The Daily Worker Newspaper, April 11, 1924, Page 3

& shift 7 hours), instead of the 6-hour Lj é Friday, April 11, 1924 N.Y, TYPOS YIELD [Democracy or Despotism---A ' TQ LEADERS AND { ACCEPT $3 OFFER 2,700 Affected; Raise Is. Retroactive to Jan. 1 (By The Federated Press) NEW YORK, April 10.—Accept- ing the employers’ compromise offer New York newspaper compositors | have instructed their officials, Typo- graphical Union No, 6, to sign an agreement extending to July 1, 1926. The union gave up its de- mand for reduction. of*hours and re- duced its wage demand. The vote favoring the new contract, which was negotiated by Local President Leon H. Rouse and International President Charles P. Howard, was 816 to 262. Minority opposition was based chiefly on the retention of the present 7 1-2 hour day (third day demanded, Back Pay to January 1. Three dollars a week increase, retroactive to Jan, 1, is grained un- der the agreement. The increase is raised to $4 from July 1, 1924, to Jan, 1, 1925, and to $5 from Jan. 1, 1925, to July 1, 1926. The old scale was $55 for day workers, $58 for night workers, and $61 for third shift, _The union had reduced its original demand for a $72 weekly minimum to a flat $5 increase, Twenty-seven hundred men. are offected. At.a recent rank and file meeting the officers were authorized to appeal to the international union for permission to take a strike vote. Because negotiations were continu- ing this formal action was not car- ried out. Overtime at time and a half rates, formerly paid on a 48- hour week pasis, will now be paid on a 45-hour week basis, War as Hell Exposed By ‘Private Peat’ in Cleveland Speech (By The Federated Press) CLEVELAND, April 10.—“Pri- vate Peat” revealed was as it is to a large group of Cleveland business men, containing a number of dis- | tinguished war profiteers” The Canadian declared: “Our newspa- pers and even our school books are saturated with praise for military _ glory, and are largely silent as to ‘the cost and criminality of it. We who served know war has four ele- ments: tears, filth, wooden crosses, and a degenerating influence,” de- ;elared the soldier author. “The pupils today are learning that if ts glorious, chivalrous and honorable.” Hard Winter In St. Louis. ST. LOUIS, April 10.—The St. THE DAILY WORKE R Few Reflections Upon the New York Newspaper Scale (Special to The NEW YORK CITY, April ¢ jaily Worker) 10.—For brazen despotism the manner in which the newspaper scale was imposed upon the membership of “Big Six’ stands without a parallel in all the annals of trade union history, unless we dig up the odoriferous record of Mr. Geonge L. Berry. As between the autocracy of Berry and that of those re- sponsible for the present scale there is nothing to choose. The one difference is that Berry openly flaunts his dictatorship over the Pressmen, while Leon H. Rouse, and Charles P. Howard, acting | president of the International Typographical Union, try to concéal their despotic acts be- neath sweet-sounding demo- cratic phrases. - The latte method is by far the more con- temptible. The history of the negotiations leading up to the present scale falls into three divisions. There were three distinct stages in the proceed- ings, to-wit: First Act of Betrayal First: The rousing méeting in December when the scale committee presented the proposition of a six- hour day with a wage of $60 and $66 for day and night work respec- tively, to be in effect a trifile more than one year, or to be exact from Jan. 1 1924 and Feb, 28, 1925. This was amended to demand $66 day work and $72 night work on the six-hour day basis, and left for the committee to present the scale to the publishers and endeavor its achievement, . Second: The meeting of March 28, when the scale committee re- ported that the employers had re- fused to offer more than a three dollar raise and that the question of hours would not be considered by the publsihers. At this meeting both Mr Howard and Mr. Rouse re- ported that they could’ not recom- mend the publishers’ proposition to the union, the scale comm‘ttee con- curring in the report. Mr. Howard in -particular emphasized the dec- laration' that he did not want to e°nceal anything from the member- shipj—that everyting was to be open and above béard. Then, lo and behold, the membership was presented with a ballot with three clauses to be voted upon. (a) Ac- ceptance of the publishers