The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-02-02
By CLARA HOLDEN.

wi the United Textile Workers Union, and So
called leader of the Danville cotton mill strike,
has proved to be the bosses best friend. He
has consistently played the bosses game from
the very first day of the strike, and has con-
sstently acted against the interests of the work
ers
No one going into Danville would know
strike was on. except for the several hundred
militia men members Of the National Guard
ard extra cops. There is no mass picketing. no
active strike committee. evctions Of active
strikers take place with no attempt to prevent
them ONLY three meetings a week are held. the
s-;l-orS' only demand is recognition Of the union
there is no defense committee, no publicity COM
noit4ea no entertainment committee, no dances,
no bulletins nothing is done to keep up the
morale Of the strike.
The strikers say: cit seems like our leaders
want us inst to sit home and wait. 1t seems
like they don't want to do anything"
,r,tilda Lindsay vice president Of the Won1-
ems Trade Union League the other chief strike
leader SAYS: THE most spectacular thing
about this strike is that there is nothing spec
tacular about it. There is no violence. The po-
lice chief is fair Police have not attacked peace
full pickets.' Federated Press, Oct. IS, 1880.
Workers Voted Strike
The strike was voted by 95 per cent majority
of the 1900 workers of the Dan River and River
side Mills on September 10, $780, when German
was out of town.
The workers we're prevented from striking Tor
ten DAYS by German who said representative
of the U. S Bureau of Cancellation would come
to Danville. So for ten days, until September
80 when the strike actually took place the man
agement had time to prepare for the strike, COM
plete orders and transfer work to other mills.
At the time of the strike there about
100000 worth of goods being bleached. If the
work on this material had not been finished in
three DAYS, the goods would have been spoiled.
An excellent strategic situation. Mr.. German
stated: I'VE want to show our good faith with
the management The bleachers must go in and
finish their work and he ordered them back
to scab on the other strikers and present the
bosses with 100000 with which to fight the
strike There has not been strike in Danvile
since 1901. end most of the strikers are COM
pletely inexporienced. They say I'VE thought
that was a kind of funny way to begin a strike
The Cop AS Member
At the first strike meeting, the chief speaker
was Mr.. Han1ibal Martin. Martin is the chief
of police OF Danvle. He made a wonderful
speech TELLING the strikers to be quiet and peace
full obey the law and not get drunk. He con-
fided - the strikers that he was on their side
Miss Lindsay cutely said; Everyone thinks. Mr.
Martin has a union card in his pocket Feder-
ated Press. Oct. 25 1850. The strikers say:
"Eow could he be on our side. We know that
police Chief }TiS rorord's not so good either
WHARF r1cney IS concerned"
That Speech Wes cartcinly worth cool $500
and r,oro to the mill mar agement. When the
teor nos h0',hs were thrown at the pickets Mr.
Hanribql Martin. the strikers friend threw the
first one. Maybe he left his U.T.W. union card
at home that day or maybe he didn't
The strikers knew that they must picket in
order to win. At first they not only kept out
any workers but also refused to let in any over
seers superintendents or watchmen; when Mr.
II F. Fitzgerald, president of the company, drove
~ - o-,e OF the mills in his big car one day
the strikers picked up his car bodily, turned it
around and told him to run along home This
of course. shocked Mr.. German very much, who
told them not to act that way
In the meantime carloads of coal were piling
up in the mill yards-several hundred of them
would have to be emptied. 1t cost the company
SIS q clay each day each carload remained I'M
loadad Mr.. German refused to let the strikers
keep the coal from being unloaded. The strikers
say: why. 1T would have been easy to keep
the coal there in the car
Would Violate Injunction
AS soon rs possible the bosses got an in
junction AGAINST picketing. The workers wanted
to vio3te the injunction, and picket anyway The
even used to go down to the mill gates and tele-
ing in shouldn't they picket? German repeat
edly ordered them not to, even saying "The
scabs won't hurt the strike; they're unskilled
workers" About 1900 to 1000 got in, only two
Or three hundred being strikers
The strikers say: 1--WE knew we should picket.
we could have kept those scabs out, but the
leaders kept saying: Don't do this and don't
do that" One striker says Il would gladly
do five years if necessary, for fighting for my
rights" Needless to say, the chief of police
did his duty in seeing the injunction carried
out.
Green Comes
AS mastery stroke, Mr. German invited down
his boy friend, Mr.. William Green, President
of the American Federation of Labor At huge
meeting. on December 80, of 1000 strikers and
their families, Mr. Green urged the strikers to
Immediately go back to work; upon their return
grievances would be adjusted by committee or
five. two from the union, two from the manage
r,ent. and the fifth either x-Governor H. F..
Byrd of Virginia, or Admiral r. E. Byrd (N.Y.
Times, Dec. 81, 1890. In other words. three to
two for the bosses. 1--WE didn't like the sound
of that at all" the strikers say 1T didn't seem
like he could have meant just what he said"
Negro Strikers
About 500. or approximately IL per cent of the
strikers are Negroes They are scrubbers and
sweepers Mr. German has Jim crowed them
into a separate local. This is the U'T.W. policy.
In 1929, President Mcmahon of the UT.W. called
1.~i- ,,l,;to ra,.a tto