davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-07
SODkiFos Workers Face
Terror and Demagogy
Politicians, Priests and A. F. of L. Misleaders
Attack Chicago Workers Solidarity

ers Council. which is composed of
Negro craft trades, such as plumb
ers, steam filters, railroad workers,
etc, that has been hanmaring a..
the door Of the a. r. Of L. for years
and has been refused membership
Shane spoke Of our union as be-
ing Red. To that I asked him if ne
knew that the red scare had taken
a hop over the Black Belt. because
we feel that If 1t is the Reds that
fight for the workers, we are Reds
ourselves.
A. r. OF L. Spies Defeated
The outcome Of the meeting was
that the workers were so solid for
us that even the minister, Rev.
Griffin, took sides with us and told
Shane that he did not seem well
prepared and that he shouldn't ex-
pect the people on the South Side
would swallow the A. F. Of L. policy
hook. line and sinker. He told Shane
that the N.TW.IU. was a union for
both black and white. When Shane
saw the crack he was in. he al
mi-ted that the prejudice existed,
and he out his application cards in
his pockets. and he and the com
panv spies left the meeting without
king q single recruit.
Today. conditions in Sopkins
shoes are very bad. Workers are
only getting part time. A girl gees
70 work at am. and does a fu,l
eight hours work by noon, due to
the terrific speed-up. Then Sookins
tells them that there is no more
work, and the girls only get four
hours pay. This, of course. greatly
increases the profits 1T Sonkins snd
Son. profits won by the worst kind
of slave driving.
In spite Of all the terrorism, and
the demagogy Of the De Priests and
newspapers, the Needle Trades
Workers Industrial Union is carry
ing on the fight for better condi-
ticns.
The union locals in Sopkins shops
want to take this opportunity to
extend their greetings to our leader
Bet Gold, and to the farmers and
s1are-croppers everywhere.
The headquarters for the Needle
Trades Workers Industrial Union
at tire South Side of Chicago is
at 10 West 9Th Street.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-07
By D. 2. MANUILSKY
Article XIV

Being determines consciousness. "
The sOcial-democratic official IS
gradually taught to look upon him
sell as one who embodies the SOW
ereignty Of the state, becoming pre-
meated with a psychology proper to
It's servant and defender. It seems
10 him that the proletariat ought
20 feel blessed by history because
he, the socialist" has wormed his
way into the apparatus Of the cap
itahst state. For him, the interests
Of the state overShadow everything.
This idea Of the state stands above
classes or people. The idea Of the
state is his instrument Of produc-
ton" by means of which he creates
respect and esteem for himself in
capitalist society without this
state, he is nothing. If he is thrown
out tomorrow, he is the dust Of the
earth, and therefore if the fascist
party comes into power tolng.! Ow.
he can change color wi5hcGs much
difficulty
1t is in this light Of z "regen-
Grafton" that we should regard the
fascination Of those numerous strata
among the establishments VINO
have grown into the state aD-
paratus Of the bourgeois dictator
ship. After July Goth, the Papen-
Schleieher government in Germany
replaced the chiefs but allowed
large numbers of social democratic
officials to remain at their posts.
knowing that these people would
prove true and faithful servants of
fascist reaction. This stratum Of
Pocial-democratic officials who have
been recruited for years past from
among the best people" in the
social-democratic party, forms
living bridge from social-democracy
10 fascisnn
But this stratum IS not made of
won and steel. 1t is not Indifferent
TO the benefits of life which cap
italist society proffers anyone not
afraid to exceed the laws somewhat.
Municipal economy is connected
with all kinds Of contracts and de-
iveries from private firms, which
extends a wide field OF action to
those who consider the good of the
state and their own personal ad-
vantage identical In capitalist So
ciety, corruption is a natural phe-
nomenon like unemployment, pros
titution, veneral diseases, tuber-
culosis, etc. The Sklarek case,
which caused such a sensation in
Germany, only raised the fringe OF
the curtain, affording q glimpse OF
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-07
Dupont Rayon and Munitions Machine
Described By Worker Correspondent
Uniformed Armed Police at Plant Gates; Speed
Up and Wage Cuts Inside

