The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-11-17

towns of the Calumet Basin, penny
ante is forbidden. Everything that
might lead to an "incident" has
been avoided. There is no lettering
on the streets, more than there
would be on an ordinary Saturday.
Except for the early morning re-
lief line there is little congregat-
ing around union halls.
Relations with local authorities
are excellent everywhere. Why
not? In the steel towns, where not
long ago the mayors, police chiefs
and sheriffs were practically the
industry's employees, they have now
been elected by the workers. Every
where there has been fine cooper
alton between the union and the
welfare agencies on all questions
of relief.
The strikers are making good
use of their time. Everywhere they
are painting their houses, inside
and out. In Gary the paint stores
reports sales have shot up, as have
sales of wall paper. Repairs that
wives have been clamoring for are
made. found several strikers who
were building their own homes.
One thing everyone is sure of-his
own special district and local is the
liveliest and best run in Steel
and they are all all right.
| was in the union hall of Local
65, in South Chicago, when the
news came of the break in Bethle-
hem. Here in the room men seek
ing relief were being interviewed
by counselors. They took the news
calmly. Bethlehem had settled, but
US Steel had not. There was a
break, there was hope, but it didn't
Immediately affect the great Chi
cago area, District 81, overwhelm-
ingly composed of US Steel and its
subsidiaries, involving 10000
workers in Gary, East Chicago,
Indiana Harbor, and dozen small
er towns.
The Bethlehem announcement
brought no relaxation and no out
ward rejoicing in the Chicago area.
The tension heightened, the picket
line stiffened. This was no time to
lessen their efforts, it was a time
for greater vigilance.
In Indiana Harbor the strike
committee was meeting in the
unions basement. There was no
talk Of Bethlehem, but discussion
Of relief, pickets, food, and other
immediate strike problems. 1t was
not yet their turn to settle.
Indiana Harbor publishes daily
Strike Bulletin that is unique.
After strike meeting ] drove
around the picket lines with the
chairman of the shop stewards and
Head Picket Captain Dan Kakot,
over 6 feet tall, built like a noun
taineer. Dan Kakot is literally a
fighting Serb. He came to this
country as a boy, fought World
War |, came home to find the steel
workers in the midst of the 1919
strike. "You remember what we
did in Gary?" he asked. "We put
on our uniforms and chased out the
militia, that's what we did" | re-
member well when the cheering
word of that exploit came to Pitts
burgh in the midst of the strike.
We drove around the Indiana
Harbor Picket line, and then to
Gary. 81 was here before there
was places for US to live, we lived
in tents" he said And then it came
over me that it was men like Dan
Kakot who had built the industry.
Over the flat plains steel mill fol-
lowed steel mill. There was no end
to the monotonous immensity. Here
was an empire built on what was
once sand dunes and swamps. And
it is men like Dan Kakot and his
6-foot, 3 sons, who have made the
greatest steel industry in the world
possible.