The Daily Worker Newspaper, July 14, 1924, Page 6

Page Six THE DAILY WORKER. Published by the DAILY WORKER PUBLISHING CO,, 1113 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, Il. (Phone: Monroe 4712) SUBSCRIPTION RATES By mail: $3.50....6 months $2.00....8 monthe By mail (in Chicago only): $8.00 per year $4.50....6 months montis esi ee iS Address all mail and make out checks to THE DAILY WORKER 1113 W. Washington Bivd. $6.00 per year Chicago, Ilinols .. Editors Business Manager J. LOUIS ENGDAHL WILLIAM F. DUNNE MORITZ J. LOEB Entered as second-class mail Sept. 21, 1923 at the Post- Office at Chicago, Ill, under the act of March 3, 1879, << 20 Advertising rates on application, McAdoo Is “Satisfied” “A lawyer’s views on economic, political, and social questions are no more to be judged by his professional associations than is a physician to be judged by the character of his patients,” said William Gibbs McAdoo, is issuing a public state- ment that he is satisfied with Davis as the demo- cratic candidate. Rather a wild comparison, we would think, and not calculated to strengthen what was necessarily a weak statement. Davis was employed by the J. P. Morgan interests to advance those interests in fields affecting economic, political, and social ques- tions. He was not treating Mr. Morgan for syphillis, in which case we could agree that Mr. Davis would not necessarily be infected also. But he has been employed, in politics and in private practice, in protecting and advancing the inter- ests of the House of Morgan. His economic views were suitable for Morgan, his political opinions pleased Morgan, his attitude on social questions were Morgan’s, or Morgan would not have ad- vanced ‘him from his obscure corner in West Vir- ginia, thru a course in foreign affairs under Wil- son at the Court of King George, and then to the position of his personal counsel. McAdoo may be satisfied with Davis. The work- ers are also “satisfied,” but in a different sense. It has been proved to the satisfaction of all who care / to know that Davis is the representative of Wall Street in just as immediate and personal a manner as Coolidge or Dawes. McAdoo is satisfied be- cause he was also serving the same masters and therefore he has to like it whether he wishes or no. The Plight of Labor The unemployment and insecurity exposed by the DAILY WORKER inside the factories of the International Harvester company are indicative — sof the prevalent plight of the American workers. q Over half of the Harvester Trust employes have been laid off, and the ten thousand who are work- ing are employed only five days a week. The first reaction of the employes is to cling more closely to their jobs, to be ‘more servile, to cater to the wishes of their bogses. The-period of industrial crisis brings many Teta to the workers. Thousands of them are laid off after many years of faithful service. Others are dis- charged just before their pensions come due. “They'll keep ME on,” the trusting employe says to himself. “I have shown them by obeying their commands at all times that I am valuable to them. I have stuck by them when the rebellious element went on strike, and have stayed loyally with the company union against outside affilia- tions.” But_then the axe falls. The faithful employe learns to his sorrow and sometimes to his surprise, that promotion, rate of wges, and discharges are not determined by loyalty to the company. He finds that the only condition on which the Har- vester company suffers him to work is that he turns his energy into profits for the firm. As soon as the employe is unable to turn his energy into wages, plus a net profit for the boss, he is summarily dismissed without the slightest senti- mental consideration. It is in this psychological state that the worker finds himself at the present time. The Industrial Councils, which are supposed to take the place of the unions, have not prevented wage reductions and indiscriminate lay-offs. Faithful service, in periods or retrenchment, has not kept the wife and children from walking the streets looking for work to support a starving family. The “pep-em-up” literature, distributed by the tons, is now laid on the shelf, while the Harvester company, sitting pretty after a large dividend pay- ment and a net profit of over eleven million dol- lars for the last year, says sadly, “Go, thou good and faithful servant, we haye no more use for your energy for the present. You have done your work so well that our store-houses are full and the market is glutted. You took our advise too seriously, and speeded up so much you worked yourself out of a job. Sorry—come around again next year.” The workers will be at the mercy of the bosses until they disregard their bunk and get into class concious organizations such as the Workers Party, em the political field and the trade unions on the industrial field. The industrial crisis and