The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-04-20
.SACCO vANzETTI
SECRETARY LOSES
JOB WITH STATE.
BY PHYLLIS FENIGsToN.

BOSTON, April 10. = General e.
Leroy Sweetser, Of Lawrence fame
for turning the guns Of the militia on
| the striking textile workers and now
Commissioner Of the State Depart
raent of Labor and Industries, has
done himself proud again.
At a public hearing at the state
house. a sensational appeal was made
by Mary Donovan, for ten years a
factory inspector in Sweetser's de-
partment, against her discharge by
him for having stayed out twice with
out getting permission to do SO.
Sweetser Hates Workers.
With the assistance of woman
police spy who followed Miss Donovan
for week, Sweetser brought out evil
denee to show that Miss Donovan had
visited the Saeeo-Vanzetti Defense
Committee, Of which she is secretary,
during working hours. For this, it
was to be supposed, she was being
dismissed after ten years of service
in the department
Miss Donovan made it evident how
ever by her statement at the end Of
the hearing, that it was her too great
earnestness in protecting the workers
by enforcing the labor laws violated
with immunity by powerful or favored
employers, that brought on the hos
tility Of her superiors in office.
Fought Night Work
DISCRIMINATION against me started
seven years ago" she said, when
reported the case Of woman working
night in violation Of the law in ma
chine shop in Brookline The next
morning I met Mr.. Bliss, the en-
ployer, accompanied BY Senator Bliss
coming from visit to the depart
ment.
"Mr Meade then told me we could
not prosecute this case as the woman I
in question was employed on clerical
work. and the law did not apply to
clerical workers. This was a lie for
another inspector and / had seen the |
woman assembling machinery at ten !
o'clock at night.
Protected Youth.
"Next came a bowling alley case |
in HYDE Park. where boys under six
teen were being employed at night. |
That was five years ago. Two years
previously the proprietor had been
hailed into court and had pleaded
nolo. Again in this case hepleaded /
nolo. Again in this case he pleaded
was filed.
"In December Of 1923 found that
Girls were being employed fifty-four I
hours a week in the Roxbury Ex-
change of the New England Tele-
phone and Telegraph Company. II
went to Mr.. Meade and he put me out
If his office.
"Then ! wrote him letter stating |
b7d hoard that girls were being |
employed in other telephone exchanges |
riore than the legal limit and said |
9 Ne did not wish the inspectors to
a.,D3rt these cases to state so in writ /
~. ] told him lis violence TO me led
10 suspect that there was some ul- !
terror reason for his attitude toward
me-
Meade, Employers Spy.
The reason for this violence. Miss
Donovan said was her refusal to di-
vuige the nane Of her informant, be-
cause in previous cases she had found
it meant immediate dismissal for the
worker.
There were other eases against shoe
factories, where Miss Donovan de-
clared proper enforcement of the la
Dor laws was blocked within the de-
partment following her reports. It
was just one week after one Of these
shoe factory owners told her she was
causing him too much trouble with
her persistent demands that he OBJ
serve the laws safeguarding workers,
and that he would have her discharged
that she received the notice Of her
dismissal while this employers case