The Daily Worker Newspaper, March 13, 1924, Page 5

Thursday, March 13, 1924 THE DAILY WORKER ILLINOIS MINERS BITTER AT DELAY | OF CONVENTION hr Challenge Farrington’s Appointment Right Illinois miners are more bitter than ever against their officials as a result of the postponing of their district convention to the distant date of May 18,—the officials not announc- ing the postponement until a week before the date originally set for the convention. The outstanding reason for this unfair postponement, the rank and file- believes, is that Frank Farring- ton wants to have his organizers safely appointed first. These ap- pointments are usually made about April’ 1 and Farrington evidently is counting on the support of these ap- pointees. Farrington’s Days Numbered. If the convention had not been postponed, it is almost sure that the columns of the DAILY WORKER would have announced by this time that the appointive power in Illi- nois “is no more.” The miners in Illi- nois are determined to put an end to the most abused power in the hands of the officials in the miners’ union and intend to start in their own dis- trict. A Many contend that the Farrington machine was defeated in the last convention of the Illinois miners, but the announced result was to the ef- fect that the machine had won out by a few votes. € Shortly after that convention, Far- rington announced that he would have recommended abolition of the ap- pointive power in his report to the convention, had. the International convention of 1921 voted to do so, but that. he could not see the sense of allowing Lewis the appointive power, while he (Farrington) was depriv of it. He argued that Lewis would flood his district with an army of or- ganizers to spread venom and bring about his downfall. Now since the marriage of the twain, there should need be no fear of this and many who supported him in the last convention on that plea, will vote against him this time, The days of power for Farrington will end just as soon as his appointive power is taken away. Postpone Pittsburgh Meet. The Pittsburgh district convention (District 5) has been twice _ post- poned, and at this writing it is not known when the convention is to be held. The Progressives, however, say that it will avail them little to play groundhog, because the shadow of their crooked actions will be seen anyway and when the rank and file, by an avalanche of votes, put them back: into. the.hole,.they are going to stay there until entirely forgot- ten, and then some more, * Vote on Wage Pact. SPRINGFIELD, Ill., March 12,— Illinois miners are voting today in a wage scale referendum to decide whether or not to accept the wage agreement reached between their officers and operators in the bitumin- ous industry. The agreement calls for a continu- ance of the present scale for a per- iod of three years. Public Speakers in Cleveland. CLEVELAND, March 12.—The Young Workers League of Cleveland will conduct a class in public speak- ing, évery Wednesday evening at 8 p..m., commencing March 12, at 4309 Lorain Ave. This class will be under the direction of Max Lerner, district organizer, Workers Party, who has conducted classes of various kinds in New York, Seattle, and other ‘points and has, in the last couple of years, completed several extensive speaking tours. The aim of this class is to produce effective speakers for branch and union meetings and the public platform. Workers Party members and sympathizers are welcome. No tuition charge. Dempsey Dodges Wills Offer. NEW YORK, March 12.—Jack Dempsey’s manager, Jack Kearns, has declined a $500,000 offer from a syndicate for a battle with Harry Wills, Negro runner up for the cham- pionship, in Providence, R. L, July 4. Jaek can get the money more easily some other way Ring #4 fac- ing the heavy hitting ex-longshore- Labor Law Upheld. WASHINGTON, March 12,—Con- stitutionality of the New York labor law restricting hours of women res- taurant workers to 54 a week and within 6 a. m. and 10 p. m. was up- held by the New York supreme court in a decision sustaining convic- tion of Joseph Radice, a Buffalo res- taurant keeper, who allowed a wait- ress to work after 10 p. m, UNCLE WIGGIL ¥'S TRICKS— (NOTE—The DAILY WORKER today publishes the fourth install- ment of the great speech delivered by Gregory Zinoviev ;to the party conference of the Leningrad Dis- trict. Those of our readers who have