Washington, Mar. 15.
The basis of the present about unrest Inthe United States can be expressed in very fow words, There are about 20,000,000 industrial workfers: About 2,500,000 belong to the AFL. and about 2,000,000" to the vival CLO. A race is in progress between these two groups to sweep the unorganized majority. into their The world of American 'The old American Federation of Bios ae a on the whole a ted group intent main yon keeping its monopoly posi Hon' and preventing outsiders me vading the lucrative field of crafts and trades in which it was most strongly organized. Tt was a Body of Labour aristocrats, Its lead ers formed a solidly" entrenched hierarchy constantly re-elected their posts. 'There was little chance of any ambitious labour politician ousting them. 'The A. F. L unions seldom engaged in membership drives and they seldom played polities. 'Ther chiot desire was to remain Erlendly with each succeeding' ministration, whollier Democratic or Republican, Younger Leaders Trvltated The complacency of the ASI. leaders frequently irritated: "the younger and more energetic. trades taunton Tenders but none of them broke Into open rebellion until John. Lewis rose to power as the head of the United Mine Workers Union. At Airat William Green, president of the AFL, tried to discipline the bad boy of the labour movement, but the only result of his efforts was' to make the split between Lewis and the ofganization definite and permanent. The CLO. (Committee for Indus {rial Organization) developed from a "ginger group" within the American Federation of Labour to a separate and rival. organization, The CLO. With its ten affiliated unions revolve round the personality of John Lewis and John Lewis in turn derives hie sivength from the Mine Workers' Union, The miners, whether they like It oF not, provide the funds from which John "Lewis finances. his or-Bonlzing campaign. In his agreement with the ming owners, John Lewis secured the "kick back" method of collecting union dues, The money is removed from each miner's pay veloped and handed over (o Lewis.
addition with the approval of the' miners? executive. council, John Lewis can levy extra assessménis on miners and have the money taken directly from their pay envelopes. Thanks to these emergency levies John Lewis was able to flood the motor and steel industries with orxanlzors and edge out the American Federation of Labour.
Thorstein Veblen or even Harold Laskl. Tt was a translation of the Mia The difference between the CLO. and the AFL. is not a matter of right" of "Iefl:" but of vertical or horizontal organization. The tunlons of the AFL. cut, across the big mass production that one employer will have half a dozen or more unions in his plant. Lewis believes all those engaged, an industry should belong to the jsime union.
But there ig an even greater difference In political structure. The API. Is, og its name implies, a federation of independent units." 1 has no power to call a strike, If one the aMliated unions calls a strike API. fuses Its 3 fever, exercises cents his unions and calls strikes as part of a united plan of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.