The Daily Worker Newspaper, January 16, 1924, Page 1

Daily or Week THE DAILY WORKER RAISES THE STANDARD’ FOR A WORKERS’ AND FARMERS’ GOVERNMENT VOL. I. No. 314. Subscription Rates: By Mail, $6.00 per year. Chicago: By Mail, $8.00; by Carrier $10.00 per year, THE DAILY WORKER. Entered as Second-class matter September 21, 1923, at the Post Office at Chicago, Illinois, under the Act of March 8, 1879. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1924 Published PUBLISHING CO., 1640 N. Halsted St., Chicago, Mlinois. The Labor Party Amalgamation Organization of Unorganized The Land for the Users The Industries for the Workers Protection of the Foreign-Born Workers! Farmers! Demand: | | | } | Recognition of Soviet Russia | Daily except Sunday by THE DAILY WORKER Price 3 Cents Battle for Life of French Franc in Paris as King Fa George V Talks of U. S. Ban as Rule of Tories Totters in Citadel of English Imperialism Labor Wins First Parliamentary Clash LONDON.—Labor was victorious in the first clash in the Commons when the new house, with labor represented by. 190 members occupying the front benches, symbolic of the official opposition, entered upon the business of forming com- mittees, Stanley Baldwin proposed James Hope for the chair- manship of the Ways and Means Committee. J. Ramsay MacDonald, leader of the Labor Party, was on his feet immediately. Declaring that the House had met “under exceptional circumstances,” he said he believed it would be “a profound pity” if the House voted on Baldwin’s motion. (Whereupon the Premier withdrew his proposal. (Special to “The Daily Worker”) LONDON.—The fateful session of Parliament, which may see ascension to power within a week of Great Britain’s first labor government, was opened in state today by King George, who delivered a speech from the throne at noon. As His Majesty’s address was read to the assembled houses, there were crowded at the bar of the House of Lords, whither the Commoners are summoned for such occasion, nearly 200 Labor M. P’s, who expect this time next week to be occupying front benches with Ramsay MacDonald as Prime Minister. Elbow to elbow with them were the more familiar figures of Parliament, former Prime Ministers Lloyd George and H. H. Asquith, leaders of the Liberal Party, and their followers, and Stanley Baldwin and Robert Horne and the conservatives whose day in power has just about run. There was a tendency to listen attentively to the King’s words; it is on approval of the speech that the vote of confidence in Baldwin’s govern- ment will be taken. Among the foreign affairs touched upon in the speech from the throne, King George declared: . “My ministers, together with the Dominion representatives, have been anxious to remove the difficulty regarding illicit ig portation of liquor into " or, << al pote bendig Feet tints - ae Se the United states and: iy. “Maus proposals for an agreement which is on the eve of conclusion. — This should further strengthen the happy ILLINOIS MINERS relations prevailing between the two PREPARING FOR countries and peoples.” + * & Wall Street Rallies, | _ NEW YORK.—Stocks developed a Bl NVEN | definite rallying tendency today jafter heaviness in the early dealings Preliminary Meet Held at St. Louis, Ill. (Special to The Daily Worker.) EAST ST. LOUIS, Ml.—Miners’ delegates from many sections of Illi- nois assembled at Carpenters Hall here, for the purpose of formulating plans for the National Convention of the United Mine Workers of Amer- ica, which convenes at Indianapolis. January 22nd. All indications point to the fact that this year’s gathering will be the most important conven- tion ever held. Those who attended the meeting, here, and some of them traveled far, had a definite understanding of the problems affecting the United Mine Workers of America. The issues raised by the Progressive Miners’ Committee were discussed and many of the delegates reported that resolu- tions dealing with the important sub- jects had met with the unanimous ap- proval of their respective loca) unions. As is customary in such gatherings, athe inevitable wag was present with a joke. One of the delegates an- nounced that his local passed a reso- lution calling upon the United Mine demonstrated that Monday’s reaction } was a technical recoil familiar in ris- ing markets no matter what pretext is used to bring them about. Restoration of a certain amount of stability to exchange rates on Paris was advanced as the reason for the recovery on the stock éxchange. Boost Daily Herald as British Labor \Climbs to Power “A million Readers for The Daily Herald,” is the slogan