The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 16, 1924, Page 2

Page Two RIGHT WING HOT RAZZING Amal gamated Workers Protest At F einberg By EARL R. BROWDER (Special to The Daily Worker) NEW YORK, May 15.—Rank and file indignation against the expulsion policy in the Interna- tional Ladies’ Garment Work, ers’ Union flanied out in Car- negie hall whan thousands of needle trades workers booed and hissed Israel Feinberg, vice- president of the I. L. G. W. U. and a leading sponsor of the expulsion policy. The demonstration occurred at the one New York day session of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers convention which was attended by working men and women from both needle trades organizations. It came when right wing elements at the Amalgamated convention at- tempted to stage a welcome to the visiting I. L. G. W. U. official. Lefts Help Restore Order, An uproar of protest filled the hall. For a quarter of an hour the folks from the workshops expressed their sense of outrage at Feinberg. Presi- dent Sidney Hillman had great diffi- culty in restoring order, succeeding finally with the assistance of left wing elements and the band playing “The Internationale.” It was a message of protest hot from the hearts of the workers, and will not soon be forgotten. Reaction- aries were white with fear and cha- grin, Stop Fascisti Music. Italian members of the rank and file took a hand in 'the proceedings at another stage in the proceedings when the band began to play the Italian Royal March. The band just ao ANDER HOWAT, miners, Illinois Coal Miners Must DARLING GETS) Stand With Alex Howat fighting leader of the Kansas who licked the notorious Industrial Slave Law of that state and caused the political defeat of Governor Allen, was expelled from the United Mine Workers of America thru the treachery of President John L. Lewis, who put up a united front with the coal baron controlled government of Kansas against Howat, the fearless champion of the Kansas coal diggers, Lewis’ action was resented and bitterly resented by the rank and file of the United Mnie Workers. They have demon- strated their opposition to the action of Lewis by supporting Howat in his fight to get back into the union, by resolutions and by funds to carry on the fight. No section of the International Union did so much in this respect as the Illinois miners. They poured their money into Kansas and they backed Howat at every district and national convention where the question of his reinstatement came up. At Indianapolis, the Illinois delegation was practically unanimous in supporting Howat, despite the treachery of Frank Farrington, formerly a Howat supporter, but now an ally of John Lewis and therefore the enemy of every progressive in the miners’ union. Frank Farrington, in a vention of District 21, United Muskogee, Oklahoma, on May 15, 192 and flayed John L. Lewis for his Howat and the other district officials. speech delivered at a special con- Mine Workers of America, held in , defended Alex Howat illegal action in deposing Today Farrington is silent because he made his peace with his arch foe, Lewis, and between them they intend to crucify Howat, the outstanding battler in the miners’ union. The working class of America is watching this convention of the Illinois miners. The capitalists are watching it. ‘The latter hope that thé Lewis-Farrington machine will be able to prevent the convention from ment of Alex Howat. But w going on record for the reinstate- e have confidence that the miners of District 12, the leading battalion in the greatest industrial army in America, will challenge the autocracy and treachery of the Farrington-Lewis combination, and follow the lead of the Kansas miners in demanding the reinstatement of Howat to the United Mine Workers, with full rights and privileges. This will serve notice on the coal barons that the rank and file of the miners will not stand idly by and see their foremost defender crucified by leaders who have more in common with the coal operators than they have with the men who pay them their salaries. GIVE GARMENT CHIEFS BIG POWERS (Continued From Page 1.) got a dozen notes when Italian dele- gates were on the platform. The mu- sic was stopped. No Fascisti stuff went with the workers.. The royal march was absent from the program thereafter. David Wolff, the reactionary ap- pointee to the New York joint board, their authority. individuals despotically interpreting The amendment gives full final con- trol over local unions and their mem- bers’ acts and views into the hands of the general executive board, and destroys the autonomous expression did not attempt to address the con- nt came vention. When announce: that Wolff had been instructed to speak before the delegates they sat in dead silence. But Wolff did not ap- pear, and it was then explained that he was busy. Stone Not for Third Party. Warren Stone, chief of the Brother- hood of Locomotive Engineers, took the platform as an invited guest and touched on the question of labor in politics, saying: “I have never favored a third party ticket. I believe that you may see an independent candiate, perhaps LaFol- lette. Further than that I would not care to go.” The convention’s day in New York was a day of riotous greetings, with music, flowers and demonstrations, The convention returned to Philadel- phia this morning. It is expected that serious business now begins. House Won’t Budge For Coolidge On Jap Exclusion Bill WASHINGTON, May 15.