offer. (b) Arbitration. (c) a $5 increase and if rejected to ask for strike sanction, Nothing was said about when and where and under what conditions the December proposition of the membership was abandoned; not a word about throwing overboard the demand for hours and the re- duction of the demands to a paltry $5. Many suspected that when Mr. Howard protested that there was nothing to conceal, that vital facts were being concealed from the membership; like Shakespeare’s fe- male of easy virtue, he protested too much. municipal lodging house,has| Some “Prog,” He Is! ‘closed for the season. More than| Third: The meeting of April 6, 300,000 homeless and destitute were|called for the alleged purpose of :housed from Noy. 1 to April 1, as|considering “proposals as to wages ,compared with 46,000 during the| and hours upon which strike sanc- ‘same period last season. When the|shall be requested.” (official call). institution opens next fall the giving|The membership, bewildered and to of free meals will be abandoned. It|a large extent infuriated at the is claimed that the free meals habit| brazen abandonnient of the original has too widely advertised the “hotel.” Syrands | hee Cee so Vee BE ee tee ee pr gC Oe ana BS fe on H, Rouse and his scale NEW YORK READERS committee were afraid to ask strike sanction of the Executive Council in spite of the fact that the $5 pro- position of March 23, carried by a vote of eleven to one. Further- more it was felt that the member- ship would not vote for a strike on a difference so small ag two dollars. Many felt at the March 23 meeting that the publishers really intended paying $5, but that the president and scale committee of Rig Six were afraid « plain proposition of that type would be defeated, so they wetended they were aaeg a ferocious conflict with the publish- ers and owners. Subsequent events have served to lend weight to this interpretation. Hog-Tying the Union. The call for the April 6 meeting was set forth plainly as being for the purpose of formulating strike demands -from the International Executive Council. But again the “joker” was inserted so that they had no chance to present their own demands. This “joker” was re- vealed when Mr. Rouse xnnounced that since the call for the spceial meeting there had been another of- fer from the publishers, that he would advise the membership to ac- cept. J At this juncture another heavy jolt was in store for the member- ship. Instead of forcing the pub- lishers from their offer of three dol- lars, the three dollars was actepted, with the provision that there would be a dollar raise the 1st of July and another the 1st of next January— making a total of a five dollar in- crease after the scale has heen in effect one year, intead of immedi- ately or as of January 1, 1924, even taking for granted that the deceptive vote of March 23, was the will of the membership mwkich it certainty was not. But this yielding to the, enemy was climaxed by the most vile, im- pudent and brazen piece of chi- canery that was exer imrosed upon DELIGHTFUL PROGRAM jf ,,"the. clause hog-tving the meme EMINENT ARTISTS bership to the publishers, for a pe- Program includes:—Robert Imandt,|riod of two and a half years. violinist, whose recent recital at Aeo-|_ This from a “progressive” local lian Hall created a stir in musical | President and a “progressive” In- circles and won the plaudits of the ational President, seeking re- critics, Chaim Kotylansky, famous because of his progressive- irk Fite etn an, Ot tear Se a % y folk dicts ge organization has consistent:y been “ADMISSION - ~~ - 50 Cents! tion buth, Moward and ‘Rette’ have High Class CONCERT Sunday, April 13 At 3 P.M. ROBERT IMANDT, Violinist At the 3rd Annual International (APRIL 10 THRU 13) At CENTRAL OPERA HOUSE 67th St. and 3rd Ave. Howard ge ka 4 president of “Big Six,” NEW YORK PRINTERS GET THE NEWS FROM THE DAILY WORKER News of the wage negotiations in the newspaper printing indus- try in New York City was carried to the workers first in the DAILY WORKER. In one newspaper com- posing room, especially, that of Pulitzer’s New York World, copies of the DAILY WORKER, carrying the news of the negotiations, were posted on the worke board, with other trade union mat- ter. The same was probably true in other offices. The newspaper printers know where to get the truth about their fight with the big publishers. { | } proved themselves renegades to