Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578 of 578

to observe it, so it must have been what he had read or heard about it.

He had this theoretical idea of the place of different elements in society and different elements in the economic structure as organized and functioning active bodies in the economy. In other words, he did not look upon a trade union as a group of men who just got themselves together because they wanted to in order to better their working conditions, wages, and so forth. He saw it all in a theoretical way as a kind of an organized group that were not self-organized. He once said to me that if we did not have these trade unions that had sprung up in this hit or miss chaotic way, we would not organize different groups of workers into trade unions or bodies like that to function in the economy. “We,” of course, was himself and the government.

I sort of laughingly said, “You couldn't make the International Typographical Union, the Ladies' Garment Workers, and the United Mine Workers function in a particular economic way.” I said that laughingly, because they were organized for other purposes.

He said, “That's the trouble, but that's what we have to do. We have to transform them into bodies organized for special economic action and prepared to take that economic action.”