—President Coolidge has accepted defeat of his ef- forts to modify the Japanese exclusion clause in the new immigration bill by negotiations with congressional lead- ers and a veto of the whole measure is seriously being considered, it was indicated at the White House today. ‘Word was said to have reached the president that his conference with house leaders yesterday, when Secre- tary Hughes explained to them the serious diplomatic consequences of Passing the exclusion provision in its Present form, had not swerved them from support of the July 1 effective date. Rich Beer Runners Feel Pretty Safe In Chicago Courts The jury trying Frankie Lake, al- ged millionaire beer runner, @nd ree other officials of the Illinois Be- tage company for liquor violations, led to agree and reported back in wt today. The case was given to , | Jury lute yesterday. One of the de&endants was William Reargon of Ottawa, president of the brewery. No _ date tor a new trial has been set. of the affiliated units of the union. the tyrannical control of the minority over the majority of the membership, Other amendments offered and be- ing reported on by the committee on law are aimed at the left wing mili- tants. The officialdom is making ev- ery possible effort to stop up any loop- holes thru which the active opposition can climb thru and ‘disturb the official equilibrium. Amendments Against Expelled. The convention adopted an amend- ment yesterday which provides that expelled or suspended members shall not be eligible as delegates to the con- vention, but made no qualification as to the possible reinstatement of these members affecting their eligibility. The president of the international is given power, in another amendment which passed, to call meetings of lo- cal unions at his pleasure, take over the chair, and otherwise conduct the meeting. This gives the president the constitutional right to determine, by his authority as chairman, the char- acter and actions of local unions’ membership meetings. Little discussion is permitted on any of these amendments, and all criti- cism is overridden by the administra- tion machine. More amendments of vital significance to the union mem- bers are yet to be taken up. se Show Socialist Banruptcy. BOSTON, Mass.—(By Mail).—The bankruptcy of the Socialist movement was forcibly demonstrated at yester- day’s session of the international con- vention by Meyer London, Socialist ex-congressman, In a shallow, emo- tional address, London tried to stir the delegates’ enthusiasm for a vague sort of progress and a vaguer better world. But not once during his half hour's talk did London concern him- self with the tremendous problems confronting the labor movement; not once did he bring forth a class issue or make a class appeal. Silent on the enemies of labor, the open shoppers and oil-smeared gov- ernment, London sneeringly attacked the militant left wing elements in the international. That was the message brought by a prominent Socialist leader to the convention of an inter- national unon once regarded as one of the most revolutionary organiza- tions in the country. Orgy of Gompersism. This was quite in line with a speech REPORT OF DR. SUN YAT SEN’S DEATH EXAGGERATED SAYS CANTON DISPATCH LONDON, May 15.—Canton officia’ ridicule reports that Dr, Sun Yat Sen, head of the “South China Republic,” Is dead, the Hong Kong correspondent of the Central News telegraphed today, and attribute the report of his death to the fact he has been incommunicado by a fortnight’s iliness. - The foreign office in Pekin announced Sun Yat Sen's death officially yesterday, but it never has been confirmed from Canton. Reports of the death _ have been circulated for the last three days, assures the international officialdom made earlier in the session by Lucy Robbins, self-styled organizer of a fake amnesty movement and booster of Gompersism. Miss Robbins greet- ed the convention with a smile of joy, She was enthusiastic over the wonder- ful ovation the convention had given Samuel Gompers, and by the friendly spirit manifested toward him by all the officials of the international. FEA SY It was ueuguteu WwW see cat Old antagon- isms within the labor movement were being overcome. For now Hillquit and Cahan, chief representatives of Socialism, were ready to take Gomp- ers into their midst, and with the oust- ing of all “disrupters” from the or- ganization all was tranquil in the hap- py family. Here was a signal indication of the state to which the Socialist movement has degenerated. The significance of the international convention lies not only in the disclosures of the utter incompetency of the Sigman adminis- tration and its ruthlessness in crush- ing oppsition to its policies, but also in its striking demonstration of the complete collapse of Socialism. No Message of Solidarity, All the high priests of the Socialist party have addressed