read lurid reports of war be- tween Communist leaders should follow this discussion closely. It is true that Trotsky had a difference of opinion over questions of party organization with Zinoviey and others. But the enemies of the Soviet Republic may rest assured that a discussion on tactics will not give them the opening to rush in their war dogs and lap up the blood of the emancipated Russian work- ers. A further installment will be published tomorrow). * * * . ZINOVIEV CONTINUES: HERE is still another limitation put on the workers’ democracy, the fact that we inhibit the formation of groups and factions within the Party. We often hear the words: We demand freedom of discussion! when what is meant in reality is: We de- mand freedom to form factions! The liberty to form groups—has this anything to do with the prin- ciples of the workers’ democracy? Yes, certainly it has much to do with it. A pure workers’ democracy de- mands the freedom to form groups within the Party, for if it’is really | the case that “we are all equal,” if, we really possess “full” democracy, | then I naturally have the right to gather around me those who. think | as I do, and to weld them together, | etc. The freedom of faction existed at the time of the Second International. There were two dr three groups fight- ing within almost every social demo- eratic party. Lenin and Rosa Luxembourg were ony oné faction in the Second Inter- national, its left faction. And it Was the same, on an international scale, NEARING BESTS -PETRUNKEVITCH IN RUSS DEBATE Audience Votes 6 to 1 for Recognition NEW HAVEN, March 12.—By a vote of six to one, an audience whith thronged Music Hall, voted in favor of the recognition of Soviet Russia, by the United States, after listening to a debate between Scott Nearing, of New. York, and Alexander Pe- trunkeyitch, professor. of zoology at -¥ale,.whose-father was a leader of the old Duma. Nearing showed by means of a huge economic map suspended from the stage, how all the Kuropean countries. are dependent upon one an- other. He proved that the present economic chaos in Europe is largely due to the still existing boycott ot Soviet Russia by surrounding capital istic nations. The capitalists have realized their mistake, he declared, and now nineteen nations have given Soviet Russia recognition. Coolidge and Russia. ” “President Coolidge . said,” Near- ing stated, “that whenever there ap- pear works mete for repentance our country ought to be the first to go to the economic and moral rescue of Russia.” Coolidge declared that en- couraging evidence of Russia’s re- turn to the ancient ways of society can be detected. “These ancient ways suggest once more the exploitation of Russia by | the French coal operators, the Ger. man bankers, British and American | oil magnates and Nikolas Romanoff. It means that we are asked to look | at the world thru the eyes of Lodge and Root and be content, rather than | look at a world which holds, in the) fifty years to come, such immense changes for the better as mankind has never experienced.” “U. S. Free”—Ha! Ha! When Professor Petrunkevitch, who had declared that he was for the people of Russia but against its) it rulers, characterized the Inited States as the land of the free, the audience, which jammed the | largest hall in town, jeered repeat- ly. Nearing pointed out that the Frenchman whom, the French plati- num trust had sent into Russia to ferret out production secrets w: economic spy. Besides eight hundred workers who were present when Chairman Alfred Wagenknecht opened the meeting, over four hundred Yale students attended. The meeting was under the auspices of the Workers nied Six hundred and thirty-two vi for recognition of the Russian an for 25 years, “Not Parliament of Opinions.” During the period of the organic deyelopment of the Second Interna- tional such a state of affairs had become a regular rule, But when the Comintern began to organize itself, its first word was: What we now want is not a parliament of opinions, not an “answers to correspondence,” but a leading organ, a single Com- munist world organ, for we cannot conquer the bourgeoisie in any other way. But the creation of a single work- ers’ Party means that we have to re- nounce the liberty of factional struggle. In the Second International we saw, at the Stuttgart Congress, Rose Luxembourg and Lenin on the one side, Bernstein, Jaures, and