davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-11

We Get Lift on the hOad to
Organization
Grace Hutchins' new book,
Women Who Work, issued by the
international Press, has already
been reviewed in the last issue of
the Working Woman magazine, and
also in last Saturdays Daily" We
wish to speak of it again, however,
in our little corner, because it con-
stitutes so valuable a handbook to
all women interested directly or in
directly in lettering the conditions
of working class women. costs a
dollar per copy.
In IL engrossing chapters the
status, past and present as well as
the future prospects, of women
who work" mot neglecting the
problems Of the Negro women work
ers), is dealt with in a highly eff
ficient manner
Do you wish to know, specifically,
in what ways women, especially Ne
gro women, are worse off than men,
under capitalism? How and why
their doubly- exploited position de-
veloped and how the fight of the
ruling class women for equality"
differs from that of women work
ers? The first chapter describes
the situation with accuracy and
clarity.
Do you want to know how many
women work, in the U. s., and
where and how they are employed?
Whether young or old, married or
single? The second chapter tells
you.
Do you want glimpse of the
hell endured by wretchedly-paid
married women with children, of
their desperate search for help in
the problem of biTth-control? See
chapter three.
Do you want to know what life
is like for farm women, and for
the migrating agricultural workers,
who rush from sowing to harvest,
and starve all winter? How, when,
and with what success they have
revolted? Chapter four tells it.
Are you interested in the hours,
the wages the conditions of work
of women who are employed else
where than in factories-teachers
nurses, office workers, telephone op-
orators, clerks, hotel workers, laun-
dry workers and house workers?
Chapter five.
Do you want to find out what
states have no laws regulating or
limiting hours of work for women.
how many looms a textile worker
must watch, what the health con-
ditions" are for the workers at that
birthplace of "health-foods, the
Kellogg plant, on the new six-hour
shifts; what is the effect on the
nerves Of girl workers of the speed
up in the General Electric plant
at Lynn, Mass? What the wages
and conditions of women factory
workers are, generally, and how the
N. R. A. affected them? Chapter
six and seven tell it with deadly
precision.
Do you think that men and
women are equally susceptible to
the health-menaces Especially poi
soning) Of industrial conditions?
Chapter eight will set you straight
on this, with plenty of specific facts.
Do you want to know what hard
ships and fears the mass of unem-
ployed women endure? See chapter
nine
Would you like to contrast the
foregoing description with the lot
of working women in the Soviet
Union? Chapter ten
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-11
90 Cents a Week
For 30 Hours of
Forced Labor
By a Worker Correspondent


LA CROSSE, Wisc-T am Just
going to send you a few lines. I
am in La Crosse for some time now.
I was in Milwaukee before, and
they sent all of us here. Everybody
seems to have a bad cough here,
but no one seems to care.
It's an old machine shed, this re-
lief place is. There are about 165
here. I wonder if there are not
some comrades here in this place.
We get lots to read here. Lots of
Catholic reading sheets-there is
the Catholic Sunday Visitor and
the Catholic Journal and some
more-and sometimes they box
down here, and once the Teachers
College gave us a band concert.
But I sure wish they would give
us more than 80 cents week to
buy things with, for 80 hours work
They give one shirt and under
wear. But I need suit and a pair
of shoes before I can look like I
want to. It's been four years since
had any of it now.
The government spent some mill
ions, but they pass the buck on me,
saying I am single.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-11
DAILY" SHOWS WORKERS THE
WAY OUT OF THE CRISIS

