The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 15, 1924, Page 4

Page Four WOMEN ORGANIZE MAY 17 MARCH ON N.Y, CITY HALL Workingclass Women Want Better Homes To the DAILY WORKER:— We have been asked why we call our or- ganization “the United Council of Working Class Women”—why not just plain “working women”? The argument is made that the latter is simpler and more commonly in use. Yes, it is simpler in that one word less is used. But, the fact is, the two terms are not the same; don’t mean the same thing. The “working woman” is the wo- man who works in industry. If she is organizable she soon finds herself in the union of her trade. If her indus- try is not organized and she is inter- ested in organization, she is in the shop, the store or the factory where she can talk to her fellow workers. Her economic problems are direct in- dustrial problems. She comes in di- rect conflict with the boss and all the conditions of either large or small scale production. Her problems as a woman of her class, by very nature of the fact that she is a “working wo- man” are centered in industry where she works in conjunction with other workers. Her interest in organization as a member of the working class, is outside the four walls she happens to call “home.” The “working class woman,” on the other hand, has been left behind in the development of capitalist produc- tion. She is the woman in the “home,” the woman in the kitchen; buried away from social labor with a thousand individual tasks to per- form daily for husband, sons and daughters, or little children in the iso- lation of loneliness and futility. Here then is no strong urge to organiza- tion, no easy road to an understand- ing of what the working class struggle is all about. Yet it is she, the work- ing class woman, who feels most the pressure of the pay envelope that does not cover the needs of her family. While the male member of the fami- ly has his struggle in the shop against the boss, it is she who must gather enough, at the end of a month’s tussle with the cost of food and clothing, to meet the impossible rents for a miser- | eo ae or She who must face the ldndlord when the money is not all there, to ask for an extension of time; it is she who bears the brunt in strike-time, when the children tug at her skirts begging for bread she cannot give them. And the less she is enlightene: ~,the problems of the strikers, the tse for her and her husband, the _/rse for her family, the worse for the working class! Yes, it is the working class woman who is now begining to awaken! Yes, husbands and brothers and sons! Yes, working women! It is we—the women who have hitherto been poked away in the kitchen spiritually as well as physically who are arousing ourselves and each other to the necessity of get- ting together, to take our part in the struggle that our class is waging against the unbearable conditions that oppress us! We are learning that our problems and the problems of our men in the shops are but one problem, that our common problem is but the problem of the entire working class. We are building a powerful organiza- tion—the United Council of Work- ing class woman, joinus. If you know ready at all times to protect the workers’ interests. If you are a work- ing class woman join us. If you know a working class woman, urge her to join us. Yours Fraternally The United Council of Working Class Women. (EDITOR’S NOTE: On May 17th, the United Council of Workirg Clase ‘Women of Greater New York wi'l go out in demonstration to demand of the city that it build houses and rent them to the workers at cost. All ‘women should join this demonstration and take their children with them if they can.) NEW YORK, May 14.—The United Council of Working Ciass Women, or- ganized for the protection of workers’ interests, boasts the livest bunch of ‘women in Greater New York. These women realize the necessity first of building a powerful organization, and have taken as their immediate task that of drawing as many conscious SOCIALIST TACTICS THE DAILY WORKER DISGUST THE OKLAHOMA WORKERS AND FARMERS; BALK AT THIRD PARTY PLATFORM By JOSEPH MANLEY (Special to The Daily Worker OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla., May 13 (By ) Mail).