The Daily Worker Newspaper, January 13, 1924, Page 15

THE WAR ON THE WORKERS .- . - Congress will soon be called upon to appropriate scores of millions of dollars to increase the military and ‘naval fighting forces, There is no doubt that the! appeals of Secretary of War Weeks and Sec- retary of the Navy Denby will meet with a generous response. World con- ditions are too unsettled, and domes- tic conditions are too unstable to warrant a reduction in Uncle Sam’s military and naval expenditures. To the workingmen and poor farm- ers there is not a more vital question than that of militarism. Militarism is a special, violent, mechanical bar- rier to the achievement of working class freedom. In recent years the capitalists have been making giant Strides in militarizing America. Our owning class has been making tre- mendous progress in building up gi- gantic military machines to fight for its interests at home and abroad. The responsible navy and war depart- ments have repeatedly and frankly declared that our navy and army are great industrial assets, | The National Guard The cost of national defense has more than doubled in the last decade. Likewise, the total number of indivi- duals under issinlog: te more than doubled. One of the most important units in the national mili machine is the Natnal Guard. According to the -last report of the Secretary of War, this military bedy now has a total strength of 160,598 men divided amongst the various states and Porto Rico. Recently the big employers have begun to pay considerable attention to the National Guard. State Legis- latures are increasing the appropria- tions for these units. The reason for this growing interest and expendi- ture of funds in behalf of the various state militias is obvious. The National Guard has used by the capital-| ists against workers more than any other division of the national military organization, It is interesting to note that the ratio of increase in the National Guard is almost directly proportional to the intensity of working class un- rest in the country. During the fiscal year 1921 when the country was on the eve of a great strike wave and the bosses were preparing the open shop drive, the National. Guard in- creased 102 per cent in its aggregate strength according to the Chief of! the Militia Bureau. In 1922 in the midst of the terrific class struggles involving over a million workers, the National Guard gained 40 per cent in strength. In 1923 with strikes and industrial unrest somewhat abated, the employers and their state and federal governments paid less atten- tion to the National Guard and the | rate of increase fell to a point of practical insignificance. The War On the Workers That the capitalists have -turned the various state military bodies into safe investments is proved by an ex- amination of the most recent history of the National Guard. An analysis of the latest Annual Report of the Chief of the Militia Bureau brings to ‘ light startling evidence establishing beyond a doubt that the National ~-Sxard is more and more being- used by the bosses to wage relentless war on the workers. In his report for 1923, the Chief of the Militia Bureau put the case of the employing class bluntly in these words: “The National Guard, it may be safely assumed, has the loyal support thruout the country of the conservative citizen”. The story of the National Guard movements in the last year reads like the dispatches from the front sent by the best of war correspondents, When one goes thru, the last report of Na- stirring reports of Sir Philip Gibbs! from the French and Flanders’ fronts. Ca ra vrs oe infantry | battalions, ner fe tachments, tank | corps, headquarter troops, service de- hi cong st artillery | chine gun companies, coas i Fn Eeyore soy be yg Angg ow sions, and anti-air craft artillery—all of these have been turned into action in the last fiscal year against the workers who were strug; a ; unspeakable working living con- dit - p fiscal year ending June 30, /were on the strike scene 113 days. and perpetuating the present system of employing class exploitation and oppression, then let him examine the last report of the Chief of the Militia} Corps was in action against the Bureau: Of the 27 states whose Na-| strikers for the same-period. A di- tional Guards were in action from; vision of field artillery.was in the June 30, 1922 to June 30, 1923, 21|war against the workers and brought called upon their militias to render|the total period of military action on service to the bosses in the great! this front up to 201 days. national textile, mine, and railway | At different points jn Utah, bat- strikes of 1922. In only six states; teries of field artillery and a troop of was the National Guard called into! cavalry served against the miners for action for any other but strike duties}, total period of 228 days. during this period. Massachusetts, The Railroad Strike Maryland, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ore- h +] hon. Crati gon and Montana, employed their} When the Railway Shop re smile state militias to render such public] Wemt on strike in 1922, the full mili- services as fighting forest fires and | tary powers of at least a dozen states In New Mexico the striking miners faced a detachment of cavalry for 67 days. At Gallup the 157th Engineers 3 : " i