That Vote of Censure.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 53, 15 March 1912, Page 4

That Vote of Censure.

By THOMAS RILEY

hi the capitalist papers of recent date there appeared in large headlines t ; he following:—"Mr. P. H. Mickey Censured by the Keel'ton Unionisi.s." Noticing that so-culled Federation members had passed a vote ol (ensure on P.H.H., 1 at once concluded that 'Tat" had gojio over lo the bosses, thiifc being the only reason 1 could think of needing a vote of censure from slaves. However, upon reading detail*. I learned that the. inangahua. Minors Union had passed a unanimous vote, of (■ensure upon Ilickey, not because h« had gone over to ihe eiioiny, but because lie, very lightly, expressed tile opinion that liie slaves slmuid break so-called agreements with their masters. Th» Federal ion of Labor should examine itself right away, because if the Federation is to be comprised of such sorviU and spineless slaves as that vote of censure proves the Inangahua miners to be, th«'ii class-conscious workers who look to Ihe Federation of Labor to da things will experience a rude eye-open-ing. The opposing forces of labor. er»T ready to use. any tool against the worker, have seized upon the opportunity to make tools of the In angioma unionists, wlio (regrettable fact) claim to be Federationists. If that motion of censure iv.-is not prompt-mi by t>ho Heefton mining kings, it at least was most heariiiy welcomed by thciu, as their haste to telegraph it through the Dominion proves. At what more opportune time for the masters could the Ticefton Unionists have carried such af motion? Just at the moment when P. li. llickcy was being cursed by the masters, the slaves of Recflon. show their gratitude to their bosses by their miserable effort to decry one who wae amongst the first to found the Fedonvtion of Labor, and has ever boon foremost in the. light. Hickey. no doubt, will most willingly fall fighting beneath the workers' banner; let us hope, however, that the fatal thrust will lievea , be delivered by those who .ire credited with being defendors of that banner. T.et no treachery be hatched 'n.eath the Federation flag. Hickw has been d<v p'uirced time and again by the bosses. The JJrefton slaves, of course, feel that their interests are identical with their bosses', and in consequence it is beeomiiw of them to join with T"r<<levs in shouting "Down with What a sickening spectacle!

Tn "Tiio Worker" of a few wei'ks back iliere appeared a review of things as they were at Reef ton by the seeretnry. Amongst other items, there was an account of a conference between union officials and the masters, anil though I have not that "'Worker" at hand, T fool safe in saving thai lh« sporeisiry. in that- article, complained latterly because of ill** masters breaking or shuffling out of their agreement with the unionists. Xow, if for tin other reason than the uinlrniablt? fuel that tho masters break their «iiicv.ments. tho toiler should Lave no hesitation in breaking his bastard niri t, for the, dullest wage-slave must rccor- r.e that there can be no legitiniai > f.greenient between master and slave. To have anything resembling a legiiimato agreement, both peitiee to sni'/i must be on an equal footing, but wiiile e.rer the wag« lasts, ■w})iV» f-ver the slave lias to crir.,g© an<B lieg for \w>rk, then no agreement can be i.n ratable to either master or fclave. The "thing" is the result of tyrannic*! pr«K3i;.i© on the one- side and servile humility on the other , and therefor* disc/editable to both. The workers hav<; a mission; their goal appears ahc-J, but to reach that goal we nrusfl .not trust those who will stick to sn ftgwwnent tiiat th«y are foropd to make at the point of that which ie circllet! than the bricand's musket.