The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 3, 1924, Page 1

| THE DAILY WORKER RAISES THE STANDARD AND FOR A WORKERS’ FARMERS’ GOVERNMENT VOL. II. No. 40. 100,000 QUI CHICAGO JOBS ON MAY DAY Great Celebrations For International Labor International Labor Day which first wrote its revolution- ary message across a Chicago sky was celebrated here Thurs- day by more than one hundred thousand workers who downed their tools and took May 1 for themselves, not for their bosses. Huge meetings were held by the Workers Party and labor organ- izations, The 40,000 union men in the ranks of the Amalgamated Clothing workers deserted their factories and jammed the mighty Coliseum to the doors, afternoon and evening. Needle Trades Celebrate. The thousands of members of the International Ladies’ Garment Work- ers, from the cloakmakers and allied crafts and the striking dressmakers, took. the day off and attended a union entertainment, concert and dance in the halls at 180 W. Wash- ington St. The Amalgamated Food Workers, left their restaurants and bakery shops and made a gala day of it in their headquarters at 214 N. State St. Out in Pullman, the strike of the steel car. builders received renewed impetus and enthusiastic May Day meetings were held in Stancik’s hall, morning and evening. More conservative labor organiza- tions which officially recognize only the hundred percenters’ Labor Day in September when labor and capital fraternize, did not join in the inter- national celebration officially but tens of thousands of their members took the day off nevertheless, Big building trades’ jobs failed to show their usual quota of men at work, “Celebrating May Day” was the answer to inquiries as to where the rest were. * The youth were celebrating and the old timers, remembering the great May Days of the eighties when the great eight-hour fights were on, took the day off too. Remember Chicago Martyrs Many a grey-haired Chicago work- er thot with reverence of Parsons, Engel, Fischer, Spies and Lingg who sacrificed their lives thru their early May activities for labor in 1886 and hundreds of workers made a pilgrim- age to the memorial to the martyrs at Waldheim cemetery. Sidney Hillman addressed more than 10,000 workingmen and. women at the Coliseum May Day afternoon. He emphasized the May Day spirit of solidarity which had won the Amal- gamated’s victories. Hillman spoke of the recent victory of the union which defeated the bosses’ attempt to cut wages this May Ist. He explained the new employ- ment insurance scheme now going in- to effect by which all workers in the union received 40 per cent of their regular wages during periods of un- employment, after the first week out, Hillman Lauds Russia The Amalgamated’s success in organizing the great Russian-American Industrial Corporation was emphasiz- ed by the speaker who went on to Jaud the Soviet Republic for its mag- nificent achievements for the working, class. Playing of the “International” by N. O. Berarinelli’s band brought en- thusiastic applause and thousands of workers joined in singing “ Russian songs with soloists. Workers Party meetings described elsewhere. fe @ Big Turn-Out in Detroit. DETROIT, Mich., May 2.—Workers of many nationalities in Detroit at- tended the spirited celebration of May Day held here in the House of the Masses, at which J. Louis Eng- dahl, editor of the DAILY WORKER, was the principal speaker. The meeting was held in the eve- ning, and the appeal of the chairman, Oyril Lambkin, for the payment of the day's wage to the DAILY WORKER fund, by all those who had worked during the day, met with large re- sponse. ii se Miners March in Pennsylvania BENTLEYVILLE, Pa, May 2,— Coal miners here went back to work today after a spirited May Day ce- lebration consisting of a parade and speaking. Members of Local Unions 1165, 1197, 5071, 2278 and 155, United Mine Workers of America, participat- ed in the parade and listened to the speaking of Ludwig Lore, editor of the New Yorker Volkszeitung, the German Language Communist daily, M. Babitch and others, © *._* © May Day In Moscow MOSCOW, May 2.—All Russia was (Continued om page two) SUBSCRIPTION RATES THE DAILY Entered as Second-class matter September 21, 1923, at the Post Office at Ch icago, Illinois under the Act of March 8, 1879. SATURDAY, MAY 3, 1924 PARIS MAY DAY STRIKE TAKES HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OFF JOBS PARIS, May 3.—Europe’s Labor Day—May 1—was recognized by an extensive cessation of work here to- day. Several hundred thousand em- ployes of factories and shops obey- ed the order of the General Confed- eration of Labor for a May Day strike to demonstrate the solidarity and power of their organizations. Taxi users planned a_ reprisal strike tomorrow and agreed to re- fuse tips to cabmen. STRIKING CAP MAKERS SETTLE THREE SHOPS Early Settlement Of All Shops Expected Three Cap. Manufacturers have al- ready settled with the Cap Makers’ Union, Local No. 5, which started its strike yesterday. An enthusiastic meeting in Crawford Hall was ad- dressed by Max Salzman, of the Y. W. L., and Jack Johnstone, painters’ dele- gate to the Federation of Labor, dur- ing the afternoon. The shops that settled will abide by the agreement pending with the Cap Manufacturers’ association. The Uni- form Cap Manufacturers are negotiat- ing with the union at present and will probably settle within a few days. The remaining shops, numbering thirteen or fourteen, have formed a new as- sociation which the union hopes to smash in short order. Monday morning there will be an important strike meeting at 1221 Blue Island avenue, 10 a. m. (Freiheit, copy.) BIG REVOLT IN SUGAR TRUST COLONY Coolidge Backs. Wall Street Tools HAVANA, Cuba, May 2.