the convention— Hillquit, Cahan, Panken, London, etc. With little exception their speeches have been mere outpourings of shal- low oratory, bearing no relation to the bitter struggles of the working masses in this and other countries. They have brought no message of solidarity, have issued no call for a militant, ag- gressive struggle against capitalist op- pression, Instead, they have made the convention platform their rostrum for attacks upon the “lefts,” Appealing to the delegates in beautiful words for greater idealism, they have applauded the action of the same convention in ousting from its midst earnest niili- tants who have proven their idealism by innumerable acts of devotion to their union and by their courageous battle for the class interests of the workers in their industry. Ignore Vital Problems. The convention of the international has been in session nine days, and as yet none of the pressing problems confronting the workers in the ladies’ garment industry has been taken up. The order of business thus far has consisted in speeches and the unseat- ing of delegates, rounded out with banquets, da: and concerts. Tho the international stands before a gen- eral strike, tho the next year will be a crucial test for the organization, no question of any consequence to the workers in the industry has yet been considered, That this procedure will still fur- ther destroy the confidence of the membership of the international in their leadership cannot be doubted. Al- ready there are indications to show that the workers in the shops who are concerned with the struggle ag the bosses which confronts them daily in increasingly bitter form, are aroused over the acts of the Sigman dictatorship. Ovation to Militant. The attitude of the rank and file of the union was well expressed at a banquet tendered here by Local 66 of Boston to all the operators delegated to the convention. Joseph Boroho- vitch, one of the ousted delegates from Local 9, was asked to speak. He HE DAILY WORKER RAILROAD LABOR BOARD ANSWERS CALL OF BOSSES Need Sal’ Government Gang Against Workers The U. S. Railroad Labor Board has decided to “intervene” in the dispute between the engineers and firemen on one side and the managers of 90 west- ern trunk line railroads on the other, following fhe request of W. M. Jef- fers, representing the general man- agers’ committee. Jeffers said in a letter to the Labor Board, that the dispute is “likely to interrupt commerce.” In announcing that they would take charge of the matter, the Board said, “They had rea- son to believe that a dispute exists, which is likely to interrupt com- merce.” Harry P. Daugherty, representing the engineers, and D, B. Robertson, representing the firemen, say that no such likelihood exists. They say that the roads were willing to grant the increase of five per cent, but wanted the modification of certain working rules, which have existed for yearg This the representatives of the men were unwilling to agree to, The modi- fication of the working rules would more than offset the increase, Daugh- erty said. The decision of the rail board was reached despite the fact that a bill’ is pending in congress which would abolish the board and its functions. This bill has the backing of all the rail unions. Representatives of both the work- ers and the managers weré ordered to appear before the Labor Board on June 3rd, when the board will begin hearings, unless a settlement is reach- ed before then. The order of the board follows in part: “In view of these circumstances, the board has reason to believe that a dispute exists which is likely to sub- stantially interrupt commerce. The board therefore, exercises its authori- ty and hereby orders the parties di- rectly involved, to attend a hearing which wil be set for June 3, unless in the meantime a settlement is reached. Pending hearing and decision thereon, ICTOR OLANDER, secretary of the Illinois Federation of Labor and member of the Seamen’s Union, hay- ing formerly been its secretary, made a lie out of whole cloth, Wednesday, at the Peoria convention of the United Mine Workers of Illinois, when he said that the Communists had wrecked the International Seamen’s Union. Olander’s lie is just a parody of the excuse that President Andrew Fur- useth is continually reciting for the failure of his administration of the seamen’s union. Only Furuseth lays the disruption to the Industrial Work- ers of the World and Olander to the Communists. The real cause was the rottenness of the seamen’s adminis- tration. The causes of the appalling slump in the Seamen’s Union which took place since 1921 are two-fold: first the weakness that followed the long drawn out and unsuccessful strike of that year; secondly, the administratton’s folly in destroying what was left of the seamen’s solidarity by a campaign against radicals and a war on all prog- ressive proposals. The campaign against radicals took the form of expulsions and illegal removal from office. This was illus- trated in the ousting of Editor Thomp- son, from the Seamen's Journal,—an act which alienated the progressives thruout the union and cut off an in- spiration to that class fighting spirit without