By Textile Worker Correspondent
NASHVILLE, Tenn.-Twelve miles
north Of Nashville, Tenn. lies the
village Of Old Hickory, with two
suburbs, Dupontania to the south,
and Rayon City to the north. The
latter two villages are the outgrowth
Of enterprising skinf1int land sharks.
Old Hickory, on the east side,
contains a group Of buildings, gar
ages and newly painted surfaces.
These, I am told, are the homes of
the upper strata Of DuPon5's work
ers, mainly Of the white collar
workers. In the distance lies a golf
course where one can plav golf if
he is a member of the golf1ng club.
Three blocks away are the mems
and women's dormitories. The sexes
are segregated to their respective
dormitory, but are permitted to eat
in the same cafeteria. In conjunc-
ton with the group Of buildings
the company maintains gym
nasium where the various depart
ments are encouraged to compete
in indoor sports, mainly basketball
Both men and women have their
department teams.
Eight Feet Square
The rooms in the dornitory are
about 8 feet square. Two single
beds are in each room. a clothes
closet, and dresser. Some rooms
contain a chair. None have writing
tables. Two men live in each room.
and two women in each room Of
the women's dorTnitory.
The washroons and lavatories in
these dormitories have concrete
floors. For months the company has
promised to equip each room Of the
dormitories with a table. but SO far
It is only a promise. 7 can't under
stand how they viii manage to
Place a table in so small q space.
There are some 500 or 600 work.
ers' homes in Old Hickory. Housing
conditions since the company has
undertaken their present expansion
program have become very con-
gested, as there has been an influx
Of some 1000 additional workers
into Old Hickory and the two sub
urbs mentioned above. These homes
are the type found in any Southern
mill village, plasterboard and wood.
About one third of the married
workers income Is spent on rent,
light and water bills. The company
maintains bowling alley, pool
room, yM.C.A. building, a theatre,
local newspaper, and police
force. The police headquarters are
located right opposite the entrance
gates to the plant. Instead of plain
clothes watchmen at the gates, uni
formed armed police are used.
During the World War, gun
powder and explosives Of the higher
values were manufactured here. As
I look around, I see the remnants
of giant enterprises covering about
two square miles. Today it is being
dismantled. The old is being replac-
ed by the new. What was once an
explosives industry is now a rayon
industry in the process Of expan-
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-07
AUSTRIAN Socialist Leaders
Shared in Municipal SpOiIs
Built Workers Homes; But Left Main PO,Uer
and Wealth in Hands of Capitalists

the backstairs activities Of the cor
rupt "socialisS municipal politi-
clans, who differ little from their
bourgeois colleagues in their avarice
and feverish greed for personal
gain.
But, it may be asked. what .rela-
ton has all this to the starving
unemployed Social-democratic work
er Of Vienna who is sitting with his
family without bread, without po-
Jatoes, or coal in winter-ttme
Where are his socialist gains"
now? What does he gain from the
fact that Seitz and the social
democratic officials are in the
municipality OF Vienna? Social
Democracy takes pride in the fact
that it taxed RCJhschild in Vienna.
But the Soviet workers took every
thing from the Rothschilds, and
handed it over to the toilers. Social
democracy boasts that it has de-
veloped cheap housebuilding in
Vienna. But in Vienna, Of 100000
rooms. only 100000 are for workers:
the remainder constitute the luxu-
riouS quarters Of rich and well-to-
do elements, i. E., a mere handful
Of the population. Contrast this
with the proletarian revolution in
The q. S. S. r. which has raised UP
millions OF Russian workers and
peasant from surroundings of lice
and filth, giving them access to the
palaces OF The tsar and OF the
financial mlgn~tes. In Moscow, at
the centre, t. industrial workers
formed only 3 10 4 per cent Of the
population before the revolution,
whereas now they are the owners of
all the houses in the Red capital
Let the sociaI-democratic workers
Of Vienna observe what the Soviet
power has dons 60 build houses for
the workers III the Donbas, in Baku
and in other cities. They say that
II 1922 the municipality of Vienna
opened santoriuns with $500 beds
fO- c0nSunptiYeS. But in 1881, at
the very time when tuberculosis
was beginning to claim victims
right and LETT among the workers,
the number CT beds was reduced to
1,00C In the U. S. S. R. all the
palaces Of the rich and the grand
dukes in the Crimea, all the sana-
forums in the old health resorts,
are now at the sole disposal Of the
tcilsrs. They say that Vienna, led
by Seitz, has made improvements in
the Working-class quarters of the
city. What has been done by the
Soviet power TO improve the work
ing class quarters? The main at
tention Of the municipal soviets has
been concentrated on this task.
TO Be Continued
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-07
Piece Work Limits
Pay in Glove Plant
To S1.62 Per Day
WorkersUrged TO Follow
Path of Cloversville
Leather Struggle