i them. Ala- guarding prisoners during trials. All| Were thrown in against t ; the other states employed their|>ama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, i Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, New Hamp- on the ‘worlara Oe ee shire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, The Textile Strike Sipe ge oe ang gee their ional inst railway In the textile strike, the small anes Canrie nen y wi rs. How far flung the battle state of codfish aristocrats, Rhode sana on this sector ‘. the class Island, had companies of coast artil-~} way front can be seen when one com- lery, squadrons of cavalry, machine-| pares the total area of this group of gun divisions, and field artillery corps! states with the area of some of the thrown into action against the strik-| countries which participated in the ing workers. These military forces|preat World War. The twelve states did incaleulable damage to the textile|cover an area of 1,053,995 square workers. All in all the various sub- divisions of the Rhode Island Nation-, }, nd, al Guard were on strike duty for %/ many, Italy, Spain,’ Portugal, period of 330 days or almost a year.!garia, Norway, Denmark, Lithuania The Coal Strike and Esthonia.® eos When the bituminous and anthra-} In Alabama infantry divisions cite miners struck in 1922 the late|Served 548 days against the railway President Harding called upon the! Workers; cavalry forces 180 days, mo- governors of the coal mining states! tor transport companies 2 days; and to unfurl the flag at the tipples.|machine-gun divisions 110 days. All Eight of these states covering an|in all the military forces in this state area of 531,355 square miles,—a terri-| Were in action for a total period of tory almost equivalent to the present | 840 days, or more than two years. size of England, France, Italy and| Im Arkansas there were mobilized Germany combined,—responded and|@ machine-gun company and an anti- rushed their troops into the coal fields | air craft artillery battery against the to smash the strike. Pennsylvania,|railway workers for one day. _ Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Co-} In California, the entire national lorado, New Mexico and Utah were|guard was mobilized in July 1922 and the states itt which troops were em-/held in readiness for all emergencies ployed in the interests of. the coal|in conection with the railway strike. operators against the miners. . {In this military force there were re- In Pennsylvania sundry cavalry | presented a strength of 2119 infantry | divisions served to break the mine | ™men, 359 field artillery men, 200 ca | strike at various points for a period|valry men, 172 officers, and other of 280 days, A machine-gun squad-|military detachments totaling 3437 ron was in strike service 70 days. A |men. ao Kite motor-transport company saw strike; In Georgia infantry forces were action 35 days. Thus the Keystone marshalled against the workers for state miners faced highly armied mili- 30 days. : oo tary divisions on various seetions of The Idaho National Guard mobilized their strike front for a total period infantry companies for 7 Jays. . of 385 days, or about 13 months of| The Kansas National Guai...car-| service, shalled infantry forces against the Ohio, the late President’s own state, |tailroad workers for 753 days. Caval- vied with Pennsylvania in military|ry squadrons were lined up against strike breaking. Cavalry’ squadrons|the strikers for a total period of 515 were in action 47-days. Infantry di-|days at various points on the strike visions served on various strike sec-|front. The total period during which tors 109 days. Motor transport com- panies were in the strike zone to harass the miners for 49 days. An ambulance company saw service 21 days; a wagon company 4 days. The total period, in which the state mili- tary forces were on the firing line against the coal strikers, was 230 days. hi Indiana had on active duty in its coal fields various infantry divisions serving 65 days; a signal company 18 days, and a motor transport company 18 days. For 101 days these forces rendered strikebreaking duties. | Kentucky was. the banner strike- breaking state in many respects. Numerous machine-gun companies were rushed against the strikers and served 308 days. Field artillery corps the military forces of the state were! employed by thé railway corporations against the rail workingmen in this_ state was 1283 days. | In Missouri, companies of infantry men were thrown in against the strik- ers and served for a total period of 618 days. Batteries of anti-air craft artillery were in action 48 days in various parts of the state. Field artil- lery corps saw service 85 days. A howitzer company faced the strikers two days. A machine-gun company was in action 54 days. All together the various subdivisions of the Mis- souri National Guard saw strike- breaking service for 802 days. In New Hampshire, anti-air craft artillery forces were on strike duty for 39 days and a field artillery bat- tery for 57 days, or a total of 96 days. he North Carolina National Guard pitted infantry divisions against the railway strikers for 93 days; cavalry forces 26 days, and a battery of field artillery 5 days. Thus for a period of about three months, 124 days, the North Carolina military forces were fighting