The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 8, 1924, Page 6

‘ali So ieee reranneuint ° oo Ae DAILY Were et. al Friday, August 8, 1924 THE DAY WORKER. ' Published by the DAILY WORKER PUBLISHING CO., 1113 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, Ill. (Phone: Monroe 4712) aiccisueieonere RATES By ma $3.50....6 aontha By mall (in Chicago only): $8.00 per year $4.50....6 months $2.50....3 mont’ \ Vaaress all mail and make out checks to THE DAILY WORKER | 1118 W. Washington Bivd. Chicago, Hllnols > CE elo eS J. LOUIS ENGDAHL WILLIAM. Fe DUNNE { oor ies MORITZ J. LOEB....... ..Business Manager \ $6.00 per year $2.00....3 months Entered as second-class mail Sept, 21, 1923 at the Post- ! Office at Chicago, Ill, under the act of March 8, 1879. ' <p 250 Support the Silk Workers The strike of silk workers that is scheduled for next Tuesday at Paterson and New York, under the direction of the Associated Silk Workers’ Union, is one that demands the support of every militant worker. This industry, which produces one of the luxuries of the ruling class as well as a technical necessity for modern’ machine industry, has long been one of the worst exploited in the land. The silk workers have also been among the best fighters, but have always been beaten back by the combination of bosses’ wealth and labor mis- leaders’ treason. Now it seems that a militant union has grown up that promises another real struggle for the silk workers, with more prospects for Success than the ill-fated struggles of some years ago. Setting forth a series of demands that directly attack the worst features of the sweating system in the silk mills— calling for the enforcementsof the 8-hour day, aboli- tion of the three and four-loom system, recognition of the union—the Associated Silk Workers’ Union declares that it will fight until these demands are won from the rich and greedy em; loyers. A promise of more organization and militancy is alsoween in the fact that the Trade Union Edu- cational League militants have called upon all their supporters to rally to the striking silk work- ers. This, coupled with the assistance of the Work- ers Party, will throw new and fresh forces into the struggle, a..d bring victory so much closer for the silk workers of Paterson and New York. The Chinese LaFollettes Dispatches tell of strange things transpiring in the Standard Oil subsidiary known as “the Chinese Republic.” Not long ago the American minister, Mr. Schurman, saw a good business chance and, taking $3,000,000 cash a la Doheny, bought the votes of a sufficient number of the members of the Chinese parliament, to elect a former Chinese bandit to the presidency. Just as in America where matters of state are settled at “little green houses on K street,” the dispatch adds that in China parliamentary sessions are mere formalities, that “most issues are settled previously in tea houses of the red light district and more information obtained from the sing-song girls than from anyone else.” We are, it appears, witnessing an “Americanization” of China. But there is hope. Corruption in high placgs has its nemesis. Not forever can monopoly brutally invade the rights of the common people. Just as in America where the petty-bourgeoisie rises ‘in its revolutionary might and demands, through La- Follette, a larger share of the profits from the exploitation of the working class by monopolized big business, so in China is the “tribune of the people” heard. The dispatch says that, “A small opposition party, which has not been bribed, decided to block confirmation of the nomination for premier by obstruction.” A riot ensued in the parliament, inkstands were thrown and the proceeding broke up in confusion. Thes@ are bad tactics. The op- position which hasn’t been bribed should take a tip, attack the Communists and charge them with wishing to overthrow the holy institution of par- liamentary government. That is a sure winner. Ask LaFollette. / Advertising rates on application. The King George Version J. Ramsay MacDonald,\“labor” premier of His Majesty George V, in an interview just published, gives his version of the fundamentals of socialism. It is an appalling exposure. Enough so that capi- talist editors are saying that it again proves that “each nation has its own brand of socialism” and that Ramsay’s is “an improvement on the socialism of Marx and Lenin.” “Socialism,” says J. Ramsay, “is based on the gospels. It