The Daily Worker Newspaper, June 23, 1924, Page 6

Published co. ittS WW. Washington BPX. @Rbonet Monsees 4792) RATES Ry e : $6.00 per year - he a $2,00....8 months. ym LJ 2 $ $8.00 per year 34.506 mouths mty) 9:00,_Semontas Address all mail andnake out checks to THE DAILY; "WORKER 1113 W. Washington Btvd. Chicage, IIlinols J, LOUIS ENGDAHL ) WILLIAM F. DUNNE) sovscorennmenceeeeDNCOTS MORITZ J, LOEB... ee business Manager Entered as second-class mail Sept. 21, 1923 at the Post- Office at Chicago, Ml, under the act of March 3, 1879. <> 290 Advertising rates om application. The Workers Party and Senator LaFollette A score of capitalist newspaper writers, for the past week, have been trying to tell the nation the attitude of the Workers party toward LaFollette, the Wisconsin senator. For a whole week the subsidized press of the nation came to the defense of LaFollette as against the Communists who were-seated as-delegates in the St. Paul conven- Hon. This united-front.of LaFollette with the bosses’ sheets sought to show that the St. Paul conven- tion was.madeup of ungrateful workers and farm- ers who refused to be stampeded into surrender- ing their movement unconditionally in aid of the ‘Wisconsin-senator’s presidential aspirations. The-delegates to the St. Paul convention did not feel themselves obligated to anyone not even LaFollette. They felt they had their interests to conserve, and that their interests would be best promoted by thesbuilding of a class party of their own, with class candidates standing on a class program. They were out to build their own power and if LaFollette would help he would be welcome. This sentiment of the convention was clearly stated in the words of William Z. Foster, chair- man of the Workers party, when he addressed the convention, saying: “Relative to the candidacy of Mr. LaFol- lette, | feel it incumbent upon me to state the position of the Workers Party on this matter. In the coming negotiations be- tween the National Committee of the Na- tional Farmer-Labor Party and other groups relative to combined action upon a presi- dential candidate, the only basis upon which the Workers Party will accept LaFollette as a candidate is, if he agrees to run as the Farmer-Labor candidate, to accept that party's platform and ‘its control over his electo! ee and aa funds.” abis a statement’ iS workers and} et farmers’ delegates at the St. Paul convention could understand. They accepted it as stating their viewpoint. They want LaFollette to know that if he will help in building a class party, his aid will be welcome. But they also want him to know that he has no lure in his power that can win the workers and farmers for support of old party candidacies, or in pursuit of independent rain- bows. The workers’ and farmers’ drive for class power does not need to go begging for aid. It can stand.on its own feet. It is not looking for lime- lights to illuminate its cause. That is the spirit with which the national ex- ecutive committee of the Farmer-Labor party goes to the Cleveland meeting of the Conference for Progressive Political Action. That is the attitude with which this committee will meet the overtures of elements bending toward it from the bewildered Cleveland gathering that now hovers half way be- tween LaFollette and McAdoo. The workers and farmers who met at St. Paul are alone certain of their position. They stand for the class party. ‘They have cut themselves off from Wall Street political rainbow chasing. And that definiteness of position is the contribution of the Workers party to the class farmer-labor move- ment. Send in that Subseription Today! Now to Work! The great convention is over, and the founda- tion has been laid. Unity of all the forces that sincerely want a Farmer-Labor’ party in this cam- paign was achieved. A program was adopted unanimously that outlines a real struggle against the forces of capitalism; it is a real working class document, even though stopping short of Communism. The convention nominated Duncan McDonald, an industrial worker, for president, and William Bouck, a working farmer, for vice- president. . All the preparation work necessary for a great campaign to mobilize the working THE DAILY WORKER Loyalty and Profits The DAILY WORKER exposure of speed up methods in the Western Electric plant has re- vealed how large corporations, at little or no cost to themselves, keep their employes working for years at small wages by pointing out the ad, vantages of the pension and sick and death ben: efits. } Employes of large industrial \plants turn down offers of better salaries from other firms: simply to complete their term of service and collect pen- sion money. But often as in the Western Blec- tric company, the men after working twenty and thirty years, are discharged on some pretended breach of discipline. These discharged employes are unable to collect one cent of the pension money due them. The Western Union Telegraph company, mem- ber of the Electric Trust which includes the West- ern Electric, makes the employes pay monthly dues thus placing the entire expense of the pen- sions and sick and death benefits on the employes. In the Western Electric company, as in many other industrial plants, after the death of work- ers with long and faithful years of service, the families