this csntfl car from th* body ef our organization without delay...

...Each Communist, whether he belongs officially to the Trade Unite Educational Letgue or not, it bound by party discipline to act in ail union matteia, not at ths interests of the orgenisetion would dictate, but in accordancs with the orders of the secret Communist Central Committee...

...All the faction* mast .uhmit to th* control of th* local or district CommlUe* of th* Communist party," Paragraph 7 of these instructions reed*: "The Communist factions in th* unions must reach an agreement with tha proper party organs with regard to candidates for executive boards in th* shove mentioned organisations and organs...

...Paragraph 5 of ^ha 'Theses,'' touching on ths relatione between the Communists snd Labor union, says: "Viewing tha aim and th* substance of th* unions as greater than their form, th* Communists in th* unions mast not stop before splitting th* anions, if th* ilternativ* may moan tha giving UP of revolutionary activity in th* unions, tha giving up of th* attempt of converting them into * weapon of revolutionary struggle...

...Th..l...

...The Communist factions In th* local executive boards, In th* trade and Labor councils, Stat* Federation* of Labor, etc., are to • erve as th* leading organ* for all Communist...

...In its Unholy crusade against our Union, the Communist party is employing every means, no matter how foul or despicable...

...All attempts of th* reactionary trade-union bureaucrat* to isolate the Trad* Union Educational League, to undermine it* Influence in tha unions, and to limit th* activity of it* member* to Communists sad their closest sympathisers only, must b* energetically combatted...

...Who Meets the Deficit...

...Paragraph 12 states: "At tha general meeting* of the non-partisan organisations (trad* unions, cooperatives, etc...

...The Polish Federation haa 246 members and also publishes a daily newspaper...

...The Italian Federation of the Workers' party, which has 319 members, issues its own dally paper...

...and conduct propaganda and agitation . . It ia vtry important In this con-naction to work out th« required differentiation or the, 'responsible r*presont*tivei' who ara hopoloasly corrupted by patty-bourgeoi* and imperialistic prejudices (sack leaders mast also be mercilessly-eapeeed eat driven out of th* Labor movement) on the one hand, snd toward the manos on th* ether...

...A day aeldom passes without savage and venomous sttscks upon our Union appearing in the numerous ¦ publications issued by the Communists in various languages in every part of the country...

...The Union must not allow any of its officers, elected by our members, to receive orders from an outside enemy organisation, from a political clique which constantly engages in conspiring against our Union, We must heve discipline in odr rank...

...Whoever is with the Communists is an enemy ef oun, and for such there ie no room within our ranks...

...Such is th* program adopted by th* Russian governing party at its last conference on April 29, 1925...

...Th"*s*l.J psg* it...

...Paragraph 10 reads: ¦ "Each question which is to be da-elded in tne non-partisan institutions or organizations in which th* Communist faetion* carry on their activity mail first be dl*cu***d at a generil meeting Or st the executive board of the Communist faction...

...THE COMMUNIST PLAGUE IN OUR UNION A Powerful Progressive Union Meets the Challenge of Disruption By MORRIS SIGMAN (President ef the Int'l Ladiea' Garment Workere' Union) IT is common knowledge that our Union has, in the last few years, been suffering greatly from the demoralizing influence caused by Communist propaganda among our workers...

...See articla "Flv* Yaars of th* Comintern" in tha Moscow Prav-da for February 29, 1924...

...Communist activity aids thereby our bitterest enemy ia lighting our Union, end must therefor* be tegerded as an enemy of the Union...

...Nat one of these publications pays for Itself, and, with the exception of one or two, these Communistic periodicals have' neither reader* nor advertisers...

...Whatever our Union undertakes to do or ia engaged in doing in order to improve the work conditions in our industry, these enemies of ours attack, ridicule and deride, urging the workers to disobey the constitution of the Union and to violats its laws...

...It is clear that Moscow does not intend to give up Communist propaganda in America...

...They are inclined to assume that the officers Are not energetic enough to force the employers to give them work...

...The small number of Communist sympathisers wbo are found in our Union could heve been entirely ignored were it not for the fact that behind them there stands the entire machinery of the Communist party with its fourteen daily papers, maintained by funds of the Russian .Communist Government...

...Minutes of the Congress, Russian edition, page 21, Moscow, 1923...

...ga The deficit incurred by Tnele fourteen Communist dailies reaches the sum of hundreds of thousands of dollars annually...

...000 came from...

...Theses...

...Paragraph 7 reads: ' "Tha Communists muit striva to create as far *¦ possible complete unity between the unions and tha Communist party and to place th* uniona under the leadership of the party as ths vanguard of th* workers' revolution...

...Member* violating these rule* will bs punished by th* party...

...Theses and Coastitution of th* Communist later-national," Russian edition, page I, published by the American Communist party...

...Destruction or Capture Is Aim It is this element that furnishes the vanguard of the malcontents, who become easily incited against the Union and its officers and active workers by the organised machinery of the Communist party in this country and the Communist Red International—organizations which have only one purpose: to capture the existing trade unions, and make them the pliant tools of'the dictatorship of the secret Communist central committee, or to destroy them entirely if they cannot be captured...

...The General Executive Board of the Railway Workers declared thee* elections invalid on the ground that the Communists were opposed to the platform of the Union end were disregarding its decisions...

...These party organs most give th* necessary instiuctions to the Comnexnist factions, aad all questions with regard te which the** petty organization* had adopted decision matt be treated by the** faction* la strict accordance with these decision...

