The Daily Worker Newspaper, September 10, 1924, Page 6

wage Six THE DAILY WORKEP. Publishea by the DAILY WORKER PUBLISHING CO. 1113 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, Ill. (Phone: Monroe 4712) ® SUBSCRIPTION RATES By mail: 3.50....6 months $2.00....2 months By mail (in Chicago only): ‘ $4.50....6 months $2.50. $5.00 per year $8.00 per year Address all mail and make out checks to i THE DAILY WORKER 1118 W. Washington Bivd. Chicago, IIlinois DAHL . 21, 1923, at the act of March 3 Imperialism and the Elections It wonld seem that, in a presidential election at least, the voters of the United States would be in- terested in what this country is doing in South America. But all the capitalist candidates, Cool idve, Davis, and LaFollette, have joined in proclaiming that domestic issues are foremost, and all three 1 keeping the blinds down on the invasion South America by Morgan’s money, United States marines, and all the other forces of American imperialism. News from Chile terday discloses a new development in Morgan’s annexation schemes. I erto the only section of Latin America, aside fi ch has put up any decided resist- ance to Morgan, was the so-called A. B. C. alliance, composed of Argentine, Brazil, and Chile. These countries have the most favorable circumstances under which to resist imperialist influences. They m Mexico, w are the largest in South America, contain the greatest natural resources, are farthest removed geographically from the American warships, and pre the best developed industrially. They have the best armaments, military and naval, and ‘alto gethe presented a formidable ot hislackeys in Washington. But America is lousy with money, and army of- ficers of small countries are often “open to reason.” Politicans who fail to get rich on domestic policies in South America have learned the fatal lesson— fatal for South American independence—that there is always a job to be had carrying thru the schemes of Wall Street. Therefore it happens that dissen- tions snddenly develop within the A. B. C, alliance. Therefore, also, news comes today that’ the “Army”, in Chile is in revolt against the’ “politicians” (not of course against the “politicians” who have “lis- tened to reason’). Coolidge will say nothing about, these machina- tions against the peace of other nations. Hughes will not pronounce against the Wall Street Inter- national. Dayis will keep a studious silence, much as he wants votes, because the policy of his pay- master is involved. LaFollette will keep silent, and will not even mention the seven*countries of South and Central America where power is now wielded by American marines, because he is also essentially an imperialist. No party will expose the rottenness and corruption of American imperialism, which is not only enslaving the masses of Latin America but thereby also riveting the chains of the working class of the United States, except the Communists in the Workers Party, except Foster, the candi- date of the Communists for president. acle to J. Pierpont and The Pacifist Preachers What class-conscious workers have long been aware of, namely that the “pacifism” of the preach- ers of religion is of the same brand, essentially, as the “pacifism” of the army officers, received a striking demonstration yesterday. A gatheting of ministers of the Presbyterian and Congregational churches, which had previously adopted’ resolu- tions deploring militarism, hastened to endorse ion day, while reasserting its pacifism. :me time is printed a dispatch from Ber- lin, quoting General TH. T. Allen of the Américan forces, as stating that he is a “pacifist” and that is the reason he is in favor of mobilization day. The general wants a big army and big guns, with plenty of poison gas, to insure peace, His pacifism is much the same as the preachers’. “This is a very inopportune time” to be anti- militarist, was the tenor or argument used in favor of mobilization day. The only opportune time for pacifists to talk is when there are no war moves on. It is in the very nature of pacifism, ac- cording to its inner logic, that militarism cannot be actively fought because that creates a danger of building up a militant attitude of mind. This in turn must be rejected because it might lead to a real siruggle against miltarism. And all the preachers want is to have peace between them- selves and the powers that be. The time is never “opportune” for pacifists to really do anything inst war, “we workers are quickly learning that pacifism is merely another form of capitalist thought, just as deadly to their class interests as imperialism and militarism, because it leads to surrender to those very forces. Nothing but the militant class straggle of the workers against the exploiters, re- sulting finally in the struggle for power, in the civil war against imperialist war, will lead the working class out of its present slavery. The preachers and the pacifists are not friends of the workers but of