INTRODUCTION

PREFACE

BIOGRAPHY
Scope and Content Note: Born in Vitebsk, White Russia, near the eastern border of Germany. Came to United States in 1912 at age 8 with parents and older brother. Last of nine children, all deceased.

ARRIVAL IN U.S.
Scope and Content Note: Came with help of brothers and sisters who had preceded him. Family dispersed when war broke out. Came to Milwaukee in 1919. Father a trader of cattle in old country; in the U.S. he went into poultry business. Retired early because of poor health and lack of work.

RELATES CHILDHOOD STORY OF POLICE RAID IN WHITE RUSSIA
Scope and Content Note: While just a “little shaver” police came to brother's business to search for political materials. Asked young Raskin if he would like to say something and he said yes. They put him on a table and he said, “Down with the czar.” Everyone laughed but if older brothers had said the same thing they would have been sent to Siberia.

ANTI-SEMITISM
Scope and Content Note: Faced “prosecution from police and persecution from villagers.” U.S. was haven. Threat of draft into army during Russian-Japanese war provided incentive to leave. One brother punctured ear to escape draft. Couldn't leave country without proof of military service.

ESCAPE TO AMERICA
Scope and Content Note: Walked several miles across border at midnight with help of sympathetic soldiers. “Schlepped” with parents and brother across border in group of 200.

SCHOOL IN NEW YORK
Scope and Content Note: Attended boys school. Birthdays assigned by teacher, since most children didn't know when they were born.

SOCIALIST ENVIRONMENT
Scope and Content Note: Raised in Jewish, socialist neighborhood in Brooklyn. Socialists were centrists who held that means of production must be owned by all the people so all could share in the product. As a child listened to all the soapbox speakers. Heard Eugene Debs at Brooklyn Labor Lyceum. Emil Seidel was vice presidential candidate with Debs. Gave Raskin the feeling that he was coming to home territory when he moved to Milwaukee.

FAMILY POLITICS AND BACKGROUND
Scope and Content Note: Father not political but brothers were. Max only one to go to college or high school. Others worked to help support Max. Felt responsibility to family.

SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY
Scope and Content Note: Was choir boy from early years. Responsibility to not bring shame on family.

END OF TAPE 1, SIDE 1

INTERVIEWER'S INTRODUCTION

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Scope and Content Note: Finished two years at normal school, then went to Marquette Law School for three years. Joined Glee Club.

CITIZENSHIP
Scope and Content Note: Had to become citizen on his own. Took two friends of mother as witnesses in about 1921.

BACKGROUND
Scope and Content Note: Graduated from Marquette in 1926, and wanted to start political career. Interested in socialist party which was “dominant political force.” Main reason for success was their belief in honesty and clean government.

DESCRIBES SOCIALIST PARTY
Scope and Content Note: A reform movement sprinkled with Marxian passages; not socialists “by the book.” Believed that government belonged to people. Organized by wards. Joined in 10th ward (lower north side). Raskin listed occupation as shoe salesman rather than lawyer because both socialists and unions considered lawyers to be enemies. Party very selective in accepting lawyers, who constituted probably no more than ten out of 5,000 members. “I better not show off. I'll tell them I'm a working man.”

DESCRIBES LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Scope and Content Note: Alderman from 10th ward a socialist. In 1913 partisan elections in municipal government to abolish socialists but socialists kept their organization. Dues and labor required of all members. Raskin distributed socialist Voice of the People. Aldermen would give reports at each party meeting.

STRUCTURE OF PARTY - DISTRICT COUNCIL
Scope and Content Note: Wards elected delegates to district council. Decisions made there, also real debates took place. Saw such labor leaders as Hadley, Weber, Ohl there.

EARLY PARTY ACTIVITIES
Scope and Content Note: Election of 1928. Tom Duncan ran in district; took soapbox and made speeches in his behalf. Became delegate. Raskin noticed that those who were elected presiding officers for meetings always came early, so he began coming early. Was elected presiding officer.

ELECTION OF 1930
Scope and Content Note: Received call from vigilance committee which was preparing slate. Looking for candidate for district attorney. Had used up all candidates. Challenged him on his beliefs and selected him. Final election meeting held Sunday before election. Never in his “wildest dreams” did Raskin expect to be there. Roused public attention by accusing bailiffs and court attendants of passing out lawyers' cards (ambulance chasers). Practiced making speeches on auditorium stage.

ELECTION RESULTS
Scope and Content Note: Voting procedure.

END OF TAPE 1, SIDE 2

INTERVIEWER'S INTRODUCTION

RESULTS OF ELECTION OF 1930
Scope and Content Note: Raskin ran well in city, but “buried” in suburbs. Became more active in party. Even defeat gave him good standing as party member.