are unable to collect the policy from the company. Another- concern, employing several thousand men, the Morris and Company packers, has just been charged with non-payment of pension funds. Twenty-four former employes of the Morris pack- ing company in bringing suit for the payment of these funds, charge the packers with using the pen- sion idea to keep the men on the job, at a low salary. The Morris company used the amalgamation with the Armour Packing company in 1909 as an excuse for dodging their obligation to the em- ployes. The packing employes charged on the witness stand that the Morris packing company managers kept them from accepting jobs at higher salaries by “telling them, “You owe it to your family to guarantee them the comforts of life when you are too old to work.” Most of these men are now jobless and penniless. - These pension systems are controlled by com- pariy officials. The money is paid out, according to the bosses’ pension plan, at the discretion of a committee of the officers of the company. Following out their usual policy of cutting down the cost of production, the Welfare department of the Western Electric, and the legal departments of the other industrial plants pay the pensions only when they are unable to wiggle out of the obligation thru some legal technicality. The many legal ways of refusing payment of these policies are left in the pension plans, which are drawn up and run by the companies themselves. Therefore it does not pay an employe to be too loyal. As long as the wage slave produces a profit above the wage he receives, he is kept on. Anything ick and owt into the bosses’ profits such.as death benefit or pension, is violently resis the company stockholders. . A ” The Legion’s “Major Duty” Well, Commander John Quinn of the American Legion is just now telling the world that “we will consider it our major duty” to have a universal service law passed. If we were sympathetic folks we'd shed some tears for the militarists’ troubles. It’s cruelly hard to get folks to fight for somebody else’s dough any more—so hard that the million- aire doughboys of the American Legion who are too proud to fight in dirty trenches themselves get the itch of a “major duty” to make someone else fight. Tonight we shall listen in on the radio to hear whether the other ravening gunpowder ' eater, George L. Berry, Quinn’s viece-commander, isn’t proclaiming a “major duty” also. George got un- der the colors somewhere about November 12, 1918—over on this side of the pond. Probably if George is considered a good enough strikebreaker to pull a big scab vote as vice presi- dential candidate with Billy McAdoo, we'll hear more about this universal service stuff in the com- ing campaign. And the pacifists whom the Legion- aires are so busy fighting, since they got discour- aged with trying to break up union halls after Centralia, will view with alarm. Over in Russia the pacifists used to view uni- versal military training with alarm too. They saw unmitigated tragedy in the fact that “the ham- mer was wrenched out of the hand of the worker and the gun put into it instead.” The Russian workers suddenly found out who their real enemy was. The result is revolutionary history. But Commander Quinn and his ilk don’t read history or see the handwriting on the wall of capitalist society. Berger and Hillquit wish to embrace LaFollette, but find themselves in the embarrassing position where, to do so, means to destroy the remnants of their Socialist party. But cheer up, it is fifty- gee UNITY OF WORLD COMMUNISTS Unity of the German Communist movement with the Communist. Inter- national now in session in Moscow is shown in the following report of the recent Frankfort Congress of the Communist Party of Germany. The Communist International sees the vital importance of the Germany Communist Party which is now lead- ing the revolutionary movement in that great industrial country of cen- tral Europe. The statement made by Comrade Ivanov of the executive com- mittee of the Communist Internation- al which is here given is of import- ance. Frankfort Conference of the C. P. REPORT OF CONFERENCE. The. conference of the Commun- ist Party of Germany was held under illegal conditions during the second week of April. Following upon a thorough-going discussion, a resolution on “The immediate ‘tasks of the Communist Party of Ger- many” was adopted unanimously and an executive was elected whose members were almost exclusively representative of the left wing. On publishing this resolution, “Die Rote Fahne” was prohibited for ten days. We give below the first installment of a report of this conference which Is of supreme ,importance for the entire international proletariat. , Ed. Before the agenda was submitted to the meeting the provisional chairman made the following declaration: “We who are gathered here today solemnly call to mind the tremendous loss that the entire proletariat of the world has recently suffered in the death of Lenin, the leader of Com- munism. (The delegates rise from their seats.) We feel the magnitude of the loss even more than do our Russian comrades because we are struggling along new paths, seeking new directions. But if Lenin be dead, Leninism survives and is spreading itself everywhere amongst the prole- teriat of the world, everywhere