its ac- companying starvation, point out none to gently to the workers that their salvation lies in taking over the factories and running them for the serv- ice of the wealth producing class. They are re- minded that as long’ as industries arerun for pro- fit their wage slavery and insecurity will continue. The nomination of Calvin Coolidge by himself and his acceptance at Cleveland made Wall Street feel pretty good. Stocks took an upward fly. Welcome, Emir! The visit of the Emir of Kurdistan to this coun- try is a welcome relief from the thousands of other titled ladies and gentlemen who come to this country on pleasure bent, without ever a thot for the country from whence they came. Not so the Emir. We are not in his entourage, and to us his secrets are as dark as his com- plexion, but when he says that his mission is to bring peace and harmony between the people of Kurdistan and the United States we are inclined to take his words at their face value. The Emir carries a passport made out for “H. R. H. Prince of Kurdistan.” Inquiries in Turkish circles elicited the information that there was no reigning family in Kurdistan at the present time, but the Emir was not a bit taken aback by this information. On the contrary, he stated in reply that he was descended from the renowned Haroun Al Raschid, and his family is the oldest in the world. We are not disposed to quarrel with the Emir over the facts of his statements, but we suggest if he is hard up for funds, he might do worse than pay a visit to Edward. Doheny or Harry Sin- clair, who would possibly give him a few thou- sand dollars for the privilege of letting them bore for oil where the Kurds are curdling in the warm rays of the Moslem sun. It’s a habit they have. Make yourself at home Emir. Kings are getting so darned scarce nowadays that we cannot afford to allow the few remaining specimens to go hungry. Our own fhirt-sleeve royalty is so greedy that they leave very little in the way of crumbs to the more ancient vintage. i “You Go First, My Dear Gaston!” The Structural Iron Workers’ Union has made a demand on the bosses for an increase in wages from $1.25 to $1.37%4 an hour. It previously de- manded $1.50 but did not strike for it when it was refused. In fact the union ordered those who did strike, back to work. There is no likelihood that the bosses will be faced with any strike if they deny the ironworkers the $1.38714. This is caused by the most amazing chaos in the building industry. The fine example of confusion of the reactionary leadership of the building trades unions which followed the Landis Award was just a beginning. Some of the unions refused and others rejected the Landis Award, and a deplor- able case of some unions helping the open shop- pers resulted. Now we have a condition where the agreements of each union carry a proviso that, if any other union in the building trades’ gets an increase, the THE DAILY WORKER_ ONE OF OUR PRISONS - - We waited. The high ceilinged room with iron bars for walls, thru which could be seen the stone stairs leading to tiers of cells, was the pri- son reception hall. It was June out- side, but here the stone floor and the cold stale air coming up thru the grated walls chilled. Keys clanked. Doors opened and shut, Huge doors that were portions of the walls. They were opened by a guard whose sole duty seemed to be the opening and shutting of these doors. Opening and shutting of prison doors. He clanked his keys. They were the only doors. His face was expressionless. The guard at the table in the center of the dim gray hall looked neither to the left nor right of him. He sat rigid, looking straight ahead of him. Into the depths he seemed to look thru the grated wall. Doors opened and shut. Keys clanked. Children came to see their fathers. Mothers their sons. Wives their husbands. A young prisoner was smiling up at his sweetheart. Looking up into her eyes ingratiating- ly. His own eyes were feverish. There were deep marxs around them of sleepless nights and torment. The west wing door opened and shut. The guard shook his keys and stepped aside. Vanzettif He came toward us with a quick springy step, his figure taut, his wonderful smile falling upon us like a pale ray of sunlight. He shook hands with us: “I am so pleased to see you, comrades!” How soft and vi- brant his voice! How his sensitive mouth quivered under his drooping mustache. I had not seen him in three years. Not since that scorching day in July, 1921, when I saw him and his fellow victim Sacco, in the steel cage in a Massachusetts courtroom. He leaned intently forward, his soft gray eyes full of questioning and of sorrow, while about him was being cast a net of lies upon which the common- wealth built up its. case and found him and Sacco guilty of murder. There was a light in those gray eyes then that could not be extinguished. Four years of the dim cell in the west wing have