Harrison, N. j.
am renewing my subscription for
another two CD months. Enclosed
you will find one dollar in cash.
would like to subscribe for year
but being out of work I am not in a
position to do SO now, and will
subscribe as soon as possible. look
for work in the morning, making
a roundhouse trip to different estab-
lishments and then in the evening I
go to school. I vii graduate from
Darlington Evening High School in
June. Due to the depression the So
cial activities of the students have
been greatly curtailed, the school be-
coming more business-like with no
social freedom whatsoever.
The DAILY Worker" in my esti-
nation outshines the treacherous
capitalist papers because it exposes
the lies printed in the capitalist
papers by telling the workers the
truth about the conditions existing
in the United States, and the other
countries as we'll. 1t shows the way
out of the crisis by leading the work
ers in their struggle against CAPT.
talist oppression, by showing the
workers how to organize under the
leadership of the Communist Party
of the United States. Also to take
control of the government by over
throwing the exploiters of the work.
ing class, and establishing work
ers' government under workers con-
troll just as the Russian Workers did
in Russia in 1917.
After reading the Daily Worker"
I pass it on to my friends, workers
that I come in contact with, leave
the paper in school, clubs, waiting
rooms, buses, street cars, etc. also
discuss things with those I see quite
often, getting their point of view
and what they think about it.
I have discontinued reading the
capitalist papers, and read the
Daily Worker because it is the
only English paper that fights for
and with the workers against the
ruling class.
Yours for Soviet America,
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-11
HEALTH UNPROTECTED
At ALEXANDER SMITH
CARPET DYE HOUSE
W Orkers Also Have No Protection Against
Unemployment; Machines Replace Men

company expected us to live on
fresh air under the snow, rain and
cold without food They were not
suffering.
When we got back to work we
found that the company had made
Improvements so they could save
money and lay off more workers.
In the dye house there used to be
three gangs to handle the carpets
when they came from the frame
There were three men to each
truck, and two on the smaller
trucks. Now they have an electric
truck, which one man operates.
This put nine men out on the
street.
It is impossible to live with a
family under such conditions. What
we need is a good union, where we
can get together and organize for
living wage, decent working condi-
tions, and social insurance, includ-
ing unemployment insurance.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-11
Workers in SaOeatshops Still
Get LOw Pay Despite N.R.A.
Many Forced to Work at Extra Jobs or Ask
Charity to Get Along

the trade. After being out on strike
for several weeks the union allowed
the one manufacturer to work 40
hours a week. The rest Of the man
ufacturers followed suit and also
worked 40 hours a week. It is close
to six months since this happened
and they are still working 40 hours
a week. According to the union,
nothing could be done about that,
because the cotton code calls for a
40 hour week.
But the cutters on the cotton
garments were not permitted by
their local union to work more than
36 hours a week.
The minimum wage for cutters is
$50 for So hours. The wages earned
by operators on piece rate range
from about S12 to SIS for a 40
hour week. Then there is the min
imum wages of $l3. The girls in
this trade who generally work time
work receive the minimum scale.
And these same girls are made to
pay dues and assessments to the
union. But why should they do it?
Since they receive no more than
the minimum scale prescribed, they
would get it whether they belonged
to the union or not.
In some of these shops they also
manufacture children'S play suits.
The operators on this work do not
belong to the union, yet they earn
more than the pants operators who
do. The significant thing about this
situation is that half of the shop
is union and half is not. And the
non-union workers can laugh at
the uion workers. The union mem
bers are paying for privileges they
do not as yet enjoy.
The fact is, however, that those
who have union books are very slow
in filling them up with stamps. And
7 wouldn't be surprised If these
shops are not to remain union shops
in name only.
But these modern sweat shops in
the single pants trade are a blessing
to the fly-by-night operators. These
shops have been very busy lately,
but the people sent up from the
union, after working a day or two,
shrugged their shoulders, cursed the
union and its leaders, and left with
disgust. This is a union shop"
they would exclaim. We'll, this may
be a union shop but the prices GER
tainly are not"
And so the bosses would get their
help from outside but even these
generally do not last, although by
their sight and appearance one
would say that the victims Of the
industrial upheaval would do any,
thing to lessen their misery.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-11
WORKERS ENEMIES
EXPOSED

r. WeStmoreland, of Evansville,
Ind, an employe of the Servel Co.,
has all the appearance of being a
company stool pigeon.
More than year he was a mem
Der of the Communist Party and
was arrested in connection with an
unemployed delegation. At first he
was fired by the Servel Co., but was
later taken back as a kind of straw
boss" After his unemployment,
one after another, all the militant
workers known to Westmoreland
were fired from the Servel plant,
1t was also found that he gave false
information about the condition and
happenings in the plant.
Alice MOser Hays, of New Or
leans, La, has been expelled from
the Communist Party for disruptive
factional activities and gossipping
Although she was warned against
this several times before, she con-
tinued to set herself up against the
local Party leadership, gossipping
about correspondence with some
comrades in New York (where sew
eral years ago she had worked in
the Daily Worker office, fraterniz-
ing with expelled members, neglect
ing constructive Party work, and
displaying other bad traits of her
petty bourgeois background.
All workers and all Party mem
bers are warned against any fur
Their friendship with this disrupter.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-11

