The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 2, 1924, Page 2

; ( THE DAILY WORKER CHICAGO CLOTHING Lewis Machine Fights Against Six INDUSTRY KEEPS ITS OWN JOBLESS Unemployment Preven- tion, Not Insurance Unemployment prevention and not unemployment insurance is set up by the recent agreement in the Chicago men’s clothing industry, according to John R, Commons, University of Wisconsin, in an address to the Chi- eago City Club forum. Commons 1s chairman of the board of trustees of the unemployment funds established jointly by the organized employers and the Amalgamated Clothing Workers, Commons emphasized the fact that there are as many unemployment re- serves as there are individual firms of employers. The only exception is the provision in the agreement for pooling the unemployment. funds in the case of a hundred or so small contractors in the industry. Each clothing concern sets up its unem- ployment reserve as a liability on its books exactly as it would set up a re- serve for dividends. There is no mingling of funds whatever as there would be in a mutual insurance scheme. This is the case also with the employes of each firm. Their contributions which are exactly equal to those of their employer, namely, 1%% of their wages, are merged into the house fund so that those employes who may have steady work in a certain house contribute toward benefits going to those who do not have steady work in that house, Unlike British Plan. This principle of unemployment Feserves instead of unemployment in- surance is the peculiarity of all Amer- fean plans as distinguished from European plans, Commons stated. Under the British compulsory system which now covers 12,000,000 work- ers the employers contribute to a common fund which is then dis- tributed to the unemployeyd in any part of the country with the result that the employer who furnishes steady employment is taxed for the benefits going to employes of firms which do not give steady employ- ment. viding for a shorter workday. organized miners of America. What care they for shorter hours? (Their hours of labor are not set by the constitution. Unemployment means noth- ing to them. While the coal- diggers toil in the mines and worry about the security of their means of livelihood, the officials are enjoying life and*making hay while, the sun shines, At the previous convention of the organization the delegates by an overwhelming vote instructed the scale committee to fight for the six hour day, but not one official whis- per has been heard about it since. This time the six hour day. will not even be used as a trading point. Tt is ditched in advance. The offi- cials want nothing but retention 6f the present wage scale and the con- current termination of all contracts in the bituminous fields, A referendum joker is inserted ‘whereby any agreement secured shall be submitted to the rank and file for ratification. If the steam roller methods of John L._ Lewis during this convention are ‘a cri- terion of his treatment of the ref- erendum it is only an insutt to the intelligence of the union members. The stage was set for the report of the scale committee after listen- ing to James J. (Babbit) Davis preaching co-operation between coal miners and operators at the morning session. Mr. Davis claimed that there were 244,000 men too many employed now in the coal industry. Not the shortening of the workday but the elimination of these men |from the industry was the solution | of Mr. Davis for the problem of ; unemployment and the chaos which | exists. And that is also Mr. Lewis’ solution. Where are these coal min- ers to go to? Have they no right Unemployment Penalizes Boss. In all the American plans where no one employer contributes to any other employer’s funds each em- ployer can keep his reserve intact by furnishing steady employment and need not contribute to any reserve at all if he has no unemployment. Hence, said Commons, the American Plans should properly be named un- employment prevention rather than unemployment insurance. This idea e ‘agreetrient in the provision that when a house fund reaches a certain amount the prem- fums cease both for the employe and - his employer. The idea, he asserted, is to furnish an inducement toward establishing employment rather than relief for unemployment, @o a living? One would not think so judging by the speeches made by the members of the scale commit- tee, who defended the report. Frank Farrington, the new found friend of John L. Lewis, when called on to report for the scale committee warned the delegates that the re- port would not satisfy those who held “extreme and impossible” views. ' After preparing the ground for dis- appointment he submitted the fol- lowing document: Report of Scale Committee, | To the Twenty-ninth Consecutive jand Sixth Biennial Convention of {the United Mine Workers of Amer- Scale Committee, to ica, Greetings: We, your whom has been delegated the duty THE MICHIGAN DEFENSE NEEDS $15,000 BY MARCH 1ST Send all contributions to the LABOR DEFENSE COUNCIL, 166 W. Washington Street, Chicago, IIl. NEW LENIN Lenin is dead, yet he lives in a picture of