the principles they have at various times professed to uphold. Despotism Rampant. At this meeting gag rule was en- forced to the limit. With the ex- ception of a few members’ who voiced objections to the actions of the officials, effective speakers for the opposition were denied the floor. Rouse in one case refusing to rec- ognize a member on the pretext that the “older” members should ~ be heard from. It is needless to note that had the member been on Rouse’s side he would have easily got the floor. It was clear in this case that the ramshackle steam roller feared a wreck and dared not attempt to meet the argument of the member who was refused the floor. Several members were clamoring for the floor when Rouse gave the gavel to Howard and turned the meeting into a minstrel show with the President of Big Six and the Acting President of the I. T. U. in- dulging in a mutual admiration per- formance—Rouse_ eulogizing How- ard and Howard later returning the compliment. Fear Rank and File. While engaged in this delectable performance they ‘both tried to im- press upon the membership the no- tion that a great victory had been won... .To achieve their aim -they both became third rate sophists. Sophistry consists in parading one plausible argument to the ex- clusion of all others. In this case the arguments of Rouse were not even plausible, but downright silly. The burden of his apelogy for leav- ing the membership in the lurch thru juggling the scale of wages and hours and imposing gag rule upon them in the form of prepared motions was to the effect that since this is “presidential election year” ‘we were lucky to get anything and that as the result of the Washington scandals in government times were bound to get worse. Such infan- tile twaddle would disgrace a high school boy, but it was put forth fy Rouse with all the vehemence of un- disputable fact. The two and a half year contract was praised as an act of statesmansmp. The very argument of Rouse to the effect that we were approaching hard times is an argument in favor of shorter hours, but he dared not draw the logical inferences from these arguments. In face of a crisis, hours of labor should be shortened in order to take care of the uhemployed. A mere ama- iteur in the realm of polities and economics, this clown at the head of Big Six, dared not invite eritic- ism of his betrayal of the trust placed in him by the membership. What's Their Idea. The one reason why Icng-term contracts are frowned upon by in- telligent members is because the cost of living constantly tiuctuates, Since the war no one can anticipate the movement of prices from one year to the next, say nothing of a period of two and half years—a quarter of a decade. Simultaneous with the rise of the cost of living all world currency is depreciating rapidly; sometimes a steady decline for a period of time, then a spas- modi¢ downward plunge, with oc- casionally a slight recovery here and there. But the general trend is downward. Who knows but that our dollar will keep decining as it UNITED WORKERS SUNDAY SCHOOLS OF CHICAGO Every Sunday Morning From 10 to 12 GABOR’S HALL, 634 Willow St. FEINEN HALL, 3838 W. Grand Ave. IL ye G. T, HALL, 1041 Newport ve NATIONAL INSTITUTE, 8322 Doi Blvi and Rouse have | WORKERS’ LYCEUM, 2733 Hirsch Blvd, 4021 N, DRAKE AVE, SOCIAL TURNER HALL, Bel- mont Ave. and Paulina St. has and is declining right now? Any upheaval in the world of econ- omies or finances, which is today always ‘imminent, will ecend the American dollar to the bottom of the pit. Where then will be our great victory? And the scale is made to expire in the middle of the summer of 1926 —the slackest season of the whole year which gives the publishers assurance that the union will be at a disadvantage when _ this scale . expires. If the publishers themselves had written the scale and appointed their own scale com- mittee they could not have done bet- ter for themselves in this respect. In face of this damning fact, Act- ing . President Howard boasted to the membership that at the end of next December they wou'd have the best scale in the jurisdiction of the I..T. U. He conveniently neglected to inform the membership that right mow Chicago has a_ better scale and that the cost of living is far lower in Chicago than here. The Chicago” night scale is two dollars more than ours, but a year hence we will catch up with Chicago. However, Chicago is