The Daily Worker Newspaper, July 26, 1924, Page 4

- DAILY WORKER. Published by the DAILY WORKER PUBLISHING CO., 1118 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, Ill. (Phone: Monroe 4712) SUBSCRIPTION RATES $2.00....3 months in Chicago only): $4.50....6 months $2.50....3 montus $6.00 per year $8.00 per year Address all mail and make out checks to THE DAILY WORKER 1113 W. Washington Bivd. Chicago, Ilinols Editors jusiness Manager WILLIAM F. DUNNE MORITZ J. LOEB. J. LOUIS ENGDAHL Entered as second-class mail Sept. 21, 1923 at the Post- Office at Chicago, Ill, under the act of March 3, 1879. <> 250 Advertizing rates on application. Against the Next War War is brewing in Europe and J. P. Morgan, | the ruler of the United States, is stirring the cauldron. When it breaks, this country will be playing a leading role, even tho the first moves may be made by puppets, responding the strings from Wall Street. The London Conference, the presence in Europe of two members of the Cabinet together with Morgan and his agents, the American partici- pation in efforts to wring “reparations” from Ger- many, the squabble with Japan, the revolts in South American countries, the presence of Amer- ican armed forces in small countries of the Car- ribean and South America—all these are but a few symptoms of the boiling forces of war that are preparing to burst forth. The working class is still, in its majority, blindly following the same traitorous leaders who de- livered them to the capitalist class during the last war. Lulled by the pacifist phrase of the so- cialists and trade union bureaucrats, the rank and file workers are again being led to the slaughter, to fight for Morgan’s billions. They have not yet learned that “pacifism,” the poison of non-resist- ance, is one of the most potent weapons of the war-lords. There is but one center of resistance to the next world-slaughter that capitalism is preparing—that is the Communist International and the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics. Holding one-sixth of the earth’s surface in the hands of the workers, uniting in fraternal solidarity with the awakened workers all over the world in the ranks of the Com- munist International, determined and prepared to defend themselves against all the forces of capi- talism, including the capitalist armies, it is the 4 THE DAILY WORKER Democracy’s Blessings Time and again we are called to order when we criticise and expose the true nature of the government. We are then told that the blessings of “democratic suffrage” are incalculable. The country will soon participate in a national election of greater significance than any to date. There are three so-called major candidates and six so-called minor candidates, for the presidency. Eight out of the nine candidates stand for the perpetuation of capitalism in some form or other. Only one candidate, Comrade Foster, the standard- bearer of the Workers Party, is fighting for the complete abolition of capitalism and is propagat- ing the necessity for the establishment of a Com- munist order. * How many are going to vote? How many will participate in the coming elections? If we are to aecept the results of the last seven elections as a criterion, then we can look forward to perhaps only half of America’s citizens participating in the November balloting. In 1896, when Bryanism was at its height and when American imperialists were making their first flagrant attempt, only eighty per cent of the potential voters cast their ballots. In 1900, the proportion fell to seventy-three per cent; in 1908 to sixty-six per cent; in 1912, with Roosevelt at his loudest, to sixty-two per cent, and in 1920, the first election after the war, to less than fifty per cent. In the non-presidential elections, the num- ber of voters is even smaller. Why is there a steadily decreasing proportion of potential voters? The fact of the matter is that the great mass of workers and farmers have, in recent years, been developing a deep disgust with capitalist parliamentarism, with the democ- racy of the two big capitalist parties. Then, there are residential restrictions and employment con- ditions preventing potential voters from exercis- ing their rights. The decreasing proportion of voters is only more proof of the uselessness, of the inefficiency of capi- talist democracy as a test, as a gauge of the opin- ions and desires of the great mass of the popula- tion. The very bicameral system, the artificial geographical basis of representation, in itself tends to diminish the ability of the workers and dis- possessed farmers to register accurately their voice. Only when the workers and farmers vote as they work, vote thru their occupations in the mines, the mills, on the railroads and on the land, will there be genuine—proletarian—democracy in the country. Russian working