The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-02-10

tiary."
Ben Gitlow Cheered.
A number Of prominent speakers
talked on the various aspects of these
particular cases which made them Of
deep concern to the whole labor move
ment. Ben Gitlow of the Amlaga-
mated Clothing Workers was greeted
with enthusiasm as he arrived to
speak at each hall. S. Liebowitz of
the Fur Workers union was another
speaker; IL. Koretz of the cloak
makers; A. Goretzky, manager of
Pressers' Local 35 of the Information
al; M. Lipzin Of the Amalgamated
Clothing Workers; in addition to
Louis Hyman and c. S. Zimmerman.
All of them showed that unless the
workers of every trade united in
bringing about the release of these
striking cloakmakers who had re-
ceived such unprecedented sentences,
every worker in all parts of the coun-
try would suffer greater persecution
by the courts in future strikes.
A shower of bills and coins was the
workers answer to this challenge, and
in a collection which was started
spontaneously by the members at the
mass meetings, a substantial fund
was begun to carry on the campaign
for release of the prisoners.
Ben Gitlow reused the meetings to
a pitch of enthusiasm by stating:
''If we had a Labor Party in Amer
lea, instead of just a republican and
democrat party, Rosalsky would have
to put on his hat and coat and take
trip to Palestine.
Sigman Orders Ii.
Judge Rosalsky, who claims to be
the real leader of the Jewish nation,
has been doing whatever Sigman
asked him to do to the cloallmakers,"
said Gitlow. During the strike the
bosses wanted long sentences for the
strikers, but it is only now, after the
split has come in the union, and Sig
man has taken charge of the New
York situation, that sentences of
many years have been given.
Sigman, Beckerman & Boss.
"Sigman has formed a united front
with Beckerman, the forwards, and
the officials Of the A. F. of L. to beat
the progressive forces in the unions.
The manufacturers are more than
wiling to join this alliance, because
they know Sigman won't enforce the
forty-hour week and other points in
the agreement, and is willing to sell
out the workers"
Resolution of Protest.
The meetings expressed their APP
proval of the speakers statements by
4 passing unanimously the following
resolution:
WHEREAS, sixteen cloakmakers
who have been members of the Cloak
makers union fer many years were
taken away from their homes and
families and sentenced to long terms
Of Imprisonment by Judge Rosalsky
because of their activity during the
recent cloak strike, and
WHEREAS, these convictions have
been the result of widespread CAM
paign and provocations on the part
Of the officials of the international
together with Beckerman and the for
ward clique who planned to have these
workers sentenced with the hope that
they would thus be able to break
down the power Of resistance of the
cloak and dressmakers against their
attempt to force their discredited
leadership on the Cloak and Dress
makers union, and
WHEREAS, these workers who
have never been convicted Of any
offense have been placed behind pri-
son bars for the one crime of defend
ing their union in the struggle for
better working conditions, and their
unjust Imprisonment is a matter of
concern not only to the cloakmakers
.union but to the labor movement as
Ia whole. Since the retention of these
workers will undoubtedly lead to
further persecution of other workers
for union activity.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,
that we, the workers assembled at a
protest demonstration at Cooper
Union, Webster Hall and Manhattan
Lyceum, on Wednesday, February 8,
at the call of the Joint Board of the
Cloak and Dressmakers' union, ex-
press our most vigorous protest
against the Imprisonment of our fell
iow-worlSers, and we most vigorously
condemn the activities Of Sigman,
Beckerman and the Forward who are
directly responsible for their imprison-
ment and are now exerting every pos
sible measure to have other workers
placed behind prison bars, and
+ BE 1T FURTHER RESOLVED.
that we pledge to beginning a wide
spread campaign to arouse public
opinion against the unjust imprison-
ment and do all in our power to free
the imprisoned cloakmakers.
n.s~ EXTo~.I~1~. - &