The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-11-21

dAC olIISClC1J 1OI G1l6 UtHlQlIl& OF
the organization? We all know
that our union, as well as other
labor unions, is organized to pro-
tect us from the attacks of the
manufacturers. and to secure better
conditions for our members.
Having this aim in mind, our
union does not ask its members
what political party they belong to,
or to which church they go. These
questions are the private concern of
every individual member. This is
very simply stated in our constitu-
ton, which reads:
1.-The United Shoe and Leather
Workers Union has been organ
lied to enable all workers en-
gagged in the shoe industry, and
all component parts, thereof, re-
CARELESS of creed, color, sex, ma
tionality, political or religious af-
fillationS, to unite under one ban
ner for the better protection of
their economic interests and for
the betternent of their working
and living conditions"
Our union is facing a crucial
period. The manufacturers are try
ing every way possible to smash our
union in order to be able to cut our
wages as they please. The reac-
tionary officials at the top, the
Mackaseys and Halets, who are al
ways ready to give in to the manu-
facturerS, would be glad to accept
a wage cut and maintain peace in
the family. But, the fear of the
rank and file holds them back.
Why not start the workers fight
ing among themselves? Then, it
would be easy to grant one wage
cut after another. This is what is
behind this flag waving business. At
the same time, it is no secret that
fascism, imported from Germany
and supported by the American
bankers and bosses, is raising its
ugly head among us.
Who are the champions of the
flag waving that brought the issue
into the local and flagrantly vio-
lated the constitution of our union?
May Daphne, the former business
agent, who still can not swallow the
bitter pill of having been voted out,
one of those unprincipled individu-
ais who put their own selfish in
tereStS above that of the organiZa-
ton.
1t is rumored in circles close to
her that one of her primary reasons
for this super-patriotic stunt was
the fact that her son was dis
charged from the police force of
Lynn for drunkenness or some
other reason. Now she gets super
patriotic fits in order to prove to
the administration that she is more
than 100 per cent patriot.
The second individual is Peter
Walsh, the lawyer who thinks he is
running the union, besides being its
paid attorney. He even went so far
as handing down a judgment that
Vera Nabeshka should be expelled
because she dared to stand up fol-
the rights given her by our con-
stltution, namely, that political be-
liefs are personal matter.
This, by the way, is the same P
Walsh who was instrumental ir
bringing the State Board into oul
agreement, and who together with
our top officials granted the wage
cut to the Gold Seal" He is
spending our hard-earned money by
running to Washington to knock on
the doors of all kinds of boards, and
We have already seen what we got
from them. He is doing all this
just for publicity's sake, so he could
get some politicians job to serve
the bosses. This flag waving bust
ness is just an additional publicity
stunt.
We are faced with a wage cutting
campaign of the manufacturers,
with shops threatening to move. Let
us not be sidetracked by unprin-
cipled individuals, who are, con-
sciously or unconsciously, serving
the interests of the enemy. Let us
all stand solid regardless of polit-
ical or. religious beliefs, to defeat the
attempts of the manufacturers and
their agents to smash our union by
splitting our ranks.