The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-10-08
POLICE CAR
OF PATERSON
IS Shown Up
Workers Party Calls
His Latest Bluff

Especial to the DAILY WORKERl
PATERSON, N. j. Oct. T.
The Workers Party has become
a major issue in the strike ofthe
silk workers here. Chief ofPolice
Tracey, in closing the halls of
Paterson to the strikers, de-
cIared that his action was based
upon the fact that n. NJ. Wicks,
of the Workers Party, had been
delivering OBJ jectio n b | e
speeches. The intention was to
make it appear that the Work
ers Party was an obstacle to the
conduct of the strike.
In order to force a showdown
the Workers Party instructed
Wicks to insist that he be with
drawn from the list of speakers
by the strike committee and
thus put squarely up to the
chief of police the closing of the
halls.
The strike committee, in special
session, and after long debate. agreed
to the proposition and issued the fol
lowing statement:
"WhiIe the committes.sfeeIs that
its rights and the rights of free
speech have been violated by the
chief, we realize that our main task
at this time is to win the strike and
we cannot stop to engage in fight
that would detract from the main
issue.
I'VE want II distinctly understood
that the action Of the committee
was the request Of Wicks and not
initiated by anyone else"
This statement was published in
the Paterson Call on Thursday morn
| ing, and the committee selected to
call upon the chief Of police and de.
mand the opening of Turn Hall The
committee discussed the matter with
Tracey for several hours, but was I'M
able to get any satisfaction.
Tracey declared that he would not
open the hall, thus proving conclus-
lively that his object is to break the
strike, and that he was using the at
tack upon the Workers Party as a
subterfuge in order to demoralize the
ranks of the strikers
The newspapers have been carrying
screaming headlines day after day to
the effect that it was Communist par
ticipation in the leadership of the
strike that is responsible for Tracey's
action The action of the party in
voluntarily Withdrawing Wicks as a
speaker is considered a strategic
move of the first magnitude because
it exposed the real motives of the
chief of police.
Strike Committee Acts.
The emergency committee met and
discussed the latest Developments and
decided TO demand that the chief of
police open Turn Hall or Wicks
would speak at a meeting to be ar.
ranged somewhere in Paterson in de-
fiance Of the closing orders of the
chief Wieks himself issued a state
ment to the public and the strikers
Regarding his. attitude in which the
history Of the strike, his own partici.
patton in it, the attitude of the CAPT
talist press and the illegal activities
of the police are given in detail
He declares it is his intention to
carry on the fight for free speech in
Paterson and he has, the full support
Of the Workers Communist Party of
America and the Civil Liberties I'm.
ion in this struggle.
Fight Continues.
A hall for a huge mass meeting is
to be secured at an early date and
prominent speakers will be on the
program. 1t is planned to wage a
campaign for free speech and free as.
semblage that will settle once and for
all the question of the rights Of the
masses in Paterson.
Meanwhile the picket line remains
unbroken and the silk bosses are be.
ing taught a lession Of workers soil.
darity that they will never forget.
] Haava tha Rrick RackT