The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1938-05-19
Campaign Speeches
Amuse Local No. rs
Kokomo Potters See Humor
OF Calling Holt Good
Labor Man
1883 CASE REVIEWED

Kokomo, Ind.-Local Union No. 26
likes to laugh as we'll as the next one,
but the members do not care to have
the laugh on themselves very we'll. 1t
is, however, amusing, even to US, to
hear that Olin Holt is for the labor
ing man; is working for their interests
and such.
Let's go back and relate few facts
which most Of us know but some may
have forgotten. In the first place
Holt was elected on a platform as
being in favor Of the New Deal and
President Roosevelt. The New Deal"
gave birth to several new agencies of
government, among them being the
n. r. A. and the National Labor Re-
lations Board, Local Union No. 26,
National Brotherhood Of Operative
Potters was organized September %,
1888. We tried by every peaceful
means to secure recognition and an
agreement to which we were entitled
under the law. We used the services
of the Labor Board on several occa
sions. The Regional Board at Indi-
annapolis on December 4th, 1884, rec
commended that the Kokomo Sanitary
Pottery Corporation recognize Local
26, N. B. Of O. P. in collective bar
gaining and that the company had
violated Section Ia. In January, 1885
the Kokomo Sanitary Pottery laid off
27 members of Local 26 and subjected
the rest of the employees with a "yel-
low dog contract" After a hearing,
the Board ordered the reinstatement
of these 27 men in February, 1885.
The National Labor Relations Board,
at Washington, d. C. held hearing
February 7th, 1885 and in their de-
cision rendered February 28, 1885 de-
clared that "the company engaged in
deliberate violation of Section Ia
and has exhibited an undisguised hos
tility towards the law of the land and
the authorities appointed to enforce it"
Concerning the management's atti-
tude towards the chosen representa-
tives of the workers, the Board held
the company "cannot refuse to deal
with them as such, except in violation
of the law" We have mentioned the
above three Labor Board cases to
show that members of Local Union
26 were law abiding and tried under
the so-called New Deal to secure ad-
justment of it's difficulties with an
employer by all legal avenues before
resorting to strike. This law was part
of the National Administrations
policy towards labor The Holt ad-
ministration did not aesaenize these
facts nor did they uphold the policy
of their party although they claimed
they were New Dealers and were sup
porting Roosevelt. The Kokomo Sani
tary Pottery Corporation began re-
placing the 27 men laid off with out
siders and this action caused the
strike. 1t must be remembered that
under the NRA the Labor Board
could only recommend and the pun
ishment consisted of removal Of the
Blue Eagle. The Kokomo Sanitary
Pottery lost it's Blue Eagle and flag
rantly violated all the laws on labor.
Had Holt been friend of labor
and was Fundamentally in favor of
Roosevelt and the New Deal he would
not have ignored these Board deci-
sons. He would not have given Max
Gerber the protection that Max did
not deserve. At the start Of the strike
there was a large force of police on
duty. A committee from Local 26
went to Holt to protest the use of
police as strikebreakers. Holt replied
that he would protect Gerber's en-
ployes even if Gerber only paid them
$500 week. Shortly thereafter
there was an article in the local paper
about a club luncheon at local hotel
This article says: Speaker pledges
protection to men who really want to
work" Who was the speaker? You
are right, it was Mayor Holt, the
friend CD of labor. When the anti
picketing ordinance was up for dis
!; cussion in the city council, Council,
man Coughlin, believing it sure to pass
asked Mayor Holt as follows: q an
quoting this as printed in Kokomt
Tribune).
Councilman Coughlin: "But why
can't we permit a man or two tt
picket, seeing that he keeps moving
and just few to a block, as long as
they keep to strike property, and tr!
, to keep other men from working?"
Mayor Holt: What right have the.
, to do that? They don't want to worl
there. They went out"
e According to this statement Hol
Il lapiaI lohDc rf onx, rinhtc uh 40 fcO
You might remember this and SCI
n that your candidate carries the en-
I dorsement of the All Labor Election
Committee.