The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-02-10
BOND CAMP AIGN
PASSES HUNDRED
THOUSAND-MARK
Dinner Guests Applaud
POrtnOy's Report

Over one hundred thousand dollars
has been raised by the "Save-the-
ClOalSmakers'. Union" bond commit
tee since it was organized two months
ago.
According to julius Portnoy, treas
urer of the New York Joint Board
Of the Cloak and Dressmakers, who
was a speaker at the dinner arranged
by group Of liberals at the Cafe
Boulevard on February Sth.
This remarkable response has come
direct from workers thruout the
country, and it has come with a
spontaneity which shows how well the
progressive trade unionists realize
that the struggle for democracy in
the garment unions is the fight Of
the whole labor movement.
Right Wing Sabotage.
thine and again during our long
25 weeks strike, said Mr.. Portnoy,
"the right wing felt confident that
we would be unable to raise money
enough to pay benefits and therefore
our strike would be lost Every time
we fooled them, and we managed to
have the money on the day it was
needed.
1--WE are going to fool them again
now in this attempt of theirs to ex-
pei us from the union-or as they
call it, take over our affairs. We
are able to manage our own affairs.
We have, with our loan fund, raised
enough money so far to take care
of the families of those who are in
Jail, and to pay for bail and for
lawyers, and the other expenses of
our fight; and we will go right ahead
doing it,
Subscribe For Bonds.
Many people at the dinner sub
scribed for the cloakmakers bonds
and others promised to help in this
way later on.
Louis Hyman's explanation of the
situation in the international Ladies
Garment Workers Union was reve-
lation to many of those at the dinner
who knew nothing of the old style
trade union bureaucracy. Hyman's
presentation was lucid and convincing
and coupled with Portnoy's data on
expenditures it gave those present an
excellent bird s-eye-view of what the
controversy means to the labor move-
ment.
Shop Chairman Speaks.
A last and most effective speaker
at the dinner was /. Brauner, chair
man of the Shop Chairmen's Council,
who made a few impromptu remarks
and told of his recent visit to Presi-
dent Sigman in an effort to bring
about peace in the union.
president Sigman told me the
members of the union were not to be
trusted to vote; they did not know
their own minds, said Brauner.
"And then he accused me and all the
other members of the Shop CHAIR.
mems Council of being Communists.
why, that's ridiculous. AS | told
him, l am a democrat and Deputy
Sheriff into the bargain. And |
showed him my badge to prove IT,"
Mr.. Brauner said, that as usual
Sigman paid no attention to his state
ments, and probably still reiterates
the Communist" charge about him
as he does about all the members OF
the progressive group.
Guests Impressed.
The guests at the dinner felt that
Sigman had a formidable array of
adversaries in the cleft wing, judg-
ing by the representatives who were
present, and many expressed wish
to help more concretely in this fight
for democracy in the trade unions.
Among the guests were Art Young,
Paxten Hibben, Lucy Branham, Ro-
bert Dunn, Boardman Robinson,
Floyd Dell, w. E. b. Dubois, HaI-
Dor Allen, Michael Gold, William
Chopper, Samuel Ornitz, Eugene
Lyons, Samuel Ornitz, Hannah Pick
ering, Genevieve Taggard, Liston
Oak, Lewis Mumford, Rose Pastor
Stokes Arthur Leeds, Mr.. & Mrs.
Phillip Wittenberg, Louis Boudin,
Carlo Tresca, Minna Harcovy, B.
Brodsky. Members of the committee
who were unable to be present were
Henry w. l.. Dana, Elizabeth Gurley
Flynn, Charles Erskine Scott Wood,
and Cedric Long.