—The Saturday morning session of the sixty-five farmer-laborites, opened with tense expectancy of a battle that the newspapers had freely pre- dicted, between the communists on one hand as the champions of the class Farmer-Labor Party and the St. Paul Convention; and on the other hand the Leader “steam roller” championing the idea of a loosely joined committee standing for La Follette and the Cleveland Conference for Progressive Political Action. The matter coming before the convention had been left over for a decision from the night before. Oklahoma’ Farmer-Labor Party “have a flexible policy of endors- ing other party candidates.” Dan Hogan, who. was in the chair, was forced to recognize a motion that “Joseph Manley be made a fraternal delegate to the convéntion.” This motion was the signal for the fire- works. Speaker after speaker under the in- fluence of the Leader crowd tried to scare the farmer delegates by telling them of the dire things that would happen to them if they should “listen” to this Communist agent of the Moscow Communist Internation- al.” Manley Is Seated Finally the vote was taken and Secretary Chamberlain not being able to steal all the votes said I was seat- ed by the narrow margin of 31 to 30. Immediately I asked for the floor and after some hopeless opposition it was overwhelmingly granted. My speech in favor of the St. Paul Convention and a class Farmer-Labor Party caus- ed a rising vote of thanks at the conclusion, much to the discomfiture of the Leader crowd, and especially of Mr. Edwin Spurr, who was hur- riedly brought to the rescue as “the state secretary of the old Farmer- Labor party” that never existed ex- cept in his own doting imagination. Mr. Spurr created much confusion by his claim that he was a member of the “national committee of the Farmer-Labor party.” It will be re- membered that he is a member of the Farmer-Labor party of Oklahoma that bolted the July 3 convention. Ernest Chamberlain, editor of the Leader, launched out in a bitter at- tack and malicious attempt to misrep- resent the policy of the Workers par- ty toward LaFollette. He quoted Comrade Ruthenberg’s article in part front our old friend, the New Major- ity/ (whose editor, by the way, does mt believe in attacking the Commun- ists). . Chamberlain, Houchin and a person named Hicks—a political jackal the like of which Oklahoma is cursed with—each in their turn sought to terrorize the delegates. When the vote was taken, these enemies of the St. Paul convention and a class Farm- er-Labor party succeeded in getting a narrow majority for their nonpartisan indorsing of old party candidates pol- icy. Delegates Get Disgusted. This so disgusted a large number of delegates, who had never heard of the name of Communism before, that they left the hall in disgust, several of them saying to me: “If your farm- er’s program is Communism, we're for at. This exodus took all the punch out of the gathering, and it was a very tame affair until the credentials com- mittee started to “explain,” almost at the close of the session, why it had not seated J. E. Snyder. Their “ex- planation” was not accepted, and Sny- der was granted the floor. He made a speech, in the course of which he explained how he and Delegate Cobb, while both members of the Workers party, had worked ceaselessly to build up the convention, going out thru the state and sending out let- ters to hundreds of farmers. He told the convention how Chamberlain had “edited the call” so as to make it possible to shut him out thru not be- ing a resident of Oklahoma for a year, tho his people were all farmers in the state, At the conclusion of Snyder's speech, Spurr tried to make a mo- tion that “the other Communists be excluded from the convention.” This was too raw even for the Leader crowd, and the whole matter was dropped. Chamberlain, for the “policy com- mitiee,” tried to ram thru quickly a motion to send a single delegate to the St. Paul convention. It was so scandalous that I was forced to take the floor and point out the utter un- fairness of tying up the rank and file in the person of a single delegate. Chamberlain’s motion was defeated, and delegates are to be elected, one working class women as they can reach into the existing Local Councils, and organizing new councils where none exist. They work thru outdoor rallies, in- + door meetings and by house-to-house Visits in which they interest the women by personal talks and by dis- from each county, 70 in all. Hogan tried to have the picking of the dele- to carry leaflets to the women in the neighborhood is a member of which any workers’ organization might well be proud, tribution of literature setting forth the aims and purposes of the organiza- tion. Push Baby and Pamphiets. The women work with extraor- dinury zeal and enthusiasm. Mothers with infants at home, bundle their babies into the baby carriages and get right out on the job, so determin- ed are they to have their part in in- teresting thety sisters. A woman, who will push the baby carriage with a two or three monmthg’ old baby in it At present, they are putting all their energies into the work of creat- ing organizational strength and in pre- paring for the May 17th Demonstra- tion Parade to the City Hall on Satur- day. Working class women and their children will come out that day to de- mand that the city build houses and rent them to the worker’ at cost. The U. C. W. W. has its headquar- ters at 125 Fourth Avenue, New York City, where information may be ob- tained. It was that the proposed HOOVER DODGES MARTIN CHARGES OF ANTI-RED AID “No Organization” In Bolshevik Districts (By The Federated Press) WASHINGTON, May 14.