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VIII_No. 19 voun AtviminiNT in The journal it * sms
I MV ■•▼MINT
CHARLOTTE, N. C„ THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1939
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BY PRESIDENT GREEN - CONDEMNS
A COMMUNIST PACT WITH HITLER
SPRINGFIELD, 111.—The Illinois I
State Federation of Labor opened its!
forty-fifth annual convention — the!
greatest in its history—here this week.j
President William Green, of the!
American Federation of Labor, whof
made a special trip from Washington
to address the convention, called atten
tion to the fact that the membership
strength of the State Federation has
now reached an all-time peak. He de
clared that similar membership gains
had been recorded by A. F. of L. af
filiates all over the country and that
the paid-up membership of the Amer
ican Federation of Labor now totals
over four million.
Emphasizing the achievements of
the Illinois Federation, President
Green praised the organization high
ly for bringing about the defeat in
the last session of the State Legisla
ture of anti-labor legislation sponsor
ed by spurious organizations posing
as representatives of farmers.
He declared that the real backers of
such reactionary legislation in Illi
nois as well as in other States were
tory employer groups operating in
secret.
Mr. Green appealed eloquently for
unity in organized labor. He charged
that the G. I. O., by creating division
in labor, had played right into the
hands of anti-union employers whose
policy always has been to “divide and
conquer."
The present leader of the C. I. 0.,
Mr. Green recalled, was plagued with
dualism for many years in his own
union, the United Mine Workers. The
leader of the secession movement in
that union, Mr. Green said, was John
Brophy, who was finally expelled for
his activities. John L. Lewis must
have regarded Brophy as an expert
dualist, Mr. Green remarked, because
he hired Brophy to direct the dual
istic activities of the C. I. 0. against
the A. F. of L.
While the A. F. of L. has made
every effort to achieve labor peace,
Mr. Green continued, it has been
blocked by the apparent determina
tion of Lewis to prevent peace. The
only condition on which Lewis has of
fered to agree on a settlement, he
said, is the dissolution of the Ameri
can Federation of Labor. This, Mr.
Green emphasized, will never happen.
His declaration was cheered enthusi
astically by the delegates.
Mr. Green condemned the alliance
between the C. I. 0. and the Com
munists with the same fervor that he
assailed the Communist pact with
Hitler. He insisted that American
labor favors a policy of strict neu
trality in the European war.
The delegates rose to their feet
with another ovation when Mr. Green
declared that the American Federa
tion of Labor will do everything in
its power to secure national legisla
tion for curbing war profiteering.
A. F. L Campaigns
To Increase Pay
For Tex. Workers
WASHINGTON, Sept 26.—The
United Textile Workers of America
(A. F. L.) announced that it would
begin an immediate campaign to in-1
crease wages 20 per cent in all
branches of the textile industry.
The announcement said the decision
was reached at a recent meeting of
the U. T. W.'s executive committee
after the suggestion had been ad
vanced by New England locals. The
drive, it was said, has 1m -approval j
of William Green, president of the
American Federation of Labor.
Campaigns will be launched simul
taneously in New England and the
South, the announcement added.
G. M. Fox, U. T. W. international
president; Francis J. Gorman, chair
man of the executive council; and
Anthony Vaiente, secretary-treasurer,
will supervise the campaign national
ly. Gordon Chastain, U. T. W. vice
president, will head the southern
campaign.
America has 6 per cent of the
world’s land area and 7 per cent of
the people. This 7 per cent own 32
per cent of the world’s railroad mile
age; 58 per cent of the world’s tele
phone; 36 per cent of its developed
water power and 76 per cent of the
world’s automobiles.
waawwnwwnvwvwvwveM
Action To Curb
Profiteering Will
Be Taken By A.F.L
WASHINGTON. Sept. 26.—Wil
liam Green, president of the Ameri
can Federation of Labor, states that
• e forthcoming A. F. L. convention
in Cincinnati would take “vigorous
action to curb profiteering,”
Asserting in a statement that com
plaints had been received from all
parts of the country against “sky
rocketing” commodities prices, he
added: «,
‘‘This -Inexcusable form of exploi
tation really constitutes a wage cut
for every American worker. The
American Federation of Labor is con
ymced that these rising prices are un
justified. This trend must be
stopped.”
Fur Constipation
Vigor and Pep!
CHEW
PEP-O-LAX
When Buying Aspirin Demean
C. a ASPIRIN
To Bring State
Employers Into
Fold of A. F. L
A movement is being launched
throughout North Carolina to bring
State employes into the fold of the
American Federation of Labor, It was
stated here yesterday.