abhors violence. It is poetry. There is no good politics without poetry. If we can save the souls of people, we can save them altogether. Marx oftee misled socialism. Its work so far has been that of a defender of the state. Our form of control is not in the least revolutionary, Exist- ing arrangements would be followed in industry.” When the interviewer remarked that it is be- lieved “socialism condemns capital,” Ramsay re- plied, “Another error.” When asked if he had any class consciousness, Ramsay answered; “None.” He added the theological opinion that “The human soul is a very big and comprehensive thing. ‘Only socialism is wide enough to accommodate the human soul,” Yes, Ramsay, But only hell is deep enough to accommodate the souls of the socialist traitors of the revolution and murderors of native and colonial workers, Patriotism Thee Terrorim | | @& That venerable lieutenant of the capitalist class in the American labor movement, Mr. Samuel Gompers, is welcoming the opportunity to lick the boots of our strike breaking war department. This Grand Old Misleader of the workers has pro- cl imed from the housetops that he and what he |code and swears is his own American Federation of Labor are for the gigantic military mobilization Sept. 12. In pledging his loyalty to the Banker-Secretary of War Weeks, who is a bitter enemy of labor, Mr. Gompers, of course, takes his daily slam at the Communists for their opposition to militarism and capitalist imperialism. Soviet Russ.. is not over- looked in this pledge of allegiance to the strike breakers in uniform. In the city of Washington, where Mr. Gompers and his rubber stamps get most of their inspira- tion, pressure is being brought to bear on the em- ployes of many concerns to force them into the “voluntary” patriotic rehearsal now being adver- tised so extensively. Right under Mr. Gompers’ jnose terrorism, the terrorism coming with the | threat of dismissal from work, is being resorted to. From the reliable Christian Science Monitor we learn the following complaint made by a Washing- ton working man to one of its correspondents: “I shall be made to appear as a slacker if I do not sign up for Defense Day, altho I do not believe in it. I may even lose my job, so deeply has my or- ganization gone into this thing.” Here we have terrorism, force and violence of the rankest sort being employed against the work- ing men in order to force them to goose-step in be- half of their bosses, There is nothing more terri- fying to the average worker than the fear of being fired from this job and being denied the right to even a paltry wage. And this is the kind of terrorism, of force and violence, the kind of dictatorship that Mr. Gom- pers, Mr. Coolidge, and the biggest open shop or- ganizations the country over never denounce and always defend when they attack the Communists. Farm Prosperity We have been told that the boost in the price of wheat and corn will increase the income of the farmers more than one billion dollars. We have been asked to believe that all the suffering and hardships that the farmers have been enduring for the last five years have disappeared at a stroke. Now the prosperity bubble has burst. The De- partment of Agriculture has just put the quietus on all this fraudulent talk. The American wheat growers will gain at most from one hundred to two Steel Workers! Editor's Note.—Our candidate for president, Comrade Foster, is well known to masses of workers in the steel, packing, railroad and other basic industries. He is known to thém as standing for the allevia- tion of industrial grievances from which they suffer. In this campaign we must appeal to all such masses and lead them, on the basis of their immediate economic grievances, to the understanding that their eco- nomic struggles can only be suc- cessful provided they have correct political expression. In regard to the steel industry, with which this article deals, it is well to recall that Mike Tighe, pres- ident of the Amalgamated Associa- tion of Iron, Steel and Tin Work- ers, with a membership of a little over 10,000 in an industry having five hundred thousand workers, has issued an endorsement of Robert M. LaFollette, and the reactionary Tighe has urged his few local unions to support LaFollette. eee By JOSEPH MANLEY, Campaign Manager, Workers Party. ILLIAM Z. FOSTER is the man hundred million dolars as a result of the increased price of their wheat this year. To