—Question- ed by The Federated Press, Herbert Hoover has replied in a special inter- view to the statements made by Capt. J. V. Martin of the shipping board vessel, Lake Fray. Martin showed that Hoover sent him a cargo of food and motor trucks to the aid of Yudenitch, just before that counter-revolutionary invaded Russia from Esthonia in 1919. Hoover denies that he intervened, while admitting that the food and trucks did go to Yudenitch. He claims they were used solely for the civilian population and not to assist the mili- tary expedition. Paris Russian Group Responsible. In the first place, he asserted, the $4,450,000 worth of food was sold to the “Provisional Russian government” in Paris. That is, there was in Paris a@ group or committee of former im- perial ambassadors with whom the allies dealt, two years after the revo- lution in Russia. Yudenitch was oper- ating with their sanction and support, as were Kolchak and others. The 60 motor trucks which he sent to Reval for delivery to Yudenitch’s general supply committee were sold by the American war department to this Pa- ris crowd, which gave its notes in pay- nent. Hoover merely forwarded these, and he says he did so with the stipu- lation that they should be used only in distributing famine relief. Alibi: No Relief Discrimination. But Hoover's fundamental alibi is this: He says that there was no dis- crimination in this plan of famine re- lief, as against civilians within the lines of Russia. Refusing to discuss the prospect of restoring normal relations between the United States and Russia, Hoover said that Russia's economic situation was steadily improving. There is talk in Washington that Hoover is disturbed by the stubborn anti-Russian prejudice and policy of Secretary Hughes. But when Hoover is asked to talk about Russian recog- nition he hints that that ground has been staked out by the state depart- ment, and he must stay off. gates, and in true steam roller style, referred it to the executive board. The writer predicts that there will be a delegation at St. Paul representative of the workers and farmers of Okla- homa beyond the control of Dan Ho- gan. Chamberlain, for his “good” work, was rewarded by being selected as the delegate to the Cleveland C. P. P. A. gathering. “God Help LaFollette.” The few delegates that were left listlessly adopted a program tft Chamberlain said was “Bob LaFol- lette’s.” If it is so, God help LaFol- lette. It is a mixture of meaningless phrases about the suffering people— much less radical than Mayor Hylan’s talk about the “interests.” George Wilson was nominated for United States senator, and L. L. Lib- by for corporation commissioner. The great event was when LaFollette was nominated for president. Then the whole game became clear. The hybrid monstrosity born under the name of the Oklahoma Farmer- Labor party, with a middle class third party platform, shaped around the personality of LaFollette and the prestige of the Farmer-Labor move- ment, has for its parents a gang of political high binders that the work- ers and farmers of Oklahoma have al- ready had bitter political experience with, But a new element has entered the struggle. A goodly portion of the del- egates to this misnamed convention have now a clear conception of a class Farmer-Labor party. They are going back to their farms (that are owned by the bankers), determined to keep up the fight against capital- ism and its “Greeks bearing gifts.” Actors’ Strike Called. NEW YORK, May 14.--The Actors’ Equity Association have decided to go on strike against the Producing Man- agers’ Association on June first. The Equity also voted to accept the terms offered by the Managers’ Protective Association, a Shubert off-shoot of the old managers’ Association, The vote was 1099 tol, FILIPINO SUGAR SLAVES’ STRIKE GROWS STRONGER Workers Rebel Against Hawaiian Planters HONOLULU, May 14.