raised by British La- bor Party on the eve of tak- ing power. Much assistance has been given The Daily Herald since the last meet- ing of the Trades Union Congress, most. of it of a financial nature. The present campaign proposes an inten- sive canvass of the members of the British Labor movement with the ob- ject of making every duespaying member a reader of the official or- gan. Commenting on the need for an enormous circulation, The Daily Her- ald says: “The dangers of misrepresentation | multiply as we increase our strength. MELLON, THE MILLIONAIRES’ FRIEND He Is Secretary of U..S. Treasury for a Purpose. Din nig ee incomes ranging from half a than $1,000,000 a year. To thes, finan and indust Workers of America to increase the The nearer we get to the seat of size of the Mine Workers’ Journal. power, the more insistent and un- This astounding proposal almost scrupulous will our opponents be- threw the meeting into an uproar. come. Their most powerful weapon They evidently feared that, consider- is the press ‘and we can remedy ‘this ing the ability of Mr. Ellic Searles, to condition only if our supporters will make of the journal a dumping ground for all the pro-capitalist rub- bish he can pick up or purchase, if it were increased in size the opportun- ities for harm would be much greater. But as the delegate read the reso- lution, anger turned to laughter. “We object to the Journal,’ the resolution, “in its present size anc want it enlarged so that we can make better dummies out of it.” The chief use of the Miners’ Jour- nal has been for the making ot “dummies” and for the benefit ot those who do not understand the parlance of the mine I will say, that the name “Dummie” is used when re- ferring to the packing that is neces- a sary to prepare for a shot or blast,| Dawes styled himself a The “Journal” is very useful for | ation this kind of work. as a ere, buy our own paper. “Help us get the million circula- tion and we will supply, not one paper, but several.” Watch the “Daily Worker” for the first instalment of “A Week”, the ‘great epic of the Russian revolution, by the brilliant young Russian writer, lury Libedinsky. It will start soon. Dawes, American Fascist, Tells fr 1 kings! ‘Am I for the | Pukaters onthe Mellon Tax hitiome If Congress should adopt the Mellon tax scheme the Secretary of the Treasury himself would save about $2,000,000 by it. . There are 162 taxpayers who pay on small incomes of $300,000 to $500,000 totalling all told $31,859,630. There are 63 who have annual ion to a million dollars, amounting all to- gether to $25,112,090. Twenty-one persons pay taxes on incomes of more lellon plan? Of Course!” says President Coolidge, Chief Exetutive link between the White House and the Stock Excha: 246 taxpayers representing the most powerful bankers and manufacturers in the country and paying $88,391,446 in taxes the Mellon plan will mean an annual saving of $45,000,000. If the Mellon plan is adopted by Congress it will mean a saving of about $180,000 to each of these big capitalists. “Are we for the Mellon plan? YES!’—says the the nge. FALL GETS SICK IN FACE OF OIL LAND DEAL PROBE Declines to Discuss Sinclair’s Favors (Special to “The Daily Worker’) WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—Ex- Secretary of the Interior A. B. Fall said that the only reason he has not appeared before a senate com- mittee investigating the leasing by the department of the interior of public oil lands is that he is sick. Fall is registered at his hotel under ancther name. He declined to say where he got the money with which to buy a $33,000 ranch in New Mexico at a time when he was known to be in hard straits ‘financialJy. He also re- fused to comment on his “purchase” of live stock from Harry Sinclair, the oil magnate. It was brought out at the senate committee hear- ings that Fall bought from Sinclair a lot of breed stock for $1,200, and that the freight Sinclair paid amounted to $1.100. Mr, Fall recently made a trip to Soviet Russia in the interests of Sinclair, it is understood, Europe He’s ‘‘Plain Business Man’’ 8 1 to “The PARIS,—“Two financial situation American business General Owen D. Young—took the lead today in by a committee of international experts of statistics relating to the Daily Worker") men” —as G. examin- ie “ ‘ Japan. Many Are St. Louis, Mo., an Erie, Pa., Greet the Birth of ‘The Daily’ (Special to “The Daily Worker”) ST, LOUIS, Mo—“The meeting S here to celebrate the starting of The Daily Worker was an enthusia success” declares T, R. Sullivan, District Organizer of the Workers Party. “The first copy of The Daily Worker brought $45,” The proceeds of the meeting were divided with the Daily Freiheit, the Jewish Communist Daily, in order to unite forces with the Jewish Fed- eration of the Workers Party. * 6 * @ Enthusiasm at Erie, Pa. ERIE, Pa.