The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-11-19

anu La u IT'LL OLCCi wi iJCA q "
steel workers fled before the one
man board to tell their tale of
company thuggery - threats, slug
gings, beatings, and unlawful i'm
prisonment of workers for union &C
tivities in Aliquippa, Pa.
The futitility of attempting to
utilize labor board hearings" as a
means of wringing concessions
from the monarchial steel barons
was demonstrated at every point of
the sessions. Arrayed against con-
scious union workers, seeking to win
one of the stiffest of class battles
by "testifying" under the traitor
GUS guidance of A. A. topleaders,
was all the legal apparatus and
might of a monopoly giant-the
steel industry.
Heavy Legal Battery
Attorney Earl F.. Reed, chief
counsel for J. and L., indicated the
arrogant derision of the steel COM
panies towards the demagogy Of
Roosevelt's boards in the writ he
fled on opening the case. The
jurisdiction and authority Of the
Steel Board was denied on four
grounds: (a) that the President
executive order creating the board
is not authorized by the N. R. A;
(b) that the board has no authority
to investigate employer controver-
sizes inasmuch as these controYer-
sizes do not affect interstate COM
merce; lc) that the board has thus
no jurisdiction to determine the
complaint; Id that the National
Recovery Act and the Congressional
resolution creating the board are
unconstitutional
From the start it was made evil
dent why the j. & L. hearing was
delayed by seven postponments
from Oct 5 until today. In these
six weeks the terror existing prior
to October has been leased off" by
the company, the union is now tenn
porarily allowed to hold meetings in
Aliquippa, and no attacks have
taken place in the interim, Con-
sequently, when witnesses take the
stand to testify against the COM
pany and its intimidations, Judge
Stacy bestoWs a Vacuous smile or
the complainant and asks, We'll
isn't everything all right now?'
Retreating at every step before
the companys counsel, allowing him
to introduce all manner of deroga-
tory and irrelevant testimony anent
the personal histories of witnesses
before objecting, the A. AS Legal
force climaXed their case by de-
Gliding not to testify George Is
soski, the steel worker who was
railroaded to an insane asylum by
J. 81 L.-controlled Beaver County
officials for his union activities.
Issoski was not summoned to the
stand until near the close of the
afternoon session yesterday. Just
after he was sworn in, Attorney
Reed summoned Charlton Ogburn
counsel for Amalgamated, to a side
bar discussion with the judge. Al
its conclusion, Ogburn announced
that Issoski would not testify, since
Reed had threatened stretching the
hearing into seven days of sessions
of expert testimony if the framed
man spoke, and the A. A. is moi
fully prepared" for this.
Organizers Beaten
The first witness called was Johr
Mayer, A. A. organizer, who sale
he was sent to Aliquippa on Aug
%. Mayer described how, as hi
was returning to his boarding
house a few nights later, he was
accosted by two of the steel com
pany's strong men who slug
ged him down as he neared home
The organizer ran up onto thu
porch after the. first attack, where
the thugs followed him, pulled hin
out of the door and beat him Sc.
Verely with black jacks and fist. Al
Aliquippa borough policeman ap.
peared on the scene then, the wit.
ness said, and commanded the foot.
pads to "Stop! - He has hac
enough"
Mayer said he was then taken Il
the police station, where he wa:
searched and asked how he likec
organizing Aliquippa now" The
prisoner was then thrown into jai
and the next day he was fined s.
and costs by Justice of the Peace
Mike Kane On legal advice, Mayer
asked for a transcript of the hear
ing in order to carry an appeal
Kane refused, telling him he must
first obtain an order from the
Beaver County authorities.
The next day county authorities
told him he must advance $50 be-
fore he could be granted a hearing
on the transcript, and, lacking the
funds, Mayer was compelled to DROP
the case. He declared that ar
Aliquippa patrolman who took him
home upon his release from jail tolc
him to get out of town"
Walter Payne, another Amalga-
mated organizer, was next on the
stand. Payne took lodgings in Am
bridge, across the river from Ali
quippa, on Sept. T, Making a TRIP
by auto into Aliquippa, he was
stopped and arrested by Sergeant
Monihan, of the borough police Al
the police station, Paynes car was
searched and he was taken into q
room where Chief of Police Am
brose and two others awaited him
and his companions. Two of the
police took off their coats, one
stripping to the waist, the other
picking up heavy mace. After
questioning Payne, however, they
left them go, telling Payne they
had mistaken him for "a bald
headed Red organizer from Clair