which a union is hamstrung. Thompson was ousted as an “I. W. W.,’” tho he was not a member of that organization. The charge of “Com- munist” was not raised then nor has it since been raised by President An- drew Furuseth, the leading anti-red in the Seamen’s Union. Another union wrecking policy of the seamen’s administration was the opposition to amalgamation and all working agreements with the longshoremen which the progressives desired. Never were the seamen in greater need of an alliance with other marine workers than after the lost strike of 1921. Yet Furuseth and such supporters as Paddy Flynn and Vietor WITH THE COAL MINERS Exploding Olander’s Lies Olander fought this proposal bitterly. George West, of the Nation, met Furu- seth last fall just before the latter ‘was to go into a conference with Pres- ident Clopek, of the International Longshoremen’s association for the purpose of discussing an alliance. The conference’ was called by the long- shoremen's leader and Furuseth’s at- titude was plainly expressed when he told West that the conference would come to nothing. The mushroom growth of the Marine Transport Workers’ Union of the In- dustrial Workers of the World which took place on both coasts in 1922 can be attributed to the seamen’s hope of finding in another organization the solidarity which Furuseth’s tactics were making it hard for them+to se- cure in the older movement. Commun- ists from the beginning argued against dualism but after the wobbly organiz- ation leaped to a temporary member- ship of some 27,000 and a year later still had several thousand members, more in fact, that Furuseth’s union, they did their best to bring the two or- ganizations together and they are stu: carrying out this policy. If Victor Olander will read the Com- munist literature, instead of manufac- turing Communist myths, he will find that the Communists have been a gen- uine influence towards overcoming the caste bars of dualism. The propaganda of the ttansport section of the Red International of Trade Unions is go- ing out in the forecastles and stoke- holes of America’s ships urging unity and an end of dualistic separation. The Communists are flatly and uncom- promisingly opposed to the deadening spirit of the Furuseths, Olanders and Paddy Flynns just as they are opposed to the withdrawal of the radical ele- ments from the conservative unions. They stand in the marine industry as in all industries for a regenerated unionism, an industrial unionism, a fighting unionism that brings the wage-earners together to win their rights from the bosses with whom the Furuseths, Flynns and Olanders prefer to fraternize. trict convention for action. Resolu- tion number eight demanding more stringent safety laws, was adopted. Rap Jacksonville Pact. Friday, May 16,1924 CHURCH REFUSES TO INTERFERE IN LIBERTIES’ WORK Wards’ Activities For Free Speech Upheld (Special to The Daily Worker) SPRINGFIELD, Mass., May 15.— Harry F, Ward, chairman of the American Civil Liberties Union, and Methodist minister, can continue to advocate free speech without inter- ference from the Methodist general committee on the state of the church. Rey. John C. Willetts of St. Joseph. Mich., launched an attack on Ward for his part in helping W. Z. Foster during his trial for violating the Michigan criminal syndicalism law. He asked that the conference bawl Ward out and get the church straight in the eyes of the world. Hélped Unseat Christ? { Willetts said that by helping Foster, Ward was aiding the Third (Commun- ist) International, which was attempt- ing to unseat Christ from his heavenly throne on the right hand of God. The conference voted that Ward's activities as chairman of the Liberties Union did not come within the juris- diction of the conference. The conference also adopted a reso- lution calling on the general confer- ence of the Methodist church to op- pose war. Chaplain for War, The resolution on war was adopted only after a hard fight lead by an exarmy chaplain. The resolution merely expresses the opposition of the Methodist church as “the organized expression of Christ’s way of life,” to war, and leaves to each individual the decision as to what stand he will take in the event of war. Elmer Kidney, of Pittsburgh, op- posed the resolution saying that the church would be branded as an or- ganization of slackers if it was adopted. After the resolution was passed Kidney said that it was only an “academic question, anyway. If war comes theories will vanish.” eee both parties are directed to maintain status quo by order of the board. NEW YORK WOMEN (Continued From Page 1.) turn into the treasury all interest col- lected from deposits and investments, He said that he had turned in $362,000 of such money since he began his du- ties, April 1, 1917. Death claims paid members of the The discussion brought out by Watts the fact that during the life of the present three-year agreement the miners could not advocate a change in the mining laws that would in- crease the cost of production without first getting the consent of the coal She MARCH ON CITY Illinois district from July 1, 1921, to operators. TNRANDROW ven Ww HALL PUNMPON ITU |emonntea to $957.00, «.esbit reported. NEW YORK, May 15.