The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-07-09
OVER $4,000 TEXTILE
STRIKERS TO PICKET:
DEFY ARMY DISPLAY
T. M. C. Urges Militia
Not to Aid Bosses
Batty O.K.'s Use of
Mounted Police

Especial to The DAILY WORKER)
NEW BEDFORD, Mass, July 8.
In defiance of heavily armed units
Of National Guardsmen and mounted
forces, in addition to the entire po-
lice power, striking textile workers
here will stage one of the greatest
picketing demonstrations ever seen
when the mill owners make their
gesture Of opening the Sc mills to-
morrow morning. Twenty-eight
thousand workers have just entered
the 18th week of the strike. Chief
of Police Mcleod posted an an
nouncement this afternoon ordering
"all not concerned in the issue to re-
main outside areas in which police {
will be working"
Attack Expected
Sheriff Willetts today named and
Immediately swore in four deputy
sheriffs to go out tonorrow morning
and assist him in commanding the
dispersal Of the tens Of thousands
of pickets expected, after which he
will officially invoke the "Riot
Act" as the militia marches in.
In answer to the police announce
ment that the mills will swing their
gates open at Gas in the morning,
the call went around among the
strikers to turn out en- masse long
before that hour.
Bill Keller, in the name of the New
Bedford Textile Workers Union Of
the Textile Mills Committee, issued
an appeal to the troops "to refrain
from any action against thcir
brothers who are fighting the bat
tie of the working class, of which
they themselves are part"
Warns Against Spies
The T. NJ. c. statement further
declares: "Our picket captains are
especially instructed to offset the at
tempts of provaeateurs whom, we
are certain, the manufacturers will
plant among the picket lines to
arouse disturbances among the pick
cts, thereby providing the labor
hating army officials with an ex-
cuse to order the militia to an at
tack.
Through military discipline and
the fear of court martial the bosses
and their agents, the city and army
authorities will attempt to force
these troops, strikers and the rela-
tives Of strikers to attack our lines.'
The picket captains of the Tex
tile Mills Committee will be pro-
vided with orange arm bands, with
the name of the union printed
thereon in full.
Another occurrence here, which
has aroused much bitter resentment
among the masses of strikers, as
do the bosses threats of a coming
military and police terror, is the
statement made by the officials of
the Textile Council of the United
Textile Workers.
Batty Endorses Terror
In view of the massing of an elab-
crate apparatus to break the strike
by onslaughts of armed forces, Will
liam Batty, secretary of the council,
announces to the press that "tech-
nically, we are satisfied with the
preparations being made for police
protection Monday. The Textile
Council will be chagrined if the i'm
preston went out that the New
Bedford authorities were forced to
resort to mounted police to keep
order in the ranks of labor" Batty
then openly displayed his role as
provacateur when he endorsed the
use of mounted police after his
question as to whether the horses
were trained or not was answered
in the affirmative.
The New Bedford Cotton Manu-
facturers' Association is scheduled
to meet at 1880 tomorrow morning
to plan joint action on whatever the
developments may occur during the
mornings demonstrations.
Tonight's mass meetings of the
Textile Mills Committee are ex-
pected to be attended by the largest
crowds since the beginning of the
strike. The meetings will be held
at both ends of the city.