day, when they will renew their
subscriptions for a longer period.
I am confident that 80 per cent of
those who took trial subs will re-
new their subscriptions.
Recruits for Party
"a railroad worker / got to sub
scribe to the Daily Worker met
me on the street, and asked me
how much it costs to Join the
Communist Party. His wish to
join the Party was the result Of
his reading the Daily Worker for
three weeks. I have an appoint
ment with this railroad worker at
his home to talk to him about his
joining the Party"
Comrade Murray's experience
shows that we can easily increase
the circulation of our Daily Worker
and at the same time gain new re-
crrits for the Party.
Follow the example set by this
clasS-conscious, active comrade!
Explain to your friends and fellow
workers what the Daily stands
for. Have them subscribe. APP
proach those who have already sub
scribed and urge them to renew
their subscriptions.
Help put the sub drive over the
top! Help rally the broad masses
to our revolutionary movement in
it's struggle against hunger, war and
fascism by spreading the Daily
Worker.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-11
Action Stops Cuts in
C.W.A. Project Salaries
By a Worker Correspondent

NEW YORK.-The key punch OPP
orators, which is one end of the
process of the tabulation system on
Project 33 in the old Public School
No. 80 on Hubert and Collister Sts.,
received a cut in their wages with
out warning.
When the rumor went to the
head of the department that the
girls would not be in on Monday, he
politely came back and made the
Statement-not to be alarmed, they
would receive their cut back on one
day next week, which would be
Monday or Wednesday. This hap
pened, he said, due to the state tax
ing over the tabulation department.
Although the key punch operators
are not organized, they show mill
fancy and should get together on
this floor and organize for this de-
mand, no more cuts.
Some girls stay and keep receiving
constant cuts, while the others in
the department quit. SO let's get
together and make the demand that
no more cuts in salary be made.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-11
Cheated Out Of a
Days Pay on CWA
nv a Worker Corresnondent


EVERGREEN PARK, I'LL just
want to tell you how the New Pros
perity'' CWA. jobs treated us, while
we lasted on the job.
First of all, in wintertime they
hired us and in springtime they fired
U.S. From the first day they prom
ised us three months work, but the
average was not half of that, because
the job did not last long enough.
Besides that, some of us we're short
two to three hours on four or five
days, and for myself I was short one
day. It was one day Of the first six
I worked.
spoke to the time-keeper. He
said, 81 will check up" But nothing
was done. I went to the offie again.
The time-keeper was still going to
check up. I went back again and
this time the foreman and the time
keeper went to check up. Finally
they said, That's right, you have a
day coming to you; we'll look in
another office" I did not hear any,
thing of it. Then I asked again, but
they promised some more running
around like a merry go-round.
They laid off big gang of us, and
I was the first one off, 300 to $50
men, and I still have this day coming
to me from about Dee. 10. I suppose
they are still checking up. They told
lis To come foY. ON. checks one week
from this day and I did, but I was
still one day short.
They are still promising me pie in
the sky, but this will not work with
me. I will organize and fight against
cutting my children's bread away.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-11
WANTS NEWS OF SOVIET
AMERICA"

Chicago, Ill.
In selling 10 Daily Workers every
day, I find a good many workers,
mostly women, show a hesitation,
due to the slanderous propaganda
of the capitalist press and radio.
Articles published, continuous if
possible, in the Daily Worker, and
pamphlets for wide distribution on
Soviet America, feel, would be
very useful.
It is a pity to see men and women
act like children that are afraid of
the dark. Instead of fighting for
their own good, they are fighting
against themselves. Any worker
wants to know what he is working
for and Soviet America is the high
est pay he could strike for.
To gain the native Americans, the
Party membership should have a
knowledge and lead discussions on
Soviet America, as it will be in fac
tory, home, economics and culture.
For Soviet America,
r r
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-11
PARTY LIFE
eF-Detense: Some Lessons
That Workers Should Learn
Backed by Mass Pressure, 1t Is Only Efective
Method Of Combating Capitalist Justice
By LAWRENCE EMERY