nothing to boast about as their scale was pur- chased at a horrible price—by sac- rificing the right of appeal from dis- charge, pacing the right of ap- peal in the hands of a joint com- mittee of members of the union and publishers instead of in the hands of the union. Chicago is al- so tied for two years. The result of the meeting was that 816 voted to accept the pub- lishers offer, while 262 . voted against. This is only a total vote of 1078 out of an attendance of at least 2500, so over half of those present at the meeting expressed their contempt of the imposition upon them by refusing to vote. Unable to stand criticism of their perfidy to the membership those responible for the scale ly pro- claimed there was no perfidy in- volved. Unable to excuse their bureaucratic stifling of the voices of the membership they hypocritically pirated about democracy. Refusing to permit the membership to hear the argument against their pro- posals they solemnly assured the members they could exercise their democratic rights by voting for sométhing they had heard but one side of: Professing ~ democracy, they stifle free speech, the very cornerstone of democracy. Demand a New Deal. This is tyranny! And tyranny cannot go unchallenged. Therefore smash this steam roller, already creaking in every joint and mis- taking its weird rattle for power. Deal a new deal! Instead of per- mitting Rouse to hand-pick his Ex- ecutive Committee, elect them from the membershin and make them re- sponsible to the membership, This is another progressive meas- ure that has always been advocated by the Progs at I. T. U. convent- tions. At every I. T. U. conven- tion of late years the Progs have fought agairst appointments of im- portant committees If that is good for the Convention, which lasts one week, it is a hundred times more important for our local union, where the Executive Committee -constant- ly and permanently functions, Down with this shamvless sup- pression of the will of the member- ship! Place the control of the affairs of the organization in the hands of the respresentatives of the membership! The issue is plain—democracy or d@spotism! Sue for Right to Fight Fascism in Pennsylvania Town NEW YORK, April 10.—Chief ‘| Burgess Walter Kozlowski, Mt. Car- mel, Pa., is threateried with court action in a letter sent by the Amer- jean Civil Liberties Union here an- nouncing that the union will hold a test meeting for free speech in his town. Kozlowski co-operated with Mussolini adherents in Mt. Carmel to prevent an anti-fascisti meeting, March 26. Governor Gifford Pinchot is also receiving a protest from the union. The mayor of Wilkes-Barre re cently interfered with a meeting of citizens to praise one foreign pre- mier (Lenin), the union points out, and now another Pennsylvania mayor stops a meeting to criticize another foreign premier, Mussolini. Both meetings were within the cun- stitutional rights of the citizens. Suit for false arrest against the San Francisco police devartment has been filed in federal court by the California attorney of the Civil Liberties Unions The suit is part of the union’s campaign to stop the lawless persecution of radicals, and is on behalf of George Quinlivan, secretary, Marine Transport Work- ers’ Union. Lawless raids against the Transport Workes have been carried out by the San Francisco police at the instigat‘on of the Shipowners’ Association, it is charged. Endorse St. Paul Convention and LaFollette, Too (By ‘The Federated Press) ST, LOUIS, Mo., April 10.—A resolution indorsing the presidential candidacy of Robert M. LaFollette was passed unanimously at a meet-} ,ing of the Missouri National Pro ‘About 400 per- sons attended. It was voted to send delegates to the national con- ivention in St. Paul, June 17, The board of directors is instracted to call a state convention for a state ticket. Sheridan Carlisle, former.y with the Fa Labor party in ‘Missouri, is chairman of tae league. CHARITY DENIES. AID TO STARVING DENVER FAMILY Tell Him to “Come Back Monday” To The DAILY WORKER:—In a recent issue of the DAILY WORK- ER, your article, “Charitfes Head Lauds Workers’ Housing Probe.” I wish I could think they were sin- cere, but I don’t. Here in Denver it would mean that the Associated Charities were using workers’ probes into housing conditions for Com- munity Chest propaganda to get afford fat positions for a few favor- ites among their own clique. Work