The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-09-10
ATTACK FEDERAL.
SPYING ON LEFT
WING WORKERS
Shows Alliance with
Govt, A. F. L. Takers

Labor at Washington cease its can
paign of espionage and intimidatio
Of foreign born workers who belon
to left wing unions were sent t
Washington today by the New Yor
Section of the International Labc
Defense.
A letter from Rose Baron, seere
tary Of that workers organization
charged that police of New Yor
we're doing federal spy work o
shops employing members of the Ir
dependent Shoe Workers Union.
Mayor Walker also received
copy of the letter and a denunci
alton of the use of police to registe
foreign born workers and intimidat
ing them.
The letter sent to Washington fol
lows in part:
U. S. Department Of Labor,
Office of the Secretary, Washing
ton, D. C.
Dear Sir:
1t has come to our notice that
your Department has issued a
questionable asking for name, ad-
dress, birthplace, port of entry,
name of ship, citizenship, etc, of
workers employed in this city, we
presume throughout the United
states.
This circular, which, curiously
enough, has as its heading "Con-
ciliation Service" states that it
has been prepared by your de-
partment ''for the purpose of as
certaining the number of aliens
who are believed to be in the coun-
try, unlawfully, many of whom
are believed to be employed at the
locations indicated on the attached
list" At the bottom of the cir
cuiar appears a note which recites
that "if children are connected
with any Communist organization,
such as Young Pioneers Young
Workers League or any Commu-
mist organization, same will be
noted above"
For many years anti-labor ele-
ments in Congress, under the in
spiration of various patriotic" or
carnations, chambers of COM
merce, and the ike, have been
trying to put through an alien
registration act; up to the present
and due to the opposition of mill
tant labor, they have not succeed
ed.
1t is evident, however, that the
Labor Department is proceeding
with the registration of aliens, US
ing city police for this purpose,
seeking to brighten foreign-born
workers into giving information
which subsequently will be used
to crush them in struggles which
they may wage against their en-
ployers for betterment of their
conditions. The Cancellation Ser
vice" is thereby helping exploit
ing employers browbeat their op-
pressed workers.
1t is also interesting to note
that the first places invaded by
the city police doing federal spy
work were shops employing mem
bers of the Independent Shoe
Workers Union, an industrial
union that has but recently given
evidence of its ability to wage
militant struggles against their
bosses.
This union has been a particular
object of attack by the American
Federation of Labor, which has
substituted in place of class strug-
gle a policy of class collaboration.
Recently, Mr.. Matthew VOL,
chief mouthpiece of the American
Federation of Labor, threatened
militant foreign born workers
with deportation, and your ques-
tionaire evidences the close alli-
ance between the government and
the labor bureaucracy for the pur-
pose Of crushing militant trade
unionism in America.
To those workers who sought
our advice as to whether they
were under lagal compulsion to
answer these questionaires we
gave an emphatic NO as an an
swear, and we have made it our
business and feel it our duty to
inform all workers that this act
on the part of the Labor Depart
naent was not only not authorized
by any legislative enactment, but
was in fact a deliberate attempt
to aid and assist their employers
in crushing the rising tide of mill
fancy which is inspiring workers
in America to greater struggles
against their masters.
The international Labor Defense
represents hundreds of thousands
OF workers in this country; our
sole purpose is to aid and defend
workers who are victims of the
class struggle, such as the Gas
tenia victims whom the powers
Of capitalist government are seek
ing to send to the electric chair
because of their struggle against
the textile barons Of the South.
We demand the immediate ces-
sation Of this campaign of espion-
age, intimidation Of foreign born
workers and the attempt of your
Department to establish the open
shop and company unions in the
shos industry of New York.