The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-11
PARTY LIFE
Red Scare" Can Be Baked
ByEspIaining PartyPrOgram
GLOUersUiLLe Leather Worker Cites Experiences
to Prove Need of Bold Presentation

Because of the red scare that
is being raised in the various strug-
giles of the workers by the boss
and their agents in order to split
the ranks of the militant unions,
the experience of the Independent
Leather Workers Union of Glovers-
vile, N. Y. in nesting this attack
of the ced scare, should serve as a
valuable lesson.
At the very outset of the leather
workers strike we adopted a class
struggle program, namely:
The union to be controlled by
the rank and file. through rank and
file committees in the mills; mass
picketing and mass violation Of the
injunction. a broad rank and file
strike committee, representing every
mill (our strike committee consisted
of 125 workers. was set I'D. No
arbitration boards were permitted,
but elected committees Of the work
ers to take up the grievances and
fight for their demands. The work
ers accepted this program with the
greatest enthusiasm. However, we
failed to explain to the workers that
this was the program of the Party.
AS a result the workers were I'M
prepared to meet the red scare.
launched by the bosses against the
union leadership. This attack was
led by Park Harmon, representa-
tive of Senator Wagner and the
N.R.A. Harmon held secret confer
ences with city officials, tanners,
stool pigeons with criminal records.
He urged the workers to go back
to work and he then organized the
anti-red campaign in the press.
How did we meet this attack?
We explained to the workers the
strikebreaking role of the MIRA.
representative. But we failed to
explain to the workers that the
program they are fighting for is
the program of the Communist
Party. AS a result, the red scare
grew SO strong and had such a
poisonous influence on the workers,
that Solomon, an active strike lead
er and known Communist, was
forced to withdraw from the strike.
With this leading force gone, the
strike took a turn for the worse.
After two weeks the workers asked
for the return of their leader. Upon
his return, Comrade Solomon
brought forward the role and pro-
gram of the Party, and explained
the real meaning of the red scare.
Then, when the red batting cam
paign was resumed by Industrial
Commissioner Pickard, who had re-
placed Harmon. the campaign was
unsuccessful. Why? Because we
had prepared the workers to meet
the attack.
After the strike, while We were
busy with the task of consolidating
our gains and building the union,
we did not pay enough attention
to the tasks of building a strong
Communist Party which shall ac-
tually be the steel rod to hold the
union. The tanners, however, in
their systematic attempts to breal,
the union continued to raise the
red scare, daily in the mills,
churches, press, through every
medium they had at their disposal.
This campaign eliminated at the
May LIST celebration, when President
Carr spoke. AS a result of this
renewed press attack some tools of
the tanners instigated some work
ers in the biggest mill to attempt
a demand for the removal of Carr
because of his being Communist.
A shop meeting of this mill was
neld where Comrade Carr openly
declared that he was Communist
and brought forward the program,
OF the Party. After his explana.