Monday—Starve Saturday I notice they are “careful how they spend their money on the in- dividual.” Here is, an example. About seven blocks from where I live a Mexican with wife and little girl moved into a house, paid a month’s rent and had food supply to last one day. He had not a penny until he could get some work. The lady next door is a widow depending for her living on whatever work she can get now and then. for work the two women got ac- quainted, and the widow learned of their desperate need. She advised the woman to go with her to the county and apply for aid until her husband could get work, and she herself went with her. ‘The lady in charge of the City and County of Denver office said: “Come back Monday”—this was Saturday—“and | V'll see if I can’t find some work for your husband.” “But,” the widow said, “they haven’t anything in the house to eat ~—have had nothing to eat all day.” “Tell your husband to come down Monday morning and we’ll see about some work for him.” | Work and Pray—Live On Hay. They next went to the Salvation Army—it was afternoon. The lady said, “We don’t give anything out after 2 o'clock.” “But they have got nothing in the house to eat, have had nothing to eat. today.” The widow per- sisted. “We don’t give anything out after 2 o'clock.” The man went to the City and County office Monday to see ahout work. There was none, th: woman said, “Come back tomorrow,” but she didn’t offer him anything to eat. If they had been left to -the mercies of the organized charity— would that man haye been able to take a job when he found one? Oh, yes, they are indecd very careful about giving aid to the individual —who needs help. - ELSIEPHENE MBERRIAM, Denver, Col. Paris Papers, Bribed By Czar, Angry at Communist Expose (By The Federated Press) | PARIS, April 10.—Almost as big| a political scandal as the oil affair/ jin the United States is the series of revelations made by L’Humanite, the labor daily of Paris, concerning | the corruption of the French press | and French politics by agents of} the czar of Russia during the days preceding the war. ‘ Day after day L’Humanite has| been pubtishing documents, tele- grams, secret reports, etc., unearth- | ed by the soviet government in| Leningrad, which snow that the| highest circles in France were the} recipients of bribes. The dauntless Communist paper has offered a prize to the persons} who would guess what newspaper, | what newspaper man,’ and what member of parliament drew the greatest benefit from the czar’s gen- erosity. The prize winner guessed the following names: Le Temps for the paper, Calmette for the jour- nalist, and Senator Percho: for the political personage. The other papers are furious. They threaten to bring a series of law suits. The firet to sue is the Matin. L’Humanite anncances it will celebrate the beginning of the trial by. further embarrassing dis- closures, BAm® ! In Dresses, Hats, Men Embroidered Dancing All Night. money for their own selfish usé and dishonest } While the man’ was looking} NEW YORK READERS SATURDAY NIGHT, APRIL 12 | Costume Ball and Labor Pageant At the Third Annual International | | | 418 S. Michigar. B PERCY On the Repressed Many human lives resu The Class is limited to a of lessons, etc., Theatre, this Sunday mornin RATIONALIST UNIVERSITY SOCIETY STUDEBAKER THEATRE This Sunday Morning Eleven o’clock Great Popular Scientific Lecture by The Eminent Rationalist Orator “How To Free Yourself From The Shackles Of vacancies for students are still left. at the Literature Table, eran cen cena ranrensancancanvancamram rence. Page Three ee a ee a oulevard, Chicago WARD Subject 99 Emotions It in defeat and disappoint- ment, disaster and despair, because of unconscious mental conflicts—repressed cravings seeking gratification. Over a Thousand Seats—All Seats: 50 Cts. PERCY WARD’S. SUNDAY AFTERNOON CLASS IN THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING begins in MAY. hundred students. A few Apply for circular Studebaker g at the above lecture. Impeccable Technic And Ecstasy Mark Carl Flesch Violin | | By ALFRED V. FRANKENSTEIN. Carl Flesch, Hungarian violinist, was soloist with the Chicagc Sym- phony Orchestra at the regular con- cert in Orchestra Hill last Friday and Saturday. His choice of music for performance fell upon the Beet- hoven concerto, and his choice was| a wise one. Flesch is a middle} aged man, and he plays with a fine classic