GLOVERSVILLE, N. we are
about $50 workers employed in the
Gloversville Knitting Mill, of whom
about $50 are women. We are pro-
ducing nitten gloves.
Before the MIRA. came into
effect, the girls used to earn be-
tween SIG and s23 a week for 45-48
hours. Now We are working 20 hours
but our wages are $13.20-the code
wage. This wage scale is what we
are supposed to earn. In most cases.
we don't even make that much.
They pay us 81 cents a dozen for
knitting the fingers of the gloves.
Just figure out. Twenty four gloves.
S flngerS to each glove, which means
120 fingers for 81 cents. The most
We can produce is 4 dozen in 8 hours
work. But lately the warn is Cheap
and it breaks every minute. You
also have to lose time waiting until
your machine is fixed every now
and then. The foreman believes
that he does you a personal favor
when he fixes your machine. So
most Of the days, working at top
speed, you can produce only 8 dozen
a day, or $1.e2.
We work so fast that often we
don't even 60 get a drink when we
are thirsty. Here is one Of many
examples how the girls are treated.
A girl complained that her machine
is bad. She can't make anything.
But the foreman, Mr.. Iro Bellinger,
who is known as a slave driver, let
her work for 4 days on that rotten
machine, and she earned only $1.08
a dav, producing 2 dozen.
We had forelady here, Mrs.
Rose Pockerino. The boss made her
believe that she owned the place.
She used to earn SIG q week and
worked here for II years. When the
leather workers were on strike, she
used to insult them and thought
the strikers were crazy"
IT happened that her child took
sick. She stayed home for three or
four weeks because her house was
on quarantine When she returned
to work the boss put her on the
machine and reduced her wages to
1890 a week. She now realizes that
you can never trust a boss"
Our firm Just got a big order from
the government. 1t may be for the
soldiers or the C.C.C. camps. But
the New Deal" government wants
70 make the work for cheaper labor.
SO the bosses sent this work to
Bolster s7a, N. Y, another factory
which they own.
Eoweyer. Mr.. Collins. the boss Of
the knitting mills reported in the
press that the shareholders got
compound dividends for the first
tine in four years.
Yes, this is the new deal. Our
wages were cut under the MIRA.
We are slsvi1lg like hell. They don't
do anything, and get compound
dividsadc. YES it. is our hard-earn-
cd morov that thev pet.
Gee. It is time for us to follow
the eyana0'e oF the leather workers
and orqarize. why wait? Let's do
it nov!
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-07
BY GLENNA STANDARD

CHICAGO, IlI-On the South
Side there are lust q few things I
want to bring TO the attention OF
the workers who have to fight ter
rorisTn against their militant union
in other shops, as we do at Sonkins.
The following are the forces that
our union has to fight in the six
Sopkins shops today: The A. F. Of
L. leadership, the Chicago Defender.
the World-South Side weekly
paper-Oscar De Priest and his So
cial workers, the preachers and the
police terror.
Comrades, we cannot kid our
selves. These forces must be fought.
SoDkins does not want any union.
and snv open activities for the IN
dustrisl Union In the shops means
immediate dismissal.
Oscar De Priest is interested in
the shops to corral the votes Of the
workers to return him to CONGRESS
so that he can become richer at the
expense Of the workers. He forced
the social workers in the shops to
befuddle the minds Of the workers
with parties. dances, popularity con-
tests, swimming lessons clubs.
flowers, liquor and what not, at the
same time that they were urqing
the speed-up for the profit OF Sop
kins.
Role IF the Preachers
The role of the preachers is to 90
into the shops and tel the girls
hat Mr.. Sopkins is such a nice man
for allowing them to work in his
shop. The newspapers print lies
concerning the good conditions in
the shops in order to create public
sentiment in favor of Sopkins and
De Priest.
Mr.. Shane, Of the A. F. Of l., put
2 leaf1et in the shop inviting the
Sopkins girls to the Grant Me-
mortal Church at 4eth and Evans
Ave, the latter part of December.
Shane's speech would have been
wonderful-had we not known the
role of the A. F. of L. AS represen-
tative Of the Industrial Union,
took the floor and gave history
Of the A. F. OF l.. for forty years
back. asked him to explain the
attitude of the a. F. Of L. towards
the American Anlalgamated Work
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-07
PARTY LIFE
Functi0naries Must KnOm
Theory and Organization
Training Is Necessary for Development of
Nep0 Cadres in Line With Open Letter