—“On to the City Hall,” is the cry the marching members of-the United Council of Working class women will raise Sat- urday, when they parade from Rut- gers’ Square downtown to demand of the City Council city-built houses for workers’ families. The women have expected to be. cheered on their way thru the city. They have been discussing the fearful situation that has developed in this congested city that makes thousands of workers crowd together with their families in cramped and insanitary dwellings. They have formed local district councils of their organization and have made every effort to reach all working class women in the city so that their demonstration and their fight will be effective. Trade Union Support. The trade unions have been appeal- ed to by the women and information concerning the dreadful conditions, has been sent out. Support for the council’s demand for city-built houses to be rented to workers at cost, has been sought from the unions. © The women will carry banners pre claiming their demands and possibly some of them will push their baby- carriages as they go, but hundreds of them are determined to go “on to the city hall” and make their complaints against landlords and bosses known thruout the city. Headquarters of the United Council of Working Class Women at 125 4th avenue, is directing the mass demon- stration and parade Saturday and has been active in sending out speakers’ during the last weeks to inform the workers’ wives of their plans, received a tremendous ovation, the applause which greeted him when he arose to address his fellow-members lasting almost five minutes, The at- tentiveness with which all listened to his explanation of the situation with- in the interntional, the enthusiastic burst of applause when he concluded were a significant demonstration of the feeling of the rank and file. Significant also were the lack of in- terest displayed in the addresses of the international officials present at the gathering. From New York as well comes the news that when seven unseated dele- it | gates from‘Local No, 9 arrived in the: Grand Central terminal they were met by several hundred workers from their, local, who greeted them with flowers as victors, not as the conquered, ‘These workers expressed their fullest faith in the delegates, and assured them they were determined to carry on a struggle to win back the interna- tional for the membership, and make of it a weapon in the class struggle of the workers, not a tool for the polit- ical ambitions of the bureaucrats, Machine Satsiabes Howat. PEORIA, lh, May 15.—The clash between the rights and lefts began with a substitute offered by the Reso- lution Committee covering fifteen res- olutions condemning the tactics and dictatorship used by the international officers at the last international con- vention in the Howat case and asking for a special convention to give Howat a fair trial. The substitute condemned the Kan- sas court law, declared the right of trial by jury of every labor man for any alleged offense, but it ignored all other points. A motion was made to have substityte printed and placed in the hands of the delegates before ac- tion. Farrington said that that pro- cedure had never been followed and on account of expense, should not be followed now. None of the sponsors of the substitute even mentioned Ho- wat's name, altlig if adopted, it would have denied him the right to appeal his case to a special convention. Thompson Protests. All of them suddenly became eco- nomical. Those in favor of having the substitute printed, and there were many, pointed out its. misleading na- ture and that it failed to touch the subject matter of the various resolu- tions. Delegate Thompson summed up the case of those apposed to the committees’ report. He stated that the convention had invited Howat to speak and now the resolutions com- mittee wanted to dispose of his appeal for a special convention before Howat had a chance to state his case. The only way the machine could stave off defeat was to offer a substi- tute motion that the convention take up all resolutions where the commit- tee offered no substitute until the sub- stitutes could be printed. This is what was wanted and was unanimously adopted. The resolutions were dis- tributed to the delegates on the re- quest of John Hindmarsh just a few minutes before the committee started its report. Hit Use of Enemy Press. A heated argument came on resolu- tion number 5, condemning the tac- tics of international organizers for printing malicious and false state- ments in the capitalists’ press about sub-district number five's special con- yention. This attack narrowed down to one Ben Williams, an international organizer. The committee moved that it be referred to the sub-district; this was hurriedly carried thru without discussion, Farrington stating that when he put out the motion that he did not see any one on the floor. Watts moved a reconsideration, which was carried by 190 to 185, af- ter a heated discussion in which Will- jams was severely condemned with only one delegate, himself an organ- izer, defending Williams. The mat- ter was then referred to the sub-dis- , y March 31, 1924, numbered 2,881 and |. sions occur, men are killed, ana that the mine inspectors report that the company had complied with the min- ing law, but that the miners had been killed by the gas law. Farrington ab- solved himself from all blame for the present agreement, saying that type of agreement had been in effect be- fore he had become the district presi- dent. He failed to show any effort of his part to have it altered. | Farrington’s mal Facts | By TOM TIPPETT. (Staff Correspondent of the Fed. Press) PEORIA, fii, May 15.