—The first copy of The Daily Worker was sold here for $25. The local members of the Workers Party are out to builr up a big circulation for the daily publica- tion of the party, The Land for the Users! | New Earthquake in Killed and Injured PEKIN.—Six person were killed, 200 injured and 600 houses destroyed by an earthquake in Yokohama to- y, according to a wireless dispatch m Osaka, Four were killed and 20 injured in Tokio in shocks which ravaged the district devastated in September, the same report said, Osaka reports estimate a total of, 50 killed and between 200 and 300 injured in the quake zone. The Industries for the workers! GRABLE, DEPOSED FAKER, PROPOSED FOR LABOR BOARD ‘Senate Radicals Fight Board, Nominations. WASHINGTON.—A new progres- rates on farm products was begun in the Senate today. ‘ Senator La Follette, progressive leader, demanded in a resolution that the Interstate Commerce Commission be ordered to cut rates on all farm products to pre-war levels, The resolution was referred to the Interstate Commerce Committee of |his. building to equal each year’s | ments, the Senate of which Senator Smith, | democrat, is chairman. | The first tilt between progressives and the regulars in the committee, ame over nominations sent by President Coolidge for places on the Railroad Labor Board and the Inter- state Commerce Commission. Progressive want the board abol- lished and they resented the appoint- iments proposed by the administration jfor continuing its powers. But they permitted the Labor Board nomina- tions to slip thru the Senate Inter- state Commerce Committee. Favorable action was taken on | the nomination of E, F. Grable, Mich- |igan. who betrayed the Maintenance jof Way strike; Horace Baker, Ohio, and Edwin P, Morrow, Kentucky, to be members of the board. One of the first legislative steps of the new committee undoubtedly will be repeal of the Pullman Baggage and Transportation Surcharge rates. No less than six amendments have been put before the committee on this subject. More Proof of Prosperity. SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Jan. 15.— The Holland Banking Company, largest sta’ jouri out- side of Saint Louis and Kansas City, failed to open its doors to- day, following two runs last week. It had resources of $7,000,000, Discharge Men on Big Railroad; | dollars, anticipating the deluge. get | Lad an artificial effect in depreciating the franc before its time. ces Labor Government in London | French Currency Toboggans as Financiers Withdraw Support from the Poincare Government Up and Down, Goes French Franc PARIS.—The French franc reacted today in anticipation of desperate Government measures and gained a bit, being quoted at 22.42 to the dollar, compared with its close Monday at 22.76, Bankers, among whom alarm spread swiftly as the bourse saw near-panic scenes and there seemed no limit to the franc’s drop, expect that the depreciated exchange may continue to gain slowly, if the Government’s measures prove effective. If not, it is believed the slump will be resumed. (Special to “The Daily Worker”) PARIS.—All taxes in France are to be raised 20 per cent and the severest measures of economy in public services put into effect, as part of the cabinet’s program of financial adjust- ment to bolster up the franc. The program, which also includes adjournments of all such projects as pensions and bonuses, will be introduced in the Chamber of Deputies Thursday. The sensational fall of the franc marks the collapse of Premier Poincare’s efforts to dominate Europe and single- handedly crush the Germans. The pyramid of power in Paris is tottering. France is face to face with a bankrupt’s realities. Business Loses Confidence in Politicians. ~ The suddenness of the crisis is due to loss of confidence in the Poincare ministry by French business men and financiers. They are selling their domestic securities and are investing in Their mad scramble to get from under has Premier Poincare hoped to stave off the debacle until after the French elections next spring to safeguard his political future. The panic now under way, however, may get entirely out of hand and compel a ministerial change almost overnight. The signs jn Paris are the same as they were in Berlin at the beginning of the collapse of the mark. France has begun to arrest foreign speculators exchanges is threatened; market