above stated situation. Maybe It's
because I am Negro worker and
there may be prejudice.
Please give me some light on how
to build a strong Party here. I
have had no heated arguments with
any comrades. They all greet me
as comrade.
Comradely yours,
J. n. 8.
Note by Editor
The above letter calls to our at
tention a situation, which if wide
spread in our Party, is very seri-
ous one Here we have a worker
who joins the Party, and is drawn
Immediately into leadership. But
nothing is done by the leading COM
nittees to fit him for this leader
ship He is not taught Party struc-
ture and Party organization. He is
not given theoretical training. 1t
has been taken for granted that
because he has shown militancy in
struggle, and has shown q desire
to be a member Of the Communist
Party, that he is already a full
blown Communist.
This is not what the Open Letter
means when it states that we must
strengthen and rejuvenate our
cadres of functionaries by drawing
into the leadership the workers who
have come forward in struggle. Ger
tainly they must be drawn into the
leadership. But in the process OF
this drawing in, they must be given
organizational and theoretical train
mig by the leading comrades. A
comrade should not be made
unit organizer unless he has been in
the Party long enough to know the
fUnctiors Of that important position.
And when a. conrade Is given this
position for the first time, he should
be guided and advised in his work
by the Section Committee. When
new comrades are drawn into the
section leadership, their work must
be carefully explained to them.
They should be encouraged to par
ticipate in the discussions Of the
Section Committees.
If we do not follow this procedure
we will not train new cadres, but
we will demoralize our new militant
comrades, who may In this way be
lost to the movement,
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-07
I" Arbitr atOrS"
Plot Paterson
Silk Wage Cut
Help Them
by Preaching Faith
in Bosses Board
" q WOKE Correspondentl

PATERSON, N. 1.-THE broadsilk
workers in many Of the shops have
already experienced the injustice
and the bureaucracy of the bosses
Arbitration Board. The workers have
to contend not only with this but
also a puSsyfooting, treacherous A.
F. of L. leadership.
In shops where the workers have
inStinctively struck for better condi-
lions, as in Hillerson Silk Co. or
Friedman and Frucht, ETC., the A. F.
Of L. leaders have forced the work
ers to start work with the plea that,
TITS against the contract to strike,
and, THE Arbitration Board will de-
eide the case"
But the above cases are minor in
comparison with what is happening
behind the scenes. The A. F. Of L.
silk unions in Paterson are con-
trolled and dictated to by the sec
rotary Of the bosses association,
Max Baker. This was brought out
last week, when Baker laid down
the law to the United Wrappers
League-that one Of their men, who
was demanding piece work, must
work on time work, as the boss
wanted. Baker went on further to
say that the worker would be fired
if he made any more claims for
piece work. When asked why the
worker would be fired since no one
is supposed to be fired except for
imperfect work, Baker retorted, For
INSTRUMENTATION if for nothing else"
This is one instance that came to
light. How many times has Baker
called the A. F. Of L. leaders to keep
their hands of a particular case?
His orders to the United Wrappers
League was exposed to the member
ship, but we are sure the A. F. Of
L. leaders would not enlighten the
A. F. OF L. membership about these
daily attempts to cut workers
wages for next month or the follow
ing month. The last three meetings
of the Arbitration Board have been
taken up with the amount of the
wage-cut.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-07