the loved leader PORTRAITS the minds of millions. Place of the worlds workers on the walls of your home. Reproduction of oil painting 11x14 inches, framed.......... of Lenin, by Chaffran, Watercolor photograph, framed, ready to hang, 11x14 inches Colored etching, on heavy lent portrait, 11x14 inches. “artistic card, an ex 1- aoigooees BUST OF LENIN By the famous sculptress Clare Sheridan, each Popular portrait post cards, each. Attractive celluloid portrait pins, each. Liberal Reductions Allowed on Lot Orders (Postage and express extra) f Place your order at once thru either of these distributors Jimmie Higgins Book Shop 127 University Place NEW YORK CITY NEW YORK CITY |ea ¥ would be unemployment and even an Hour Day More Vigorously Than the Trained Corporation Lawyers (Special Correspondence to the Daily Worker) TOMLINSON HALL, INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Jan. 31.—The official family of the United Mine Workers of America today threw the six-hour day to the winds and went to bat like loyal lieutenants of the coal operators to wage war against the efforts of the representatives of the rank and file on the floor of the convention to insert a clause in the proposed wage scale pro- The coal operators need not worry so long as John L. Lewis and the present officialdom control the destinies of the Fe ee A RRO ON ARN Sis of drafting a proposed. wage scale, herewith submit for your qonndeyat tion and acceptance the following Teport: wi We recommend to the conven- tion, ‘in lieu of all resolutions relat- ing to wages and working conditions that have been presented, that the Properly aceredited representatives of the organization be authorized and instructed to secure the best agreement obtainable from the op- erators in the Central Competitive Field on the basis of no reduction in wages and that any agreement So secured be submitted to a ref- erendum vote of the membership for ratification. 2. We recommend that the next wage scale cover a period of four years, beginning April 1, 1924 and ending March 31, 1928, Policy. 1. For the purpose of meeting in a practical and constructive way all unforseen emergencies which may arise a Policy Committee composed of the Scate Committee of the Cen- tral Competitive Field, three repre- sentatives from each outlying dis- trict, the members of the Interna- tional Executive Board and the In- ternational Officers, be authorized to take such action for the protec- tion of our best interests as cir- cumstances may require and to ad- vise the membership on unexpected developments which may arise and which cannot now be foreseen, The Committee recommends that the outlying districts be author- ized to enter into wage scale nego- tiations with their respective opera- tors when the opportunity presents itself, it being understood, however, that no outlying district will con- ccude an agreement until after an agreement for the Central Competi- tive Field has been secured, or per- mission to do so has been granted by the Policy Committee. 3. The Committee recommends that all contracts in the bituminous dis- tricts run concurrently and expire on the same date. Respectfully submitted: Frank Farrington, Chairman, District 12; John Hessler, Secretary, District 11; Rinaldo Cappellini, District 1; John Brophy, District 2; William Feeney, District 4; P. T. Wagan, District 5; Tee Hall, District 6; Thomas Ken- nedy, District 7; James Foster, Dis- trict 8; John J. Mates, District 9; Martin J. Flyzik, District 10; J. H. Morris, District 18; Wm. Bogartz, District 14; A. J. McGuire, District 15; Francis J. Drum, District 16; W. A. Sherman, District 18; Wm. Turnblazer, District 19; Geo. Har- grove, District 20; Andrew McGarry, District 21; Martin Cahill, District 22; Lonnie Jackson, District 23; George B. Toskey, District 24; Arch Helm, District 25; Joe Bosone, Dis- trict 27; Samuel Pascoe, District 30, Delegate Hindmarsh demanded the right te move an amendment includ- ing the six hour day but the chair denied him that right Hindmarsh then spoke in opposition to the com- mittee’s report. He declared that in England where nature did not shower so many favors on the coun- try as in America the miners in Northumberland _ thirty years ago won the seven hour day. The min- ers were interested in better condi- tions and shorter hours as well as more pay, One would imagine from the speeches made by the officials Send in Your News The Daily Worker urges all members of the party to send in the news of their various see- tions. Every Party Branch should appoint its own correspondent and make him responsible for the news that ought to be sent in to The Daily Worker. The Party Page should be the livest page in The Daily Worker. Help make it so. Address all mail to the Editor, The Daily Worker, 1640 N. Halsted St,, Chicago, IIL nn, the shorter workday was not a com- plete solution for it, but it was the best temporary solution short of the abolition of the capitalist mode of production and the substitution of workers control and ownership of the means of wealth production. The officials of the miners union have no sympathy for this kind of lan- guage. It means the emancipation of the working class from labor fakers as well as from the capital- ists and the labor fakers are well off under this system. Secretary Green, the wheel horse of the administration, wound up the ‘discussion as usual by playing on the emotions of the audience, appeal- ing for brotherly love and then threatening the opposition with pun- ishment if they did not stop that opposition. The vote was taken, the Green oratory had its effect, the re- port of the scale committee was carried, the six hour day was bur- ied and another day of the conven- tion of the United Mine Workers of America came to an end. . Greedy Sharks Fight Bill Cutting Employment Fee By MIRIAM ALLEN DE FORD. (By The Federated Press) SAN FRANCISCO.