class that holds out the one prom- ise of peace to the workers of the world. There is no hope of peace, is the wordy phrases of middle-class pacifism. Against the brutal pow- ers of capitalism, the workers must be prepared to organize their own power, to answer blow with blow. For peace will come to the world only thru the elimination of the cause of war, and that cause is the capitalist system. In every country the workers and farmers must organize their own resistance to their own im- perialism. No power can finally master Wall Street and destroy its capacity to upset the peace of the world, except the power of the American workers. And today there is but one center of organization against the next war—the Commun- ist International, and in America its fraternal section, the Workers Party. Send In that Subscription Today. The “Pittsburgh Plus” Decision After five years of legal dickering, the Federal Trade Commission has declared that the “Pitts- burgh Plus” system of price fixing in steel must go. The decision is aimed at the United States Steel Corporation. Under the orders of the Commission, the United States:Steel Corporation and its subsidiaries are directed to abandon the present system under which prices, on rolled steel, products manufac- tured at and shipped from their plants, outside of Pittsburgh, are quoted at a Pittsburgh base price plus an amount equivalent to what the railroad freight charge would be from Pittsburgh to the customer’s destination, if these products were actually shipped from Pittsburgh. Under this scheme the Corporation pays only the freight charges on the products from their mills to the customer who in turn is compelled to pay the freight from Pittsburgh. It has been estimated that the Steel Corpora- tion pocketed an additional fifty to seventy-five million dollars in profits annually thru this pro- cedure. The independent concerns in the Chicago- Gary steel district are rejoicing. Likewise, the farm users of steel welcome the decision. But is there really a substantial basis for con- sidering this decision a blow against the Steel ‘Trust? We think not. The shares of the United States Steel Corporation showed no sign of weak- ness or disturbance in response to the decision. For one thing the decision is not final. The big steel interests have not yet consulted the courts on this matter. Should they decide to take the issue to the courts, it will very likely be years be- fore the outcome is reached. Then, today, “Pitts- burgh plus” is very much less of a steel market factor than it has been in many years. The acute depression in the steel industry is working against its playing a decisive role in the steel market. At best the decision of the Federal Trade Com- mission is a very small victory for the independent steel corporations. The farmers and other steel consumers will derive insignificant beneffts, if any at all, when the decision becomes final at some date in the indefinite future, nee Send In that Subscription Today. “Taw and Order” The Southern Illinois Ku Klux Klan mobs are fickle. Three Negroes arrested near Mound City, flinois, “suspected” of killing a white girl, twice narrowly escaped death at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan mob. A company of Illinois militia was rushed to the scene, and the Negroes were moved from Villa Ridge, out of the clutches of the Klan mob, to the Mound jail, where another Klan mob formed. They were then moved by the sheriffs to Mound City, the mob, howling for blood, follow- ing in autos. “The witness to the crime was unable to identify the Negroes,” news dispatches tell us. Despite this fact, the Klan mob later in the day again threat- ened the lives of these innocent men, thirsting for blood, calling for “justice.” This same Klan mob, however, which was aug- mented by respected citizens from West Frankfort, Illinois, allows O. P. Bozarth to remain on the police force of that town, after brutally murder- ing twenty-one year old Boris Popovsky. Popoy- sky was not arrested for robbery. He was hailed to court accused of driving a bakery truck too fast. Bozarth evidently did not like Popoysky’s looks so he brutally’ clubbed him to death under the nose of the judge. Bozarth is now out on bail, which is said to have been put up by the Ku Klux Klan. He is still on the police force at latest ac- counts, altho charged with murder. But Popovsky happens to be a Commu: The Southern’ Illinois Ku Klux Klan lynchers do not howl for the policeman’s blood. In the name of law and order it is all right to murder Commun- ists. It is time the miners of Southern Illinois wiped out the disgraceful practices of Ku Kluxers who are operating in Southern Illinois. Send in that Subscription Today. A The Bankers Have Three Parties That Burton K. Wheeler only consented to ac- cept the vice-presidential