sion. A rayon industry that can on
short notice be converted into an
explosives industry.
Workers, do you understand now
why it is necessary to maintain a
police department right outside the
door? Why it is important that
workers should think Of sports in
stead Of the class struggle?
Here we can see the closest CO.
operation Of the government with
the DuPontS Cooperation against
whom? Against you. workers.
A Careful Check-Up
Let us enter the plant, At the gate
uniformed armed policeman stops
you and inquiries about your card.
You produce it. He punches out the
date on it and you enter. Once in
side the buildings, you become
aware Of congestion. Congestion Of
machine manufacturing apparatus
and workers. In the spinning rooms,
ruling rooms, and chemical process
ing rooms an unhealthy high hu-
Nudity is noticeable. Due TO the IN
efficient suction system, hydrogen
sulphide fumes permeate the atmo-
sphere. Many workers get sick in
haling fumes while sore eyes are a
common occurrence.
Wash room and locker room facil-
tiles are inadequate. The Negro
workers employed have none at all
There are quite number Of Negro
workers employed. The policies Of
Jim-Crowism and segregation of the
Negroes are carried out to the let
ter by Mr.. Dupont. While Negro
and white workers in many depart
ments work side by side, they are
not allowed to eat in the same cafe
terias. Their are no special cafe
terias for Negroes. Negro workers
who wish to purchase food from the
whites cafeteria must take 1t out
somewhere into a corner where
other Negro workers are eating their
lunches. II there is e line of white
workers in the cafeteria waiting for
their food, the Negro workers must
wait until all the white workers
have been served before they can
make any food purchase. Since the
DuPonts have gone N.R.A., scales
have been adopted. The women
workers receive SIS for a 4o-hour
week, mostly on a piece work basis.
That is, if they reach certain pro-
duction ability they receive SIS,
otherwise they are classed as ap-
prentices and are paid less. In a
very few cases the women make
more than $13.
Intense Speed-Up
The speed-up system Is nerve
wrecking and up to the breaking
point, especially in the reeling
rooms. Women workers work in two
shifts, s am. to $3.50 pm. and pm.
to midnight. The average hourly
rate for all employees is between 40
and 45 cents, that is about rs per
cent lower than most American
+ Rayon mills are paying. Out Of such
conditions 1t is that the DUPONT
Corp. has been able to show a profit
fer the nine months of 1893 TO the
sum of S26,O00,0C0. This Is Sl,0cO, 600
more than for the whole year Of
Is it any wonder that the DUPONT
1882.
family is strong advocate Of the
Blue Buzzard? Or that Pierre S.
DUPONT raises no objections when
he Is appointed to sit In the ses-
sions Of the National Labor Board,
where he can with the cooDeratiozl
Of Bill Green, nlisleader OF the A. 4.
Of j.. pIet on how to organize MS
workers into company unions so
that even larger PROFITS may be
forthcoming in the future.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-07
Rockford, III.

Rockford, III.
Dear Comrade Editor:
I am a weekly subscriber of the
Daily" and realize that it is a real
defense for the entire working
class.
Although I joined the Party on
June 80, 1892, membership book
No. 1892, District 8, Rockford Sec
ton, Unit 2, I was a member Of
the leading Section Committee;
once elected unit organizer, par
ticipated as a member of the steer
ing committee at several unem-
ployed demonstrations; was elected
and served as a delegate from IN
employed Council No. 2 Branch, to
Washington in the 1893 Hunger
March; resolved nomination papers
to bid for the Aldermanic race for
the Spring City elections of 1888.
And the worst of it all, I was
never familiarized with the work in
which I was engaged. 1 never
learned my duties as member Of
the executive or leading committee,
or as organizer of the unit. On
several occasions I was called into
the Office by the Section Organizer
and he would tell me concerning
some opposition forces and to vote
this way or that way. But I never
was drawn into a general discussion
concerning the grievances. 1 could
understand the necessity Of a func-
tionaries meeting to prepare an
agenda. But wasn't even drawn
into any discussion. It was always
cut and dried when the meetings
that I attended opened. All that
was to do was to vote so and so.
When I was unit organizer a GER
tain member would come to the
meetings, bring some papers, APP
point me for chairman and whisper
cretain things to me- Points that
he wanted taken up" I never did
know where the cues stamps came
from and the literature committee
was SO weak that I had nothing to
do with it in my unit. There were IL
members in our unit. But there is
none Of the unit left. And it is so
I think because the Section has been
little too bureaucratic. The Party
still exists but that is all. There
are no struggles, no unemployed
movement to amount to anything.
I am not active because Of the