JANUARY, 1911 ‘666 PRICE TEN CENTS INTERNATIONAL SGCIALIST REVIEW THE FIGHTING GARMENT WORKERS THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW OF, bY AND FOR THE WORKING CLASS EDITED BY CHARLES H. KERR ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Mary E. Marcy, Robert Rives La Monte, Max S. Hayes, William E. Bohn, Leslie H. Marcy CONTENTS The Fighting Garment \Vorkers . ..Robcrt Dvorak Help! I-Ielpl! Help!!! . ..Eugene V. Debs Working at Home . ..Louis Duchez How to Kick . .~ . ..Robcrt Rims La Monk.~ Class War .. .i . ..Ed Moore Where Furs Come From . ..Jack Morton Danger Ahead . ..Eugene V. Debs Lockouts in Great Britain . .lVilIiam D. Haywood The Revolution in Mexico . _ . .10/m Kenneth Turner Beginners’ Course in Socialism: Price . , . Y . .Mary E. Marcy DEPARTMENTS. Editorials: Fred \Varren Goes to Jail; The Struggle of the Garment Workers. International Notes : \Vorld of Labor : News and Views : Publishers' Department. Subscription price, $1.00 a year, Canada $1.20, other countries $1.36 Advertising Rates: Full page, $40.00; half page, $20.00, quarter page, $10.00; smaller advertisements, $2.80 per inch. No discount jcr repeated insertions. An extra discount of 5% is, however, allowed for cash in advance for one insertion, or 10% when cash is paid in advance for three or more insertions. Classified advertising, cash in advance, two cents per word, initials and figures counted same as words. No adver tisement inserted for less than 50 cents. CHARLES H. KERR & COMPANY, Publishers (Co-operative) 118 West Kinzie Street, Chicago, “L, U. S. A. Entered at the Pottotfice at Chicago. [1].. a Second Class Matter july 27. 1900. under Art at March 1. 1879. 0- @625 SQCIALIST INTERNATIONAL REVIEW JANUARY, 1911 No. 7 WHO DO THE POLICE “'ORK FOR? THE FIGHTING GARMENT WORKERS ROBERT DVORAK AULED by city police, assaulted the city council, the Chicago Federation M and beaten by armed, hired slug of Labor and very influential persons, gers, shot by strike breakers and such as Raymond Robins and other now being faced with a winter “Good Samaritans” can force the “igno full of the horrors of cold and starvation, rant strikers” to accept meaningless but the striking garment workers of _Chicago well worded terms of peace from the hard still remain undaunted. pressed renegades, Hart, Schafl‘ner and Not even the best efforts of the mayor, Marx. 385 THE FIGHTING GARMENT WORKERS ONE OF "OUR INFANT INDUSTRIES." For the first time in history the auto— other daily papers took action, but not cratic Chicago Federation of Labor, until after thousands of copies of the headed by John Fitzpatrick, ably assisted Daily Socialist had been distributed free by Mrs. Raymond Robins, has been non of charge by the strikers in the city. plused. Over 41,000 garment workers Before six weeks had passed by, a gen have refused to obey the pleasure and eral strike of all the garment workers in whims of the leaders and have refused to the city, outside of those employed by go back to work upon the order of a presi union concerns, had been called. From dent who tried to hand them lemons la an unorganized strike, composed of un beled as agreements and victories. organized workers, sprang an organized When the strike began on September movement for a recognition of the union, 30th the Chicago Federation of Labor and the manufacturers, themselves har looked upon it as a joke. No one looked assed by internal fights over profits and upon it seriously except the strikers business supremacy, grew uneasy. themselves and a few of the garment work— \Vorkingrnen and women all over the ers’ leaders who were more intimately ac United States, attracted by the brave and quainted with the situation. There was determined fight of the garment workers a strike in existence, but few knew about against the greatest odds, began to act it. The capitalist papers refused to write, They refused to buy clothing without a and the Chicago Federation refused to label and warned local business men act. A strike was on but no one knew its against buying clothing from the strike extent. bound Chicago concerns, and the uneasi Then it was that the Chicago Daily ness of the manufacturers grew from day Socialist, urged and entreated by the to day. strikers, took action, and on October 7 After the calling of the general strike published its first story of the strike and there began in Chicago the greatest and what brought it on. A week later the most unique strike ever known in the hi5' ROBERT DVORAK EARNING THEIR PAY. tory of labor struggles. Started by six Socialist party, organized a strikers’ aid teen girls, without the vcstige of organi— committee and in two weeks' time col zation, the struggle spread to 41,000 per-, lected over $3,000. sons and tied up almost 200 shops. The strike was progressing