nomination to run with LaFollette after Frank A. Vanderlip, New York banker, urged him to do so in a telegram hastily dispatched when Wheeler was on the point of re- fusing, is the story given to ‘the press by John M. Nelson, campaign manager of the LaFollette forces in Chicago, It seems that the LaFollette organization is quite proud of its banker connections, and of the decisive part they play in important questions. Rudolph Spreckles, millionaire banker and sugar king, is made one of the directors of the campaign. Frank A. Vanderlip, formerly of the National City Bank, utters the decisive word in picking LaFol- lette’s running mate. After the rich banker has made the decision, we have the pathetic spectacle of the Socialist Party formally endorsing the choice of Wheeler, swallow- ing all their brave words about the necessity of, at least, having something to say about the séc- ond place on the ticket. Send Im that Subscription Today. BISCUIT BOSSES MAKE PROFIT ON (Continued from Last Issue.) Rising Wages—Trade Unions, , The essence of present-day Russia is that production is carried on not to line the pockets of a few social parasites, but for the benefit of all the workers. Consequently, as indus- try revives and produces a greater mass of goods, naturally the workers get the benefit of it in a higher standard of living. General wage increases have followed the increase in industrial production. Whereas in all other countries, the workers hve suffered heavy reductions in wages and lengthen- ings of the workday, in Russia alone have wages gone up and the eight hour day been maintained. This fact speaks el- oquently for the new society. The average wage increase for all Russian industries in 1923, was 25%. As compared with pre-war standards, wage rates in various industries are as follows: metal 52%, textile 82%, mines 38%, chemicals 75%, printing 73%, food 118%, leather 92%, paper 100%, wood 80%, railways 46%. In Moscow the workers of all classes earn on an average 93% of pre-war rates, and in Leningrad they earn 83%. The wages for all classes of workers through- out Russia are now about 65% of the pre-war average, and they are constantly and rapidly rising. Corresponding to the improvement in industry and the wages of the workers, the trade unions are making definite progress in many essential respects. One is a substantial in- crease in membership. On January 1st, 1928, the unions totalled 4,546,000 members; on January 1st, 1924, the figure amounted to 5,621,000. The unions actually engaged in in- dustry, except transport, gained 85% in membership. Prior to the introduction of the New Economic Policy, in 1921, membership in the unions was virtually compulsory. Now it is entirely upon a dues paying, voluntary system. Fully 97%, of all workers belong to the unions. Approximately 85% of them are financially in good standing in their organizations. At least 90% of the total trade union membership works under. collective agreements. Of the industrial disputes that have developed, nearly all of which were settled without strikes, only 7% wera settled in favor of the employers, which in most cases is the State. The unions are developing their educa- tional work extensively. For this work they have organized 1562 cultural clubs, of which there are 1,000 located in the factories. In 1928, 160,000 illiterate workers were taught to read and write in the trade union schools. There are 689 trade union physical culture societies. Unemployment. As I stated earlier in my talk, the solution of some of the old problems confronting the revolution, has given birth to new problems. One of these is unemployment. It may seem strange at first blush that there should be unemploy- ment in a country where the capitalist system has been killed. But such is the case, and for perfectly understand- able reasons. Let me explain them briefly. In 1921 there was practically no unemployment in Russia, though there was not much industry either. But the number of unemployed workers throughout Russia is now estimated to be about 1,000,000. The number has been increased for the past year. Strangely enough, the number of employed has been growing rapidly at the samie time that the army of unemployed is increasing. In nine months, from February to October of 1923, the total number of workers engaged in the state in- dustries increased 10%. The apparent contradiction of the army of the unemployed growing simultaneously with the army of the employed, is easily explained. The fact is that new supplies of workers are being assembled faster than the expanding industries can absorb them. Hence the growth of the number of unemployed, in spite of the progressive opening of the fac- tories. The unemployed are coming from many sources, One factor is the reclassing of the proletariat that I mentioned earlier; that