The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-10-04

with death and were being beaten
up regularly.
Twelve million dollars worth of
buildings have been burned in the
last two years, at least $4,000, 900
more has been collected in graft, and
s75,000,O00 additional has gone for
exorbitant building costs.
Whenever a building went up in
flames as a result of a builders re-
fusal to pay off the ring, the Bronx
District Attorneys office was as agi-
tated as cat chasing it's tail, al
though the total effect was pretty
much the same. Mcclellan, the dis
trict attorney, was recently elevated
to the Supreme Court bench for
rushing to defend the peoples safe
ty." Just how much Mcclellan can
be expected to aid "the people" he
and his capitalist brethren love so
much before election time, may be
determined by his handling of re-
cent suit involving the Amalgamated
Taxi Association.
Ganssters and Officers Combine
The Amalgamated Taxi Association
was organized eight years ago by a
few cab drivers who owned their own
cars. 1t has grown so that it now has
about 1900 members enrolled on it's
books. AS the association grew it de-
veloped all the characteristics of a
typical A. F. of L. local. The treas
ury grew fat, the officers became cor
rupt, gangsters began to appear at
meetings to aid the officers jam
through measures that would accrue
to the officers financial benefit, and
both officers and gangsters were soon
in league to Systematically rife the
treasury.
A factiona1 fight that started over
the manner in which the associations
insurance company should be run led
to a demand by 95 percent of the
members that the officers render an
accounting of the $4,000 which had
been collected in dues since the in
ception of the union. The demand
was refused. Mike Donnella the lone
officer who decided to throw his lot
with the members, now led the fight
to force an accounting. A firm of
| certified public accountants was
| picked at random from the telephone
! book and discovered that $4,000 of
the $4,000 collected was missing
and unaccounted for.
The members of the association
thereupon went to the state attorney
general and lodged a complaint
against their officers, excluding only
Donnella. Edward O'Brien, attorney
for the officers, told the attorney
general, in effect, to go to hell
O'Brien knew what he was doing
He was formerly Tammany District
Leader-in the very same district, a.
a matter of fact, that is now the pri.
vate hunting ground of Commissioner
of Licenses Geraghty, than whom
there is no more efficient crook il
Tammany Hall.
Judge Mcclellan Aids Ganssters
O'Brien appeared at the next
meeting--he had first stationed
more than $50 gunner around
the meeting hall-wth "show
cause" order signed by none
other than that same Mcclellan,
now Supreme Court Justice, who
had SO virtuously belabored the
Bronx Arson Ring while he was
District Attorney.
The burden of proof now lay OF
the members of the association, WHIT
had been bloodedly robbed o
their $146000. The case is still hang
ing fire in the courts, McGeehan'i
court included.
1t is only coincidenta that SUI
preme Court Justice Mcclellan,
while district attorney, tried with
all his might to get death SEN
tence for Greco and GARLIC, anti
fascist workers he tried to rail-
road on a charge of killing two
fascists who were stabbed in a
clash with anti-fascists? Is It