the strikers. In Oklahoma, a company of infan- try men and a’ howitzer division to- gether serves 34 days. against the shop craft strikers, In Texas, 146 days of strikebreak- ing service were rendered by the in- fantry men. A company of howitzer men saw 92 days of action. For 238 days these two subdivisions of the Texas National Guard were in action against the railway strikers. The Wyomi ational Guard des- patched a cavalry squadron to serve on the strikebre: front against Infantry companies were hurled against the coal diggers and remain- ed in service 151 days. Kentucky State troops saw action in this strike front for a total period of 572 days, or over a year and a half. In Illinois the class war was most bitter. Here the battle of Herrin was fought. Infantry divisions were at the strike front 265 days; cavalry re vera 73 days; anti-air craft’ ar- paticg 12 Says; fold artillery bettal. ies ys; artillery battal- ions 7 All in all the National Guard divisions of Illinois were used against the coal miners for practical- ly a year—364 days. Colorado, the home of Rockefeller industrial democracy and the scene of the Ludlow massacre was also very much on the strikebreaking map dur- pel kon wane ae = the workers for five days. | ton A tank company saw service The Great Struggle 28 days; a field artillery division] The gbove figures give only a most 1928, the National Guard organiza- faced the strikers 27 days; a howitzer|incomplete picture of the gigantic tions of twenty-seven states were company 13 days; the as-|struggles fougit by the workers in called upon to render emergency ter’s detachment was on this country. In our estimates of the duties and help the civil authorities ing duty 31 days. Cavalry divisions|armed forces used against the work- maintain law and order. If any one their anti-strike duties for 28|ingmen we have entirely omitted the still has any doubts left as to law and . For a period of 213 days, the| Federal army units the armed fox deg toe gg ag ip = med te «og wage detective pe Ae nde ne a ers ive f the workers in subjection class class. - By JAY LOVESTONE But # summary of the extent to which the National Guard alone was employed by the various State gov- ernments against the workers, con- viets, beyond the flimsiest shade of a reasonable doubt, the government of being a strikebreaking agency in the hands of the employing class. The National Guard today is one of the most powerful weapons in the hands of the capitalists in their war on the workers. In the coal strike, the National Guard served in various states at dif- ferent points in the strike zone, a total period of 2,294 days—or a peri- od of 6 years and 3 months. In the Railway Strike, the various sub-divisions of the National Guard was mobilized and in action against the workers for a period of 3461 days —or the equivalent of 9 years and about 6 months. In the Textile Strike, the various units of the National Guard fought the workingmen for a total period of 330 days or almost a year. During the Textile, Coal and Rail- way strikes of 1922 the National Guard forces were mobilized and in action against the workingmen in 21 states covering a total area of 1,586,- 598 square miles, The magnitude of this great front of the American class struggle compares with many a battle front in the last great war. The pre- sent combined areas of 19 European countries among which are included England, France, Germany, Spain, Poland, Czecho-Slovakia, Italy, the Scandinavian, the Baltic and the Bal- kan countries, is smaller than the area of the 21 states in which the National Guard was sent against striking workingmen. More that; the National Guard served at the different points in the strike zones of these States, a total period of 6,098 days or the equivalent of a period of warfare of over 16 and a half years. (The cost of this war on the work- ers in the United States and the cas; ualties suffered by the workers in this struggle will be dealt with in sub- sequent articles.) Good News! By SCOTT NEARING The most.appropriate greet- ing that I can send tothe read.” ers of “THE DAILY WORK- ER” is contained in this little table of figures showing the economic revival in Russia: Productionin Ver cent million gold of ny - Year roubles war 1919-20 511 14.6 1920-21 527 15.1 3921-22 754 21.3 1922-23 1,127 32.0 (“Russian Information and Review,” Dee. 1, 1923, p. 346) These figures indicate that within the past three years the industrial production of Russia has more than doubled, that each year has shown an im- provement, and that the im- provement of the last year has been the greatest of all. Here is another item: On No- vember 25, 1923, the chervo- netz (the new Russian curren- cy) was quoted in London at 21s 1d, which is the exact par value of ten pre-war roubles. This means that the Soviet au- thorities can make their con- tracts in England (and else- where) with a currency that is at par with the standard cur- rency of Europe. Unlike the countries of cen- tral Europe, Russia seems to be making economic headway. Workers and farmers can han- dle their own economic affairs when they turn their minds to the task. For Recognition of Soviet Ruszia! Russian Branch, Workers Party of Wilkesbarre, Pa.; sends its heartiest greetings to the most effective member‘ of the Party— THE DAILY WORKER. than . x