Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17

These loans he rarely asked back
but used them for pressure, to
keep his foremen indebted and
faithful to the company The
majority of the workers he scOrn-
fully ignored. For them not one
house was built. They were left
to find huts like FeodOr or rent
corners" of rooms, like Andree
and his family, and to worry over
making ends meet, as best they
could.
So, i'm the depth of old Russia,
the American capitalist ran his
plant quite true to fOrml Dixon
in Podolsk might have been Ford
in Detroit. The Singer company
received much attention from
the Moscow governor. Special
nickel and silver sewing machine
models were manufactured and
given to the governor and local
tsarist officials with cOmpli-
ments of the company" The Gus
tOmary, more substantial gifts
followed, although not so openly.
On his part Dixon could never
complain of the political aid as
well as the police service he re-
ceived from the governor. Clev-
erly, in gentlemanly fashion, they
played the old game of I'll scratch
your back and you scratch mine.
Dixon followed another DELHI
crate policy, long practised by
American. British and other inn
perialists operating their for
eign-Owned factories. Processes
of production We're kept as Sc
cret as possible, while essential
parts of the machines, such as
bobbins, needles and small parts
were not manufactured in Rus
STA. at all but imported from Am
erica. This not only hindered
competition from enVious Rus
sian manufacturers. but later on.
when the workers took over pro
duction, it caused them no small
trOu ble-and this as we shall see,
is not completely ended, even to-
day.
Feodor and the Party never
theless were not sleeping. Andree
did not become active until later.
In spite of reactionary terror, fol
lowing the 1905 revolution, they
succeeded in organizing over five
hundred workers in study circles.
with active illegal groups in the
Singer and other factories, in
neighbOring villages, and in the
one local hospital. There had
been many strikes and demon
stratiOns during the days of up
heaval. The workers, made des-
perate by hunger and oppression,
and supported by the villagers.
had attempted to seize the Sing
er and all other local factories,
! but the governors COssacks had
proven the stronger. A new spirit
however, had been released am
ong them which neither discharg-
es, petty concessions from the
company, nor arrests and exile
could completely destroy.
FeodOr, being an exceptionally
good worker. won great prestige
with his fellows They would Of
ten come to see how he worked.
He made friends and won their
confidence. The company watch
ed him at every step. Although
he had studied little at this time
and was not actually a member
of the Party, he understood, as he
expressed it that it was all go
ing toward revolution He was
busy winning others.
Unions and all revolutionary
organizations were illegal. Prices
of food were very nigh so some
workers, including FeOdOr organ
lied small cooperative store.
Local merchants ridiculed them,
How is it possible for wOrkmen
to trader" Yet the cooperative
succeeded. Through it many
workers were brought into the
movement.
Then great experience came
to 'FeOdor. In 1908 the State
Duma held it's elections to the
third Duma. The tsarist govern
ment, frightened by recent events
decided to restrict the number
of workers and peasants repre-
sentatives to the limit. 1t dared
not prohibit them altogether
FeOdOr was one of the delegates
sent by his factory to the Moscow