—At the last session of the state assembly the Fel- lom law was passed limiting the fees of privaté employment agencies to 10% of the first month’s pay. The agencies, which had fought the bill hard, have now attacked its consti- tutionality, and a test case is pending before the state supreme’ court. Meanwhile the employment sharks are making hay while the sun shines, A recent case of extortion was re- vealed by an ex-service man, Marion J. Noble, who secured from the Busi- ness Men’s Clearing House, a private agency, a job paying $125 a month. He had signed what he thought was a registration card, only to discover that it was a contract to pay from 80% to 35% of his first month’s salary, according to ‘promptness of nayment. Learning of the Fellom law, he paid the agency instead $12.50, or 10%, ty 'y is now bringing suit against him for the dif- ference, $31.25. Noble says he took his case to the state labor bureau, and was advised to pay the difference and take a chance on its being re- funded if the law is upheld by the supreme court. Unemployment {s rife in Califor- nia, and the employment agencies are reaping a harvest. The test case in question was decided against them in the lower court, and then appealed by them, A former law limiting agencies’ fees was declared invalid. Sidney Hillman, Sick in Chicago, Tells of Lockout} 3: Sidney Hillman, president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers: of America, is sick at the Morrison hote] here. Hillman came to Chi- cago to confer with local officers of the union on various organization matters and became sick Tuesday; since then he has heen confined to defending the report that the work-| bed. ers who produce the weaith of Amer- ica had no right to have a share in its bounty; that being the privilege of the capitalist class alone, Vice-president Murray boasted of the aggressiveness of the officials of the United Mine Workers andde, clared that Frank Hodges, secre’ of the British miners, in a speec! delivered in England since his re- turn from the A. F. of L. conven- tion urged the miners of that coun- try to follow the example of their brothers in the United States. Perhaps, but the record of Frank Hodges is little better than that of Mr. Murray himself, with the excep- tion that Frank Hodges knows some- thing of economics and sociology and is thus able to pose as a revolu- tionist, while Murray glories in his reaction. Jf Murray was seriously intent on securing better working conditions for the American miners he would point to the shorter work- day in England as a goal toward which the United States miners ‘would strive. Mr. Murray pleaded for a system whereby intermittent strikes would be eliminated, Would you discard the strike weapon, Mr. Murray? Of course you do not say so in so many words but the impli- cation is there. Why not abolish the class struggle, too? It would then be easy sailing for the Murrays and Lewises and Greens, but 0 these gentlemen have made their peace with the capitalists the rank| and file have not. The officials do not feel the pinch ag the coal dig- gers do, They are not the ones ‘who are exploited down in the bow- els of the earth and the exactions, of the capitalists in their drive for more and more profits will null and void any scheme of Lewis and his henchmen to have the labor lamb lie down in peace with the cap- italist lion. Delegate Freeman Sg mg out that so long as t economic present there ‘ Giant; E. J. Simmons, former Hillman told a reporter for the DAILY WORKER of the , lockout of 25,000 clothing workers. in New York City. The clothing manufac- turers have reduced the prices they aid to contractors for work, and The contractors in turn tried to shift the cut in prices to the work- ers. When the workers refused to take the cut, the contractors locked them out. Since Hillman came to Chicago, about 10,000 men were locked out by the coat contractors. “The lockout is both against the manufacturers and the workers,” Hillman said. “The workers have shown that they will not take a cut in wages and the contractors will be forced to either do the work for the new prices or deal with the manufacti “4 “Until the contractors decide to center their attention on the man- ufacturers, it is a waiting fight for the workers.” Call Ex-Giqnts and Wizards of Ku Klux Klan to Testify WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 1.