...Anyone who I* familiar with th* A, 1 C ef the International movement will admit that th* revolutionary minoritie...

...The report does not mention where the remaining 1100...

...Thle opposition ii becoming th* united opposition in th* American Trade Union movement" (Minute*, page isr Among th* instructions of ths Communist International published in No...

...caption, in tha trade unions, in political, cooparativt, and educational societUs, there must bo created groups or 'colli' of Communists, open or soerat, which mast bt closely affiliated to tha party cOnttr...

...We need not and, under the circumstance*, it may be hardly desire able to expel all Communists and their supporters from our Union, But our Union must not permit any members of the so-celled "Workers' party" or eny of ite followers te hold any paid or unpaid office in our organization...

...On August 28, 1922, tha central bedy of all the German Trade Uglons, together with the Union of State Employes, issued a declaration in which It is ststed, among other, things: « "There can ba no greater treason to the workers, at this difficult time, than to incite, members of trade unions against their elected leaders, and to spread dissension and dissatisfaction between workers and officers, as the Communists ars doing...

...The strife kept up by the Communists in our unions is in no sens* a conflict between eloakmskers and eloakmakers or dressmakers and dressmakers concerning means or methods for improving the conditions of the workers in our trades, but a fight between the Communist party and the organised Labor movement in America...

...Paragraph 18 of th* "Theses" states...

...The Communist party has declared war upon us...

...This, no doubt, must be placed to the credit of the 'Proflntern,' as this movement, about which I steak, adopted our program and our tattles, and through it our ides* are being spread throughout America...

...This, however, is net all...

...We heve, therefore, reached the conclusion that our Internetloasl Union must put an end, with a firm and unfaltering arm, to the Communist demoralization in its midst...

...And as long as th* Russian treasury will subsidise, the local Communist news-P*per...

...at that moment in a legal or illegal form...

...This rsply consists of but one terse phrase...

...Notwithstanding the fact that most .Communist papers have no income whatever, they are coming out regularly, and some of them have even purchased buildings and ara equipped with linotype and printing plants...

...We must adopt against the Communist* the same methods which are applied against them hfajh* progressive trade unions all ever the world...

...In the very recent past they have gone so fsr as to incite the worker* not to allow the Union to reach any settlement or agreement with the employers, proposing initead that the Union inaugurate at once a general striker and agitatipg far such demagogic and impossible demands as obviously cannot bs won...

...ia these organization...

...A few months later, the Esses tive of the Amsterdam Internationa adopted th* following decision: "Having reached th* c*nclaii*a I that th* activity of the Third Inter-national ia greatly strengthening tk* menace of Reaction, th* Extcutlvt of th* international Federation of Trad* Unions decided that the activity of th* Moscow International Is hound t» bring dtssensien and •slitting* ip tbt Labor movement, •nd thetefore any organisation which Jains th* 'Profintern' or tkt 'Comintern' place* itself »quir*|p outsid* th* International Federatloa of Trade Unions?1 A War for the Union The Central body of the German Unions went still further...

...The Communists heve only one interest and that is—the interest of the Communist party...

...Some of them become dissatisfied with the long periods of "slack" between sessons which they' are compelled to endure, and which is the result of the seasonal nature of our industry, and to some Of them it appears that the Union or the officers of the Union are, for some reason of another, responsible for this unemployment...

...If the unions desire to maintain" their strength, they muit Arst clean their own house...

...ill member* of th* Communist faction must *ct and vote a* a unit In all que«-tloa...

...The English central organ of the Communists, which carries no advertisements whatever and ha* only an insignificant number of reader*, come* out daily in six pegs*, and issues a special supplement on Sunday...

...The same is true of sll other countries, including the United States...

...The question arises: Who covers all these immense expenses of the Communist party...

...The Communists are doing everything under the sun to hsrm us st every step snd turn...

...But our Unions have refused to take orders from the Communist party, and the .Communist* have therefore declared war upon us...

...The so-called "Workers' party," the American section of the Communist International in Moscow, has set before itself the definite task of discrediting and' destroying our International Union, as well as the American Federation of Labor...

...And here is the very recent order issued by the Communist International to the American Communists: "In Amerlcs th* regular work of party member* Is th* anions should be regarded a* fundamental work upon which depends ths success of the party in ntntr fields of activity, • and especially in the struggle for a Labor partv...

...And further: "Communist Motion* is th* unions elect with th* sanction of th* proper * party committee, their executive committee, which Is nsponslbl* to th* party organ for th* activity of these factions...

...The Communist party of America publishes fourteen dally papers, eight weeklies and several monthly mage-sines...

...That the whole Communist movement in all countries is not only directed but also financed by the Russian Government is today no secret to anyone...

...Already in May, 1922, the Amsterdam Trade Union International issued a declaration in which, among other things, it said: "Even if war ekeakt astaau thai th* Moscow leaders do not intend to sprit th* Labor movement, the method* which they as* lead ia eree-tits inevitably to th* destructi** ef unity in every country and to the greater subjugation of th* workers to th* power* ef th* capitalist...

...All these figures, bearing on the condition of the American Communist psrty, are taken from the "American Labor Year-Book" for 1924, ffages 159 and 160...

...W* mutt loarn t» approach th* masses with fiatianc* snd ears so thst w* may earn the special and Individual characteristics of th* psychology of *ach stratum of the mass...

...The organizational expenses of this party alone amounted in 1923, according to the financial rtpprt of its secretary, to 1140,000, of which sum only about 140,000 wa* covered by membership dues...