The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-08-04
RANK AND FILE
IN new BEDFORD
WITH MILITANTS
Mill Committees Really
Lead Strike

fighting their struggle against the
employers, and also against the cor.
rupt leaders of the Textile Workers
Union Of America.
Incidentally ! stepped into the
local of the corrupt clique Ct the
Textile Workers Union of America
1895 Cushmet St., in New Bedford
The minute | came in the secretary
Of that local came over to me. ask
ing the following questions: "Are
you from New York;" l said yes.
Are you a socialist" I said yes.
"How is the present situation in
this strike? ?" asked him. The sec
rotary was a very tall fellow, and
not go skinny, either. He made a
funny face, and said II will be
earnest with you, seeing that you
are socialist. will tell you that
wera it not for these radicals our
strike would be won already"
What do YOU mean by that ?" 7
asked him. aren't you all the
same workers. working in the same
factory l am sure that you are
fighting for the same demands"
He lost himself and said: ~ don't
mean that. meant to say that I
only don't like their leaders, like
Weisbord and Rubinstein and the
others" Then he came over and
asked me in a very humorous way
please tell me your name" "My
name is Jack" said. "Would YOU
like to play in cards with us. a
group of about ten people ?" he in
vited. | got mad, and I SAID: "How
can you, in a situation like this.
when the employers intend to open
the gates tomorrow, sit down. to
rlay cards? Why don't you call
meeting to discuss the situation in
order to mobilize your strength for
tomorrow" eve don't need to call
such meetings to prepare for such
dirty work. This we will leave for
the radicals" he said, smilingly.
Another man sitting there and lis
tening to our conversation called
me over and said to me: "T am a
true socialist, my father was a So
cialist, too. l will tell you that the
less you talk to these fellows the
better off you will be, because the
secretary himself is republican and
the others are all democrats, and
they are all agents of the employ
ers. When you will go over to the
radicals tell them that l am the
man with the white hair. Say that
they are doing very good work. I
cannot speak against the other fell
lows now, because they will be
against me, and they might take
away my job from me when the
strike will be finished. If they will
not know me, as l pointed out to
you before, then tell them that nv
name is and by this they
will surely know me-"
Here is the local of the corrupt
Clique. They were playing cards.
and when reached the headuuar-
tiers of the Textile Mill Committee
was astonished that nearly ten
thousand people were waiting for
the opening of the meeting. While
passing by among the masses, |
heard from the lips of the women
and children that tomorrow we will
show them that we are not playing
with them.
| 1t was tremendous warm day
that Sunday, but when Brother KEEL
lar called the meeting to order
everybody was ready to listen. He
ordered that everybody must have
a test tomorrow. Then came ire
mendous applause which lasted over
ten minutes. The next speaker was
Weisbord. He received an applause
for fifteen minutes. He spoke sar-
castically of the role of the en-
ployers and urged them to show
their solidarity to the end. The
third speaker was a Portuguese by
the name of Antony Valentine.
must say that l heard good speak.
ers, but not like this one He spoke
so enthusiastically that l haven't the
words to express it. He discussed
the entire situation and compared
this strike to the beginning of tn,
French Revolution At the end h,
said that everybody must be on tn,
field just as the French Revolu
tionists were on the barricades.
There were other speakers, lik,
the secretary of the Relief Com
mittee in Boston. He pointed on
how the New England press il
keeping the people in ignorance b,
not giving them the real news abou
the strike, and appealed to the audi
ence that it is necessary for tn,
working people to read their news
paper, the Daily Worker.
When left this meeting | re
allied the good work being done b,
the left wing Of the Textile Mil
Committee, and / also came to tn,
conclusion that each worker mus
stand on the side of the textil,
workers to help them win thi
strike, and also to help them builc
UP real union by the workers, for
the workers, and not a union which
should fight against the interest
of it's members, like the present so
called Textile Workers Union O.
America. J. B.