([he Charlotte labor Journal
Kndorood by the N. C. State
Federation of Labor
AMD DIXIE FARM NEWS
Offioiai Organ of Control Labor Union; Standing
for tka A. F. L.
13 YEARS v
CONSTRUCTIVE
SERVICE TO
NORTH
CAROLINA
READERS
VOL. VIII—No. 45
YOU* A*V«tTI»ma«T IN TNI MIMU
CHARLOTTE, N. C„ THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 1944
$2.00 Por Tw
WIN THE
Free Labor Will Out-Produce Nazi Slaves
The ONLY REALLY INDEPENDENT WEEKLY in Mecklenburg County rmnrm and coamn «For a Weekly Its
.....—- ---- • . MICKLKNBUKG COUIfTT W TO ENTIRETl
A. F. OF L.* FOR 1944
t the L ARGEST BUYING ^ -lotto
ARMY CALLED UPON BY LABOR
TO CORRECT LYING PROPAGANDA
WHICH IS BEING FED OUR TROOPS
WASHINGTON, D. C.—Organized labor called upon the War
Department to take “positive steps” to inform the men in the
armed forces of the truth regarding labor’s war record. A dele
gation from the AFL and CIO held a conference with Under
secretary of War Robert P. Patterson in an effort to prevail upon
the armed forces to take the initiative in this matter.
APL Secretary - Treasurer George
Meany presented the gist of the case
when he asked Hr. Patterson these
questions:
r 1. Are the members of the armed
forces now misinformed as to labor’s
participation in the war effort?
2. If they are so misinformed,
doesn't the War Department have a
direct responsibility to tell the ser
vicemen the truth?
Secretary Patterson insisted that
the service publications do not dis
tort labor news. He submitted evi
dence that these publications print
stories about labor’s production
achievements along with news of
strikes. He indicated he felt that
stories about servicemen’s resentment
against labor have been exaggerated
and do not represent the views of the
average man in uniform.
While Secretary Patterson did not
agree that it is up to the War Depart
ment to correct any misapprehens
siotis regarding labor the troops may
be suffering from, he indicated will
ingness to consider any specific sug
gestions organised labor cares to sub
mit.
Among the suggestions pending are
ways and means of bringing labor
publications such^uas the American
Federationist to the attention of the
troops to counteract hostile labor
stories printed in non-official publi
cations which are available in mili
tary camps. The hitch, at present, is
that the armed forces distribute to
camp libraries only such publications
as are requested by the servicemen.
Support for labor’s point of view on
this issue came unexpectedly from the
Washington Post which declared edi
torially that “there seems merit’’ in
labor’s plea that the War Department
give the troops a “more positive pic
ture of labor’s accomplishments.”
"Undoubtedly, press reports have
tended to dramatize, and perhaps
overplay, the occasional stoppages
that have occurred in war produc
tion,” the editorial said. “It is pre
cisely because these are extraordinary
that they are newsworthy. It is a
good deal more difficult to make good
copy out of the day-to-day story’ of
devoted effort in the mines and mills.
Yet the record attests that, in the
main, this devotion has been very
high. There is simply no other basis
on which the miracle of American pro
duction can be explained.
“Certainly the morale of men in the
field will be heightened rather than
hurt by a knowledge that they are
being faithfully backed up at home.”
A. F. OF L. GIVES PLEDGE TO BUILD
BRIDGE OF LANDING CRAFT
WASHINGTON, D. C.—Leading spokesmen of labor and management
gave a resounding pledge to build a “bridge of landing craft” for the Nary
to spearhead the United Nations’ drive to victory.
Commemorating the second anniversary of the Amphibious Forces, a
group of 18 labor and management representatives of the landing craft in*
duntry visited various east coast training bases and were “shipmates’* of the
Navy aboard an LCI-L (Landing Craft Infantry, Large) on maneuvers in
the Chesapeake Bay.
They returned to their plants and union organisations impressed wit
the vast job that lies ahead in providing the thousands of various typos of
landing craft, their component and battle replacement parts, for the big
landing craft, __
Lt. Comdr. SL°M*Cox, executive officer at the Camp Bradford, Va,
phibious Training Base, told the group, grimly:
“You build the ships and we will train the crews. We need these ships
and we need them badly.’*
He received a prompt, enthusiastic response.
Frank Fenton, Director of Organisation, American Federation of Labor,
“We will build a bridge of landing craft which our brave soldiers and
sailers will crons to victory. It is the policy of the AFL to push landing craft
production to the limit, with no strikes. Our pledge to the Navy is given.”