others, on the other. This 1s impossible for the Third International, for we are now in the midst of a different epoch. In exceptional cases there is now and again a group struggle in the Third International, but this is al- ways an exception. We frequently prefer to cut away a considerable portion of the Party, as we did in Norway, in order to pre- | serve a really united and homogen- eous Communist Party, and not a “parliament of opinions.” And we do not act thus* because we are in love with centralism, but because the present historical situation requires that the political Party be cast in one single piece, or it cannot con- quer the bourgeoisie; without unity it is condemned to decay. Lenin’s Policy. Our Party is the soul of the gov- ernment. It is not necessary & go far to see this, Were we not in the same party as the Mensheviki for | years, standing against them as a faction? And now? Now we are two classes, two worlds, If we now approve of the formation of separate groups and factions within the Party and allow these to act as they please, Your Union Meeting Second Thursday, March 13, 1924 No. Name of Local and Place of Meeting. 5 Brick and Clay, A. 0. U. W. Hall, Delton, Il. 13 Carpenters, 113 8S. Ashland Blvd. 62 Carpenters, 6416 5. Halsted St. 3a1 Carpenters, 1440 Ei St. 434 Carpenters, South Chicago, 11937 Mich- igan Ave, 504 Carpenters, Ogden and Kedzie. Engineers, 9223 Ho Federal Labor Union, 2116 Robey. Firemen and Enginemen, Springfield and North Aves. . Harrison and Green Sts. ent Workers, 328 W. Van 115 16836 499 340 18 771 Gilpin Ave. Council, 1446 OW. St. . Dutt’s Hall, Chicago Heights. 59 E. Van Buren S&t., iployes, 810 W. Harrison St. , Railway Clerks, 55th and Blackstone, Railway Clerks, 3124 S. Halsted St. Railway Clerks, Harrison and Green, es Trainmen, 64th and University, uv m. 180 W. Washington St. ° (Note—Unless otherwise stated all meetings are at 8 p. m.) Negroes Resenting White Hoodlumism Against Dark Race To The DAILY WORKER:—The hicago Tribune is still yomiting ti-Negro propaganda. She stated in her “Danger” editorial. that there will be trouble if the impression grows that there are sections of Chi- cago in which it is unsafe for an isolated white to appear. However, there will also be trouble if the impression grows that there are section of Chicago in which it is unsafe for a Negro to appear with his light-skinned, fair-complexioned Negro wife, sister or sweetheart. A crowd of whites attacked a | Negro escorting his Negro wife near 63rd and Cottage Grove Ave. because the white ruffian censors mistook her for a white woman. A Negro Workers Party member was attacked near 47th and Langley avenue by whites because his sister, whom he was escorting, happened to be too fair to suit the white at- tackers, A Negro postal clerk, returning from the theatre with his pretty fair-complexioned Negro wife, was knocked down by two police depart- ment dicks who objected to what they believed to be a “damn nigger” with a white girl. The Chicago Tribune is always tao drunk on race prejudice to take no- tice of a Ne being attacked by whites, but she will have to learn that white hoodlumism and hooligan- ism as just as bad as the black.— Gordan W. Owens, Chicago, Ill. Flour For 33,000,000. MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., March 12. —Minneapolis sent out enough flour this would mean nothing more not less than developing the germ of a secondary government. The Party cannot permit this. The very slightest division of power means the decay of the proletarian dictatorship. That we have been able to withstand the enormous difficul- ties pressing down upon us from all sides is solely due to the fact that the Party has been homogeneous. It is frequently asserted that the Tenth Congress if to blame for all the misfortunes which have been en- countered by the Party. Why this assertion? It was precisely the Tenth Congress which recognized the freedom of giscussion and of consul- tations in the Party.. It was this same Tenth Congress which, how- ever, accepted the proposition made by Comrade Lenin on the prohibition of factions and groups. And it is this which has been displeasing ‘to many. The policy of the Tenth Congress is the policy of Comrade Lenin. It is, therefore, necessary to recognize clearly that an attack is being made against the foundations of Bolshevist policy, against the principles