win even this increase our farmers will have to sell more than five hundred million bushels of wheat. The small sum that the farmers will perhaps gain through the rise in the wheat price can prove only a drop in the bucket insofar as it will be of aid to them in meeting their old debts, in paying the bankers overdue notes, in liquidating the troubles that have been piling up for them in the past five years. Add to this none too pleasant state of affairs the fact that the corn situation is by no means good. The Department of Agriculture tells us that: “Stands are extremely spotted, many fields are full of weeds, and much of the crop is sq far behind that it will need something approaching a frostless fall to mature. Corn is a feed crop and high prices add mainly to the cost of livestock production.” And the latest Monthly Reviews of the Kansas City, Minneapolis, and Dallas, Federal Reserve Districts afford no glowing prospects. In the Kan- sas, Missouri, district the number of commercial failures rose last month from sixty-three to one hundred and thirteen, as compared with the previ- ous month. In Dallas “Trade in both wholesale and retail channels of distribution reflected a marked contraction from the previous month.” The Minneapolis district expects a reduction of sixteen per cent in its corn crop. ‘This division is experiencing a notable decline in lumber manufac- tures, linseed products, mining. output, sales of lumber at retail in rural yards, and department store sales. It wilt take much more than the hundred million dollars above mentioned to be an economic leverage for the farmers. Besides: even this hundred odd million dollars are not all going to the farmers. The speculators, the mortgage holders, and the tax collectors are the only ones cashing in substan- tially on the advance in price of some of the farm commodities. “An Absurd Statement” One of the tests made by famous alienists upon young Leopold, to find out if he was crazy, worked in the following statement, which, if he was sane, he was supposed to see the absurdity of, and if not sane, to accept: “Make the necessities of life too expensive for the poor to reach them, and they will save their rigorously carried out, there will be no paupers.” The expert on heads says that Leopold, being statement, the absurdity of which is as patent as the absurdity of capitalist exploitation, is peddled about all over the world as the sacred foundation insist, they put us in jail. Of course, our point is that we muet revolt inst such absurdity and end it, Then, indeed, ti ere will be no paupers, But our insane capital: |?’ who accomplished in the steel industry that which thousands of people said could not be done. Against the powerful opposition of the United States Steel Corporation—with all its gunmen, detectives and company po- lice—he organized and led the strike of 865,000 steel workers, the slaves of this greatest of all great industrial molochs. In his book, The Great Steel Strike, Foster himself has well written the story of that tremendous organizing campaign and the resultant strike ac- tion. But he has refrained from tell- ing much of his own personal con- tribution—which was that of planning, inspiring and leading every phase of the mighty struggle, from first to last. When Foster presented to the Chi- cago Federation of Labor, in the Spring of 1918, his resolution calling for organiation of the giant steel in- dustry, little’ enthusiasm greeted the proposal. But the resolution was adopted in a Chicago Federation meet- ing, and it was then taken by Foster to the American Federation of Labor convention, at St. Paul, Minn. Here his efforts resulted in the convention adopting the resolution and recom- mending that the job of organizing the steel industry should be undertaken. Foster was appointed secretary- treasurer of the general organization committee for the steel campaign. And with this committee as a nucleus, he immediately began organization work on a grand scale. That his or- ganization plan could be successfully carried out was demonstrated im- mediately, pwhen nearly a thousand steel workers joined the union at the first meeting held in Gary, Immediately the entire steel in- dustry was stirred to organizational life, and the pessimistic croakers who had said, “Nothing can be done with » Note: At a seance held Pee in London, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle spoke with Lenin. Sir