The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-04-28
BIG A. FL. CHIEFS
DISTRUST FRAYNE
in FURRIER CASE
Ben Gold Reveals Their
Lack of Confidence

Not even President William Green
of the American Federation Of Labor
trusts Hugh Frayne, the New York
organizer, according to the facts re-
vealed yesterday by Ben Gold, man.
ager of the New York Joint Board of
the Furriers' Union. Gold was wit
ness in the hearings on the alleged
bribery of the police, being conducted
by Assistant District Attorney
Brothers before Magistrate Corrigan
in the Criminal Courts Building.
Gold testified that at one time dur
ing the meetings of the committee
appointed by President Green to in
vestigate the fur strike, Matthew
Vol, its chairman, asked for certain
information about negotiations with
the manufacturers.
81 asked Hugh Frayne to step out
of the room before / discussed the
matter with Woll," Gold said. 'Presi-
dent Green had told me it was better
not to tell Frayne these conversations
he and l had had about relations with
the manufacturers. So l asked
Frayne to get out while told it to
Mr.. Woll in confidence"
AS a witness, Gold made a great
impression upon the courtroom; an
swering all questions quietly, with
conviction, without hesitating, giving
all the information asked for, and ad-
ditional information at times.
Stenos Ordered Out.
Gold states that there was no men
ton of payment to the polias d'sring
all the hours that he spoke to MEM
bers of the Investigating Committee;
but in preliminary conversations,
when no stenographers were present,
he was questioned as to whether
there had not been money paid to
judges, captains, other police officers,
and to newspaper reporters. Gold
had denied any such payments.
"Mr. Woll discussed with me the
question of eliminating the Industrial
Squad" said Gold. "He asked me
whether l thot there ought to be a
campaign started to have this squad
abolished. Then he asked me how
much we had paid the members of
the squad and told him nothing at
ALL l told him l would help in any
legitimate move to get rid of the In
dustrial Squad, but l would not help
in any frame-up on charge of
graft"
Asked about his acquaintance with
the Industrial Squad, Gold told of his
encounter with J. j. Broderick, the
squads chief, on the day of the
famous Carnegie Hall meeting.
Gle threatened that some day he
would put me and all my 'Commun-
ist' friends in boat and ship US back
to Russia. He kept rapping me on
the chest and walking after me as
fast as I walked backward to get out
of his reach. The only other time 1
saw him was in the fur market one
morning"
Action Unconstitutional
In reply to the questions of As
sistant District Attorney Brothers,
Gold recounted how he had protested
against the investigation by the
American Federation of Labor Com
! mittee.
at was against the constitution of
the Executive Council of the A. F.
of L.; it was against our Interna-
tional constitution. 1t had never been
practice of the A. F. of L. asked
for specific charges; also asked for
public hearing. / protested against
the personnel of the committee, es-
pecially to Frayne, who had openly
said he was against the Joint Board
and wanted to eliminate it from the
union. All my protests were over
ruled.
81 suggested we read the minutes
of the session every morning. l said
let each witness read his testimony,
correct it and then sign it, and let
the A. F. Of L. representatives sign
it too. But Woll ruled that they
would have meeting after the hear
ing was over and read over the min
utes. Woll went away to a conven-
ton and the minutes were never read
to anyone"
GLOW do you account for the fact
that these statements about bribery
of the police are in the report?"
"That is one of the great puzzles
which it is hard to solve"
No Money Paid.
In response to further questioning
about the possible payment of money
to the police, Gold answered:
"If money were paid TO the police,
Continued on Page Five)