Show Union Labor at the Crossroads TF IF F THERE is any single group in the nation A which ought to be per cent back of the program for preserving American democracy from the world wide threat of 01 totalitarianism it is organized labor They should give their complete support to all efforts to to counter the threat in this country by strengthening our national defenses against either armed non eion or against insidious subversion Experience has proved that totalitarianism Is Js the greatest threat to organized labor One of the first victims ol ot fascism In Italy and in Germany were the trades Unions Even in Russia where the government was supposed to represent the proletariat the working masses no such thing as an independent ent organization on of laborers was or is per per- The theory in all totalitarian nations is that the state is supreme That means of course that the particular gang of ot despots who have control of the government of ot the state are su su- preme Nothing else matters Courts churches Industry capital labor labor all all must be destroyed or regimented so that the bosses will be supreme supreme supreme su su- preme and unchallenged That's what happened In the totalitarian countries without exception It is what is happening today in France And there Is the great warning to American leaders of ot organized organ zed labor France Stronghold of democracy democracy democracy racy and republican government France Franc Where the great Confederation General de Travail wielded such tremendous influence That democracy has collapsed in ruins leaving leaving leaving leav leav- ing a shell of government which is being refashioned re rc fashioned into a totalitarian regime That powerful labor federation Is disorganized it Is under constant attack and its destruction Is officially declared to be a mere matter of time There is the handwriting on the wall for American organized labor No matter how seemingly secure the ideal of labors labor's freedom to organize no matter how apparently impregnable impregnable im im- im pregnable the forces of trades unionism they cannot withstand the power of totalitarianism and totalitarianism cannot permit such a challenge to its supremacy What is the moral First that totalitarianism totalitarian totalitarian- ism inevitably means the destruction of ot organized organized organized or or- labor Second that no organization of labor no matter how strongly entrenched can hope to withstand the pressure of totalitarianism alone only 1 if It merges its strength w. w with the he str strength gt of all other forces can it survive In other words It can can only survive if it democracy as a whole survives That means organized labor must bury the hatchet of class conflict It must abjure selfish selfish self self- ish Interest It must join with Industry and all other forces of democracy in calling a truce on internal struggle In the face of common danger It must dedicate itse itself in this time of crisis to patriotic service and cooperation to the end that America may be strong in the face of external and Internal foes and that thus democracy democracy I racy together with the organized labor it alone nourishes and defends shall be saved TO The The American Federation of Teachers at the conclusion of their twenty- twenty fourth annual convention adopted a resolution n condemning and opposing all dictatorships whether of nazi fascist or communist origin whether In Germany Italy or Russia and the transplanting or practice of their ideas and their methods within the confines of our country country coun coun- try or our profession That's a good resolution resolution resolution tion and were we're glad the federation adopted it But theres there's one thing about it we dont don't like like like- that is the vote of to by which it was 4 carried That's entirely too close and lends credence to the voiced oft suspicions that the federation has a large radical communistically- communistically Inclined membership There simply isn't any excuse for the members of our teaching pro pro- s Cession to uphold the doctrines of ot communism or to refuse to oppose all dictatorial govern govern- t ments If It the American Federation of Teachers Teachers Teach Teach- ers was completely American that resolution would have been adopted without a dissenting 4 voice t k |