where the exploited and the oppressed are to be found. “We could also call to mind the Convention Peeves Farringt , By THOMAS MYERSCOUGH. “THE RESULTS OF THE PEO- RIA CONVENTION ARE. SATISFAC- starts an article by President Farrington in the June 7 is- sue of the Illinois Miner, the official organ of District 12, United Mine Workers of America, It continues: “The appointive power of your Presi- dent should not have been abolished and would not have been abolished had it not been for the fact that the delegates came instructed to do this very thing.” After going at great length to say that the instructed delegates consti- tuted a jury, pledged to render a cer- tain verdict regardless of the evi- dence in the case, he begins to tell of the accomplishments of the men he has appointed. For some of the men Farrington refers to, it is quite pos- sible that the, miners back home would say the same thing, and, if such is the case, there need be no fear on the part of anyone that they will not be returned, but if such is not the case then the verdict will be rendered accordingly. Didn’t Want to Lose It. However, it is hard to understand how a person can feel so put out at the loss of this' so-called burden and at*the same time fight so desperately to retain it, At the convention a sec- ond fight had to be put up by the dele- gates ‘to take away the Appointive Power and when it is considered that this was necessary, after winning the fight so overwhelmingly in the first encounter, then having to convince Many comrades who sacrificed them- selves in the streets of Hamburg. In the crisis of last October they were alone in blazoning forth the revo- lutionary aspirations of the working class, They took up the fight and met their death in the belief that the last and final struggle with the Ger- man capitalists had arrived. It re- mains our task to ensure that this hope of theirs will very shortly be realized. “We would also call to mind the thousands of our comrades incarcer- ated in German prisons, who are thereby unable to participate in the discussions at our conference but who otherwise would certainly be with us. Especially do our thoughts turn to Comrades Urbans, Stetter, Schneck and Pfeiffer, who are only prevented by class justice from taking part in our deliberations, After the agenda had been drawn up, the opening speech was delivered by The representative of the E. C., Com- rade Ivanov. On behalf of the EB. C. of the Com- intern and the C. C., of the C, P. R. Comrade Ivanov welcomed the Confer- ence and hoped that it would accom- plish fruitful work. The revolution in Germany would not take the same course as in Russia. In Russia one of the driving forces of the revolution was the contrast that existed between the land monopoly of the big land- owners and the land hunger of the millions of poor peasants. The C. P. R. offered peace to the masses of the peasantry that were serving as sol- diers in the trenches, It thereby re- ceived the support of these masses whose numbers ran into millions. In Germany, on the other hand, Scheide- mann’s party, the party which had conducted the war, was able to de- ceive the German proletariat into the belief that it was the party that brot peace. Thus the German proletariat has suffered itself to be lead along a long and sorrowful path to Golgotha, The E.C. and the C.C.of theC.P.G recognizes that the trend the revolu- tion has taken in Germany places the C. P. G. before extraordinary difficul- ties. These difficulties have been in- creased by the big blunders that were made by the majority of the Central Committee and which contributed to the great defeat in October. The E.|nious agreement with the Neder crise 3 them with a roll call in the second fray, it makes it seem ridiculous to cry about the loss of this power, if it is better for his peace of mind to be without it. Farrington ‘contends that — ‘the change will allow for too much union politics, but the contrary is true, it will eliminate union machine politics and that is the reason that the dele- gates found themselves instructed be- fore leaving Their homes as to how they should vote on this question. This fight against the Appointive Pow- er in the miner’s union is not a new thing; it is an old sore, the only thing new about it this time was the instructed delegates and these instruc- tions were given to eliminate the po- litical influence of the machine. The delegates voiced their sentiments against it, stating that the appointees participated in the corrupting of the elections and while the convention was in session one of the “Ap- pointees” confided to me to the ef- fect that “We would have stolen more if we had needed them.” Once Farrington Foe. This fellow, Joe Somers by name, is one of the jovial kind who doesn’t mind it being known that he is out for all he éan get, and, of course, is taken at face value by all who know him, because hé was once a bitter opponent of Farrington and once in a convention he was prepared to cut off the official head. However, the story is told that as Somers approached the stage to denounce Farrington, Frank pointed a finger of scorn at his anta- gonist of that time and hollered, “Joe Somers, you are a-crook!” and to this ' Bill Lloud C. is also fully cognizant of the psy- chological reaction