The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-20

What have you been doing while
resting in this field?"
Talking" smiled husky sea-
men, older than some. we've been
telling stories - love stories, sea
stories, politics stories
Try To Ease Out Workers Control
The Young Mems Christian Asso-
citation dominated Seamen's relief
until the MWI.U. and the Unem-
ployed Council started organizing
the Baltimore Seamen. BY sheer
solidarity, through demonstrations,
through strikes, and through con-
tinual struggle, they gained control,
AS Patterson put it, I'VE came to
washington December and saw the
National Director of Transient Re-
lief, and won from him Federal aid
to the Sesmens project
Last month, the local relief Off
Gals and the police started getting
busy. Harry Grenstein, State Relief
Administrator; Frank M Little,
State Transient Director. and W
Bolton Kelly, Director of the Tran
sient Bureau Of Baltimore, got busy.
"They brought their own staff
down to replace our elected staff.
We exposed them so completely,
particularly the graft that had gone
on before the seamen took charge
that they left. Then they threatened
to take our clothes away from US
the clothes we issue to the seamen.
They drove down with a truck
on Monday, and they had heavy
police force out. But the truck went
away empty While the officials were
talking with our committee. the
seamen in charge were issuing out
all the clothes we had"
Tuesday Kelly again brought down
an Official staff-but again they
were forced to walk away.
The seamen invited the officials,
then, to send representative to an
open meeting. Little came. He pro-
, posed new transient project, with
new registrations and federal off,
Gals in charge. He told the sea-
!; men, you're through" Then the
seamen met and organized the
march.
Hey, guys!" Patterson called out
The men gathered around him, I'VE
are 81 miles out of Washington.
, hear there are some petty grievances
! here-well you know the seamen't
administration is always ready to
hear them. But I warn you, there
might be disrupter here, and ]
think I got my eye on him. Now
we'll have a little organization meet
ing and find out about this, because
| you know we're 100 per cent united
! in Baltimore, and that's the way
we're going into Washington"
Several stepped out and explained
They wanted to move on, instead Of
waiting for coffee as they had de.
, cided before midnight. Stack asked
for the floor and got it.
Fellow workers" he said, "we1
move on whenever you say. W.
knew before we started. this woulc
IAuJ Dc any IOL1dl1JiC JUL iltg tti1 uuSt
wonderland It's class struggle o
the sharpest kind. We've got a gooC
chance to win this time. But
we've gotta go into Washington. no
like broken-down old seamen, lik'
q Father Cox's army. but like al
army singing our battle song"
: Let's go" the spirit of thes'
marchers rose above their blister
and their sore bodies, Alta boy
let's get goingl"
In two minutes they had picket
up the banners they had flung OF
the sod, end we're marching towarC
Washington. with another yell
"One, two, three, four; what do sea
men fight for? Seamen's Control
, Seamen's Control! Five, six, seven
eight; who do We seamen hate
Grenstein, Grenstein! Boo, boo!"