—(By mail)— Thousands of Filipino sugar cane workers from the Ewa plantation were expected today to join the fif- teen thousand workers already out on strike for higher wages and a de- cent standard of living. These work- ers have been chafing all month to become active strikers. They have been doing all they could to assist the workers already out, by going ona “silent strike,” slowing up on the job, and sending food to the strikers’ camp. A Dollar A Day? Filipino plantation workers on the islands of Maui and Kauai are report- ed eager to join the ranks of their striking comrades. The slogan “Is A Dollar A Day Enough For You?” has caught the masses who have been mercilessly exploited by the barons of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Asso- ciation, who control the _ territorial government. The Filipinos are asking for $2 a day to enable them to approach a bet- ter standard of living. The present wage of $1 a day is pitifully insuffi- cient for these workers and their large families even in a tropical coun- try where some foodstuffs are more plentiful. Attacks Labor Commissioner. The Filipino Labor Union and the so-called “High Wages Movement,” Jed by Pablo Manlapit, an attorney of Honolulu, are in charge of the strike. They have attacked the resident La- bir Commissioner, Mr. Cayetano Li- got, charging him with dishonesty in the discharge of his duties, with ac- cepting money from the sugar plant- ers’ assoc‘aticn. with incompetence, and with failure to co-operate in the activities of the Filipino community. Four Japanese newspapers of Hono- lulu have rallied to the aid of the strikers and are soliciting funds for their support. Editorially, the papers say that the bettering of conditions among the Filipinos is essential to the well-being of the community as a whole. The Japanese labor organiza- tions are also supporting the strike, remembering their own Battle in 1909. Injunction Against Bosses. A unique use of the injunction is threatencd by strikers. They are con- sidering applying for an injunction against the forcible and unlawful evie- tions which take place on each plan- tation as the werkers strike. In the first evictions of wockers’ families frora the plantation ho res many sad gcenes took place, with in- sular police and troops lending ‘aid to the bosses, as usual. The striking workers were peaceful and did not provoke the violence of the police. One death resulted from the evic- tions and is the cause of the suit against the plantation company. A baby only a few months old, was ill with pneumonia in the hospital, but when the evictions began the parents were forced to take away the baby, altho it was desperately in need of a physician’s attention. In the long journey to the city the child grew worse and by the time it was brought to the attention of a doctor again, it was too late. The family was disrupt- ed by the sad and unnecessary death. New Workers Join Strikers. Scabs brought in from the Philip- pines quit work as soon as they real- ize what they are doing. Many of these wert hired before the strike broke, but join the ranks of the strik- ers as soon as they hear of the situ- ation. Boys of the Industrial School refused to scab and went on “silent strike” when their masters forced them to go to the plantations. The strikers have all been lodged in city dwellings and every precaution was taken to insure sanitary condi- tions in the main camp. Food for a long fight was saved, altho it limits the workers almost entirely to a rice diet. Donations of fruit, fish, and doughnuts have been made by vari- ous*sympathetic firms and friends. Whether the workers will be able to gain their demands from the hard- boiled sugar trust owners of Hawaii is doubtful, but they are putting up a significant fight. They have issued a regular strike paper, in English, call-| | ed “And Bantay,” besides bulletins in Filipino dialects. They are making a splendid demonstration of working class unity. Progressives Worry Railroad Owners Says Nickle Plate Chief The railroads are well able to solve their problems, and would do so with satisfaction to everybody, but for the interference of “the Magnus Johnsons, the LaFollettes, the Brookharts and Shipsteads,” Col. W.: A. Coiston, vice- president and general counsel of the Nickle Plate railroad, declayed here at a meeting of railroad men under the auspices of the Traffic Club of Chicago WITH CALL FOR Parties in support of the June trade unions and labor fraternal calls, pledges support of the June as follows: ‘ To be held Sunday, June Massachusetts: WORKERS TO LIVE ON $28 WEEKLY That Means Little On A Part Time Basis Wage earners in the industrial es- tablishments of the country received an average of $26.80 a week during March, according to the report of the U. S. bureau of labor statistics. With full employment thruout the 52 weeks of the year this would mean annual compensation amounting to $1,390. This is approximately $1,000 short of the so-called health and decency standard. Compared with a year ago these wages show an increase of 2.4 per cent, a neglible gain in purchasing