of Len- inism, against its fundamental bal- ance as drawn by the Tenth Congress- And thus the strictest dividing line must be drawn between a freedom of discussion and consultation per- mitted by the situation, and the lib- erty to form groups and factions, Crriticism—Not Factionalism, It need not be said that this is not to be so interpreted as if we were going to designate every criti- cism as faction-like. Not in the slightest. By doing this we should simply drive the comrades into fac- tions. Criticism is necessary, un- avoidable, and necessary. Those who whine for “Party discipline” at every breath of criticism, and want to train up a muzzled party, should be laugh- ed at and set aside. But factions are not permissible. I must now deal with a question WORKERS GOING BROKE: PLUTES GROWING RICH 1923 Is a Banner Year for Bankrupts By LELAND OLDS (Federated Press Industrial Editor) More wage earners and farmers were declared bankrupt by federal courts during the year ending June 30, 1923, than in any one of the pre- vious 11 years, according to the an- nual report of the attorney of the United Stutes: The numberof fail- ures among those who actually pro. duce the goods was probably greater during 1923 than in any year in the history of the country. Bankruptcies among all classes, including merchants, manufacturers, professional and others, also reached record breaking proportions during 1923. The total” number declared bankrupt by the courts amounted to 34,401 while the total liabilities amounted to $486,400,908. The year nearest approaching this in the amount of liabilities was 1917 with a total of $323,557,441. The official figures show that 10,261 wage earners and 5,945 farm- ers were adjudged bankrupt during 1923. In other words these two groups of producers furnished over 47 per cent of all the bankrupts ir, the federal court records, This rep- resents a very material increase as compared with pre-war years in the proportion coming from these two classes. During the five years 1912 to 1916 inclusive farmers and wage earners supplied less than 35 per cent of all the bankruptcies. " Read the List. The following table shows the num- ber of farmers and wage earners de- clared bankrupt and also the total number of bankrupts from, 1912 to the present: by Year ending Wage All June 30— Farmers earners classes 1912... +» 8387 4,647 15,615 1913 942 4,942 17,703 1914 1047 5,803 18,794 1915 +1,247 6,672 21,294 1916 -1,662 6,468 24,014 1917 -1,906 7,829 25,358 1918 . -1,633 8,259 23,530 1919 - -1,208 6,789 19,851 1920 999 5,647 15,622 1921 1,368 5,928 15,200 1922 -8,328 7,582 22,517 1923 + 6,945 10,261 34,401 The portion of wage earners in P the bankrupt column rose sharply from 27 per cent in 1916 to 34 per cent in 1918 undoubtedly reflecting the fact that wages were lagging far behind the rapidly mounting cost of living. There is another sharp rise marking the coming of indus- government, and only 94 against, the| in 1923 to feed 33,000,000 persons, | trial depression in 1921 when wage rest of the audience not voting. Chamber of Commerce figures shows. carners } represented 39 per cent ot A LAUGH FOR THE CHILDREN Zinoviev’s Speech to Leningrad Communists|STEEL CITY LA which has given rise to some dis- agreement amongst us: the cultural education of the non-partisan and Party workers. Before entering into this in detail, I should like to first treat of two articles written by Com- made Sarkis, in one of which he is right and in the other equally wrong. In the question of the workers’ democracy, the second artigle is right and the first wrong. Comrade Sar- kis, whom we know and appreciate as one of our best functionaries, working in one of the most import- ant proletarian centers, has put the question wrongly. The general trend of the article is to the effect that no improvements whatever are required in the Party or- ganization. It is scarcely necessary to say that this is not the case, for improvements are very necessary. We are behind- hand in many respects with regard to the workers’ democracy. Under the new conditions we must go over to the system of electing the organizations and nuclei from below. The elections to the gouvernement and district leading organizations must be carried out more publicly. Room For Improvement. In Petrograd, too, there is room for improvement in the Party organi_ zation, With reference to the question of