Doyle: ‘Who's there? A voice: I am Lenin. Sir Doyl® Are you sorry new for your misdeeds? Lenin: Yes, I am sorry. Press Cable. AS IT WILL BE, Scene: A dark room in a Commu- nist Hall in the East End of London. Voices from different parts of the room indicate that several perseus are present. These voices continue in a whisper until a Loud Voice says: Order, Comrades, I am now in com- munication with the dead. Observe money, so that in time, provided this practice is the idle son of a millionaire, easily saw the absurd- ity of this statement. Most remarkably, this very of “our glorious institutions.” Capitalist editors defend it, capitalist preachers tell us that if we don’t believe it we'll go to hell, and if we atill strict silence. Here is someone new. Hell, who’s there? Thin Voice: I am Northcliffe. Loud Voice: Northcliffe? Oh, yar. You were a journalist, were you not? Thin Voice: No, I was not a jour- nalist. I bought and sold journalists. Loud Voice: You also owned newa- papers? Thin Voice: Well, I owned and pro- tected certain industries, and was compelled to establish newspapers, to exprean our interests. Loud Voice: But your newspapers wee read by millions of workers and contained certain news. Tk{n Voice; They were read by milliéns of workers, but they con- tained no news. Only propaganda, Loud Voice: Then you lied to the workers. Thin Veios: Yes, tell thom that ve were all liars, ./ loud Voice: What would you ad- vise the workers to do now? Thin Voice: Join the Communist Party. ‘ ‘Lad Voice; Are you sorry for your misdeeds? Thin Voice: Yes, very sorry, ~ loud Voice: Is there any message tant you would like to wovkers of Great Britain ‘Thin Voice: betieve what they read in the news- Ditmas. Votes: What do fou think of that yaimsite, Comrades? What & pey afew more of these lara were sot doad, Idstep, here comes some- oae else, Who's there? $ Soft Voice; Comrade Harding, ‘ ua. pre See You, tell them not to| the steel, workers,” were effectively silenced, “And Foster’s plan being to carry the fight into every steel mill town of America, all at the same time, he moved the headquarters of the organization committee to Pitts- burgh, Pa. Thus the committee chal- lenged the Steel Corporation’s gun- men in their stronghold and boldly faced the opposition of its spies with- in the Pittsburgh labor unions? Here the real battle began, with the militant leadership of Foster as an iuspiration to the small “flying squadron” of organizers. Despite the reign of terror inaugurated by the steel barons and their lackeys, the mayors and burgesses of the. steel towns, *the organization committee not only stood its ground but fought back so strongly that the Stéel Cor- poration was forced to retreat. In an effort to stave off the rapid growth of the unions, Judge Gary granted the now famous basic eight-hour ruling. But the fight went on to its final stage, the great steel strike of 1919, which involved 400,000 of the coun- try’s steel workers—from Colorado in the far West, to New York on the Eastern coast. Needless to say, in this campaign the organizers went to jail, times without number—and Foster went Vote for Foster! with them—in order to establish the right of the steel workers to freely meet and organize, To provide for this and other emergencies, Foster had at the very outset organized the solicitation of funds—and the total amount collected in this way was $418,141.14. Altho he had been given but $1,500 to begin the campaign, the successful raising of this immense fund enabled Foster to organize com- petent legal, publicity and commissary aids for the strikers. partment defended them in the courts, and the publicity department carried their grievances thru the nation-wide press. But the greatest of these aids was the commissary department. It was the food and other necessaries furnished the most needy strikers, during the three months’ fight, that kept up the morale and put the mili- tant spirit into the ranks. The total amount spent on the commissary de- partment was $348,509.42. The American Federation of Labor, under whose auspices the organiing campaign and the strike had been conducted, insisted upon the carrying out ofits craft-union policy—and thus were the steel workers divided against themselves. But when over three months later the National Committee voted to call off the strike, more than The legal de-) one hundred thousand men were still out. And the workers had come to