that this defeat has effected among the members of the Party generally. In the theses submitted by the left- wing majority of the conference, the principles of. which were thoroughly discussed with the representatives of the EB. C., it was established that The German Revolution has Survived, and that a new revolutionary wave is to be expected in the near future. But at the same time the possibility of a slow development is also to be reck- oned with, In either case the leadership of the German Party is confronted with diffi- culties of the first magnitude, difficul- ties, which would exist for any other group which took over the leadership, In the trade union question, especial- ly, the Party is confronted with de- cisions of a inost momentous char- acter. have left the old unions and are reso- lutely clamoring for the creation of new industrial organizations. Such new revolutionary industrial organiza- tions, moreover, will impose heavy ob- ligations upon the party and the workers will not. be slow in imposing these obligations. The HE. C. has therefore given the closest attention to this problem, and in view of the fact that it is of international, as well as of national importance, foilows the development with greatest concern. Unlimited Support. The E.°C. herewith declares that the new executive of the Party will receive the unlimited support of the £. C. The E. C. appeals to the minor- ity of the conference to render broth- erly support to the new leadership. The E. C. will not tolerate any at- tempt to undermine the authority of the new leadership of the Party. For the first time in the Comintern the left wing undertakes the leader- ship of a big party. There is the dan- ger from the very outset that. right wing groups will take advantage of the first false step of the lew leader- ship to launch an attack against it. For this reason it is incumbent upon this conference to put an end to the formation of groups and create a united Communist Party. Harmonious Agreement. The E. C. appeals to the conference majority to work in the most harmo- O Large sections of the workers |) Monday, June 23, 1924 Bringing the German Revolution and to come to the right decisions. On behalf of the Communist. Party 6f Russia, Comrade. Ivanov declares that every member of the Russian Party would rejoice to hear that a close alli- ance has been formed between the German and the Russian Parties. “The: Russian Party is fitted to enter upon, such an alliance, not only because of* the seizure of power in October, 1917, but also because the conclusions of the’ party discussion found it more firmly consolidated than ever. In January the Party conference decided by 200 votes: against 3 in favor of the policy of the Cc. C. 5 Long live the XI Congress of the? ome SA at Long live the Communist Party of Germany! Long live the Communist Interna- tional! (Loud applause.) ‘ AS WE SEE IT By T. J. O'FLAHERTY The first plank in the Democratic’ platform will be a scandal, according to press repofts. So will the rest of the lumber. The Democratic party is a scandal and ‘so is the Republican. party. What the reports have refer- ence to is the Teapot Dome exposure and the revelations of graft in the Republican cabinet. Yet it is worthy of note that a great majority of the delegates gathered at New York to sé lect a candidate to run against Codt, idge and his gentle grafters are will ing to have McAdoo, the. Doheny white-haired boy, as standard bearer, Fall only got $100,000 from Doheny and a few old cows from Sinclair, but. McAdoo got $50,000 from Doheny and a promise of the best part of one million, provided he succeeded in rap- ing the Mexican republic for the bene fit of the oil king. There you are. ‘8 * A religious war is brewing in New York over the fight between Al Smith and McAdoo. A war for political pure, poses. The leaders in the struggle: have no religious convictions that would cause them any loss of sle@p;. but their followers have. If Al Smith is elected the cry of “Rome rule” will be raised, regardless of the’ fact that at this moment with a Pres- byterian in the White House his holi- ness is getting all the consideration he wants from the United States goy- ernment. ‘J. P. Morgan is not a Cath- day Somers has failed to convince |Olic, yet he is the financial agent of anyone that Farrington did not tetl|the Vatican here in America. the truth on that occasion. Per- haps the Ku Klux Klan is not aware Today the ever-smiling Joe is an | this. F appointee, serving on some sort of commission and he never hesitates to say that he is for Farrington 100 per cent. This reminds me that Far- rington, in his article, says that “poll tics make strange bed fellows” and in that statement I am forced to agree with him, as I also am in the follow- ing one that he makes to the effect that “Politics and efficiency are rare- ly found sleeping in the same bed.” The thing that puzzles the miners tho, is why the miners’ union should be managed in accordance with rules laid down by business institutions, as de- manded by Farrington, All that they can see from big business methods is no work with the resultant misery and starvation. i Workers To Act. j.