The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-12-24
HOover's Fascist Tries
to Break Shoe Strike

(Continued from Page One)
them down to lower wages, piece
work, crush their own organization
that they have built up after years
of betrayal by these A. F. L. and
Protective" unions, that this gov
eminent is protecting them. No
wonder such a government, say the
shoe workers, recognizes the A. F.
L., the Protective, etc.
For the rest, the Wood letter
consists of a series of baseless and
unsubstantiated charges of graft
and crime against the Independent
Shoe Workers officials. For in
stance, Manager Biedenkapp of the
union is criticized as being under
indictment for conspiracy in Massa-
chusetts and out on bail pending
the trial of the ISSUE" without say
ing that what Biedenkapp is in
dicted for is for violation Of an in
junction in the New Bedford strike
nothing for shoe workers to be
ashamed of, since their whole union
was laid under injunctions, in the
New York courts, by judges who
tried to break their strike and pre-
vent picketing when the employers
locked them out.
Calls Picketing Illegal.
The letter quotes from the In
ternational Red Day statement of
the Communist Party, saying that
the Communists prepare for a per-
il of illegality. The u S. gov
eminent, which hopes to crush by a
fierce persecution and by terroris-
tic methods all workers organiza-
lions, of course hates the idea that
some of them will continue to exist
illegally, and tries to poison the
minds of the workers against it.
Wood intimates that picketing
the shops is violation of the law.
He says: "The workers who are
urged to defy the law and picket
the shops" should demand that
leaders of the union picket too.
Wood omits to say that they do
picket-that some of them have
been arrested for just that.
Continuing the attempt to fright
en- the shoe workers into scabbing
on themselves and their fellow
workers, the U. S. government, thru
Commissioner Wood says, "An ad-
vocate of Communism cannot go
into court with clean hands," echo
ing the cynical, brutal Gastonia
trial judge who told the jury not
to believe anything Communist wit
nesses said. Incidentally, Wood ap-
proved of the sending of troops to
shoot Gastonia strikers.
Wood tries in a Shiny indirect
manner to charge the union Off
Gals with stealing the union money,
calling on them to let committee
of the fascist Italian newspapers in
New York audit the books. The
union books are open to all elected
officials and representatives of the
workers in the union, and can be
audited any time. But to let Mus
solini's gang audit them! That
would be asking for frame-up!
The U. S. government, and Mr.
Hoover's Grand Fascist Council of
profiteers and labor faker
ing through Commissioner Wood,
closes the letter of Dec. IL, WIN
the most direct threat of all:
Threatens Foreign Born.
81 hope this warning will reach
the foreign speaking workers in
season to convince them that to fol-
low such leadership (as the indie
pendent Shoe Workers Union) is
certain to get them into trouble.
They not only lose their jobs, but
lose the protection of the police and
the courts" He means the police
will club them and the courts will
frame them up. Then he says:
"a majority of our foreign speak
ing workers are potentially good
citizens. Many of them are unaware
that pledging themselves to the OBJ
legations of a movement like the
international Shoe Workers Union
prejudices their own standing when
ever they seek to become naturalized
citizens. Even those who have been
admitted to citizenship are liable to
proceedings which contemplate re-
vocation of such citizenship"-and
exile to black-shirt Italy, with Mus
solini's firing squad and hangmen
waiting.
Workers proceeded against by the
u. S. government on this basis will
find powerful forces fighting to
save them under the leadership Of
the International Labor Defense.
This latter, the shoe workers de-
clare, will be replied to by the work
ers through bigger picket lines and
more determination to defeat the
bosses and to spread the struggle
for the 10-hour and fiva.dav xvaek