recognize that the fundamental weak- ness of their strike action was the sectional division of the workers in the steel industry. At the end of the strike, Foster re- signed and turned over to the incom- ing secretary approximately $180,000. And it was the remnant of this sum that has enabled the A. F. of L, to make its present antiquated attempt at organizing the steel workers. Yet the $75,000 left from the fund turned over by Foster was fifty times as much as he had been allowed, with which to begin his great_organizing campaign of 1918. Today Foster is recognized as the leading champion of industrial union- ism in the steel industry. He knows the steel workers and their needs, better than any other man in America. Steel. workers! When you vote for Foster, you will be voting against con- trol of the government by the steel barons. When you vote for Foster, you will be voting against Judge Gary, and for better working conditions in the steel industry. ALL STEEL WORKERS should rally to their most militant champion, William Z, Foster, for President! THE AMERICAN BOY’S OPPORTUNITY This little boy is not “Bobby” Franks in the act of being coaxed into an automobile by “Dickie” and “Babe” to get walloped over the head with a chisel, but a little “100 percent” Amer- ican, who is offered the chance of degenerating into a grinning skull for the glory of our capi- talist government and the profit of J. P. Morgan. Ex-Public Spirits Prove Heaven Is Communist-Run Loud Voice: Comrade Harding? Who were you on earth? Soft Voice: I was President of the United States of America, Loud Voice: What was your main interest in life while President? Soft Voice: Oil. Loud Voice: What would you do now if back in America? Soft Voice: Join the Workers Party. Loud Voice: Have you seen Lenin yot? Soft Voice: Yes, I am attending his stmiy class ou American Imporial- ism. Load Voice: Are there any other Cloesas there? Sstt Veice: Ys. General Booth is Tuaning a large sme here, Loud Vo'ce: Goaeral Booth? What on? } Soft Voice: On ‘Tteligion is the Opium of the Pere,” General Charles G, Dawes, known as “Charlie” Dawes, will be ‘Kautious Cal's” running mate in the coming elec- tions, The “general” smokes a pipe upside down, swears from soup to \nuts and goes to bed in his B, V. D's, Ho ts a HELL-AN’-MARIA DAWES Loud Voice: Is there aay message you want delivered? “Soft Voice: Yes. Tell the Amai- can workers that they can only achieve Communism by ineans of a civil id Voice: What do you know about the Teapot Dome affair? Soft Voice: I refuse to answer. I must réturn now. Good-bye. Loud Voice: Talk about Bolshe- vism in Heaven! The poor prolefarian Jesus was a Labor fakir compared to these dead Christian Imperialists. Perhaps they have had a few lessons in terrorism from old Jehovah. He was once a specialist in revolution and counter revolution. Hello! Here is another one. Who are you? , Last Voice: I am the Czar. Loud Voice: The Czar, are you? Well, what do you think of Russia auw? Last Voice: Long Live Soviet Rus- One of the most * popular pastimes at the DAILY WORKER 4 Dress picnic next Sunday { will be the constant en- deavors of the merry makers to knock the pipe out of the Dawes mouth, Neodless to say the Dawes head will be as wooden as the pipe, © swa! Wong live the World Revolution! Lom? Voiwe: Where are all the other Cymrs aoe. Last Voics: They are all members of ths Orign District Group of which I am organiier. Loud Voice: And-the thousands of political prisoners whom you have Surdered? Where are they? Last Voice: They are all members ‘of the Golden Red Guards under the personal eupervision of God—who is still minister for war. Loud Voice: . How do you spend Four tine new? Last Voice: Washing my hands, Loud Vo‘: Washing your hands? What for? Last Voice: To get the blood off. Leud Voice: What blood? Last Voice: The blood of the Rus- people. (Weeps.) I must leave you now. - Loud Voice: Why must yon re- turn? Last Voice: Lenin has sent for me and I must not keep him waiting. Léud Voice: Have you any mes- sage for us? Last Voice: Yes. Farewell and good luck. And send me a wire when Troteky dies, as I think I had better keep out of the way for a few days. Lights are turned on and the meet ing adjourned at 10:30 p.m. The Poor Fish Says: If . am allve next Sunday | will be at the Press Pionio in Riverview Park, | rlum and unless | am fed to the Hons for breakfast | will take a have an engagement at the Aqua: