The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-24
Socialist Party Workers Militant While
Their Leaders Fight Milwaukee Strike

of flirting with such dangerous
ideas as are held only by Commu-
nists. At the National Conven-
ton it was Baxter who was chosen
to head the very important resolu-
tons committee, and his militancy
is supposed to be famed, that is,
outside of this city. From such
revolutionary Socialist" one could
surely expect the proper answer to
the company. Here it is:
Socialist Gives Boss Free Hand
for Terror
"You are hereby advised that
the City of West Allis will furn-
ish such lawful protection to
property and life as it is possible
for us to supply. This protection,
however, in my opinion, is not
adequate fer the present emer-
gency. You are therefore further
advised to take such steps as are
necessary to secure the added
protection"
We have already mentioned the
fact that the Socialist administra-
ton could have exerted tremendous
pressure to bring victory had they
so desired. The very excellent
questions posed by Comrade Earl
Browder to Norman Thomas in the
Daily Worker during the strike in
dictate the line of action that COULD
have been taken by an administra-
ton that really represented the in
terests of the workers. But this
would be expecting too much of
people of the type Of Hoan,
Despite the position of the lead
ers, the rank and file supporters of
the Socialist Party were actively
involved in the struggles of those
days. Side by side with other
workers, Communists and others,
they fought against the police and
armed thugs. 1t is to the everlast-
ing credit of these workers that
they did not wait for their leaders
to give the call, but rallied to the
first call for mass picketing issued
by the Communist Party. On the
picket lines, many Socialists could
be seen talking, walking and
fighting together with Communists,
whom their leaders hold up as the
deadliest enemies.
What was the activity of the
Communist Party? That is the next
question that arises. Even before
the strike, the Communist Party
was already making preparations to
help mobilize the Milwaukee work
ers for helping the carmen. At
least two of the slogans raised by
the Communists received mass
response. The first of these was
for mass picketing, and it was the
Communists that not only issued
the call but organized the first
picketing. 1t is this mass move
ment that was developed around
the picketing that was really re-
sponsible for whatever partial vic
tory was attained. 1t grieves the
union leaders very much that they
must be thankful to the Commu-
nists, but the entire city knows who
was most active in this phase of
work. The bourgeoisie became 50
alarmed at the activity of the
Communists, that the Citizens Com
nitee, representing the biggest
manufacturers and businessmen
of Milwaukee, on the fourth day
of the strike made a demand that
the police raid the headquarters OF
the Communist Party because of is
part in the ''rioting," as they called
| it.
Mass Picketing
This mass picketing and what il
can achieve is one of the outstand-
ing lessons of the strike, and one
that was not lost on the broad
mass of workers.
The second slogan of the Party
which received a mass response
was the one calling upon the people
to turn in the weekly passes bought
at the beginning of the week. AS q
result of the fact that we pop.
ularized this in tens of thousand:
Of leaflets, there we're many thou
sands of passes turned in and thc
money refunded. The company
probably paid out at least S10,0Oi
as refund on these passes. From
the first day of the strike line
began to form before the Electric
Co. offices demanding their money
back. At first the company re