International May Day and American Labor Day: A Holiday Expressing Working Class Emancipation Versus a Holiday Exalting Labor's ChainsReinstein, Boris
History
International May Day and American Labor Day: A Holiday Expressing Working Class Emancipation Versus a Holiday Exalting Labor's Chains
Reinstein, Boris
Labor Day; May Day (Labor holiday); Socialism; Working class -- Political activity
It is therefore not an accident only that at most, if not at all of
the Labor Day gatherings, prominent politicians are invited to speak,
and that those parades generally lead the mass of the workers past the
City Hall and other such buildings, from the windows of which the
politicians review the parade and flatteringly cheer the tramping
hosts of poor, deluded workers. What is needed to reveal the true
political significance of the performance is that the union
leaders,—hungry for political jobs or nominations—should order a big
banner carried in the parade bearing an inscription about as follows:
“Look, gentlemen-politicians! See what a big herd of voting cattle we
have this time to sell! How, what are you going to bid for them? What
nominations will you give to us, the leaders; what appointments to
political jobs will you promise to us if we deliver the votes of this
herd to you?”
Judas Reward of “Labor Leaders”.
And the result generally is that the politicians generally conclude, in
order to insure the success of their capitalist parties, to bait their
political hooks with some prominent “union leaders” whom they nominate
for some insignificant office on their tickets, and the mass of deluded
workers, out of misplaced loyalty to their brother-union man, swallow
bait, hook and all, dividing their forces between the leading capitalist
parties.
Another form of rewarding the union leaders, who succeed in advertising
their value on the political market or who render valuable services to
capitalists, is to have them supplied with good political jobs. Not to
mention smaller instances of local character, few of the many instances
of prominent appointments could be cited as illustrations.
Ex-President Taft, following the example of his predecessors, as soon as
he assumed power, appointed a “labor-leader,” Daniel O’Keefe, of the
Longshoremen’s Union, to the office of Federal Commissioner of
Immigration, with a fat salary and fatter emoluments. President Wilson
appointed two prominent “labor leaders” to positions on the Federal
Commission on Industrial Relations—they were: John B. Lennon, of the
Journeymen Tailors’, an anti-Socialist and member of the National
Executive Committee of the capitalist organization, known as the
“National Civic Federation,” and James O’Connell, of the International
Association of Machinists, and also a member of the National Executive
Committee of the reactionary “Militia of Christ,” organized by the
Roman-Catholic political machine to fight Socialism. The Commissioners
are paid more than liberally by the Government.
Case of Secretary of Labor, Wm. B. Wilson.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account