The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-03-07
To the Editor of The Farmer:

To the Editor of The Farmer:
 About a week ago was instructed by the Bridgeport Socialist club to publish in the local press report of total funds raised by the club for the Lawrence strikers. Also to demand that the local organization of the Socialist Party publish similar report of its work.
 In view of the recent action of Alderman Cederholm, representing that party I think it we'll to explain to the general public and especially to the many Socialist sympathizers in Bridgeport the reason for my chal- lenge that they show their receipts.
 When the Lawrence Strike Aid committee was formed by the Bridge port Socialist club, an invitation was extended to the Socialist party as we'll as to all other Socialist organi- cations in Bridgeport to take part in raising funds for the strikers.
 The Socialist party was the only or ganization in the city that refused to help. The refusal did not come from the entire membership but from twelve members of the City Central Committee, which is composed of the leaders of the local organization, among them Alderman Cederholm.
 These same leaders not only refus- ed to help the strikers but during the lSH QdyS III WHICH the AdWTeUCS Strike Aid committee was busy ar ranging for the Haywood meeting at the Lyric theatre, they did everything in their power to prevent the meeting from being a success.
 First they sent articles to the news papers attacking the Bridgeport So- cialist Club and some of it's mem- bers.
 They published a malicious an- nouncement and letter for the pur- pose of creating suspicion in the minds of the general public as to the honesty of our efforts in behalf of the strikers. This vindictive meth. cd of attack undoubtedly kept many persons from contributing who oth. erwise would have done so.
 They wrote to Haywood in an ef- fort to keep him away from this city by threats.
 They were very active in circulat- ing report that Haywood would not come. By this underhand trick alone it is not at all exaggerating to es- timate that they hurt the attendance at the Lyric that night to the extent of at least 800 people,
 But their meanness in trying to prevent the success of the meeting did not end there. Some of them went to MT. Isham, the manager of he Lyric not officially of course be- cause they are too cowardly for that, and tried to have him refuse the use of his theatre for the meeting.
 They represented to him that they were the only real Socialists in Bridgeport, that we were imposters and that Haywood would not come. They made him believe that if he did not call the meeting off they would hurt the patronage of his house. So after the commHtee had spent $20 ad- vertising the meeting at the Lyric he wrote letter to MT. ILegere, re. fusing his former donation of the theatre. For several days the com- mittee did not know where they would be able to hold the meeting. It was only after a great deal of ar. gument that myself and MT. Legere were able to induce MT. Isham to let us have the theatre
 It is not an exaggeration to say that through their efforts against the Hay wood meeting, these Socialists took from the starving workers of Law renee at least s200. And now they are publishing resolutions of protest. Protests will not feed the workers who are fighting for a living wage. Let them publish the report of money sent by them to Lawrence If they cannot show that they have done something to help the strikers, then their protest is a shameless mockery of the suffering of these mill-work- CTS who are out on strike
 Their actions here in Bridgeport have placed them on the same level with the traitor John Golden, who with his business agents in the A. F. of L. have been helping the mill owners to break the strike in Law renee.
 The Bridgeport Socialist club re. peats it's demand to the "City Central Committee of the Socialist Party of Bridgeport" and to Alderman Ceder- holm who as member of that com mittee is to some extent responsible for it's malicious injury. to the strik-