power in the course of 12 months with} the present wage tendency downward. Eight industries employing 1,200,000 workers, or more than one-eighth of the total factory workers of the coun- try, are paying lower wages than a year ago with a consequent Jowering of the standard of living they main- tained in March, 1923. These include both men’s and women’s clothing, shirts and collars, cotton manufacture, boots and shoes and the manufacture of automobile tires. The decrease in purchasing power varies from 2 per cent in the shirt and collar industry to 8% per cent in men’s clothing. Average earnings in typical indus- tries during March were reported as follows: meat packing $24.37, baking $25.54, cotton manufacture $16.82, men’s clothing $28.81, iron and steel $31.10, foundries and machine shops $29.18, saw mills $20.87, boots and shoes $22.50, printing $35.95, automo- bile $33.57, railway car building and repair $29, electrical equipment $28.32. New Amalgamated Local Charges Law Violation For Women (By The Federated Press) SAN FRANCISCO, May 14.—The Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, recently organized in this city, have filed charges with the com- missioner of labor against eight San rancisco firms doing tailoring work under contract for local retailers. It is claimed these firms are violating the eight-hour law for women, in some cases working their women employes from 8 a. m. to 7. p. m. Others work late into the night, and sanitary con- ditions are bad in all of them. | Your Union Meeting id ‘c spears 59 Van Buren Pp. m. Clothing Workers, 409 S. W. North Ave. joe, 1939 Milwaukee a Clay, Shermanville, Il. 186 ind Clay, Glenview, 13 413's, Ashland Blvd. 62 St. re} jo 11037 ss Ave. Carpente: oe and Kedzie. Carpenters, 758 W. North Ave, Brug Clerks, 431 S. Dearborn St., Room 1: ante Houston aes 88 “city Hall, Hearing n Leather Workers, Street. , 1446 W. St. Dutt’s Hall, Chicago Hts. wand Organ orkers, Sito Ww. Monroe and ° Washing- ey, Clerks, 8138 Commercial 810 W. Harrison rs, 1224 Milwau- Masonic Temple, 180 W. Washington st sway 3 We Wi 754 1 hy 5 1" ington 10 reet. ssten anak otherwise stated all are at 8 p.m.) EXPECT AMERICAN The World of Labor—Industry and Agriculture MASSACHUSETTS FALLS IN LINE FARMER-LABOR CONVENTION PLEDGED TO JUNE 17 BOSTON, May 14.—Massachusetts has fallen in line with the whole series of states which are organizing state Farmer-Labor 17th Farmer-Labor Convention. The call for the Massachusetts convention, to be held on June 1st in Boston, has just been issued in the name of a number of local organizations. The call for the Massachusetts convention, as other state 17th convention. The call reads CALL FOR STATE FARMER-LABOR CONVENTION IN MASSACHUSETTS, 1, 1924, at Boston, Mass. To all Labor Unions, Central Labor Councils; Workers’ Political Parties, Workers’ Co-operative Associations and Fraternal Organizations, and Farmers’ Organizations in the State of Greetings: . Thruout the country, the industrial workers and farmers are uniting their forces into State and Local Farmer- Labor parties. The political domina- tion of the employers, bankers and “open shoppers” is being challenged. Success has marked these first steps, in several instances, notably in the State of Minnesota, from which two United States Senators were elected on a Farmer-Labor ticket. To link these local and state parties together and unite the political organ- izations of farmers and industrial workers for the 1924 Presidential Campaign, a National Farmer-Labor Convention has been called to con- vene at St. Paul, Minn. June 17th, 1924. This call has been issued by the Committee of Arrangements in the name of the following organizations: Washington Farmer-Labor Party, North ‘Dakota Farmer-Labor Party, Montana Farmer-Labor Party, Nebras- ka Progressive Party, Federated Farmer-Labor Party, Minnesota Farm- er-Labor Party and the Buffalo Labor Party. Invitations to participate are based on endorsement of the follow- ing tentative program: A—Public “Ownership. B.—Gov- ernmental Banking. C.—Public Con- trol of all Natural Resources. D.— Restoration of all Civil Liberties guaranteed by the Constitution. E.