D. G. Kiser, president of the city
employes union, said the American
Federation of Labor made a survey
of a number of southern states and
found that North Carolina state
workers are underpaid when com
pared with wages paid in other
states. The average N. C. state em
ploye, he said, is paid only 27 cents
an hour.
A number of employes in this
county already have joined the union
and local union leaders are now
branching out into adjoining coun
ties to “sign up” State employes.
Also it was stated a drive is on at
Wilmington and a number of other
I cities.
Albert Gossette, southern represen
! tative of the State, County and City
Employes Association, an affiliate
of the American Federation of La
bor. has issued a charter to State
highway employes, in North Carolina,
Mr. Kiser said.—Observer, Wednes
day.
yandJk. - UJuaihaM, TfluluaL
JwWicdL ClA&jociaiwn,
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CHARLOTTE \
NEW CONTRACTS SIGNED BY
TEAMSTERS AND CHAUFFEURS;
GREAT SOUTHERN CO. TRUCKERS
STILL OUT AND HOLDING FIRM
The Teamsters and Chauffeurs local No. 71, Charlotte, signed
up two home trucking companies the past week, according to in
formation given The JouriuU by H. L, McCrorie, full-time organ
izer for the Teamsters and Chauffeurs. These companies are the
A. G. Boone Trucking Co., and the G. & H. Transit Company, who
are handling the A. & P. trucking in North and South Carolina;
along with the newly-formed local of the Bakers & Confectionery
Workers, serving the A. & P. Tea Company, which Brother Mc
Crorie and Int. Representative Sims, of the Bakers International,
are due credit for. The contracts call for closed shop condi
tions. The Teamsters agreements call for an increased weekly
pay of from two to nine dollars, 4s to 52 Sours, time and a half for
overtime, which is a cut of from eight to twelve hours each week.
Brother McCrorie, in reporting on the Teamsters’ strike at
the Great Southern Trucking Co., Charlotte Branch, states that
there has been no change, not a single man having deserted the
ranks since the beginning of the strike on the 6th of September.
The condition of the strike is in a state of status quo, await
ing action of the Labor Board and the U. S. Department of Labor.
Peace has reigned throughout this strike. The two charges against
the company are refusing collective bargaining, and discrimina
tion, and is not a matter of hours and pay, but a matter of prin
ciple and law enforcement.
International Representative Thomas P. O’Brien, of the
Teamsters and Chauffeurs, has been here on several occasions,
working for the contracts and advising in the Teamsters and
Chauffeurs strike.
Secretary James H. Fullerton, of the Teamsters and Chauffeurs,
has been instrumental in great degree in the handling of the
strike and the organization work being carried on by his local.
On Wednesday night of this week Organizer McCrorie signed
a union agreement with the Akers Motor Lines, Gastonia, taking
in nearly 100 men. This new membership will be added to the
Charlotte Local No. 71, running its membership well beyond the
300 mark, with others to be added at an early date.
Comedy and tragedy are close kin.
Until recently the classic example was
the gpectade ot Charlie Chajrftn get
ting pasted in the face by a custard
pie. But this has now been surpass
ed by the performance being put on
in Europe by two ham-actors bearing
a close physical resemblance to Char
lie. We mean, of course, Hitler and
Stalin.
Their act is tragic. At the same
time it is terrifically funny. Natural
ly, the democratic nations of Europe
who were stabbed in the back by the
Hitier-Stalin alliance couldn’t see any
thing comic in it. Even we in Amer
ica were profoundly shocked. But we
'couldn’t help laughing. For the
whole thing was too funny for words.
We had heard Hitler denouncing the
Communists day after day, year after
year, as the enemies of civilization.
We had heard Stalin saying even
worse about the Nazis and Fascists.
Then, all of a sudden, we learn that
the boys were just putting on an act.
They hadn’t meant a word they said.
Actually, they were pals and together
they were going to save the world
from a new menace—democracy. To
gether they were going to “preserve”
peace.
How were they going to preserve
peace? The answer was not long in
coming. Hitler invaded Poland with
the full strength of the German army
and German air forces. He destroy
ed peaceful villages and murdered
thousands upon thousands of defense
less civilians in the name of peace,
forcing the Polish defenders to back
up against the Russian wall. And
then Rusisa sent its army into Poland
and stabbed the Poles in the back. The
German and Russian generals met in
Brest-Litovsk and decided how to
carve up Poland’s territory between
them. Thus was peace preserved.
BRASS AND BALONEY
There was nothing funny in all this.