Other AFL representatives who participated in the inspection trip in
cluded Lewis G. Hines, legislative representative of the AFL, and Eric Pet
erson, general vice president. International Association of Mechinists.
EXPOSE BY EX-PARTY OFFICIAL
LINKS C.LO. LEADERS WITH
COMMUNIST ORGANIZATIONS
NEW YOR KCITY.—A former Negro Communist leader, who
studied party doctrine at the Lenin School in Moscow and later
held high office in the Community pul, revealed that M. J. Quill,
head of the Transport Workers* Union (CIO) was an active Com
munist and that he and other leaders of the CIO attended secret
policy-making meetings of the Communist inner councils.
Hie now disillusioned Communist who made the charges was Timothy
Holmes, former member of the Communist state committee and the Com
munist Polburo, and formerly a teacher of party doctrine at the Workers
School here. His accusations were attested to in an affidavit made public by
“The New York World-Telegram.”
He said that Mr. Quill and other CIO loaders reported regularly on con
fidential union matters to the Communist leadership and too kprders from
that leadership in the execution of union afairs, eves to such questions as
the calling of strikes. The internal probienm of the unions, the recruiting with
in the unions of Communist members, and the dealing with anti-Communist
elements in the unions, all were discussed With the Communist leadership,
according to Mr. Holmes.
He said that Abram Flaxer, president of the State, County and Munici
pal Workers of America, CIO, was another who attended the secret Com
munist party metings.
Although Joseph Curran, president of the National Maritime Union, did
not attend party meetings, acording to Mr. Holmes, he was regarded as a
“dyed-in-the-wool Communist who could always be trusted to go along with
party policy.” Two of Mr. Curran's aides, did, however, report to the Polburo,
he asserted. He described meetings of the party which he attended in the
presence of Ferdinand Smith, N. M. U. secretary, and Frederick N. Myers,
vice-president of the N. M. U.
FIRST LABOR DAILf PAPER
TO BE LAUNCHED THIS
MONTH IN SAN DIEGO, CAL.
THE DAILY JOURNAL STARTS WITH 40,000 DAILY CIR
CULATION GUARANTEED—OTHERS WILL FOLLOW
THROUGHOUT COUNTRY.
SAN DIEGO, CAL.—Hungry for honest news, all sections of
organized labor here—AFL and CIO—are supporting a new paper,
The Daily Journal, scheduled to start publication this month as
the only progressive, Win-the-War, pro-Roosevelt Administration
[ Daily in this humming war area.
The AFL Federated Trades and Tabor Council has appointed
Arthur Manning full-time chief of Organized Labor’s end of the
Journal's subscription drive. He reported recently to the Coun
cil that he'd been promised 100% support from every local union
official contacted.
The Journal is Organized Labor’s baby, but it will have been
god fathered by liberal civic and religious groups and by pro
Administration forces which are growing stronger as San Diego
becomes more and more a center of war production.
Editor and publisher of the new paper is Clinton D. McKin
non who, although still in his early 3<rs, has packed a lot o( suc
cessful publishing and editing into his career.
The AFL Council, representing a membership of more than
40,000 has pledged at least 20,000 subscriptions. The Aeronauti
cal Lodge of the AFL International Association of Machinists,
whose members produce the bombers and fighting equipment con
A ire raft Corp. plant, has
structed at the giant Consolidated
pledged a proportionate number.
McKhinon has announced that the paper will carry syndi
__ -Y . _
OUR VICTORY VETERANS
Whet arc wa going to do for tham?
Their fathers came back from serving in
World War I and they had to sad apples.
What about our "Vats" of World War 117
They have bean fighting for the Four Free
doms. Soma have been wounded in action in
the struggle to preserve a "government of the
people, by the people, for the people."
They lived in foxholes and submarines; they
sacrificed and suffered; they saw their buddies
drop around them. They went through h«dl
I Will America give the veteran of World
War II a job, or must he, also, sell apples?
He has been promised a good job when he
comes home—that means a job at decent
wages under decent working conditions. Are
we going to keep that promise?
There must be a market for what he pro
duces. That market can only be assured if
the people of America have sufficient pur
chasing power to buy.
That purchasing power can be secured in
only one way —- maintaining wages, hours and
working conditions on a high level. They are
maintained in America by labor unions.
Every time you buy Union Label goods, or
patronize a service that is designated by a
Shop Card or Service Button, you are helping
to maintain the American standard of wages,
hours and working conditions; you are helping
prepare America to give a decent job at
decent wages, hours and working conditions to
every veteran of World War II and assure the
boys now fighting this war good jobs when
they get hornet
Secretary-T reaturer
• •
UNION LABEL TRADES DEPARTMENT, American Federation of Labor, Washington 1, D. C.