is to say, the coming back to the cities of large numbers of workers who left them for the country during the period of the greatest economic crisis. These returning work- ers help to swell the ranks of the unemployed. Then there were the demobilization of the army and the elimination of great numbers of needless office workers and bureaucrats from the state industries and government institutions in order to balance the state budget. Also there is the proletarian- izing of the old burgeoisie, the forcing down into the ranks of the workers of the remnants of the former ruling class. And finally, to mention only a few of the more important factors, the official list of the unemployed is swollen by the registra- tion of all kinds of doubtful social elements, Nepmen and others, who register as unemployed in order to get the pro- tection and advantages of being a worker-citizen. These ad- RUSSIA IN 1924 = = Saturday, July 26, 1924 By WILLIAM Z. FOSTER vantages are many and great. For one thing, there is the un- employed benefits, of which I shall speak in a moment. Then there are the various rebates that the workers receive. For example, an unemployed worker gets his rent free, or practicale ly so, while a Nepman may pay, for similar lodgings, as much rent as half a dozen families of employed workers. Naturally, the Nepmen and their ilk will not do this if they can possibly avoid it, so they make every effort to register as unemployed workers. Not all the purgings of the list can free them entirely from these cheats, of whom, even in Russia, there are still many. The trade union officials state that of the unemployed only about 35% are tinion members, which means, as practical- ly all real workers are trade unionists, that large numbers of the unemployed have only slight real connections with indus- try. The latest figures show that only 8% of the total union membership is unemployed. It is noteworthy that the unemployment in Russia is not smashing the wage scales, as always happens in capitalist countries during “hard times.” ‘The verification of this fact is furnished by the figures cited earlier on wage increases. The explanation is that in Russia, wage rates are not based upon how little the workers can be driven to accept, but upon the revolutionary principle of an equitable division of the total wealth produced and available for distribution among the workers, Present-day Russia presents the anomolous picture of rapidly increasing wage*rates and a growing army of un- employed. The only cure for the unemployed problem now vexing Russia will come when the expanding industries catch up with the increasing supply of workers, which, if present indications are valid, will not be very long. In the meantime, however, the State, recognizing the right of the workers to either re- munerative work or free sustenance, has developed an elaborate insurance institution. The law forbids the workers contribut- ing anything to this fund. The insurance applies to work- ers thrown out of work for any cause. The following official table shows not only the extent to which unemployed work- ers are taken care of, but especially the great improvement that is taking place in the insurance rates. The table indicates the percentage of wages paid to the unemployed. Place. Date Temporarily Totally Unemployed’ Incapacitated Incapacitated Moscow,.... Jan. 1, 1928, 72% 42%, 27% Provinces, Jan. 1, 1923, 64% 30% 20% Moscow,.... Jan. 1, 1924, 92% 190% 60% Provinces, Jan. 1, 1924, 89% 66% 54% In Conclusion. Has what I have said conveyed the impression that every- thing is rosy in Russia? I hope not, for I have not wanted it to do so. Living conditions are still difficult, so much so that Americans compelled to bear them would soon ery quits. But the important fact is that they are a tremendous improve- ment over the frightful conditions which prevailed a few years ago. It is this improvement which shows the progress of the Russian revolution to success and which encourages the workers to still greater efforts. Bad off as the workers still are, all they have to do is to think back to the civil war, fam- ae plague, and starvation that marked the early stages of their death struggle with capitalism, and then their present evils seem light in comparison. They know full well that if they could overcome those awful conditions and bring indus- try to its present improved condition, they will also be able to vanquish the comparatively simpler problems now confronting them and to carry the revolution on to final ‘and complete success. ‘ The way taken by the Russian working class has been a long, hard, uphill struggle. It has tried the last ounce of their courage and endurance. But hard as it has been, it is the load that the whole world’s working class must travel. Capitalism has had its day. It cannot be patched