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Forms to be Filled out for Each Interview FOLKLORE
NE-' YORK
FORMA
Circumstances of Interview
STATE
NAIVE OF WORKhR
ADDRESS
DATE
SUBJECT
New York
Saul Levitt
27 Hamilton Terrace, N.Y.C.
March 1, 1939
Marine Workers
1. Date and tim',1; of interview February 28, 1939
2. Place of interview TWW Headquarters on Broad Street near
South Street.
3. Name and address of informant Carmody, (Left Rudder)
Seamen's Church Institute
4. Name and address of person,
touch with informant.
if any, who put you in
Forty Fathoms (Victor Campbell)
National Maritime Union.
5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanyinL you
6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms, each
bearing the proper heading and the number to which the material refers.)
FORM C
Text of Interview (Unedited)
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
STATE New York
NAN,E OF WORKER Saul Levitt
ADDRESS 27 Hamilton Terrace, N.Y.C.
DATE March 1, 1939
SUBJECT Marine Workers rffw Headquarters; Left Rudder and other seamen.
LEFT RUDDER AT IWW HEADQUARTERS ON BROAD STREET
What's gonna become of d' workers? The human race is gonna
deteryarate if we don't do something. I am getting pessimistis about
the workint man. He is furder behind now then he was in '25 pertickaler
on the waterfront. It is all mess ant confusion an' chaos. It's a
veritable Garden of Eden for fakers on d' waterfront. D' bulshittint
is so Vick you can't out it mid, a fireax. Onct d' seamen had hisself
a seachest. Then around the war he carried his luggage in a canvas
sea bag. Now nine outta ten go to sea mid deir lugguag wrapped in a
sheet uv the New Yawwk Times. DI seamen is got certificates today.
An A.B. is a guy that got fifty tousand certificates wid im. He's
gotta have his strike clearance. Yes, and he's gotta have his AB
an' his Lifeboat an' when he goes to d' Doghouse, he gotta have a
certificate fer to go to sleep and he's gotta a certificate fer to
get his breakfast. He is d' most certifaycated wage-earner in d'
United .'itates. These hackies holler about deir certificates. Finger-
princs. Pictures, Mealtickets. That is the seamen. At one time we
didn't need nothint to go to sea %rid'. Now we got fifty tousand
certificates. D' seamen tIday is uv a difirent caliber. Now d'
young fellers fellers get themselves bob -haired partners an, live uptown
in apartments. It's too sooperfishal. Entirely. But d' seamen
got one t'ing which is still d' heritage of d' seamen. He got his
own freemasonry which is moreln any charity. Y' unndrstan' no
mutchal aid s'sieties. D 'seamen is a wateriront tourist that
don't go uptown much. He likes to stick around sailortown. I'm
on me way t' the Doghouse now. DI certificate fer to go to sleep
is waitin' fer me. It's ail mess any confusion an' chaos.
MARINE WOBBLY HALL TALK
Hello, feller, if yer a friend of the morkin' man ye can
come right in an' make yerself at home. There's the time up there.
It says Time to Organize. That wooden shoe up there onna ledge tnat's
a sabot. It's fer sabotage.
Hey, fell= worker when I hear they say Friend of Labor I
know it's one of them goddam labor leaders that wants to handle things
for the seamen. When I h,ar they say that why that's the time to get
them down a dark alley. Class cullaborationists every goddam one of
'em.
Yeah, write to your Congressman he'll take care of ye.
They got the seamen tied up in knots. Do they draw up a
contract for seamen? It's divisional as hell. I meet a seaman an,
he says we're getting our contract drawn up now, What contract is
that, I says. Why, that's tankersman contract. Dye get that? It's
a tankersman contract.
An, they got different wage -scales onna Gulf Coast and
onna Atlantic Coast.
Shut up an' let me explain to this fellow -worker. It's
moves
a tankersman contract. Next it'll be another kinda speshiil con-
tract. This ocean is Joe Currants ocean and the other one is Lund
berg's ocean.
Yeah, an whose ocean is it gawn throough the Canal.
Shut up an, let me explain to this fellow worker.
Whose ocean is it gawn through the Miraflores Lock.
Hahah, I'm gonna write a litter to my Congressman.
D'Abbbly is a missionary to d' workin man like d' old
missionaries wuz to d' headin's an' d' cannibals.
I'm gonna write a litter the trouble wit' the workin'
man he ain't got a line.
Shut up an' let me explain. We don't want any leaders.
Sure we got leaders but they're like bookeepers an' ancountants.
The Boshies got leaders an' they wreck every goddam union
in the country.
They're like bookkeppers an' accountants. Y' see that
feller typing up in front there wit' one finger? He just runs things
like an office.
It ain't no joke beinl a Wobbly leader, dye remember when
I was seckertery uv that headquarters I couldn't get any carfare.
Who d' hell wants leaders when it's d' direct achhun that
pradooces results. In Frisco in Thirty Four it wuz direct acshun
ant Rolph was governor, he was a reactionary sonafabitch, wasn't
he? No Y' got the Union an' crUmbs off d' table of capital. They
go downna Washin'ton an' talk to the guvvernmin'. If that ain't a
helluva way to produce results. Liberals an' progressives. It's
like that story of d' woman that listened to a guy. Once she
listened she was sejuced. That's the way it is wit' these liberals
an' class cullaborationists. If ye listen to 'am yer sejuced.
-4
He's a white collar man an' they're new in d' labor move-
ment. They like to write letters to Congressmen.
HAHAZAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
It's direct askshun' ail over again. Drop aroun' again,
fellow -worker. Yeah, that's the right time up there. Time to or-
ganize.