The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-08-28
AICN TALK
BRINGS FIERCE
BOSS REPRISAL
Grim Silence Reveals
Workers Anger

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (By Mai).
The Armour and other packing
house bosses, in order to stem the
tide of the rising spirit of revolt on
the partaof the packing house work
ers, have begun a reign of police
terror. On Tuesday noon, August
81, Hugo Oehler, organizer of the
Workers (Communist) Party in
District 10, and Matthew Cushing,
packing house worker, were arrested
by the police when they addressed
a meeting of Armour's workers at
the gates of the plant.
Early in the morning, before the
workers entered the plant, leaflets
were handed out to them, asking the
workers to walk out at noon and at
tend the meeting.
While this distribution of litera-
ture was performed, 100 workers
stopped at the entrance enthusiast
tieally discussing the development
of the organization drive. The re-
Spouse of the workers of the big
gest company in the industry sent
alarm down the line of the packing
offices. The meeting at the Cudahy
plant few days previously added
fire to the uneasiness of the bosses.
I'VE have got to clean 'em out of
town." was the expression of one
of the three bosses sitting in a rich
car, and it became clear that at the
noon meeting the bosses would call
the police into action to intimidate
and drive fear into the hearts of
the workers, in this way hoping to
stop thu movement for organiza-
ton.
At noon workers began to stream
out of the gates, and, noticing the
police on foot and motorcycles, they
stopped, awaiting developments.
A policeman approached Oehler
and told him to clear out. There
will be no meeting" ne said.
Whereupon Oehler protested on the
grounds that he represented polit-
zeal party which is on the ballot in
the state Of Kansas. The workers
intently listened to the converse
ton. The policeman retreated to
consult the Armour official. Oehler
mounted the platform and began to
speak. Workers, encouraged by the
fact that the organizer did not per-
nit himself to be bulldozed, flocked
to the speakers stand. The COM
pany's official became nervous. He
ran over to the cops on the motor
cycles, shouting Lock, he is speak
ing. Do something"
The cop stood for a while listen
ing to Oehler, who explained that
the party's nominees are William 2.
Foster and Ben Gitlow. Then Oehler
began to speak on the issues con-
fronting the workers. "Our purpose
in entering this election campaign
is not only to seek your vote as
protest against capitalism, but also
TO organize the workers against the
BOSSES" That's enough" shouted
the cop and with a clenched fist
ran up to Oehler and pulled him
down from the platform. The crowd
began to follow Oehler, but then
stopped when a Cudahy young pack
ing house worker, Matthew Cushing,
took Oehler's place and began to
speak. A policeman violently rushed
back and shouted: "You here, too?"
and pulled him off. However, while
he was being escorted by the police
man he continued shouting at the
top of his voice. Workers applauded
when he declared that the packing
workers will not stand for a three
dollar-a-day wage. Stool-pigeons
and bosses were also organized and
a few tried to shout burrah, but
were soon silenced by the grim looks
Of the\crowd.
When the police forced Oehler
and Cushing into the automobile,
Oehler shouted: "Fellow-workers,
we'll see you later" Then one cop,
instigated by the company official,
rushed to him and slugged him until
blood appeared. Meanwhile the
streets were lined By the masses of
the Armour workers. There was no
excitement, which is the usual thing
when an arrest happens. but there
was a grim silence which definitely
expressed the disapproval, nay, even
bitterness, of the workers against
the police brutality. They were
brought into the police station,
locked up and held incommunicado
Company officials were on the
spot trying to get some names,
while representative of the Amer
lean Legion and K. X. X. were an
yious to find out what was the
strength of the Communists in the
Armour plant. Wednesday morn
ing the two workers were bailed out,
the police setting a $500 bond for
each on a vagrancy charge. Mean
while the stool-pigeons and fore
man circulated wild rumors in the
packing house plant re the persecu-
ton of the Communists, such stories
as deportation, life sentences and