failed to extinguish it. We talked. It was hard for me to bring the words up out of my throat. They got mixed up with the tears welling up in it and hurt with their throbbing. Vanzetti has a soft, melo- dious voice, but charged with’ the passionate appeal of the dreamer and the social rebel. Except for his com- ment that his ill ventilated cell hurts his lungs and that he cannot see the sky from the prison workshop where he makes automobile plates, he did not refer to himself again. But he repeated twice that he could not see the sky. He wanted so to see the blue sky! 5 How eager he was for news of the workers’ movement! How those soft eyes would light up with hope of la- generous heart, this dreamer of hu- man brotherhood and beauty still liv- ing under the shadow of the electric chair! There was the night when 20,000 volts of lightning snuffed out the life of one man! What a night of horror!. He lies awake thinking of the men killed and the men that kill. Passionate apostle of freedom and of service to mankind; rebel against a world where men maim their fellow- men in the name of the law; where justice is in the hands of: men who cannot hear, who cannot see, who can- Monday, July 14, 1924 By, MATHILDA ROBBINS not understand the spirit of Vanzet- ti. The jailor brought a little piece of yellow paper and slipped it into Van- zetti's hand. He clutched/ it. Un- der his mustache he bit his lips. The prison clock struck four. The visit was at an end. I héld his hand for a moment and quickly turned away. Doors were opening and shutting. Keys clanked. I looked back. With head high and quick step, Vanzetti was walking thru the grated wall of the west wing. AS WE SEE IT By T. J. O'FLAHERTY. Fraklin D. Roosevelt, manager © the Smith campaign for the preside tial nomination on the democrati ticket, is vice-president of the Fidelit; and Deposit Company, New York. He mixes politics with business. In an advertisement, calling the attention of bor’s triumph;_how sadden at labor's defeats! Vanzetti has learned English during his four years of prison. He speaks it with the precision of a foreigner acquiring a new tongue. But he in- vests it with a charm of liquid inflec- tion with which his own Italian tongue is so exquisitely beautiful. When he spoke to his two Italian friends who were with me, it was like music that rose and vibrated thru the prison catacomb. His smile was like a benediction. His eloquent hands play upon the heart. “You have many friends every- where,” I said to him, “friends who love you and will continue to work for your liberation.” I shall. always: remember the won- derful light of gratitude that came in- to his eyes as he said, “Ah, I know, I feel. ‘That is why I am still living.” Still liying! This noble soul, this WHOSE Faget.” By JAY LOVESTONE. HE Minneapolis Labor Review is taken to task by the new LaFol- lette organ, the Milwaukee Leader, for charging the Conference for Progres- sive Political Action with the guilt for whatever division exists in the polit- ical ranks of the workers in the com- ing campaign. other unions also-should get the same increase automatically. But, alas and alack! in the habit of giving increases without being Of course the Minneapolis Labor bosses are not| Review is correct. The labor bureau- crats and the socialists, who are now kneeling at the feet of LaFollette, are compelled, without a strike, without struggle. And|;esponsible for the splitting up of the unions under present leadership do not and{the labor forces on the political front. cannot fight. They never will be able to fight un- less they are taken in hand by the rank and file and amalgamate their forces for real struggle. So we see this comedy of unionism. The brick- layers recently got an increase from $1.25 to $1.50. So the iron workers spoke up and said, “We have to have that too, according to our agreement.” But the bosses said, “Nothing doing!” And the ironworkers not being able or willing to fight, had to knuckle down aud eat humble pie. Again, the. jelectricians get an increase from $1.25 to $1.3714. So the ironworkers speak up the second time, say- ing, “According to our agreement we must get $1.3714 too, since the electricians are.” But will they fight for this increase any more than they fought for the $1.50? There are no signs of it, and the bosses have the habit of telling them to go to the devil. So the situation is that the building trades workers, without unity in either organization or action, have to submit even to violation of their agreements—the sacred agreements! Unwilling and unable to struggle, they have to wait, each one of them, until some other one of them moves first. It is a case of “You go first, my dear Gaston!” It is a case of unionism without unity. And these unions, under this leadership, are going to go into the banking business. Unable, apparently, to collaborate with each other in the class