The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-18


indication of the developing mass strikes of the
American workers.
But every worker, and especially every textile
worker, must recognize that now the workers face
a real danger The NicNIahon-Rieve leadership will
do everything possible to stop the development Of
the strike. And if they not do that, they will
strangle 1t, unless the workers in advance make
this impossible
Already Mcmahon announces that he places
great faith in his appeal to President Roosevelt.
No doubt he will try repeat his treachery of last
June when the .. T. w. leadership announced a
general strike for the purpose Of stopping the growth
of the strike movement in the Southern textile
mills, only to call it of at the last moment without
the consent of the workers He did this on the
basis that General johnson had promised that the
leaders of the u T. w would ge given representa-
ton on the textile code boards
Thus the appointment of Mcmahon by Roose-
welt to the Textile Code Authority is already step
in the direction of heading off the September strike
The reelection Of the Mcmahon leadership with
the aid of the Socialist Emil Rieve, who through
out the convention gave the impression that he
would oppose Mcmahon for the presidency of the
union, but who in the last minute supported Nc
Mahon further shows the danger to the strike.
The role of Rieve here was to prevent any genuine
opposition against Mcmahon from taking definite
steps.
EVERY local of the U. T. W., every textile worker
must be guard and watch the Mcmahon
maneuyers. Only genuine representatives of the
rank and file should be permitted to carry on any
negotiation before the strike and after the strike
is declared Only the granting of the demands
worked out by the convention can be reason for
not calling the strike The workers must resist any
attempt to call off postpone the strike if the
demands not granted.
it also necessary IN take stems In ororerlv
organize the strike. Such strike in the whole of
the cotton industry is very serious matter for the
textile workers. Mcmahon has already shown that
he will do everything possible to weaken the STRIKE
in the event he not prevent it. by his declara-
ton that the U. T. w. has funds to conduct the
strike. Certainly if the strike preparations are left
in the hands of Mcmahon and Company it will be
doomed to defeat.
WHAT is necessary to properly prepare and insure
every possibility for the victory Of the striker
First, that in every local union, in every mill,
on district and national scale, rank and file strike
committees shall be Immediately elected with full
power to handle all questions of the strike incud
ing negotiations. Second that all settlement pro-
posals shall be subject to the ratification of all
strikers before they take effect That the demands
be presented to the employers and fully popularized
among the Of the textile workers Every effort
to soft pedal the strike demands must be resisted
to the utmost.
That every cotton worker be involved in the
strike. This means that every effort must be made
at to bring the unorganized into the struggle
through the election of rank and file committees in
each mill, that the unorganized be drawn into the
unions That a real fighting united front of all
textile workers be established Especially must the
greatest attention be made to unite the Negro and
while textile workers to give full representation to
the Negro workers on all ke ond
bring forward their special demands growing out
OF the present discrimination against the Negro
workers. In the same manner attention must be
given to the task Of uniting native and foreign
and the raising of the special problems of the
women and young workers.
Steps must be taken to publish in all localities
strike bulletins that will regularly inform the
strikers of the developments of the struggle and
also keep the masses of workers in the community
informed, so that they can be fully modified in
solidarity with the strikers.
1t is necessary to set up machinery at once for
strike relief. The workers throughout the country
will gladly give their maximum support to the
textile strikers. This is being demonstrated daily
in every strike This is the best answer to the
sabotage of Mcmahon, who tried to pour cold
water the strike with his statement that the
national organization has no funds for the strike
IT is necessary to forewarn the workers against
every attempt at provocatons that will be made
by the employers who will have behind them the
full force Of the government in their effort to
break the strike Here the textile workers must
learn the lesson of the great San Francisco gen
eral strike. They must defeat the Red scare"
which will be used as a weapon to break the strike
The Communists, as the San Francisco workers
have learned, have interests separate and apart
from the workers
The workers must organize from their own ranks
defense organization to block the attempts of the
armed gangs and fascist bands to break the strike
to attack their organizations and their own mill
tant leaders.
Nor must the strike be limited to the cotton
industry. If the strike is extended to the entire
textile industry the workers will naturally be in
much better position to force the employers to grant
their demands.
THE workers throughout the country stand ready
to support the fight of the textile workers Not
alone San Francisco but also Toledo, Minneapolis
and Milwaukee have shown that the solidarity spirit
of the workers is very high. This arises from the
fact that the workers understand the issues in
every struggle today the fight for wages the fight
against Speed-up, the fight for the right to Or
ganize, the fight against the company unions are
the burning issues facing the whole working class.
This requires that from the beginning the work
ers in each community be acquainted with the is