|The religious differences of their fol- se @ Al Smith and McAdoo are not fight ing each ‘other because -they-wership~ Jehovah under different auspices, lowers will be used to jack up their enthusiasm until the need for further action is over, then the main rivals will shake hands in front of a camera and unite for the sake of the Demo cratic party, and the spoils of office, which is the important thing.. The various factions in the pre-nomination fight at the Democratic convention prove-that they are to be reckoned with, and no matter who wins they must be considered. It is a better policy to buy off the head of a power- ful faction than to annihilate him, if he is at all reasonable. see That is true in Illinois and in every} The Democratic leaders will try to other state where coal is mined, but|capture the vote that is disgusted with the change already made in Illi-|with both old parties. It is true that nois as well as in Kansas and with |four years is a long time for the aver* the subsequent changes yet to be/age voter to hark back to, so made, Big Business will be knocked |crimes of the Wilson administrat into a cocked hat and the workers will |may be forgotten in face of the more begin to look after themselves. This jrecent if no less rotten crimes of the will be'done in spite of the fact that|Harding-Coolidge. boodle grabbers, that officials of the miners’ union per-|Democratic keynoters will call th sist in supporting the political nomi-jorigin of the jackass party to the af nees of big business. The men who|tention of the convention and a make up the vast army of members of |claim their mission is now again. tg the miners’ union will not only take |clear corruption out of public life. 4 control of the union, but when they |fine set of scavengers! ‘ do, they will use this economic arm * Be to build a political one and with both} At St, Paul a party was founded they will announce the advent of the |pledged to clear up corruption by day when the suffering of the work-|ting down to rock bottom and apollay ers is ended, : the system that breeds corruption, The corruption we are: after is that which robs the worker of the produot of his labor. Under capitalism, graft The Price of Capitalism. GENEVA, Switzerland, June 22.— by the International Labor Office. q , ranged according to countries, the fig-| over the spoils. That is all. Nowe ures stand as follows: Germany,|is Coolidge and his merry men wh 1,537,000; France, 1,500,000; Great|are on the inside. They have Britain, 900,000; Italy, 800,000; Rus-| hands to sia, 775,000; Poland, 300,000. . PA j ‘ € L is q f\ » class of America in the political battle has been done. Now the real work can begin. In every city, town and village organizations of the Farmer- Labor party must be set up. In every state where the party is not yet organized, it must be put into the field. In every local union, central labor body, and international union, committees must be formed to fight for the support and endorsement of the only real working class ticket in the field in this presidential campaign. The convention has not done our work for us, it has only opened the door and given us the op- portunity. Now it is up to us. The new party will be what the workers everywhere, and espe- cially the readers of the DAILY WORKER, ‘make of it. If we all do a little more than our tied: we will be astonished by the results., The id is ripe and waiting for our efforts. Now to by spilling on us some death-rays—that we'll surely get it worst unless we catch the other first, Another modern way to kill— a bunch of deadly germs we'll spill,— that is to say, unless our foe sends bombs controlled by radio which bring about our quick decease before our germs we can release—unle: first should stir his ire by pouring on him liquid fire—unless he caught us on the hip and from a ponderous airship poured clouds of deadly gases down to kill al! living in our town, It two emergencies should meet, they might accomplish the sad feat of blotting out all living trace of this alleged peace-loving race, I think the youth, on land and sea,}g They've sprung a new name for war, I see; it’s national emergency. The seven syllables, not one, are ‘sposed to make the fracas fun. We won't make war by land and sea; we'll simply meet emergency, The con- gress never will declare that war js coming with a flare. The president, with hi» gloved fists, will say, “Emer- gency exists.” It shows how people like to hug and hang on to a great humbug, and idealize their native land, by sticking heads into the sand. I ‘spose the chil- dren will be taught that great emer- gencies ain't fought, but sure resem- ble, at the least, a sort of Methodist love-feast. There’s one thing certain, you can see; they'll meet the next emergency with poison gases, Lewisite, to blot fifty either way. The choice is one of the method of departing to the,great beyond. * Coal miners dig coal, and are poor, coal oper- ators “dig” them, and are rich. While heads of the United Mine Workers are raving about red flags, their organization is being destroyed by white robes. Communism will drain the foul ‘swamps of cap- italism, and plant them to fruit and flowers for all the people. Firey crosses are dark-lanterns, employed by those who seek to burglarize brotherhood. — The Poor Fish says: Ri ‘ops this year, | hear. Union workers, who join the Ku Klux Klan, soon learn that robes have no purse pockets.