—This lit- tle colony of the American sugar trust has a man sized rebellion on its hands. There is an election campaign which has evoluted into ‘an armed conflict. President Zayas has asked for an appropriation of $1,000,000. to secure his relection or as he puts it “to combat the rebellion.” ‘The United States cruiser Cleve- land has arrived in Havana harbor ready to shoot some American democ- racy into the benighted Cubans! The rest of the United States navy is busy between here and the “Horn” on simi- lar errands. All demonstrations scheduled for May Day were forbidden. A strict censorship is imposed on all news and the press is only allowed to print whatever lies appear more plausible to the government. The Cuban government, loyal tool of Wall Street, appealed to Washing- ton for assistance in crushing its po- litical enemies. It was not long forth- coming. “Silent Cal” in less time than it would take to say “Harry Daughtery” wrote one of his famous epistles forbidding the export of elec- tion munitions to the political oppo- nents of the present government. Provisions were made, however, for the unlimited supply of the army to the Zayas government. Besides the proclamation and the embargo on arms to the rebels, the Coolidge govenment stands ready to send troops to Cuba to maintain the grip of the sug@ trust on that coun- try which was formerly “freed” from |g, the Spanish yoke by the United States. Englewood Y. W. L. Encounters Egg- Throwing Invasion A recent meeting of the Englewood branch of the Young Workers League was almost swamped by an influx of outsiders. The Young Workers were outnumbered three to one but proved themselves better stickers in the end. The invaders disagreed violently with the Y. W. L, speaker and refused to believe that they were being con- stantly exploited by greedy capitalists, Most of them nursed. They empha- sized their opposition with an egg bombardment, which damaged the walls of the hall but failed to make any casualties among the Young Workers. The outsiders began to leave at 10 p. m. ad by 11 the Y. W. L. was left undisputed possession of the hall yes ha btn for further meetings, 8 ich is given encouragement trom Chicago headquarters, In Chicago, by mail, 8.00 per year. Outside Chicago, by mail, $6.00 per year. LADIES’ GARMENT DELEGATES LEAVE FOR CONVENTION Demand Reinstatement Of Expelled Members Delegates to the International Lad- ies’ Garment Workers’ convention in Boston are already leaving, to be ready for the opening session on Mon- day. The three representatives of the striking Dressmakers’ local No. 100, Oscar Simons, Frieda Reicher and Mary Rienabel, have gone—under in- structions to vote for reinstatement of the expelled members—and the dele- gation of expelled members will leave tonight. The expelled members will attend the convention unofficially so that they may present their case when the Appeal Committee reports on it. Cannon At May Day Meet. The dressmakers held a big v Day celebration yesterday with splén- did singers and several speakers. James Cannon, member of the C. E. C. of the Workers Party, addressed the strikers for some time and made a most favorable impression. There is some doubt among the strikers as to the exact terms of the settlement with Hymen Bros. Three of the active workers who belonged to the Hymen shop were seen in the strike hall yesterday while their fel- low workers had returned to their places. The returning strikers had made a short parade down Market street before entering Hymen Bros. and were subjected to a lecture by the boss who made some cheap pretense of penitence. Says It’s 40-Hour Week. “The basis of the settlement,” said Meyer Perlstein, vice-president of the I. L. G. W. U., “was the 40-hour week and an increase in pay.” When asked whether this 40-hour week applied to all workers, including piece-workers and time workers, the vice-president said that it did. The question was asked Perlstein because a number of strikers under- stood that the settlement with Hymen Bros. had been on the old 44-hour basis. The fight for their Saturday's freedom was one of the main issues of the strike. One of the girls whose shop settled soon after the strike began remarked “Here I've had eight Saturdays off and’ if.my boss demands the same terms as Hymen got, he can make us take the “-hour week again. We'd have had our nine weeks’ fight for nothing.” ae Injunction Cases Put Off. The cases that were scheduled ta come up in Judge Foell’s court on May Day were put off until May 8. The judge refused to work on May Day after the DAILY WORKER pointed out to him that it was labor’s holiday! Seven cases come before Judge Hebel next week and twenty-eight be- fore Judge Sullivan. The cases be- fore Judge Foell are under the Grace- line injunction. All court cases on, the injunction issue are likely to be put off indefinitely or defaulted for lack of prosecution if the Dress Manu- facturers’ Association cracks any more and signs with the union. Penn. Carpenters Endorse St. Paul Farmer-Labor Meet BETHLEHEM, Pa. May 2.