— Luther Nickels and Scott Woodward, ;counsel for George Peddy, Republican feontestant of the seat of Senator Earle B. Mayfield of Texas, today asked the senate committee investi- gating Mayfield’s election to subpoena a number of present and former of- ficials of the Atlanta Palace of. the Ku Klux Klan to testify to alleged Klan contributions sent into Texas render to aid in Mayfield’s electio: Those for whom sul nacs were asked by Nickels and Woodward, fol- low: Y. Clarke, former Imperial izard; N. perial W' jong cribed as “Cashier N. Furney, ” at Atlan’ at the Daily Worker Presents the Facts in the Howat Case (Special te The Dally Worker) TOMLINSON HALL, INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Feb. 1.—The attempt of President John L. Lewis of the United Mine Workers to destroy Alexander Howat was ably seconded by Governor Allen, of Kansas, father of the Industrial Court Law, which was passed early in 1920, with the object of destroying the power of Unionism in Kansas. This Law gave to a so-called “Court,” appointed by the Governor, the authority to change and fix up the miners’ wage , asa a eins ok Aci agreements to suit itself. Offi- cers and members of a union engaging in a strike were made liable to fine and imprison- ment. An injunction was also issued prohibiting strikes. The Kansag miners fought the Industrial Court Law in the 1920 election campaign, and engaged attorneys to try to get it declared unconstitutional hy the courts. But shortly after the passage of the Law in pit Maal en of Dis- reference to this thee earn 4 rv came necessary to strike in violation of this law, as many strikes should be called as necessary to protect interests of the pa fg and tbe Convention pledged the full a port of the Kansas miners to thei: officials in case the latter should be prosecuted under the Industrial Court Law for carrying out this policy. Howat for Rank and File, After the passage of the Indus- trial Court Law, there were sev- eral. strikes of the miners but the Law was not invoked against them for nearly a year and a@ half, until May, 1921, ‘At that time, Howat had ordered a strike against a coal company which failed ta pay to one Carl Michmash, some $200 claimed by him on the-grounds that he had attained the age of nineteen ‘and was entitled to a man’s pay. The company disputed the young man’s Pac and i case has been in controversy prior to the pas: of the Industrial Court Ian ‘The case had already been settled ac- cording to contract procedure and young Michmash had won his case but the company would not .pay the money claiming it had new evidence to show that he was younger than he claimed. But the company failed to present this evidence and Howat fir-lly in May, 1921, called a strike wich soon resulted in the money being paid to Michmash. Allen now got busy with his In- dustrial Covrt Law and the anti- strike injunction issued as a part of the same policy. Howat was sen- tenced to jail and on Sept. 30, 1921, began to do his time, which totaled up to six- teen months before he was finally released in January, 1923. Vice- President Dorehy was a fellow pris- oner of Howat’s. Howat Kills Slave Law. The day that Howat went to jail, the Kansas miners went on strike for the purpose of proving that altho their leaders could be sent to jail, strikes could not be preventéd by legislation or injunction, After some four months, the strike on the advice of Howat, was dis- continued, its purpose having been accomplished, ot a single arrest under the Industrial Court Law after the jailing of Howat was made because of this strike and since the y of its inception the Industrial Court Law in Kansas has been a dead letter and all efforts to imi- tate it in other states have failed because of its total defeat at the hands of the Kansas miners. At the time that Governor Allen prosecuted Howat under his Indus- trial Court policy, the latter was involved in a controversy with President Lewis. On March 26, 1921, a dispute arose at the Dean strip mine, The pit was not loading any coal and the company wanted some dirt moved to make a track. They wanted the coal-loading shovels to do this work with four men. The men demanded that the laboring gang be given work also, claiming that the custom at the mine was to em- loy the laborers when the coal- Paling shovel was used on such a job. The company claimed that the custom at the mine allowed them to use the shovel for this work with- out the laborers being called out. According to the proceedings of the International Convention, How- at’s statement shows that the coal- loading shovel broke down while be- ing moved to the place where company wanted the work done. Howat also claimed that the big excavating shovel was laid idle shortly afterwards because of the company’s endeavor to violate the| The contract, and their action in sendi: the crew home when they reques' that the contract be lived up to, Company at Fault. Thruout the whole discussion of his case, Ifowat has consistently maintained that the mine was laid idle thru the fault of the company, which endeavored to introduce new customs at