interpretation, thorely Ger- man, with a beautiful tone and im-| peccable technic. So the classic | German violin concerto of Beet- hoven was the very work Flesch | was best fitted to play. } “Poem of Ecstasy.” Scriabin’s “Poem of Ecsta also played. Scriabin was a mystie, and expressed a metaphysical mys- ticism in music. The work played on this occasion takes as thesis the idea that all the exverience of life is a vast and compelling ecstasy of action. The music is as big as the thesis. It rises to great climaxes, there are moments of great stress and pain.’ and moments of intense and thrilling joy. $ The Rhenish symphony of Robert Schumann, arranged for modern or- chestra by Prederick Stock, took uv the first part of the program. Stock did more than re-orchestrate the work, he revivified it, and recast it in a new and more beaunful mold The symphony has no definite pic- torial meaning, -attho the fourth movement is intended to deseribe the Cologne cathedral. All thru the five movements breathes a festival atmosphere. in fact, the finale sym- vhony is the poem of etstasy of a less mystical and far sadder mar. Weber's overture. to “Abu Has- san,” a clever little prelude to a clever little opera, opened the pro- gram. Next week Fannie Zeisler, Chicago pianist, will be the soloist, playing a concerto by Mos- kowski. The Beethoven seventh symphony, the symphonic poem, “The Dying Swan,” by Ferinelio, new to Chicago, and the overture “Cockaigne,” by Edward Elgar, compose the rest of the program, IMPEACH COOLIDGE! AAR For Defense of Class War Prisoners At CENTRAL OPERA HOUSE 67th St. and 3rd Ave. WONDERFUL BARGAINS AT THE BOOTHS 's Suits, Books, Candy, Articles, Etc. Labor Pageant of the French and Russian Revolutions Select Orchestra ADMISSION - - - 75 CENTS Excellent Buffet HIGH CLASS CONCERT Get Your Supper Here SUNDAY AFTERNOON Ee aaa Bloomfield | NEW POLITICAL PRISONER SENT TO LEAVENWORTH Passing Out Communist Literature, His Act (By The Federated Press) NEW YORK, April 10.—After all the grandstand play by the govern- ment in the release of political pris- oners and the attempt to make peo- ple believe that the vicious war-time jespionage act is a dead letter, the | department of justice has sent an- other political to Leavenworth. Jo- seph Baltfusaitis of St. Louis is the victim. The American Civil Liberties union here, having filed application for, a pardon in Washington, de- serfbes this as “one of the most fla- grant and inexcusable political cases on. record.” Baltrusaitis was arrested in No- vember, 1920, on the charge of dis- tributing Communist literature, the theory of the war-time act being that this discouraged recruiting and en- listment of soldiers. But the war was over two years before his arrest and five years and a half before he was sent to prison:last month. Baltru- saitis is a Lithuanian. His arrest was in the nature of a frame-up. ~A government detective engaged him in friendly conversation and asked for a Communist pamphlet. He was sentenced to two years in October, 1921. The conviction has now been affirmed on appeal. His defense was that he could neither read nor write English and could not have known the contents of the pamphlets. Twelve Cincinnati Socialists, in- dicted in 1917 for opposing the draft, will also be sent to prison for their opinion during the war if they lose their appeal to the U. S. supreme court, the Civil Liberties union points out. \“War on War” Is Sedition if Put On Soldier’s Grave (By The Federated Press) PARIS, April 10.—“War on War” is seditious when placed as a motto uvon a monument to soldiers who fell in the world war, according to | the French courts. In one of the communes of the Department of Yonne, the — city fathers, with the approval of the population, voted to have the in- seription War on War (Guerre contre la guerre) placed upou the soldiers monument. The police or- dered the motto removed. The town council voted unanimously to pay: no attention to the order, Thereupon the mayor was arrest? ed and fined, besides being ordered to remove the inscription, . McCray 's Denounced. INDIANAPOLIS, April 10.—De- nouncing Governor Warren T, Me- Cray as a man who had “juggled public funds and betrayed the fable trust,” Eph Inman, special prose- cutor, today opened argument for the state in the trial of oe ‘on charges of embezzling $155,000 of the funds of the state culture. IMPEACH COOLIDGE! ard of agri-