The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-25
BY JOHN L. SPTvAK

LOS ANGELES, Cal. -
Though the Silver Shirts, ac-
cording to Captain Eugene R.
Case, head of this fascist
body in California, is a
racket as he expressed it. and is
weak numerically and impotent in
actual fascist work. it is neverthe-
less a trend which cannot be iq-
nored; hence I shall present some
facts about it which are applicable
not only here but wherever Silver
Shirts posts are in existence
throughout the country.
First, may dismiss Capt. Case
by quoting some of the things he
eandidly told me when I interviewed
him at the Silver Shirt headouar-
ters, 100 South Grand. in the
Walker Auditorium. I sought the
interview as a reporter for the
Daily Worker, official organ of the
Communist Party in the United
States, and as such he received me
with open arms. There is nothing
Capt. Case would like better than to
be attacked by the official organ of
the Communist Party for then he
could point out to the suckers" as
he calls the members, that the Com
munist Party considers him dan
gerous. That being the case he
would Immediately become a big
shot" as an anti Communist and it
would help him in his drive 10 prove
that the Silver Shirts were really
feared by Communists,
Capt. Case admits being a soldier
of fortune, He knows nothing of
Communists or Communism and
don't have a damn thing against
the Jews. But hell You can't get
gentle excited about a gentle. so
we give EN- the Jews to get eK-
cited about" These are his exact |
words which took down verbatim
in the presence of a neutral wit
ness during the interview
He'll" the Captain continued, |
"our official shirt maker is a Jew
Milton's Toggery, 9O4 West Second |
St. It's just business"
The leader of the Silver Shirts |
went on to say that he was after
the eoeonuts' (money) and that |
Pelley, national leader of the organ |
ization, had gyped (only Case used |
a more expressive and unprintahle |
world IS people out of plenty of |
money in California and he (Case) |
the 9th was taking charge Of sit
uation and would make what there |
was in it for himself.
The Silver Shirts here we're APP
preached by the Friends of the New |
Germany which offered eo-opera-
ton and were turned down.
why should we cooperate with |
the Germans?" Capt. Case asked |
me. THE games young yet No
one knows what's in 1t. So why |
should hook up with the Ger
mans2"
During the recent milk strike here
the Silver Shirts we're approached
TO act in the capacity of strike
breakers at IS day as the Ameri-
can Legion is used in Imperial VAL
ley. Capt. Case turned that down,
too. AS he explained it;
Il told my men to lay of getting
mixed up in industrial disputes at
this stage. The stakes are bigger
than SIS day. We're for the un-
derdog the working man, I should |
betrsy the working man for lousy
IS a day."
Here, I might add again, because
1t sounds SO incredible, every word |
was taken down verbatim. I cannot |
account for his talking so frankly |
to me, seeing that I was carefully !
writing down every word unless his |
bloodshot eyes held the secret. 1t
Is quite possible he had not yet /
fully recovered from spree of hate
and his tongue was still loose.
THE Silver Shirts, in the entire
state, have no more than 500 or
500 members. Nevertheless their
official speakers reach over 1000
each Sunday night with their pro-
gram Of hate. These people are
influenced and spread the effects of
this propaganda and because sim
liar groups, though not 50 large, are
similar appeals throughout
the country, 1t is worth considering
just what the Silver Shirts are, the
sort Of economics they offer and the
type of person they appeal to.
In their appeals to Join the or
ganizstion they eunningly play upon
the emotions, offer half baked
literally spFinkled with
3 cock-eyed sort of economics as a |