—At the last session-of the Pennsylvania Hast- ern conference of the Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators and Paperhang- ers, a motion was passed endorsing the June 17th convention to be held in St. Paul for the purpose of form- ing a class farmer-labor party. The conference pledged its full moral sup- port to the convention and expressed its regret that their financial condi- tion does not permit them to send del- egates. Review of the conditions existing in the trade-was made by the dele- from all parts of the state and steps were taken to strengthen the organization and further improve the conditions of the workers in the trade. The conference decided to issue a monthly bulletin and elected H. 0, McClurg, secretary of local 587, as the editor. The next session of the conference will be held in Reading, Pa. on July 5, 1924, New York Laundry Workers Demand Raise In Pay From Bosses NEW YORK, May 2.—The Interna- tional Laundry Workers No. 280 has sent its demands to the hand laundry bosses of the city. In the downtown section they are demanding an in- crease of $5 to $7 a week. It is ex- pected that the organized workers in other industries, will support the cam- paign of the laundry workers by de- manding that their own laundry work be done by members of the union. The union looks forward to a hard fight, which will, however, undoubt- edly be succesful. Published PUBLISH Strike pickets gathered in front of their hall at 250 E. 115th St. Note'the five-year-old picket, who is on the job daily with his father. He has also taken to selling the DAILY WORKER among those still at work. R. R. CARMEN’S VICE PRESIDENT PAYS TRIBUTE TO DAILY WORKER; _ FLAYS SCAB PULLMAN COMPANY “IT want to extend my thanks and that of the strikers for the support rendered by the Workers Party and the DAILY WORKER in our fight against one of the rottenest labor-baiting companies in Ameriea,” said John Holmgren, vice-president of the Brother- hood of Railway Carmen to an audience of workers that packed Stancik’s hall at 205 E. 115th St., May Day evening in Pullman. ‘WORKER. ——$— CENTS Including Saturday Magazine Section. On all other days Three Cents per Copy. Daily except Sunday by THE DAILY WORKER ING CO., 1118 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago? Ill. PULLMAN STRIKE STOPS ORDER FOR 3,000 CARS; | WHOLE PLANT MAY CLOSE News that the Pullman Steel Car Company has been unable to do a tap of work during the last three weeks on a rush order for 3,000 steel cars leaked into strike headquarters yesterday. The order was to have been filled at the 93rd Street shops but the company have no men for the steel department at the main plant which is now on strike, much less for the new work. John Holmgren, vice-president. of the Brotherhood of Rail- way Carmen, told the DAILY WORKER that it was only a matter of time until the entire Pullman plant would be shut down. The effective tie-up of the car body builders is holding up work in other departments. The DAILY WORKER'S own in- SLUGGERS CAN'T STOP Men from the main office of the Pull. man Company have informed DAILY |WORKER reporters that there is a “lot of noise” but very little work in- |side the plants. The effect of the |strike has not only hit the entire plant by stopping the current of pro- duction at a vital point but it has caused the workers in the other de- partments to slow up while they are thinking about the strike going on outside. Investigators who have been sent thru the plant find morale shot to |pieces. Workers expect the company to cut their wages if they hold their |jobs. For once the Pullman Company jhas overreached itself. Man Killed In Plant. Great excitement prevails over the report that a worker was killed by a |wild rivet run in the hands of an in- | experienced operator. An ambulance SAM GREEN OF Y. W. L. FROM SELLING PAPERS Pullman strikers are angered at Chicago detectives, Emil Mertz and Frank O’Keefy for assaulting and arresting Sam Green of the Young Workers League while he was sel- ling the DAILY WORKER in front of the Pullman plant May Day morning. The two plainclothesmen slugged Green when he demanded that they show their badges and prove they were policemen, after they had seized him. Green was promptly bailed out | by John Stancik, owner of Stancik’s hall where the strikers meet and -yesterday morning demanded a jury trial in the South Chicago Court |was seen removing a body but the where John Holmgren and a DAILY |company is trying to hush the