struggle, they are willing to collaborate with the capital- ist class against the class struggle. Hearst Hesitates The fact that John F. Hylan, mayor of New York, hesitates to commit himself on the question of presidential candidates, is but a reflection of the hesitancy of William Randolph Hearst. The latter is doubtless fishing around for favorable terms for himself, before he joins the LaFollette movement, to which, however, he is already giving free advice in large quantities. But Hearst wants a party to be organized before he quits the older machines, for, as a practical man of affairs, he knows that organization is the only thing that stays put. 4 Whatever the outcome of the particular hesita- tion of Hearst, there is little doubt of the result that will be brought by the general hesitation of the crowd of small and disappointed office-seekers who want permission to hitch their office-seéking wagons to the LaFollette star. They will get the permission, and the budding Farmer-Labor move- ments in the states will be swamped by a flood of “independent” candidacies, corresponding to La- Follette’s personal campaign. met The nomination of Davis on the democratic ticket sent the tickers ticking merrily and the gam- blers went to see the follies in the evening, with complete peace of mind. All was well with the world and capitalism was sitting pretty. vi It is these men, it is these forces that have prevented the workingmen and poor farmers from presenting a united front of the exploited against the ex- ploiters in the elections. It is the Stones, the Hillquits, the Bergers who have dedicated themselves to deliver- ing the labor and farm vote to the LaFollettes, the Hearsts and other disgruntled members of the capitalist political parties. But if more proof was wanted to substantiate the correctness of the contentions of the Minneapolis Labor Review, then the balance is surely offered in the contrary arguments of the Milwaukee socialist mouthpiece of the republican sénator from Wis- consin. The “Milwaukee Leader de- clares that the Communists cannot be trusted. Well, there has never been a radical, progressive or reactionary body in American politics that has been so frauk and aboveboard in its advocacies and plans. It is precisely the Communist open admissions as to their being unreservedly committed to the establishment of the rule of the working class that has brought all thi wrath of the sundry defenders of ca italism—from Hillquit to John W. Da- heads. Then, indeed, it comes with mal- odorous grace from the poisoned pen of the Milwaukee LaFollette Leader to talk of its love for democracy. | Why, it has been the rule of Berger’s bosom friend, Ebert in Germany, that has foisted upon the workers of that unfortunate country a regime of cap- italist-Junker blood and thunder. When the workers of Berlin and the Ruhr struck for the preservation of the eight-hour day, and when the workers of Bavaria demanded their right of suffrage, it was the helmeted bloodhounds of the Ebert government that swooped down upon them and drowned their protests in blood. And all the dishonest balderdash of the LaFollette organ about the Com- munists being for force and violence will not hold an ounce of clean water. Police power has been employed with frequency to break strikes in the Berger-LaFollette province of Wiscon- sin, just as it has been done in the Cossack-ridden state of Pennsylvania, in the capitalist-ruled Germany of Ebert and Severing. It is just because the Communists have been openly and honestly pro- claiming their unswerving loyalty to the interests of the workers as a class against the capitalists; it is precisely because the Communists are for the supplanting of ‘the present capitalist dictatorship parading as pure democ- racy with a system of working class democracy, and it is primarily because of the committee’s insistence of the workers and poor farmers organizing themselves to do away with the pres- ent capitalist system based on force and violence that the LaFollettes, the Bergers, the Hillquits, the Stones, the Keatings and the others of their co- terie have been fighting the Workers Party tooth and toenail. vis and General Dawes—on their ORE than eighty officiais of the Brotherhood of Locomotive En- gineers and the Brotherhood of Loco- motive Enginemen and Firemen have been subponaed by the Railroad Labor Board to appear before it meets rela- tive to wage disputes and working conditions. The labor organizations have sim- ply refused to recognize the jurisdic- tion of this strikebreaking board over the life and happiness of their mem- bers, These labor unions have for a long time tolerated the unbridled tyr- anny of Railway Labor Board. Their refusal to play with Chairman Ben Hooper’s gang of railway corporation tools is based on years of painful ex- perience with them, Now marshals of the United States department of justice have been