The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-24
Rank and File Fights
Side By Side With
Communists

NOl1A1ll
fused any refunds, but the line
began to grow and became more
militant and forced the company to
heed its demand.
The above proves that if the
proper slogans are raised in such a
situation, the workers will support
these by tens of thousands, regard
less of the fact that it is the Com
munists who raise these slogans.
The newspapers, the police, and the
union officials worked overtime to
create a red scare, to brighten the
workers away from the picketing
with the Communist DOGGY man,
but they had but little effect. On
the contrary, with each day and
with each leaflet distributed the
lines grew larger.
Slogan of Sympathetic Strike
Before the strike, the Communist
Party raised the question of SYM
pathetic strikes in support of the
carmen, and during the entire strike
this was one of our chief points of
agitation. The union officials tried
to kill all sentiment for this, but
we have shown above that they
we're forced to finally accede to the
demand for sympathetic strikes.
One important solidarity action did
take place, about which little is
known.
Many of the workers Of the Sea-
man Body plant, which only several
months ago went through two
months strike, would join the pick
citing Immediately after their work
day. They were among the most
active in the demonstrations and
one was arrested. The Police De-
partment requested of the company
to keep the men at work past the
normal closing time, since they did
not want the Seaman Body work
ers to join the pickets. The COM
pany issued such orders, but to a
man, the workers refused to stay
and walked out at the scheduled
time, many of them going direct to
the carbarnS.
Communist Shortcomings
There were undoubtedly many
shortcomings in the activity of the
Party, lie. the failure to recruit dur
ing the four days of fighting, the
failure to raise the demand for a
reduced fare (this demand was
raised only on the last day of the
strike), and some others which we
will have to discuss in the future.
However, among the broad mass of
workers the prestige of the Party
rose considerably during those four
days. Many workers, previously
antagonistic to Communism, were
heard making statements that were
it not for the Communists the
strike would be doomed to failure,
thus realizing the role which our
Party players in the mobilization
of the mass movement which de-
veloped around the strike. We feel
confident that this will result in
an increase in the Party recruiting
bringing new strength and workers
to our movement.
The city has now gone back to
''ncrmalcy'-all seems quiet and to
a casual observer, everything seems
to be over. However, this would be
judging only specifically. The
Milwaukee workers received a taste
of their power during those fou1
days. They proved to be mighty
an irresistible force, from which
much more will be heard in the
future. It would be the widest
dream of the most extreme reac-
tionary to hope that these workers
who were so aroused during those
four days, will now go back to sleeI
again. lulled by the chants ano
sermons of the Socialist leaders
ever urging moderacy upon the
workers.
The chief lesson of those foul
days, the strength of a unified
working class, the marvels that car
be achieved by united action, viii
not be lost on the Milwaukee
workers. The struggles that are
vet to come in this city will beal
the imprint of the lessons of the
Milwaukee Garments strike.