affair up WORKER representative appeared |This has had a disturbing effect on in his behalf. His trial will come up ih a few weeks. Green was back on the strike line that noon and sold hundreds of papers before the day was over. The total number of DAILY WORK- ERS sold May Day in front of the rest. One man, who has quit since, re- ported to the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, that he drilled only eight holes in two days and spent the rest jof the time cutting out rivets put im by careless or indifferent workers. the Pullman plant was 1,200. Hundreds of innocent workers, -- lured by big promises from labor agents in Battendorf, Iowa, Detroit, HEART BREAKING Columbus and Dayton, have been streaming towards the employment of- fices. It wasthe Workers Party May Day cele’ ion. Max Salzman of the* Yburg Workers League had just finished speaking when the strike leader came striding down the aisle and mounted the platform. Only Paper Supporting Strike. “The DAILY WORKER is the only paper in Chicago giving any support to this strike,” Holmgren continued. “The News, The Tribune, the other Chicago dailies and the Pullman Calu- met Index and the other Pullman papers are owned by organized capital.” Holmgren told of the bigness of the fight the Pullman workers were in and the need of extending the strike to other departments. He de- scribed the “progressive wage cut” Policy initiated by Francis Gun, ef- ficiency expert. The “progressive wage cut” means cutting the wages in one department at a time so that only one group of workers will revolt at one time. Can't Work in the Air. The steel shop men have fooled the company, said Holmgren. They are standing pat and extending the strike. Soon the rest of the plant will have to shut down for they can’t “work in the air” if the steel shopmen refuse to build the foundations for the cars. Holmgren, who is a_ powerful speaker, pounded the speed-up system with the force of a rivet-gun. His} yoice crashed thru the hall as he| flayed the driving piece work tactics of the “efficiency experts” who have taxed the men to the last limit of endurance, Like U. S. Government. Only a powerful union can check this deadly speeding and prevent pro- gressive wage cuts, emphasized the speaker. The company union is use- less to the workers. The company union, he explained, is a plan to con- trol the Pullman workers just as the United States government—a greater company union—controls the workers of the nation for organized capitar as a whole. “This wage cut,” said Holmgren,” is to give former governor Frank Lowden the cash to buy his way into the vice-presidency.” Lowden’s wife, formerly Florence Pullman, owns most of the Pullman stock. “They caught Lowden in the act of buying the republican nomination for president in 1920,’ said Holmgren, “and now he’s trying to get the vice presidency in 1924, Hate to Be With Harding. “Harding got the presidency when Lowden was caught. They didn’t catch Harding. Now he’s gone to his reward and I'd hate to be where he is now.” Holmgren urged the workers to be- gin their fight against imperialism by fighting imperialism in Pullman. The audience cheered him to the echo. The collection of nearly $60 was turned over to the Pullman strikers (Continued on Page 2.) |Defeat Of Liberal SCENES ENACTED ‘AT MINE HORROR BENWOOD, W. Va., May 2.— The Wheeling Steel Corporation is direct- ly responsible for the deaths of the Attorney General Daugherty today |125 miners in the gas explosion and applied to the District Supreme | fire of last Tuesday, according to M. Court for an injunction against the |W: Brajdich, a miner who arrived at senate Daugherty investigating com- /the Benwood mine shortly after the mittee to prevent it from investi- | disaster occurred. gating his alleged failure to prose- | ‘The mine was one of the oldest cute violators of the anti-trust laws. | mines in the state and had been very Daugherty also asked an injunc- | carelessly inspected. The fire boss tion against the Western Union | was reported drunk most of the time Telegraph Company here to prevent /and the mine foreman, in the same them from furnishing the commit- | condition. Brajdich claims that the tee with his private telegrams sent |men could not have failed to notice from here since he took office. the gas pocket if they had made any eit eT | effort at all to inspect the mine. Both of them paid for their carelessness with their own lives and sacrificed HARASSED GROOK INVOKES INJUNCTION TO SAVE HIS HIDE WASHINGTON, May 2.