cultural education, I am in agree- ment with Comrade Sarkis, I have stated that our collectives in the provinces are invariably ahead of the non-partisan masses, if only for the reason that they constitute a part of the whole Party, and this works on organized lines, possesses a pro- gram, tactics, a tradition, a history, but that we sometimes observe, in the sphere of culture, in intercourse with one another, and in economic maters, that a part of our Party functionaries are in certam respects, behind many of the non-partisans. (To Be Continued Friday) (ee ae eee ee ae ome ee ne Sa as BUSY TONIGHT? Volunteer workers are needed at the office of THE DAILY WORKER Phone: Lincoln 7680 and say you'll be up tonight to help THE DAILY WORKER i 1640 N. Halsted St. reece cane nena eae ————————————— oo all bankrupts recorded by the, fed. eral courts, Then as business picked up in 1922 and 1923 the number of bankruptcies among wage fell back to 80 per cent of the total for all classes. Farmers Have Relapse. In the case of farmers the turn for the worse did not come until 1921 when the deflation of farmers agriculture was far peiow that of pre-war days. 1921 the percentage of farmer bank- rupts to the total rose from 6% per cent to 9 per cent, then in 1922 to 14 per cent and in 1923 to 17 per cent. The extent to which farmers and wage earners have been harder hit than the business classes by the war and its aftermath is revealed in the following figures which show the of bankruptcies among the various classes since 1912; farmers and wage earners, 195 per cent; merchants, 103 per cent; bankers and manufac. turers, 57 per cent, and profession- als, 17 per cent. It is a startling fact that seven times as many farmer bankrupts were reported by the attorney general for 1923 as for 1912. Open Shop Threat Made by Operators in Kentucky Field iino!! (By The Federated Press) Wage reductions threaten coal min- ers in western Kentucky, according to information published for the benefit of the trade in the coal and coke sec- tion of the Chicago Journal of Com- merce. The suggested action by operators in that region would add umn, will be made by, non-union forces to ‘extend into what have been union districts, the statement reads as follows: “Western Kentucky operators are seriously considering adjusting the miners’ wage scale in the Muhlenburg union district to the 1917 level. . ., When the contract expires April 1, it is expected the producers will not sign a new pact with the United Mine Workers, The field produces approximately 250,000 tons a month, “One or two operators in the HMop- kins County union district adjoining Mublenburg, where the contract with the miners does not terminate until April 1, 1925, are understood to be restless and are making attempts to operate Wo shop. One company, it was dei , is planning to bring the wage down 40 per cent, which is approximately twice as low as the 1917 scale, The field mines about the same amount of coal a month as the Muhlenburg district.” eichstag May Dissolve, BERLIN, March 12.—Chancellor Marx says he may dissolve the Reichstag Thursda: sure from socialist and nationalist forces against the special yall power emergency act. IMPEACH COOLIDGE! earners | by the banking interests was in full | swing and the purchasing power of | Between 1920 and} percentage increase in the number | mines producing nearly half a million ; tons a month to the non-union col- | Referring to .attempts which | because of pres- |} STRIKES BLOW AT PEONAGE LAWS Congressman Speaking at Mass Meeting (Snecial to The Daily Worker) PITTSBURGH, Pa., March 12.—-A crowd of over one hundred delegates and observers from almost as many branches and lodges of well known national organizations filled the Verdi Theatre in Pittsburgh and or- ganized the Western Pennsylvania Council for the Protection of Foreign Born, Among: the organizations we notice: ' National Croatian Society, Slovenian National Beneficial Society, Lithuan- jan Alliance of America, Lithuanian Workers’ _Literature Association, Sons of Lithuania, Lithuanian Wom- en’s Progressive Association, Order | of Owls, Serbian Benevolent Lodge | of U. S. S. S., National Slovak So- | ciety, Italian-American Society, Of. | fice Workers’ Union, United Mine Workers of America, Journeymen Tailors’ Union, International Asso- ciation of Machinists, Amalgamated Clothing Workers, Workmen’s Circle, Young Workers League, Workers Party, Workmen’s Sick and Death Benefit Fund, Slovak Workers’ Social-| ist Federation, Labor Defense and | Free Speech Council, Russian Tech- | nical Aid Society, Officers Chosen. 