this mine, and which al- lowed this broken-down shovel to remain unrepaired for months at the same time it was endeavoring to fix responsibility tpon Howat for keeping the men_ idle, International Board Members Dal- rymple and Steele, sent by Lewis to investigate the complaint of the Op- erators’ Association that Howat called and was supporting a in violation of contract, not their official report adduce evidence to was a strike at the mine, called the situation a it nll @ shut-down; opinion to which BE on various counts| th Nevertheless, their report recom- mended that “district officers should order men to return to work at. once,” in order that the dispute might be taken up according to con- tract. The contract stated, ‘No strike or stoppage of work shall oc- cur at any strip mine until the ques- tion in dispute shall have been con- sidered and finally disposed of by the joint board of operators and miners,” Lewis Upholds Operators. The recommendation of Stecle and Dalrymple was in effect repeated by the Administration in the September 1921 International Convention, where the matter was discussed. In this discussion Howat endeavored to se- cure a definite statement from Lewis on a second important phase of this dispute. If the men were to be ordered to return to work, the question was, under what conditions? Howat asked Lewis, whether the recommendation should be under- stood to “mean that the Executive Board of District 14 is to advise the men to return to work under the new conditions laid down by the operators.” Lewis stated in reply, “The na- tional organization will oppose any new conditions being enforced upon them” (meaning the men.) Howat in the 1923 convention stated that in accord with these in- structions, he instructed, thru a board member, the men to return to work under the old conditions, and that the company refused to resume operations on these terms. Howat left the convention in order to re- port to jail for the commencement of his sentence, received because of the Michmash strike. Miners Strike for Rights. The day that Howat went to jail, the strike against the Industrial Court Law began, and twelve days later, Lewis revoked the charter of District 14, and. appointed provis- ional district officets to administer the affairs. His telegram revoking the charter said in part, “I am com- pelled to take official cognizance of the present extraordinary situation existing in District Fourteen. The laws of the United .Mine Workers are being fiagrantly disregarded and e ruling of an International Con- being deliberately fiaunt- Later, Lewis claimed that the was not in reality against the Industrial Court but in reality to support what Lewis claimed was defiance on the part of Howat of the instructions of the Convention to order that the men return to work. When the Kansas miners did not abandon their strike against the Industrial Court, the charters of most of the locals were later re- voked, and Howat and his fellow- officers were expelled for life, Dis- trict 14 was “reorganized” under the direction of International Or- ganizer Van Bitner. Some five thou- sand members of that district did not get back in time to vote in the 1922 District elections, where 8 were elected to take charge of the~District which received back its autonomy Jan. 1, 1923. After Howat’s final release from jail early in 1923, he went on a speaking trip in the Pittsburgh coal district, the anthracite region, and the mining sections of northern West Virginia and eastern Ohio. A proposed visit to Nova Scotia was stopped by action of the Canadian authorities who refused to allow Howat to enter Canada on the grounds that he was a dangerous agitator. Several meetings in va- ious sections were broken up either by the Lewis machine, or by the au- thorities or by both in conjunction, On the whole, however, the trip was highly successful, and thousands of miners heard Howat speak, receiving him with great interest and enthu- The progressive element in the Labor movement give Howat and his fellow-officers and the Kansas min- ers for killing the Kansas Industrial Court Law, and for pre- venting the introduction of similar laws in other states. Lewis’ attack the| on Howat while he was being ‘se- cuted Governor Allen of the in- famous Industrial Court Law fame is one of the blackest marks ever placed on the name of a labor organization, progressive element maintain that in the controversy with Lewis, Howat was right, and that there ‘was no excuse whatever for the ac- tion of Lewis under the circum- stances. Many Greetings to THE DAILY WORKER ’ from The Radical Inn The place where you can enjoy an interesting discussion while having a special Mrs. Smith's own cooked meal or drinking a Russian Tchei- tea with Mrs, ‘ick (pot Souti’s owe home made cake. Arrangements for services for par- organizations and private gat made at.any time. Mrs, Smith's Tea Room 1481 8. SAWYER AVENUE Phone Rockwell 0202, February 2, 1924 PO Rt AITS PHOTOGRAPHY 12” $5 BERTRAM DORIEN BASABE 1009 N. STATE ST. - PHONE. SUPERIOR 1961 OPEN ON SUNDAY 12 70 58M. 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