— Abolition of the Use of Injunctions in Labor Disputes. The forces of farmer and labor in the State of Massichusetts are at pres- ent without any political expression of their own. They must be united to be represented effectively at the June 17th Convention. This is the only hope for success in the November elections. For this purpose, the undersigned crganizations and trade unionists here- by issue a call for a State Farmer-La- bor Convention to be held at Franklin Union hall, 41 Berkeley street, Bos- ton, Mass., on June Ist, 1924, at 10:00 a.m. Invited to send delegates to this convention are: Local labor unions and central labor councils, workers’ political parties, workers’ co-operative associations and fraternal organiza- tions, and farmers’ organizations which indorse the principles set forth, The basis of representation shall be one delegate for a membership of less than 200, and two delegates for a membership of two hundred or over. The purpose of the June ist Con- vention is to create an organization in the State of Massachusetts which will be represented at the June 17th Convention at St. Paul, Minn., to adopt a State platform, and to nom- inate a full ticket for the State elec- tions in November, 1924. United action of Massachusetts in- dustrial workers and farmers is the need of the hour. Machinists No. 694, Worcester; Journeymen Tailors, Local 12, Boston; Amalgamated Shoe Workers, Local 1, Ghelsea; Amalgamated Shoe Workers, Local 43, Stitchers, Lynn; Brewery _ A large tube of Listerine Tooth Paste is only 25 cents; at your i Lambert P| PITTSBURGH, PA. DR. RASNICK DENTIST Rendering erat bent Service fe CENTER Avis, ‘core aetna Mt \ ‘ Thursday, May 15, 1924 DETROIT BOSSES TORUSTLE SCABS FOR CAR STRIKE But Organized Labor Is Ready For Fight — By SHERMAN BOWMAN Federated Press Staff Correspondent. DETROIT, May 14.—The Employers’ Association of Detroit, an organiza- tion of 79 firms employing two-thirds of the Detroit factory force, has ‘offer- ed to recruit strikebreakers for the street railway commission in the event the 3,500 platform employes of the municipally-owned lines here strike. ‘Chester M. Culver, manager of the association, said his organization would canvass member factories for volunteers to man the cars, explaining that about 6,000 former conductors nd motormen are working in factories here. Line-up of Forces. This offer from the industrial capi- talists’ local “union” throws new light on the line-up of forces growing out of the platform-men’s demands for a 14 per cent wage increase, a readjust- ment of working schedules to elimin- ate split runs and recognition of the union. The efforts of the acting mayor and the street railway commission to wreck: the local Amalgamated Assn. of Street and Electric Railway employes have been greater than before. The men were successful in their previous attempt with respect to wages and working conditions and nominally successful with respect to union recognition by the city hall. It was agreed at that time, by a resolu- tion spread on the commission rec- ords, that the commission would not officially recognize the union but would use the union machinery in ar- bitrations. Local executives of the union also wete kept on the street railway payroll. a Fired Union Officials. Now the commission has taken the union executives off the city payroll because they failed to report for work on the cars, as) ordered by the gen- eral manager of the lines. And instead of agreeing to arbitrate thru the union officials the commission has posted notices that it will arbitrate only if the employes choose representatives at a special election this month, the commission dictating the electoral methods. This is in spite of a peti- tion by 95 per cent of the platform men delegating the union officers to act for them. _ ‘ The Detroit Federation of Labor is prepared to throw its resources into the balance if a break is inevitable, Governor Kills Safety. SAN FRANCISCO, May 14.—Fok lowing the recent scathing letter ad- dressed to Governor Richardson by Will S. French, retiring commissioner of the California industrial accident commission, a report issued by Joseph J. Rosendale for the Industrial As- sociation show 329 violations of safety regulations in building jobs in this city alone—a result of the crippling of the commission by the governor's “economy” budget. Workmen, No. 14, Boston; Workmen’s Circle, Branch 715, Roxbury; A. K. Birch, Business Agent, Norwood Build- Ing Trades Council; James E. O’Mal- ley, National Executive Board, U. L. W. 1. U. of America; August Oster- holm, Secretary Carpenters District Council, Norfolk County; Committee of Arrangements: T. J. Conroy, Chair- man, 50 Benefit Street, Worcester, Mass.; Frank Deluca, Secretary, 148 Court Street, Boston, Mass. E, W. ‘RIECK LUNCH ROOMS Seven Places 62 W. Van Buren | 42 W. Harrison 169 N. Clark 118 S. Cl 66 W. Washington | 167 N. State 234 S, Halsted PHONES, HARRISON 8616-7 5 W. Rieck’ ston Baked RUBBER STAMPS AND SEALS IN ENGLISH AND IN ALL. FOREIGN LANGUAGES INK, PADS, DATERS, RUBBER TYPE,Erc. NOBLER STAMP & SEAL CO. 73 W. VanBurenSt, Phone Wabash 6680 J aS grunt tron ‘ Established 1899 JOHN B. HESSLER f SHOES FOR MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN 2720 North Ave. CHICAGO