1 The following officers were elected: | Chairman, A. Horvat; Vice-Chairman, Edward A. Hawkens; Corresponding Secretary, O. Yeager; Secretary- | Treasurer, A. Rostrom, 237 Shaler | St., Mt. Washington, 'Sta., Pitts. | burgh, Pa. The spirit at the conference was fine and many delegates expressed their interest and enthusiasm for the movement. Short addresses were | made by three speakers, dealing with the subject from different angles. |A resolution against the “immigra- |tion” bills discriminating against | foreign born workers was adopted. A collection of $51.90 was taken | and contribution lists were distrib- } | in this district to finance this move- ;ment and defeat these bills, | La Guardia to Speak. | The local campaign will be launch- jed with a mass protest meeting next | Sunday, at the Labor Temple, at 2} \p. m., with Representative La | | Guardia as the main speaker and sev- feral prominent local men, such as Attorney Anthony Lucas. This meeting is expected to give the ;movement an excellent start. | The great interest in and need of | “council like this was also mani- fested by the numerous observers from organizations that had not had time to elect regular delegates. These expressed sympathy with the cause and will give favorable reports to their organizations. 3 Anthracite Miners Perish in Explosion Near Wilkesbarre | (Special to The Daily Worker) | WILKESBARRE, Pa., March 12— |The bodies of three men killed by an explosion of gas in a rock tunnel of | Number 12 slope at the Truesdale colliery of the Glen Alden Coal com- pany, near here, were removed early today after rescue squads had worked several hours to reach them. The dead are: | Alex McCuish, 31, a former captain also a veteran of the British forces and an unidentified Norwegian la- borer. The explosion occurred about 9 o’clock last night while the men were driving a rock tunnel and it is be- lieved a spark from the drill set off a pocket of gas. ‘I Syndicalist Charges Dismissed, SANTA ANA, Calif., March 12.— The criminal syndicalism charge against Ralph Colescott, Denny Crow- ley, and V. J. Thompson kas been dismissed, and the men discharged, after three postponements of their trial. The men were arrested over a year ago, and have been out on Get unity thru the Labor Party RINE UR pom Granulated, use Murine often. (NRT CORRES TORRE juted. The delegates decided to start | a vigorous campaign to raise $25,000 | in the famous “Cameron Highland-| ers” during the war; Alex Stuart, 43, bond. | V. BERNAU and INSURANCE 2034 N. HALSTED STREET Notary Public Pa Squat German GC, Chicago’s Gold \ Bootlegging Gh, The “Gray Wolf,” bootleg | ghost of Chicago’s gold coast, is |der arrest today after a three y | battle of wits with police and fe | eral agents. | The mysterious figure in the grey |speedster proved to be a squat, littl German chemist, Otto Von Bachelle He had fooled half of the millionalx colony with liquor which he mant factured himself in his laboratery jand which was supposed to the “the real thing.” CHICAGO YOUNG LEAGUE MEETIN WORKERS 13 TODAY Maplewood English Branen at 2733 Hirsch Blvd, 8 p. m, “e @ Englewood English Franch at 6357 So. Ashland Blvd, 8 p. m. Every new DAILY WORKER reader means a new recruit in the ranks of militant labor. The Land for the Users! OPEN FORUM 208 East 12th St. NEW YORK Workers Party, Down-Town English Branch MARCH 16TH 8:30 P. M. Sharp Speaker: BEN GITLOW Workers Party and Class Labor Party Admission Free RUBBER STAMPS AND SEALS IN ENGLISH AND IN ALL FOREIGN LANGUAGES INK. PADS, DATERS, RUBBER TYPE.Erec, NOBLER STAMP & SEAL CO. 73 W. VanBurenSt, Phone Wabash 6680 CHICAGO MAIL ORDERS PROMPTLY ‘ATTENDED TO—— 'E. W. REIGK LUNCH ROOMS Seven Places 62 W.VanBuren | 42 W. Harrison 169 N. Clark | 118 S. Clark 166 W. Washington | 167 N. State 284 S. Halsted PHONES, HARRISON 8616-7 Specialties: E. W. Rieck Boston Baked Beans and Brown Bread Fine Soups and Fresh Made Coffee Commissary and Bakery: | 1612 Fulton St. Phone West 254! If You Are Particular and Want a Fresh JUST LIKE HOME MEAL EAT AT LERNER’S PRIVATE RESTAURANT 2709 W. DIVISION ST. (2nd floor) Telephone Diversey 5129 ED. 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