It has been some time since Dimi-
troff electrified the workers of the
world by his heroic and inspiring
defense of himself, his co-defend-
ants, his Party and his class before
the bar of Nazi Justice.
The Reichstag fire trial was the
most important for the working
class in decades. The issues at stake
were of the highest political signif-
canoe. The outcome of the trial
could not have had more far-reach-
ing consequences. More than the
life Of Dimitrof, and the lives of
his Comrades, hung upon the result
Of that trial. The very development
of the class struggle was affected
by it.
Dimitrof defended himself in
court. And by defending himself,
militantly and defantly, he changed
the entire character of that trial.
He tore away the deceptive veil of
''legalism," he brought forward
clearly the class issues of the trial
and the ruling class character of
the court. He transformed himself
from the accused to the accuser, he
turned the Nazi court into a forum,
a tribune, for revolutionary propa-
ganda. He spoke over the heads of
judges and prosecutors to tn e
masses, exposed the frame-up, faS-
tened the guilt upon the Nazi beasts,
and rallied millions to his defense
and to the defense of the revolu-
tionary movement, against fascism.
Dimitrof is an exceptionally bril-
liant, forceful and developed revo-
lutionist. Not all workers brought
before capitalist courts can equal
him. Yet the principles upon which
Dimitroff conducted his defense hold
good for all capitalist courts and
can, and must, be applied by revo-
lutionary workers brought to trial
for their activities.
Despite the forceful example of
Dimitroff, many Party leaders have
yet to learn this lesson.
Two recent examples show the
need for an understanding of revo-
lutionary conduct in capitalist class
courts.
In Grand Rapids several leading
Party members were arrested for
unemployed activities. They faced
trial on charges which carried SEN
fences up to two years in prison.
The Detroit district organizer of the
LID. went to Grand Rapids to or
ganize the defense, consulted with
the defendants, and all agreed that
self-defense should be used in court.
He returned to Detroit, held a dis
cusSion in the District Bureau of
the I. L. D., and the decision to use
self-defense in these cases was rati-
fed.
However, the leading Comrades of
the Party District Buro had other
ideas. They called in the I. L. D.,
organizer, and decided that the
cases in Grand Rapids were quite
serious, the arrested Comrades were
too valuable on the outside, there
fore they couldn't take any chances
and could not defend themselves.
They must be defended by lawyer!
That decision was opportunism
and capitulation to legalism.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-11
Hat Boss Does
Not Tell Price
Until Pay Day
BY a Needle Trades Worker
Correspondent

By a Needle Trades Worker
Correspondent
NEW YORK; got a job at a
factory making children's hats and
bonnets, run by A. D. Catcher, "a
w. 36th st. I was allowed to sit
down to work at piece-work wages.
No price was mentioned.
I asked one of the operators the
price of the work. was told that
no one would know the price until
the end of the week, when, on a
slip of paper enclosed in ones pay
envelope, the price would be
printed. At the end Of the week I
found out that it was impossible to
earn more than $40 or $12 week
in return for 491s hours work.
Friday evening I was surprised to
hear the boss eXclaim: Girls, re-
member, no holiday tomorrow" Up
to that time I thought that MIRA.
regulations forbade work on Satur-
days. I also learned that the
young girls aged 16 and II, earning
SO to $40 a week, were working the
same number of hours mentioned
above.
The shop is worked entirely on
the speed-up system. The person.
mel of the employees changes con-
stantly, for it is impossible to earn
a living in this factory. Man here
is considered a machine.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-11
Bv L. KTRSHBAURI

