The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-09-13

| over at PaSSalc.' and then dropped
the subject, when questions from
the floor grew hot. He then put
great stress on a meeting Of the
shop chairmen. at which all shor
chsirmen's cards will be changed. .
This is another move to guarantees
the Keller control.
He had previously said. I'VE want
you to be informed on everything
and all questions will be answered
at the proper time" The meeting
was more than half over and NO
motion had been allowed from the
floor. Instead Keller suddenly in
PRODUCED Jay Lovestone, secretary
Of the Communist Party OPPOSE
ton. Lovestone's presence was a
complete surprise to the workers
No announcement had been made
that he would speak. He confined
himself to generslities and ora
torical flights, but he did not touch
on the vital question Of local de-
mands. The workers were not there
to hear Lovestone talk, but to find
out why the 5000 throwsters and
the $4,000 dyers we're not yet out to
the last man. They wanted to know
why the family sweatshops were
still working.
Lovestone proposed that a tele-
gram be sent to President Roose-
welt, protesting against the muir
der of 10 strikers in South Caro-
lima and Georgia. After he had
spoken, and while Keller was try
ing to bring about an adjourn
ment, Moe Brown and a group OF
strikers went to the platform and
demanded that the telegram to
Roosevelt be read: or if it had not
been drawn up, that a committee
be elected from the floor to write
one and take it from the meeting
to the telegraph Office. Brown was
thrown off the platform and
slugged.
I ASKED Jay Lovestone what he
thought of that proceeding. 1t
was then that he gave vent to the
statement at the head Of this ar
ticle. When he learned that this
piece was to be for the Daily Work
er, he said, Write this down. will
your" So give his verbatim state
ment as follows:
1.-THE meeting was handled per-
fectly properly and those people
who tried to get the floor were act
ing q ike-breakinR role. The
strike is being handled properly
This meeting voted unanimously tc
authoriza the Joint Executive Board
to send the resolution"
But there had been no unani-
nous vote for a proposal worded
in such terms.
Mass misery" is the story to be
heard from one end of Paterson to
another. Workers on the four loom
stretch-out are threatened with an
increase. of looms per worker. These
workers cannot make $40 week
and some workers get no more than
four hours work a week. In the
family sweatshops, no regulation
exists. and these weavers arc
forced to submit to slavery or &C
under. Unemployed relief in Pater-
son is $1.20 a week for a family
with half rent and few groceries
No steps have been taken by the
A. F. of L. officials to fight fol-
strike relief.
The mills in Paterson spread
widely over the surrounding coun-
try 1t is a spraWling big town, its
residence districts following the
mills and the Passaic river. For
miles along the river are the dive
works, still operating, and alongside
of them the silent weaving mills
This situation arouses INDIGNATION
among the big picket lines that go
from mill to mill. The basic need
for a successful strike is the con-
scious solidarity of the dyers and
Weavers.
George Bslbanzi. president Of the
American Federation of Silk and
Rayon Overs. and Anthony AM
nitrate. president of the Dyers' Lo-
cal 1913, have gone to Washington
to confer with the high hats OF
the U.T.W. Thus at critical time
more delay is caused by eternal
conferences" The strike manage
ment promises to call cut the dyers
this week
In spite Of the two-timing tao
tics of strike leaders. Paterson
workers are putting 10 the fight OF
their lives in the day-to-day con-
duct OF their own strike. The his
tory Of militancy in the Silk City
will be topped by the greatest
chapter of all. Workers realize that
they have the chance of their lives
to win. With a general textile
strike on, the bosses cannot defeat
the strike as they have in the past
by moving the big mills out Of town
SO powerful is the solidarity among
the masses Of workers that not one
mill owner he's dared to import
strikebreakers to Paterson.