The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-20

SCT6lCu-OuG mas even D6eu increased,
and already in New Bedford and
other centers workers are being laid
off. 1t is clear to everyone that this
was not a victory" but instead
one of the worst sell-outs in history.
If we think over the events of the
strike, any textile worker can see
that there were plenty Of signs even
from the start of the strike that
German and the top leadership of
the U. T. w. were going to sell out.
From the very first day the higher
officials of the U. T. w. discouraged
mass picketing. The flying squad
rons that were ready to descend on
Lawrence were called off and dis
organized by German and the U.
T. w. officials.
Record of U. T. w. Leaders
The officials did not organize the
strikers, who were anxious to carry
on all sorts of work and activity for
the success of the strike, into the
various committees necessary to
conduct the strike. Instead Mr..
Batty of New Bedford told the
strikers to go fishing. Practically
nowhere in New England did the
U. T. w. officials allow a strike
committee to be elected so that the
rank and file would have the con-
troll of the strike in their own
hands. Practically nowhere did the
U. T. w. officials even allow mem
bership meetings of the union so
that the union members would be
able to have voice and discuss
the conduct of the strike. Nowhere
did the officials of the U. T. w. ini-
tiate a real campaign to raise re-
lief for the strikers. Instead they
announced in New Bedford that
only those strikers who had been in
the U. T. w. more than a year
would get any relief
The Communist Party warned
the textile workers from the start
that all these moves of the officials
had the object of selling out the
strike. Not only did the Com
munist party issue these warnings
through the Daily Worker, through
leaflets, through mass meetings,
but every Communist in the union
did his utmost to organize the rank
and file of the strikers to carry out
themselves all these necessary
measures for the winning of the
strike that the officials were pre-
venting.
Communists Active
That is why the Communist tex
tile workers, Sam Harzigian, in
Lowell continually organized the
strikers for mass picketing despite
arrests and the threats of the off,
Gals 20 beat him up and kick him
out of the union. 7 That is why
Walter Burke and the Communists
in New Bedford fought for the
election of rank and file strike
committee. That is why Walter
Petras, the young Communist in
Pawtucket organized and led the
strikers in turning the funeral Of
the picket murdered by the troops
into q splendid demonstration of
strike solidarity, despite the opposi-
ton of Sylvia, the U. T. w. organ
izer. That is why Ann Burlak, the
Communist textile worker, whose
name and presence was hailed by
the strikers all over New England
as the symbol of their own fighting
spirit, warned the strikers in
numerous meetings against Cor
man and against arbitration.
German kTpw y1o,.footI,1 S,,a1I
the main obstacle he would meet in
trying to sell the strike out would
be the Communists. This is the
reason for the furious attacks both
by him and the mill owners against
the Reds,-both before and during
the strike. But the fact is that the
strikers refused to take much stock
in Mr.. Germans Red Scare which,
by and large, fell pretty flat.
Why then, didn't the Communists
succeed in preventing Germans
sell-out? The main reason is be-
cause there were not enough Com
munists in the union. If in every
local union there had been dozen
members of the Communist Party,
we would have been able to really
convince the mass of the strikers
not to have faith in German and
the Winant Board. We would have
been able not only to point out the
necessary steps to spread and win
the strike, but to get them carried
out; we would have been able to
get rank and file strike committees
elected which would have kept
control of the strike in their own
hands. The strike would have ended
in victory and the textile workers
would now be working with higher
pay, shorter hours, less stretchout
and union recognition.
Struggle Continues
Every textile worker knows that
the struggle is not over There will
be struggles again to improve the
miserable conditions in the mills.
But we must prepare now to see
that the next struggles will not also
be sold out. The best guarantee
against this is for the best fighters
in the last strike to join the Com
munist Party.
You strikers in Lowell, who re-
jected the sell-out and stayed out
for two extra days-your place is in
the Communist Party! New Bedford