Conditions have changed consid-
erably since the old sweat shop sys-
tenn. The present New Deal, the
N.R.A.. We are assured, has abol-
ished all that
To some extent this is true. The
sweat shops are cleaner and the
hours shorter. But how about
wages? Are the workers making
enough to keep the patches OF their
pants and shirts?
The fastest and most skilled work
ers in the modern sweat. shops in
New York make about S25 and the
rest make a little more than one
half of that sum. The latter are in
the majority. This is for a 40 hour
week, and in a union shop.
The N.R-A. and the Amalgamated
Clothing Workers Of America get
credit for the present conditions Of
the workers in the single-pants
trade. Recently there we're rumors
Of a stoppage to secure better con-
ditions for the workers in this
branch of the clothing industry. The
newspapers reported that the Anal
garnated came out victorious, and
that the workers in this line will
benefit from this victory over the
bosses. However, the workers in the
vicinity Of East Broadway, Canal
and OF. hard Sts., who are working
in the same trade, were not included
in the stoppage nor the results.
Why?
The official of the union explained
that this stoppage did not include
the cotton or work pants but only
the garments made of silk. THE
MIRA. is responsible for having two
different codes for one and the same
trade" he said. So the union is
not responsible, but the NRA. is.
How about Hillman? Isn't he the
big cheese in washington and the
NR.A.?
S6-HOur Week Won and Lost
About six months ago the workers
in the single-pants trade were or
ganized by the Analgamated. They
won So hour week and an increase
in wages. Shortly after that one
of the manufacturers in this line
threatened to move out of town IN
less permitted to work 40 hours
week. The business agent yielded
to the manufacturers demands.
When the rest of the manufactur-
ers discovered this they demanded
the same for themselves. The union
then declared strike to enforce
the SO hour week for everybody in
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-11

The I. L. D. organizer accepted
the decision, held another discussion
in the I. L. D. Buro and finally pre-
vailed upon the Comrades to change
their correct position. They hired a
lawyer at 500 week, expenses ex-
ira. Capitalist legality, capitalist
court procedure was not violated.
It was a Party decision. Bold, revo-
lutionary conduct before a class
court was ruled out as risky and
dangerous; adherence to capitalist
law, capitalist rules, was adopted as
the safe" method Of being tried
by the enemy.
Those Party leaders have not
learned much from history, at any
rate.
Resistance to self defense is some
times expressed in other ways.
In California, the leader Of 5000
agricultural strikers was charged
with criminal syndicalism. The Ma
tional Office of the I. L. D. insisted
that he defend himself in court.
Criminal syndicalism is punishable
by one to fourteen years in prison
a serious charge.) The leading
Comrades in the District decided
against self defense. Their reasons
were that the defendant was too
excitable and might Guido himself
in court. The Comrade was compe-
tent to lead 5000 workers on strike,
but was too excitable to defend him
self and his union before capitalist
justice. Certainly strange excuse
to hide capitulation to legahSm.
The lawyer engaged for the de-
Tense compromised the defendants In
half dozen ways, and should have
been openly repudiated In court, But
that wouldn't have been the ''safe"
the legal and non-revolutionary-
method.
The capitalist court Is class in
strument, weapon for the oppres-
sion of the working class. The class
struggle does not stop when we enter
its doors; it is raised to higher poll
tical level. Self-defense Is revolu-
tionary defense, class struggle de-
tense. Backed up by mass defense
on the outside, it is the only method
which can effectively combat CAPT.
talist class justice. The role Of the
lawyer must be limited to safeguard
ing the legal interests OF the de-
PENDANT which can be turned to his
account in the course of the trial.
Discussion of the revolutionary
tactic of Self-defense Is badly
needed. Many of us had better take
another look at the example of
Comrade Dimitroff,
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-11
By a Dye Worker Correspondent

ny a Dye worker correspondent
YONKERS, N.Y.-The conditions
in the dye houses of the Alexander
Smith Carpet Mills are rotten.
Sometimes we get two days work,
sometimes five days work, and
sometimes a week passes and We
get no work.
We work at four kettles. The
room is full Of steam. The floors
are always wet. The dye is full of
poison and the smell is plenty bad.
The company takes no care at all
of our health.
The company does not supply us
with towels, but they do give US
soda and strong soap to keep our
hands clean so we can handle the
thread.
Many Of us in the dye house
have been working for the company
for many years. Most Of us had
long vacation" without pay, of
course, not very long ago. The