CAM MORRISON
TALKS TO LION’S
AT STATESVILLE
—V—
STATESVILLE, March 28. —Con
gressman Cameron Morrison, candi
date for the Democratic nomination
for the office of United States Sena
tor, addressed thq. Statesville Lions
club and many visitors in Vance hotel
last night. He was introduced by
State Senator (Lion) Hugh G. Mitch
ell, program chairman.
Congressman Morrison made no
reference to his opponents in his con
test for the Senate, declaring that
either praise of himself or criticism
of his opponents would be a breach
of good taste. He urged people to
study the records of his opponents and
himself and make up their own minds.
His speech was a severe and logical
argument to show that while domestic
questions are important, and that
those affected by rules and regola
tions have a perfect and patriotic
right to present their difficulties _ to
the government and to ask for relief,
all such conditions pale into insig
nificance compared to the selection of
a President who will conduct our re
lations with foreign countries and act
as commander-in-chief of our armed
forces and who will negotiate the final
peace arrangements looking to or
ganization of the world for peace and
against war.
He told how under the Constitution
this responsibility lies upon the'Pres
ident, and said that until after ne
gotiations of the peace terms by him
no other authority, had anything to
do with it, but treaties and agree
ments entered into by the President
must be submitted to the U. S. Senate
for ratification. Hence, he said, the
election of a senator in this time of
world conflagration is next in im
portance to the election of President.
•wssawwwwswwwwssassMw
PATRONIZE
ADVERTISERS
JOURNAL |
CHARLOTTE CENTRAL LABOR UNION
MEETING NEXT THURSDAY WILL
BE GIVEN OVER TO ORGANIZATION;
PROMINENT SPEAKERS ON HAND
On next Thursday night at the Labor Temple in
Charlotte a meeting of the *A. F. of L. forces of labor
in the Western and Piedmont sections of North Carolina
will be held, with speakers of prominence in the Labor
movement, as well as civilian life. Those who wiTT~J>e
present and address the meeting include Hon. Cameron
Morrison and Dr. Ralph McDonald, both being honorary
members of the State Federation of Labor; George L.
Googe, southern representative of the A. F. of L.; C. A.
Fink, president of the N. C. State Federation of Labor;
James F. Barrett, southern publicity director, A. F. of L.,
and others prominent in the A. F. of L. labor movement.
Representatives will be present from Asheville,
Winston-Salem, Grensboro, High Point, Salisbury, Gas
tonia and other points.
The main purpose of the meeting is to give impetus
to an organization drive which the A, F. of L. will put on
in this territory. All routine business will be dispensed
with at this meeting, and it is open to all A. F. of L. mem
bers. A barbecue supper, and “fish a plenty,” will be
served at 6:30 p.m., prior to the meeting at 7:30.
President Scoggins, and Brothers Lon Conder and
Jack Moore, along with others of the Central Body have
put in much time on this affair and the meeting prom
ises to be one that will mark the beginning of a new era
for the A. F. of L. in this territory. It will be non
political in nature.
So long as we have held fast to voluntary principles
and have been actuated and inspired by the spirit of serv
ice, we have Sustained our forward progress and we have
made our Labor Movement something to be respected and
accorded a place in the councils of our Republic. . No
lasting gain has ever come from compulsion. If we seek to
force, we but tear apart that which otherwise, is invin
cible.—Samuel Gompers.
cated columns by Drew Pearson, Samuel Grafton, iimmie Fidter,
Dorothy Thompson, Eleanor Roosevelt and Dorothy Dix._ Wash
ington coverage will be furnished by the Chicago Sun news bureau.
THE PLEDGE OF EVERY
LOYAL A. F. OF L
UNIONIST
“I Pledge Allegiance to the
Flag of the United States of
America and to the Republic for
which it stands — One Nation
Indivisible, With Liberty and
Justice for All!**
THE MARCH OF LABOR
* •
FIRST LA*/FOR
COMC»Li4TiON of labor
DISPUTES -WAS 1W£
/^AMLAHV LAW Of 167ft.
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iue A.F.<ft.<Ms
OFIOAU-Y SUPfcXZTID
A CANDIDATE fOK. ff’
PRESIDENT OF THE O.S. ONLY
ONCE f LA FOLLETTE N i924s
iAlQ^\A^RvV3RK£gS 1
3l,500,000
19,000,00c
[Labor backs
1HE attack!
BUY BONDS OfJ
EVfcftY' PAy'-OAY/
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FEUOWTRADE
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