admirably. Labor papers all over the country took ,Public sentiment was with the garment up the astounding fight and unions began workers in every part of the country and to send in cash donations. Farmers, the money was just beginning to come in, best customers listed on the books of the when President T. A. Rickert, head of strike bound concerns, sent in letters and the national organization of the United resolutions condemning the manufac Garment \Vorkers, brought the strikers a turers and an entire fall and winter cloth— peace offer from the Hart, Schaffner and ing trade was crippled or ruined. Marx concern. Doctors agreed to treat patients free Rickert had signed the peace offer and of charge. Barbers gave free shaves, the tried to railroad it through the ranks. The aters gave benefit performances. Pri offer guaranteed the workers nothing vate families housed and fed homeless more than an assurance that every striker strikers. Druggists gave free drugs or would be taken back irrespective of offered a certain percentage of their daily whether he belonged to a union or not, profits. Grocers and butchers gave free and a promise that many of the abomin food supplies to the various free supply able persecutions would be abolished. and relief stations. Clubs and societies Hisses and angry cries greeted Rickert gave benefit balls and entertainments. and his peace offer when he read it before Song writers and artists offered their pro the cutters at Federation hall, 275 La ductions and gave the strikers the full Salle street, Saturday afternoon, Novem profits and the hotel keepers refused to ber 5. The same fate met the fatal agree house the strike breakers. ment when it was presented to the Business and professional men, of strikers at Hod Carriers’ Hall, and at all whom the majority were members of the the other meetings. 388 THE FIGHTING GARMENT WORKERS MARCH OF THE FIFTY THOUSAND STRIKERS. Dazed and dejected, Rickert abandoned ist, of which over 10,000 extra copies had all idea of settlement on the terms offered been sold one Sunday afternoon, follow— by Hart, Schaffner and Marx, and in ing the rejection of the peace oficr, ap structed his organizers to work as they pealed to the Chicago Federation of La had never worked before organizing and bor for aid. aiding the determined garment workers. This time the federation, at its meet For the first time in his life Rickcrt met ing, endorsed the strike of the garment determined workers who ignored the workers and assessed its members 25 wishes and advice of their superiors and cents each. John Fitzpatrick, president he submitted gracefully. of the Chicago Federation, and Mrs. Ray— Later in the week, following his 'W'atcr mond Robins, president of the Women‘s loo, Rickcrt gave his one reason for en— Trade Union league, took the strike in dorsing the agreement. He stated that hand and began work by appointing the demands for strike benefits had been working committees composed of women so great and the income so small that he prominent in Chicago. feared the possible suffering that was Four food supply stations were estab— likely to follow inability to pay the men, lished in various parts of the city and the women and girls. The starvation bogy strikers asking for help were given cards had made its first appearance and was good for the amount food punched in brushed away by the only people it could therein. The supply stations lessened the afiect. demand for actual cash and the strike Their faith in Rickert and many of the once more was progressing in a most sat other garment union officials shaken, the isfactory manner. strikers with the aid of the Daily Social— The most admirable and contagious ROBERT DVORAK 389 kind of enthusiasm accompanied the anteed the strikers a position within fif strike meetings held in thirty—seven vari teen days without regard to whether they ous halls in the city and money was pour were strikers or not, and specified that an ing in from all parts of the country, with arbitration committee of five members, letters of encouragement and promise of two of the union, two of the manufac further aid when another blow, again turers and one to be chosen by the four, from union headquarters, once more near was to be appointed to settle all griev ly demoralized the strikers. ances. It further stated that no discrim Alderman Charles E. Merriam, pressed by some outside influential persons, ination was to be practiced against either brought the strike question up at the the union or non-union employes. Seeing that no amount of cajoling, en— council meeting Monday, Nov. 28, and asked that a committee be appointed by treating or intimidation could get the strikers back to work, and fearing to sub the city body for the purpose of trying to mit the agreement point blank in person, end the strike.