ELECTION OF 1932
Scope and Content Note: Selected to run again; this time for City Attorney and there were more substantive issues, such as public ownership of utilities.

ORGANIZED LABOR AND POLITICS
Scope and Content Note: Labor movement began to “show muscle.” Followed Gompers line of staying out of politics. Only help from labor was by stealth--sneaked into meetings with help of friends. Changed with organization of CIO. Political leaders openly invited to meetings. Raskin invited Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Rosenberry to speak at a union meeting. He came to a meeting of the Nash Motors local. Discusses judicial ethics.

HELP FROM LABOR MOVEMENT
Scope and Content Note: No access to the Federated Trades Council; would have been like trying to reach General Motors' Board of Directors. Stresses importance of Milwaukee Leader.

SOCIALIST PARTY CAMPAIGN FINANCING
Scope and Content Note: Socialist elected officials required to bail out Milwaukee Leader. Raskin contributed ten percent of salary to Socialist Party.

WORK AS CITY ATTORNEY ON LABOR ISSUES
Scope and Content Note: Reviews history of labor in Milwaukee. Describes J. F. (Jake) Friedrick. Relates dealings with other reporters. Support for legislation funding soup kitchens. Used to “tag along” wherever Mayor Daniel Hoan went.

CITY FINANCES
Scope and Content Note: Needed to borrow money every year in the spring time. In 1933, city turned down for loan by First Wisconsin National Bank. “Baby bonds” created at five percent interest. Difficulty in getting program accepted.

END OF TAPE 2, SIDE 1

INTERVIEWER'S INTRODUCTION

BABY BOND PROGRAM
Scope and Content Note: Raskin in charge of program; little acceptance. Created “white list” of organizations or businesses which would accept bonds and accept them at par. Distributed to employees, serving as free advertising. Result was that Milwaukee came through Depression debt free.

LABOR ORGANIZATIONS WHILE CITY ATTORNEY
Scope and Content Note: Raskin wanted to be actively involved in labor issues. Told his staff they could take credit for successes; he would take blame for mistakes. Had support of the party. Dan Hoan taught Raskin to keep door open.

LABOR UNIONS GOOD AND BAD FOR RASKIN
Scope and Content Note: Had to prosecute those arrested for such violations as destruction of property. Raskin once refused to prosecute some participants in a mass demonstration against Hitler. Court decided that someone else must prosecute on behalf of city.

CHANGE IN TRAFFIC COURT APPEARANCE BY POLICEMEN
Scope and Content Note: Allowed stipulation to be placed on back of traffic ticket thereby releasing many policemen from coming to court.

PACKINGHOUSE WORKERS STRIKE OF 1933 OR 1934
Scope and Content Note: Plankinton management lodged scab workers inside the plant. Raskin demanded that Plankinton get license to run boarding house, thereby defeating company efforts to house strikebreakers. Workers won strike.

GUEDER, PAESCHKE AND FREY CO. STRIKE
Scope and Content Note: Difficult strike which Raskin helped settle. Jake Friedrick one of negotiators. Used the police to contact 800 strikers to inform them they must attend meeting the following day.

LINDEMANN-HOLVERSON STRIKE
Scope and Content Note: Issue was management's refusal to recognize union. Strike split families; fathers striking and sons scabs or vice versa. Required presence of most of police force. Raskin used principle of public nuisance. Assigned problem to Mary Eshwaller and suggested to her an ordinance declaring public nuisance.

END OF TAPE 2, SIDE 2

INTERVIEWER'S INTRODUCTION

LINDEMAN-HOLVERSON STRIKE--BONCELL ORDINANCE
Scope and Content Note: Asked alderman Frank Boncell from 14th ward, which was where plant was located, to introduce ordinance. Introduced and passed, but later revoked.

RASKIN'S DEFEAT FOR RE-ELECTION
Scope and Content Note: Raskin held responsible for fomenting strikes. Law and order was issue and this meant being able to cross picket line, not to walk safely on the street. Raskin called on Hoan: “What was socialist about his administration?” Socialist caucus had regular meetings.

PROPOSAL FOR PURCHASING POWER PLANT
Scope and Content Note: Resolution introduced with price tag of 60 million dollars attached. Defeated because such an expenditure during the Depression was unimaginable to voters. Raskin went down to defeat along with the referendum and Boncell; Hoan's margin diminished.