It was horrible, almost unbelievable
in its treachery and cruelty. But then
the Daily Worker spoke up. In a
front-page editorial, this official or
gan of the Communist Party and Mos
cow hailed the invasion of the Red
army as “liberating” Poland. It ex
plained the Reds were going to protect
the White Russian minorities in Po
land—those very White Russians who
had fled from their Soviet conquerors
as they would from a plague. The
editorial was such a concoction of
brass nerve and baloney that we feel
impelled to quote a few paragraphs
from it here:
“Freed from the tyrannical rule of
the greedy landlords,” says the Daily
Worker, “and the corrupt nobility, all
these minorities for the first time can
chart for themselves a life of freedom,
happiness and peace as have their
brothers in the land of socialism.
Freed from the chains of exploitation,
they can now enjoy real self-determi
nation, a chance to choose their own
future and decide their own fate.
“Truly the Soviet Union has scored
another triumph for human freedom
—destined for the brightest page in
world history. It is in accordance
with her steadfast, unshakable peace
policy and with her policy of neutral
ity already proclaimed.”
We also read in the newspapers that
Stalin has now entered into an alli
ance with Japan. The next thing we
expect to read in the Daily Worker
is that Japan is bringing the fruits of
enlightenment and civilisation to
China and is fighting to free China
from traitorous leaders who are /e
jaiini this great boon.
Ye Gods' and little fishes, to these
mentally perverted wretches think
they can insult the intelligence of the
American people with such scummy
hypocrisy?
LABOR’S PROBLEM
Mind you, this same Daily Worker
has for the past three years carried on
a bitter campaign against the Amer
ican Federation of Labor. These
same Reds have tried to tell American
workers that the C. I. 0. was formed
to “liberate” them. This same crowd
has contributed its key men and sub
stantial funds to wreck the American
Federation of Labor an<J supplant it
with the C. 1.0.
Borthers and sisters, they are try
ing to “liberate” the American worker
the same way they are “liberating”
Poland today.
The Reds are worikng with the C.
I. 0. in America the same way they
are working with Hitler ip Europe.
Their purpose is to destroy the
American tabor movement.
The aim is to stab democracy in the
back.
Their objective is revolution. They
have organized the first unit in their
revolutionary forces in the C. I. O.
The C. I. O. appears to be just as
blindly obedient to the Communist
Party in America as the Daily Worker
is to Stalin’s policies in Europe. The
C. I. O. has failed to lift up its voice
in denunciation of the Stalin-Hitler
alliance. It has failed to say a sin
gle harsh word about the dismember
ment of Poland. ' It has vociferously
assailed Facism and Nazism but it
has never uttered one syllable in op
position to Communism.
The whole picture is now clear to
American workers. They can evalu
ate the pretty speeches of C. I. 0.
leaders, allies of the Soviet just as
Hitler is, in the light of similarly
pretty speeches about “liberating”
Poland. They know now that such
“liberation” really means liquidation.
They know now that a vicious group
of international plotters have been
trying to dupe them.
Central Labor Union
Hears Good Reports;
Adjourns for Carniv’l
The regular meeting of the Central
body was held Wednesday night. A
very good attendance was in evidence
about 8 o’clock, and few there at 7:30.
The delegates should make every at
tempt to come before the regular
opening time, which is' 7:30. Much of
interest transpired. ' The strikers at
the Great Southern Trucking Com
pany are still out per cent, and
the Central Body committee, to fur
nish aid, proved they were doing a
bang-up job. The chairman of this
committee is a very welcome addition
to the Central Body, from one of our
largest locals who has just recently
affiliated with the Central Labor Un
ion. Various private matters were
discussed at length, and in courtesy
to the Endy Brothers Carnival, which
we are sponsoring this week, the Cen
tral Body adjourned to the carnival
grounds per their special invitation.
Patrovfee Journal Advertiser*
COMMERCIAL TELEGRAPHERS UNION
SCORNS MERGER WITH THE C. I. 0.;
SPENT $100,000 TO WRECK AFFILIATE
CHICAGO, 111.—With the books
cleared of all debts and with an in
create per capita, the 18th regu
lar convention of the Commercial Te
legraphers Union of North America,
an affiliate of the American Federa
tion of Labor, adjourned at midnight
September 15, with plans laid for in
creased achivity in organizing the
Western Union Telegraph Company.
All the officers of .the union were
returned for a two-year term. Presi
dent Frank B. Powers and Interna
tional Secretary-Treasurer W. L. Al
len were re-elected by acclamation.
President Powers and I. J. McDon
ald, of Chicago, were elected delegates
to the American Federation of Labor
convention.
The following statement was issued
from the Commercial Telegraphers
Union headquarters here summariz
ing the more important actions of
the convention:
“A strong resolution was adopted
which demanded bonuses and insur
ance for radio officers on ships which
are routed through war zones.