quotations are beginning to be withheld. All these activities are meant te create an impression that conspirators are at work artificially to drive the frane down. As a mater of fact, only one cause 59 “35 Sparye can depreciate any nation’s currency. NEEDLE WORKERS It is the same cause that destroys an individual’s credit. It consists of paying out more money than is being taken in. The French government is not paying its way. Taxation is not 5 ee een as Germany did; there are hurried meeungs or financial oinciais; closing of sufficient to meet expenses. The de- |fict for the coming year is estimated |at twelve billion franes. Yet, in the |face of this poverty-stricken sign, |France has just loaned 300,000,000 those countries to her as military al- jles. This is the Poincare policy of matching empty coffers wih prepara- tions for another war. | The Collapse Was Inevitable. Collapse has been inevitable from the first, for Premier Poincare is like a merchant who has added a story to deficit. By some temporary juggling, it is barely possible the French govern- ment may arrest for the moment the |franc’s fall. But whatever device to be taken can only have a tempo- rary effect. There is no permanent eure for France except to increase taxation and reduce the war indem- nity to a sum Germany can pay. The longer this is delayed the worse will be the eventual catastrophe. The best sign that it may not be long delayed is the desperate effort of French capital to get out of the country as German capital fled from Germany at the sign of the tottering mark. French financiers realize the inevitable is upon them and the poli- ticians must soon take notice. For in the background is M. Clemenceau, who predicted it as it is hannening. The French Chomber of Deputies gave Premier Poincare’s govern- ment a vote of confidence this after- | drastic goverrment measures to ar- rest the fall of the franc. Oil Refinery Blows Uv. PORT ARTHUR, Tex.—Complete checkup of casualties in the explosion of a battery of high pressure stills in |the Texas Company’s refinery plants here today showed eight persons were killed; three seriously injured and twenty-seven slightly hurt. Property loss was approxixmately $1,000,000. Plea for the Five-Day Week Fails (Special to the Daily Worker.) BLOOMINGTON, IIl.—One hund: and Alton shops were laid off today to cut operating expenses, The man ment refused an offer of the 1,500 men remaining to accept a five-day schedule in lieu of the lay-off. red and fifty employes of the Chicago |franes to Czecho-Slovakia and 400,-| # weary chorus of Wall Street sive effort to force down frewht |000000 francs to Poland to bind|Quit Work for Eleven noon, 388 to 189, on the question of | FOR AGREEMENT | Obstinate Bosses | (By The Federated Press.) | NEW YORK.—Garment workers | employed by eleven New York firms | have downed their needles and shears in strikes to enforce existing agree- Negotiations for a settle- ment have been opened but an un- derstanding has not yet been reached. ' Commenting upon this conflict, ‘The Advance,” official organ of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, states that most of the employers involved in this dispute “seem unable to learn from experi- ence that an agreement is effective for’ the entire period for which it is written and that the mere open- ing of a new season does not mean a new agreement, “The Joint Board is determined this time to make it unmistakable both to manufacturers and contrae- ters that the program for enforcing the agreement in the market and safeguarding the public thru the maintenance of union conditions in the shop is going to be carried out to the Fetter.” It is stated at union headquarters that the employers’ offensive is due to a desire to exploit the present ab- normal unemployment. An attempt to lower wages and working stand- ards at a moment when jobs are at a premium is believed by the em- ployers to stand an excellent chance of success. The Union differs with this assumption and is now truggling to defeat the employers’ campaign. | Rats Raid New York + |. NEW YORK—Rats described as “as big as cats” are terrorizing sec- tions of the Hast Side, Recently three persons in one house were at- tacked. A three months old baby narrowly escaped death when she was bitten on the wrist. Tenements are in an uproar because people cannot sleep for fear of being bitten. Watch the “Daily Worker” for the first installment of “A Week,” the great epic of the Russian revolution, by the brilliant young Russian writer, Iury Libedinsky, It will start soon. Question! What is Your Answer? See Page é