PATTENGEE VS. WAGNER IRON WORKS
Scope and Content Note: CIO tried to organize plant already under contract with AFL. Company fired organizers; suit sought vacation pay for those fired. Supreme Court found that AFL had done nothing to support plaintiffs and was considered same as “enemy,” the company.

BRIBERY ATTEMPTS
Scope and Content Note: Invited to lunch by a newspaperman and offered $5000 retainer if he withdrew a petition. Beer also delivered to house after prohibition was lifted.

RASKIN AS LABOR SPOKESPERSON DURING TERM IN OFFICE
Scope and Content Note: Mounted police sent out during Seaman Body plant strike, and labor called on Raskin to intercede. As a consequence they continued to call on him after he left office. Raskin became attorney for United Auto Workers in Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin; other unions also came to Raskin for assistance. Sometimes paid; sometimes not. Newpaper Guild paid him with a membership. Describes Reuther family as socialists of the democratic variety.

REMEMBERS HAROLD CHRISTOFFEL
Scope and Content Note: Christoffel a communist and “made no bones about it.” “No one wanted the strike there...They cheated. They had counterfeit ballots. As a result they had a majority but it was not a true majority.” UAW put local in trusteeship, and named Pat Greathouse as president and Raskin as attorney. Christoffel followed party line.

META BERGER
Scope and Content Note: She accepted a trip to Russia. Also built a house with non-union labor, although Raskin suggests there was no union labor in Ozaukee County at that time. Labor expected her to “import” union workers. “The trades, they demanded everything of the Socialist Party they could, but they gave very little in return.”

RASKIN INVITATION TO VISIT RUSSIA
Scope and Content Note: Sometime before the war, Eugene Dennis, a “handsome looking guy with a baby face,” told Raskin, “We would like to send you to Russia at no expense to you.” Raskin declined, and still considers this a smart decision, though he had a great desire to see his birthplace.

END OF TAPE 3, SIDE 1

INTERVIEWER'S INTRODUCTION

LABOR ATTITUDES TOWARD LAWYERS
Scope and Content Note: Raskin established procedures for trying union members who broke rules; was a law officer advising parties how to proceed. Not part of debate. Christoffel ousted.

SOCIALIST PARTY IS PEACE PARTY
Scope and Content Note: Not tenable in the face of Hitler. Rank and file wanted to fight and left Party. Farmer-Labor Progressive League formed; Norman Thomas, Frank Zeidler mainstays of Party.

ELECTIONS IN 1944
Scope and Content Note: Dan Hoan and William McMurray both decided to run for U.S. Senate. Raskin and Krycki went to New York to meet with Frank Rosenblum (regional director in Chicago for Amalgamated Clothing Workers), Morris Hillquit and Roger Baldwin. Stopped in Detroit to talk to Morris Sugar, attorney and “brains” for UAW. Argued that Hoan should be candidate instead of McMurray because McMurray was a communist. Raskin states that he didn't know Sugar was also communist. McMurray became candidate. Raskin then tried to get Hoan to run for governor. Circulated petition to encourage Hoan and he agreed to run. “But Hoan had a lousy voice over the radio.”.

ELECTION OF 1946
Scope and Content Note: Christoffel and other Communists supported McCarthy in primary.

WORK WITH BILL COOPER OF SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION
Scope and Content Note: Charles Kasik, president of Century Building wanted to keep “charwomen” from organizing; Cooper asked Raskin for help. Filed a complaint with the brand new Wisconsin labor board. Lawrence Gooding was chairman. Held that women could not be fired for joining the union. Board upheld them; appeal to circuit court sustained board's decision.

MERGER OF WISCONSIN STATE FEDERATION OF LABOR AND STATE INDUSTRIAL UNION COUNCIL
Scope and Content Note: Raskin's work for CIO ended at merger as the new organization retained AFL counsel.

END OF TAPE 3, SIDE 2

WISCONSIN CIO CHANGES AFTER LEFT WING OUSTED
Scope and Content Note: Change in the right direction; didn't lose activism but gained more support. Communists didn't make positive contribution. Early leadership of both AFL and CIO were Socialists. Socialist Party contributions included learning how to run meeting, talk, declaim, etc.

SOCIALIST PARTY LOSES POWER BECAUSE ROOSEVELT BECOMES A SOCIALIST
Scope and Content Note: Old AFL leaders didn't want labor law because they didn't want lawyers. Became active in Democratic Party. Appointed by John Reynolds as Judge in 1963.

WHY LABOR MOVEMENT IS IN DISFAVOR
Scope and Content Note: Need more public relations work. Need to emphasize that they are part of consumer public as well. Importance of teaching labor studies in high schools. Has two children and six grandchildren and one is going to become conservative!

END OF INTERVIEW