“Other resolutions called upon the
American Federation of Labor to set
up a Marine Trades Department; ex
pressed thanks to President Green and
A. F. of L. Director of Organization
Frank P. Fenton for their aid in the
Western Union organizing campaign,
and opened the way for setting up
an airways communication division. I
“As their contribution to the desire
for a clear deck, the two international
officers and Chief Clerk Frank C.!
Rausch voluntarily waived back sal
aries amounting to $17,000. Organ
izers are to be relieved of the need of
explaining to Western Union em
ployes that CTU is not ‘debt-ridden.'
Officers also took a considerable sal
ary cut as an additional contribution
to the organizing campaign.
“An attempt by the C. 1. 0. dual
union to gain publicity by a bid for
‘labor unity’ turned out to be the oc
casion for considerable CTU news
paper space which stressed the angle
that the C. I.O. had spent $100,000
trying to wreck the CTU and failed.
“The convention unanimously voted
to refer the dual union to a letter ad
dressed to John L. Lewis last fall by
the CTU’s General Executive Board.
This letter, which Lewis acknowledged
by referring the CTU to Meryyn Rath
borne, president of the C. I. 0. group,
pointed out that the American Com
munications Association had squan
dered $100,000 and two and a half
years without accomplishing anything
because Western Union employes
would have nothing to do with a Com
munist-controlled organization.
“Lewis was requested to ‘refrain
•from interfering with a bona fide, in
dustrial organization’ and to give the
CTU ‘the chance to show that we can
do the job or organizing Western
Union.”
“The subsidy of C. I. O. to the dual
union continued in spite of the appeal
to Lewis, but after another year of
C. I. O. activities, the CTU reported
it represented 7,000 Western Union
employes by membership or proxy
signatures at the convention just
closed.” ,
WAR NOTES
(BY A VETERAN)
WESTERN FRONT: The war at
present is on German territory for
the first time in 100 years. The
French have control over the Saar re
gion and its coal at present. This is
of course planned as a joint action
with the English blockade. Look for
some real bombing on both sides any
day. Neither side wishes to start
this. But let one side make an overt
act with planes, and the - rain of
bombs begins. Contrary to general
belief, the French have won a decided
victory so far on the Western Front,
with little loss of life. If she holds
the defensive, she will be accomplish
ing what is probably the major aim
of the Allies, the isolation of Ger
many from the World, economically.
An advance in the last war such as
France made in the Saar, would prob
ably have cost a million casualties.
She just sneaked in this time. If
Germany tries to regain this territory,
watch the casualties pile up. It will
make those on the Polish front look
like a skirmish.
POLISH FRONT: Warsaw still
is holding out at this writing. Re
ported uprisings in Czechoslovakia
prove that English bombing of Ger
many with propaganda had a real
basis. How easily there could have
been a rain of terror in German cities.
Instead of which the Germans receiv
ed news withheld from them by a
most rigid censorship, and this news is
calculated to make the German people
think. Especially when they read
about the bombing victories over Po
land by their own air forces. Rus
sia’s actions still are a puzzle. They
have inserted their forces between
Germany and Rumania. If this were
planned, it means an end to German
pressure in the Central European
Arena, therefore a defeat of the Ger
man planned economic expansion. Hit
-...
ler then would become the tail which
wags the dog, to Stalin, just as Mus
solini wiggled for Hitler.
BRITISH FRONT: Today we
read about three vessels being sunk
by German subs. Offhand this might
mean the British blockhade is inef
fective. But the three vessels belong
ed to two neutral countries, Finland
and Sweden. This action is not cal
culated to make the rest of the world
sympathetic to German aims. We do
not read of any German deliveries of
Christmas toys to America. The
blockade seems to be more effective
than thought possible in such a short
time. Look for some aggressive ac
tion by the British fleet, after the
main forces of the British Expedi
tonary Army have been landed in
France. Winston Churchill is not the
appeaser type of Briton, and he in
head of the navy.
AMERICAN FRONT: Canada not
invaded as yet. Neutrality issue
now before the special session of Con
gress. Labor should be for Mr
Roosevelt’s bill in toto. If there are
any arguments which try to make him
appear favoring the Allies, why that
should be all the more reason Labor
should stand for the bill. Where are
the local unions in Germany today?
Where are their leaders? And the
fact that all Germans are against
Mr. Roosevelt’s bill is prime reason
showing that the present status fa
vors Germany against the other
countries, which makes us un-neutral
at present.
EXCUSE IT PLEASB
Mrs. Jones was spending a day in
bed with a severe cough, and her hus
band was working in the back yard
and hammering nails into some boards.
Presently his neighbor came over.
How’s the wife? he asked.
Not very well, said Jones.
Is that her coughing?
No you fathead, it’s a henhouse.
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