—In Farring- ton’s report, read by him to the con- vention at the opening session, a dis- mal picture of the Illinois coal indus- try is presented. It reveals that there are 374 shipping mines in the state which employed last year an average of 99,081 men, all members of the U. M. W. A. The mines worked on an average of 146 days or less than half time and produced a total of 73,410,- 837 tons of coal. This means that Ilit- nois mines have a potential producing capacity of 150,000,000 tons annually, Nonunion Competition. During approximately the same per- jod West Virginia, with about the same number of men employed, min- ed 103,000,000 tons, or nearly 30,000,- 000 tons more than Illinois. The great bulk of the West Virginia coal was mined under nonunion conditions at 1917 wage rates or lower. In Mingo, Logan and McDowell counties in southern West Virginia, where most of the nonunion tonnage was produc- ed, the miners are paid 90 cents for loading a four-ton mine car, and the highest inside day rate is $4 per day. In Alabama, Kentacky, and Tennessee the situation is relatively the same as in West Virginia. 150 Mines Closed. There are at present 150, Illinois mines completely closed, many of them for months with no immediate prospect of resuming and with every indication that more mines will sus- pend. The 150 closed mines have thrown out of employment 30,000 Illi- nois miners. Very few mines are working more than time and the great majority not that much. Every new subscriber increases the Influence of the DAILY WORKER. (The resolution showed that explo- (Continued From Page 1.) fast becoming a lauguing stock. It has outlived its usefulness and must go. In the meantime, French politicians are quietly arranging the necessary compromises in the interval before Premier neue resigns. Edouard Trwnint mi tae = scetvy ausllionaire socialivs luayor ot Lyons, and one of France's leading business men, is the likeliest. successor . to Poincare. He has gone to the south of France, the Palm Beach of French politicians. The socialists are fanning the air with doubts as to whether they shall enter a coalition cabinet or not. This’ is only a bluff in order to make a good bargain. As a matter of fact, they are itching for office and will surren- der anything except their salaries in order to get there. Foreign Policy to Suffer, The foreign and domestic policy of the new regime promises to differ rad- ically from that of Poincare in cer- tain important features, The evacu- ation of the Ruhr hinges on Ger- many’s acceptance of the Dawes plan and also perhaps, on the willingness of the bankers to grant the necessary loans in the face of Poincare’s defeat who was the White Hope of the House of Morgan. The recognition of Soviet Russia is practically assured when the new gov- ernment takes office, The procedure followed will be recognition first, and business afterwards. In other words, MacDonald’s policy toward the Soviet Republic will be taken as a model. One of the most important results of the recent elections was the stun- ning defeats received by the Cath- olic church in France, It is reported on good authority that the French em- bassy at the Vatican will be abolished and the bonds between the church and the state resumed under the Poin- care regime will be broken. Poincare and many of the big chiefs of the war period were Catholics and thé willing tools of the heavy industrialists. Small Nations Hard Hit, The small nations that were sup- ported in their ambitious plans for aggrandisement and imperialist ex- pansion, are hard hit by the new turn of affairs. Poland had already seen the handwriting on the wall and was feeling out Moscow for better rela- tions between the two countries, But Roumania was caught more or less off its guard and will now be left holding the bag. The presence of heavy Red troop formations on the Bessarabian frontier does not add to the peace of mind of the Roumanfan reactionaries. . The Poincare disaster removes Sov- jet Russia's most bitter enemy in Bu- rope from the political stage. SANE AND DECENT DICKS HOPE OF CIVIL LIBERTIES CAMPAIGNERS (By The Federated Press) WASHINGTON, May 15—A vigorous campaign to “restore to sanity and decency” the bureau of investigations, or spy bureau, in the department of justice, has been launched here by the American Civil Liberties Union. Progressives and many Democrats in House and Senate sympathize with the view that these spying activities, which have been uniformly turned against the labor and radical movements, should be curbed this year, by house-clean- Ing in the department and by cutting the appropriation, oe