The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-02-09
By ". CARLISLE


DETROIT. - The press campaign
~ slandering the strikers and
their leaders began few days
before the Briggs Company issued
a statement to the press on Janu-
airy 9th entitled Boost Pay to
End Strike Everyone knows how
they emphatically stated that the
strikers had ousted Phil Raymond
and the other leaders who had
helped build up the strike organ
cation. 1t did not matter that the
strikers sent delegations to the dali
II papers, definitely telling the edi-
tors that the mass meetings of the
strikers, and the Central Strike
Committee resented the press re-
ports and demanded a complete
retraction of the malicious "oust-
ed leaders statements. Yet, in
spite of the decision of the mass
body of strikers, up to the present
moment these statements are be-
ing issued by the capitalist press.
HENRY FORD
BEHIND PRESS CAMPAIGN
The growing mass organization
and tho determination of the
strikers had created a situation
where the auto bosses made up
their minds to stop at nothing to
break the strike. Henry Ford and
Edsel Ford called on Briggs and
inspired Briggs to issue their
Boost Pay to End Strike state
ment-but on condition that no
organization of the men would be
recognized. However, all the efforts
of Ford and Briggs had no effect
on the solidarity of the strikers.
In order TO attack the workers
further, they hired q scab leader
of the Detroit News, James Swein-
hart, who in a tWo-column article
stated that the workers were
guaranteed minimum hourly rate
by the Briggs Company" and
that old employees would be given
until noon to return to their job"
Humid, the manager of Briggs
stated, the men on strike can
come to work whenever they
want" Humid further declared that
"95 per cent of the strikers want
to go back to work and are kept
back by the attitude of the few. ;"
ARRANGING ATTACK
AGAINST STRIKERS.
The strikers were said to be
reds and Communists" To com
plete the scare, Ford closed down
his plant; and armed and legal
forces were prepared to attack
both the strikers and the leaders.
Governor Comstock instructed Os-
car G. Olander, Commissioner of
Public Safety ito keep in close
touch with the situation and adj
wise him of any developments"
Henry Ford arrived again, he was
welcomed by Joseph Greedon.
chief deputy sheriff, Captain John
Pafthausen of the Highland Park
Police, and Dan E. l.. Patch. chief
of Police. They all went into the
Briggs plant, remained 30 minutes.
and Oscar G. Olander chief of
Public Safety received full instruc-
lions regarding his duties. Muir
phys cops, ComStock's State Police,
Sheriff's Wilcox's deputy sheriffs
and the National Guard all got
their instructions. To complete
their attack against the strikers.
Doak of the United States Depart
ment OF Labor, was instructed to
get on the job. Immediately he
sent R. M. Pilkington to make con-
nections and the play was staged:
their forces were rallied: Press lies,
SANDER, tear gas, machine guns,
and the law!
MONDAY noon was the deadline
ih for the return of the Briggs
strikers. The strikers did not re-
turn; the show of force organized
by Henry Ford and Briggs was
OF no more consequence than a
stone against rolling avalanche.
Every move they made was de-
feated; the organized force of
Henry Ford was beaten. State
ments appeared in the press saying
the Briggs plants we're almost fully
manned and Ford's plant would
be opened. They said bodies would
go to the Ford plant and all was
well. What happened? Ford work
ers, locked out since Thursday. be-
lleved these capitalist press state
ments and went down to the Ford
plant on Monday morning. They
came in crowds thinking the re-
ports were true, and found out
that there were no bodies from