﻿Join OBU or They’ll Put You on File 
By T-BONE SLIM 
 
Bertrand Russell has it: 
“To believe in communism in the U. S. is almost a crime. Not to believe in it in Russia is almost fatal.” 
Better not doubt communism on New York ferries; unless you are a good swimmer or a shoulder-loose heavyweight. 
It seems if you don’t believe, you’ll have to come out shooting and if you do believe, you’ll need a good lawyer––depending on whether you are in Petropavlosk or Hoboken. 
Freedom of thought guaranteed by “six-guns” and “mouthpieces.” 
The Ivory Stool? 
Otto Perhapsburg may not win a throne among our land forces in this country but from the seafaring side we can let him have chief command of a deckscow. 

Clark Gabie is about the best thing Ohio has loosed upon a trusting country in a dog’s age––not counting myself. I’m modest, I am––so is Clark, for that matter. 

I notice many restaurants are closing their doors in N. Y. C., which seems to prove the people have definitely quit eating. Met a couple on the street and one said, “Let’s eat here.” 
“I have no teeth,” the other replied. 
Maybe that’s the reason café owners went in for padlocks and refused even to swing the key to get themselves a ham sandwich. 
Washington has been putting teeth in laws so I got to thinking wouldn’t this be a psychological time for the lawmakers to toss a few molars into the maws of these willing eaters and save the restaurant business from total oblivion? 

Not all of us, but most of us should bear in mind that it is a dad herring that floats with the tide and finally lands on the bathing beach, too far gone to take note of nature’s wonders. On the other hand, a live smelt bucks the current in most energetic manner and generally arrives at its destination in good shape––and is conscious of its accomplishment. 

Whether or not the shipping board maintains a “deferred list” and tries to perpetualize it is but of little moment to the seafaring worker for he can organize in the One Big Union and give expression to his yen. However, it does seem possible that such can be the nature of the case. 
So very naturally the seaman, if he doesn’t want to be placed on file indefinitely, should join a union that is not a parcel of such a rudimentary program and shorten his hours within such liberalism that the ensuing demand for labor power would absorb the “deferred list,” regardless of how many there are on it. This is a very simple and reasonable way to correct this problem. 
Unfortunately (but luckily) only the One Big Union can accomplish this that seems such an intricate miracle. 
A “deferred list” is not to the benefit of the workers, but it sometimes happens some labor unions endorse or countenance such lists, quite ignoring they are a surplus labor turnover with its concomitant disorganization of union life. Still other unions maintain a private “deferred list” within themselves and argue that it gives the employer reliable help–– the pick of the crop. The end of such unions is not long deferred.