sent to hound the railway union officials. Unquestionably the leaders will yield to government pressure and accept the summons of the board. But the time has come to defy the Railroad Board and go to the limit on prevent- ing the extension of governmental strikebreaking activities, What the railway workers can ex- pect from the Railroad Labor Board can best be seen from the record of this creature of the American Associa- tion of Railway Executives. Only the other day that invéterate enemy of the workingclass, Chairman Hooper, de- nounced the two unions in question A CHALLENGE TO BE MET because of their ordering a strike vote on the Buffalo, Rochester and Pitts- burgh Railway. Mr. Hooper was par- ticularly vicious in his attack because of the refusal of these organizations refusing to conie over boot and bag- gage to Coolidge and Dawes or Davis and Bryan in the coming elections. The rank and file of the railway un- fons must watch this test of strength very closely, Only the membership of these unions can meet the challenge. It is the rank and file of these rail- way unions that has had to put up with the tyranny of ‘the strikebreak- ing board. The leaders of these un- ions, judging from their previous sur- render to the board at the decisive moments, will go only as far as they are forced to go by their member- ship. The time to meet the challenge of railway capital, of the financiers who control the arteries of the country’s system of production and exchange is at hand, The workers could not have chosen a better time than this when we are on the eve of a gigantic na- tional election campaign. It is up to the members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and the Broth. erhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen to accept the challenge thrown in their teeth by their sworn enemy, Ben Hooper, Send in that Subscription Today. the public to his business, he uses the headline, “John W. Davis Nominated,” and then goes on to say that the re- publican and democratic conventions having nominated their candidates, business interests could go ahead with the business of making money. There was no real cause for worry over who should be the lucky one. Roosevelt is in the business of offering protection to business men against loss by ac- cident. John W. Davis and Calvin Coo- lidge also, will insure business against any loss that might result from dis- obedient servants getting into the White House. Now, that business, has taken care of its political insurance, it is urged to take care of its indus- trial business. ce @ The anti-Ku Klux Klan resolution passed by the socialist party conven- tion after heavy fighting led by George Goebel, of New Jersey who by the way was one of the leaders in the drive against the Communists in the Book- keepers’ and Stenographers’ Union, is highly praised by the'New York Times, not so much because the resolution condemns tfe terroristic methods em- ployed by the Klan as for the seeeat tion contained in the resolution that the Communists are also included within the scope of its condemnation. The Times notes that LaFollette was too busy obserying other alarm sig- nals on the American politieal horizon to notice an issue that almost split the democratic convention in twain be- fore it left Tex Rickard’s circus audi- torium. In proportion as the sociatists lose the confidence of the workers they gain the support and the compliments of the capitalist organs. They are wel- come to it. + O76? © “With the coming of the great busi- ness corporations managed by a few captains of industry and the advent of labor unions, to say nothing of the one big union and the I. W. W., what chance has the single employe for freedom of contract? He must join the union and pay its dues and obey its rules or be called a sc and treated as a traitor. When tHe only accessible employer is a large corpora- tion with virtual control of an industry the individual liberty of contract is reduced to a vanishing point. “The things which are permanent and must remain forever are justice and honesty, a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay, freedom from personal violence and oppressive treatment.” This is not Samuel Gompers talking, but a reporter for a committee of the American Bar Association, meeting in Philadelphia. That law concerns it- self chiefly with property rights and not with human rights was plainly shown when the first matter to come under the consideration of this power- ful body was the question of how to solve the constant turmoil in industry which causes large losses to capital. _* * The above statement if left by it- self might be considered a sign of progress on the part of these agents of the capitalists. A liberal would surely say that a long step was taken in the direction of peace, which is about all the liberals seem to worry about. Peace to enjoy the fruits of the labor of