Scabs----Political and Industrial

Industrial Unionist, Volume 1, Issue 3, 1 April 1913, Page 3

Scabs----Political and Industrial

A short: while ago S had the pleasure of listening to an outdoor lecture delivered by a prominent Australian Socialist, and during his remarks lie made a statement which is very seriously open to question. It amounted to this: “ That any man who ‘ scabbed’ at the ballot box. was not to be trusted on the industrial field.”

Now a statement like this is likely to mislead many who might be gullible enough to take it as being a matter of fact, because it was uttered by a man who has undoubtedly suffered great persecution for fighting the battles of his class. However. .1 propose to disprove this statement. It was a well-known fact that during the last election, when Mr. P. H. Hickey stood for the Ohinemuri electorate in the Socialist interest, lie did not receive 50 per cent, of the miners’ votes of Waihi. Mr. Hickey himself was very displeased at the result of the ballot, and no doubt bad very good reason for being so, seeing that so many of the miners and their wives did not vote for the working-class candidate. Now, according to the dogma laid down, these 50 per cent, who did not vote for Mr. Hickey should have been very uncertain in the recent strike. But these men and women of Waihi, whatever might have been their political views, were united on the industrial field and fought one of the most splendid rebellions against master class rule ever seen in Australasia. So yon see, fellow workers, that the dogma cuts no ice.

But that is not all. It happens to be a fact that two men who worked for Hickey, and voted for him, went back to the Company, and scabbed during the strike. But even that would hardly justify me in saying, “ That a man who votes at the ballot box for the working class candidate is not to be trusted on the industrial field.”

! The pure and simple ballot box revolutionist cuts no ice, anyway; the Social Revolution depends upon men and women who are prepared to fight a rotten system here and now. That is why lam a One Big Union man first, last and always.

You never know where a man is at election time; you don’t see his vote. But on the industrial field, when the note sounds for ceasing work, then we know" where we stand.

W. F. Massey has done more to organise labour in New Zealand with his big stick and his hot methods than any other gang of agitators. He has done 'well, and if left alone will probably make more rebels and create more organisation than will a Socialist or Labour Party, with their paternal legislation. So even a Direct Actionist might stretch a point and vote for Massey. Let us throw all our energies into the educational side of the One Big Union. Politics, anyway, is a side issue; so is religion, or colour. The “ open sesame” is the control of the machine; the road is the infusing of solidarity into the serried (files of the International slave class. (When you capture the substance .you control the shadow. Capture [industry and Parliament is yours. [Build up a Convention of Industry i which will control machinery. [Abolish a State Parliament which 'controls individuals, and the golden kev is Solidarity. —T.B. \

| “Go to noA, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. “ Behold the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept hack by fraud , erieth. “ To have condemned and killed the just. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive, the early and the latter rain.”—Epistle James, chap. 5, verses 1-7. Have patience no longer, defrauded labourers. That early and latter rain means nothing more nor less than Industrial Unionism. Get wise to it !

“ Sabotage the goods.” Damn them ! what do they mean 1