—Former American Round World Flyer May over a hundred innocent workers. Be Storm Victim | President S. M. Scott of the Wheel- ~ % |ing Steel Corporation, mentioned the May 2— explosion of three months ago, but Belief that Major Frederick L. Martin, |failed to add that three miners lost Flight Commander of America’s round | their lives at that time and that the world effort might have return-|there had been previous explosions. ed to Cignik, have been dispelled. | The Benwood mine was organized Local radio stations were in com-|for some time, but in 1922 the com- munication with Cordoav, Alaska, and |Paty broke the union during their the Northern station reported Major | Strike, Brajdich states. Many union Martin had not been seen in Chignik | Miners who had gone into this mine since he left Wednesday noon. again in the hope of organizing it once He was bound for Dutch Harbor |™ore, paid to the limit in tne explo- and has not shown up there. He hop- |#ion, when they lost their lives. Emil ped off in face of a Northern gale. | Xurosich, one of these earnest organ- |lzers, is well-known in District No. 5, |of the United Mine Workers. He and Brajdich went into the Westmoreland, Pa., field in 1922 and organized sey- eral locals. Brajdich says that John L. Lewis Liberal-Labor Rift claims credit for the organization LONDON, May 2.—The proportion | work he and Yurosich did and. that al representation bill, sponsored by|tonn 1, Lewis is also responsible to the Liberals, was defeated in the Y a degree for the disaster for his sign- House of Commons today 238 to 144. ing the Cleveland agreement. It is forecast that rejection of thef pp bodies taken from the mine bill, due to lack of support py the/are in a horrible condition, Brajdich Labor Party, will widen the breach |reistes, Most. of the men. were too between the Liberals and Labor Par- badly burnt about the body and head ty and may result in an early gener- ro» identification. The scene in. the al election. Cooey-Bentz morgue is too gruesome Liberals strongly favored adoption to ative. . * of the measure. They hoped it would “Workers from all parts of three sive them a greater representation | states, West Virginia, Ohio, and Penn- in the House of*Commons. sylvania, are coming and offering what little sympathy and help (they can) to the families of the dead work- BREMERTON, WASH., Party Bill May Bring Dawes Losing Sense HY . ) ers,” Brajdich relates. “Wives cry- Of National Dignity; ing, children bawling for their fathers, Plan To Park Army but dead bodies refuse to answer. It’s enough to break any human heart, but the capitalist class laughs at this, “One woman told me this morning her husband paid’ $26 for a job last week,” continues Brajdich, “and there are many other cases of this kind.” Instead of offering help to the COPENHAGEN, May 2.—The new Government proposes that Denmark shall be the first nation in the world to disarm completey. The government next intends to introduce a bill pro- viding for reduction of the army and navy to a few necessary frontier|stricken families of the workers, the guards. Only a few soldiers and| Wheeling Steel company officials are boats will be retained. Military and| yelping what a pile of money it has naval appropriations will be reduced|cost them to get the bodies out -of to one-seventh the present budget. the mine! r The few that got past the pick- ets quit when they found there was a strike. The handful of scabs now working are worse than useless. Scab Herder Baxter. An attorney is handling the cases of workers who came here on the as- jsurance that there was no “labor trouble.” Refunding of transporta- tion is demanded. A scab herder named “Baxter” has jsent many here. Baxter, a former |freight foreman for the Pullman com- pany, has been operating in Detroit, |getting men for the company. He left there for Columbus and Toledo where jhe once worked as a riveter. Copies \of the DAILY WORKER will follow |him and balk his work. The com- |pany’s desperate efforts for scabs is \explained by the fact of the rush \order for new cars and their fear that |the strike wil spread. Great Mass Meeting Monday. Two thousand copies of next Mon- day’s issue of the DAILY WORKER |have been ordered by the strikers. |This issue will announce the details of a great strike mass meting Mon- day evening at Knights of Pythias |Hall at 111 St. and Michigan ave., Roseland. John Holmgren, prominent local Pullman citizens in sympathy with the strike and speakers supplied by the DAILY WORKER will address the mass meeting which will explain the strike issues to the workers in other Pullman departments and to their women relatives. Twelve hundred copies of the DAILY WORKER were sold Monday jto Pullman workers. Adolp Werner, vice president of the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen ad- dressed the strikers yesterday morn- ing and joined with John Holmgren and the strike committee in laying plans for the extension of the walk- out. REPORT COAL STRIKE NEAR _ SETTLEMENT 40,000 Coal Diggers Are Involved KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 2.-*Basis for an agreement to settle the strike of 40,000 coal miners in the southwest has been reached according to re ports today. Minor details in the new contract remain to be worked out by the sub- committee of union representatives and operafors carrying on negotia- tions before the agreement will be ready for signing. The pact will end the strike in effect since April first, and is expected to be completed to- night. z According to advance reports the workers who insisted upon renewal of the present wage scale for three years have won most of their: demands,