others, without any unneces- sary messing up the place with blood. But what remedy do these gentlemen offer for the industrial civil war? They suggest that the most effective ma- chinery ever set up for establishing peace in in ry is the Kansas Indus- trial Court law, established by that state in 1919, That law tried to estab- lish the principle that employers and employes should hold the public wel- fare supreme, give power to the courts to deal with group organizations in industry, and remove the courts from politics, The first and last of these socalled principles are jokes, ‘The secoud one is not. It is the mailed fist. Ore ‘The Kansas Industrial Court law needs no introduction, It did not bring peace but war. Its author was a Mr. Allen ,then governor, and aspirant for the White House. His stocks were al- most as high for a time as those of, Strikebreaker Coolidge, but Alexander Howat kicked Allen into political ob- scurity when he broke the back of the industrial slave law tho it cost him many months in jail to do it. In keeping Howat in jail, Governor Allen had the unstinted support of John L. Lewis of the United Mine Workers of \merica. The Kansas court law is the olution of the problem of industrial trife, according to the legal advisers ot big business. They believe in a fair lay’s, wage for a fair day’s work as Gompers does. But they are deter- mined that the wage earners will not have a determining voice in deter- mining what is a fair day’s wage. The most favored policy of the owners of industry now is the policy of collabor- ation between the employers and the labor leaders, for the better and more peaceful exploitation of the workers. They don’t want strikes. Round table conferences with labor fakers, with the atmosphere mellowed by the flavor of costly Havanas are much more con- ducive to profits for the bosses. se. * If Mr. Davis is elected president, an- other golfer will occupy the White House. Wilson and Harding had the habit. Coolidge has not even a bad. habit. Davis will play golf while Mor- gan is deciding his policies for him. All is not pleasant in the Davis po- litical paddock, however. Disappointed donkeys are threatening to kick up their heels and run off with some other animal show. McAdoo, one of the big donkeys, is rumored to be flirting with Hearst who is always flirting with whatever discontent he finds among the donkeyites. Mayor Hylan of New York is said to be con- sidering fighting for the possession of Tammany Hall with Al Smith.| The Bryan brothers are in the reservation for good. They both dined with can. didate Davis and his friend Polk, both Wall Street men. se 8 The Chicago Journal commenting on the socialist party decision to sup- port LaFollette, declares that in spite of “Bob's” slapping of the socialists in the face they decided that the only logical thing for them to do was to go into his camp. LaFollette slapped the traditional principles of the social- ist party in the but his under- standing with B and Hillquit, the leaders of what is left of the socialist party, gave him the assurance that he was perfectly safe in doing so. But the so-called retreat of the socialists is not so pronounced. Votes was always their main concern in election cam- paings. The socialist leaders figure on LaFollette gathering in a large flock of votes in this election, so Hillquit turns the spotlight of his eloquence on LaFollette, while poor old Debs is trying to recuperate in a sanitarium, the result of his years of hard work in the revolutionary movement. La- Follette is now Hillquit’s hero and Debs can only say “Amen.” *-*¢ 8 The Roosévelt Scouts defeated the Red Army in a severe engagemes® when the town of Laporte, Ind., was surrounded by the blue army, made up of Roosevelt cadets. It was war play. This is the kind of war the war lords of America are preparing the youth for. When they talk of defending this country against the enemy, the enemy they have in mind is the working class. The boy scout movement is a White Guard movement. These young lads are taught to hate the workers so that when strikes break out they will be ready to act as strike breakers. But the master class of this country are looking even beyond a strike for higher wages or better working con- dition. They vision a condition where the workers will inevitably be ob- liged to defend themselves against the violence of the ruling class, A young, disciplined and armed Fascisti, fired with hatred against the workers and against the Communists will then be available, Against this growing men- ace the labor leaders and yellow so- cialists are silent. And the liberals who usually bleat over war confined their opposition to an occasional prayer to the government, The Poor Fish says: To body seems full of good nature, read the Nation and find that tho the delightful appointed with the LaPetiete tion, his chagrin is tempered thot that it could be w , cau