up and made livible for the workers, whether the patching is done by a Gompers, who frankly admits that he wants to perpetuate the present system, or or by a Hillquit, who hypocritically tells the workers that he is establishing Socialism. The cap- italist system must be abolished root and branch, and the Russian working class have shown the workers of the world how to do it. The Russian revolution unquestionably still has many great battles to fight. A thousand difficult prob- lems yet remain to be solved, and no longer is the matchless leader, Lenin, at hand to help solve them. But ‘the revolu- tion will live, and as it establishes and fortifies itself, it will be an ever greater stimulus and inspiration for the inter- national working class. ' END MEMBERSHIP EAGERLY HEARS _ PARTY PROGRAM FROM SPEAKERS —___ The series of membership meetings, addressed by Comrades William Z. ALLIANCE BEGU WORKERS’ SPORTS ALL PAPER BOXES (Special to the Dally Worker.) MANISTEE, Mich., July 24.—To The DAILY WORKER: I see you are mak- ing a drive against the National Bis- cuit Company of Chicago, which is termed a “slave-driving concern” and which is a trust, ’ The National Biscuit Co. alg#owns and operates a paper mill in Marseil- les, IIL, ing all their own cartons for their uit factory. I know, for I'm a paper mill worker by trade, but not working at present. Here is the size and output of the ‘mill in the new 1924 Paper Mill Direc- tory: Mill, Marseilles, Ill: Owner, National Biscuit Co, (F. B, Davidson, mer.; H. J. Brown, asst. mgr.; and A. A. Deane, supt.) Ten beating en- gines; one 122-in., 6 cylinder board machine, Water and steam power. Combination board for N. B. Co, owa use. 130,000 lbs. in 24 hours, This box board is made out of any kind of waste paper, bought thru waste paper dealers in Chicago or other large cities, N. B. Co. making their own box board makes extra profit, but the mill workers don’t get any of it. CHAS. CASSELL, Foster and C. E. Ruthenberg, are the most successful and at the same time the largest and most enthusiastic that the Party has held. The reports of Comrade Foster and Ruthenberg, for the new policy of the Central Executive Committee, were received with great interest. The explanation: of the necessities which forced the C. E. C. to adopt the new election policy, had the effect of clearing up some misconceptions. When those present at the meetings began to fully grasp the Possibilities of build- ing up our own Party in the coming election struggle, it was apparent that their support to every phase of the fight against the old parties and La Follette, would be unstinted. The large mass meetings on “Russia in 1924,” addressed by Comrade Foster, were an opportune answer to the present scarehead lles appearing in certain capitalist newspapers—that Russia was again about to collapse because of a new famine. Audiences listened eagerly to the story of how the Russian Communists, with their indomitable courage together with the iron discipline of their Party, have smashed the blockade, thus forcing re- cognition from 60 many countries who are now extending credits and begin- ning to struggle with one another for the trade favors of the new Russia. This, and Foster's discription of the “Nepman,” and his desire for free com- petition, made many of us think of the ideals and desires of our own Amer- ican Nepman, Robert M. LaFollette, Useless in the Hour or Need Oi habe futility of the Second (Socialist) International was admitted by Karl Kautsky when he said in “The New Order,” October, 1914: , < «It (the International) Is not a powerful Instrument during it Is essentially an instrument of peace, “The International Is strongest in peace, weakest in war. That Is certainly to be regretted.” ON UNITED FRONT By CHARLES ERIKSON At a meeting called last night to launch the United Front Sports Al- liance, a Provisional Committee was organized, consisting of the Federated Workers Gymnastic Association, the Liebknecht Soccer Club, and the Young Workers League of Chicago. Comrade Matilda Kalousek, of the Federated Workers Gymnastic Assn. was elected provisional chairman and Charles Erikson of the Young Work- ers League, provisional secretary. This marks the first real attempt to organize the youth on a field which heretofore has been claimed only by capitalist clubs and associations, It is a field which should not be neg- lected. Thru it many can be reached which it would otherwise be impossl- ble to attempt. Plans were laid down for the calling of a United Front Conference to be held August 15th, to which all work- ers’ sport organizations are to be in- vited. It is planned to unite them all in one big Sports Alliance. All workers’ and liberal sport and athletic groups who may be inter. ested should get in touch with Charles Erikson, Secy. 4911 West Walton Street, eee zi,