the capitalists. The workers must prepare their own “mobiliza- tion days,” on which to muster their forces for the overthrow of capitalism. " 4 ww ..8 months | . when standing in alliance with one another, | A Threat of War Secretary of State Hughes has again announced that Soviet Russia eannot be recognized by the United States. This time he sets up as the principal reason the existence of the Workers Party in this country, as a section of the international revolu- y movement, which he blames upon Soviet Until the Workers Party ceases to prop- the proletarian revolution in the United 10 recognition can be given Soviet Russia. | But Hughes is not entirely frank. What the} capitalists of America are afraid of is, in the long run, certainly just this international organization of revolutionists of which Hughes complains. But jthe immediate that which dictates the menace, . {question of recognition at the moment, is not the} existence of the Workers Party but the fact that the proletariat is in power in Russia and shows not the slightest signs of weakening. Hughes lays down the principle that so long as the working class is in power the United States will not accept the Russian Government as a fact to be dealt with. | Hughes thus lays down a clear issue. It is an \ ultimatum to the workers of Russia to surrender {their country back to the capit ts or to engage lin war with the United States. For this is the only logical outcome of Hughes’ position. The} only alternative is for Hughes to change his mind. When we note that the capitalists of France and Great Britain, who also held the same attitude a | Hughes for years, have finally changed and, for-; mally at least, granted recognition to the Soviets, it is clear that Hughes may also find it expedient to do the same. But let there be no misunderstand- ing of the meaning of Hughes’ present pronounce- ment; he tells the Russian workers to return to capitalist exploitation or prepare for war. Miirciesi a la Sharts-S. P. Marxism has always suffered terrible mutilation at the hands of the socialist party. It was rather to be hoped that all the great intellects of that mori- bund organization would now follow the lead of their two greatest men, Berger and Abe Cahan, and reject all talk of the class struggle and Marxism. But it seems that a few old-fashioned S. P.-ites cannot travel quite so fast; oneof these is Joseph | Sharts who, in a current issue of the Miami Valley Socialist, quotes Marx against the Communists and in favor of LaFollette. The Communists, by rejecting LaFollette, have betrayed the revolution, says Sharts. Before the campaign is over we have an idea that Mr. LaFollette himself will teach Sharts who has betrayed the revolution. In the meantime let us appreciate thoroly the spectacle of this advocate of “revolution,” quoting the words of Marx, “the Communists do not form a separate party opposed to other working class parties,” as the justification for abandoning all party organization and merging in a middle-class melange that obliterates all class lines. If the LaFollette movement can be taken as an expression of the working class, then there is nothing to prevent Mr. Davis or Mr. Coolidge from serving in the same capacity. The fact of the matter is, that Sharts, in the name of Marx, is repeating nothing more nor less than the identical philosophy which Gompers used against the socialists for a generation.Old Sammy is a better socialist than Sharts himself, if Sharts’ version of Marx has any validity. That was always Gompers’ view that the interests of the workers must be advanced in the capitalist parties because that is where most of, the workers vote. But, of course, Sharts is not a Marxian. He is a middle- jel lawyer who cannot utter the name of Marx without slandering that giant of working class | thought. And when he finds out that LaFollette |does not like to have shyster socialists quoting Marx in support of him, then Sharts will quit even that. Get a member for the Workers Party. An Army Plot The charges by counsel for Paxton Hibben, that army officers have entered into a plot to take his officers commission away from him, will be of in- terest to the workers. It is well that we become familiar with the inner workings of the army, because it is one of the chief instruments of sup- pression of the working class, and to combat it requires more knowledge of it than is now avail- able. This plot against Hibben (who by the way is very, very far from being a Communist, his “crime” consisting of a few liberal opinions about recog- nition of Russia‘), may possibly reveal a corner of the inner life of the army. It seems from the documents made public, that the army intelligence organization is habitually used to spy and frame up on “undesirable” officers in the army. In the case of Hibben, these instru- ments were put to work but, not wishing to bring the army directly into the case, the “officers’ reserve corps” was made the channel for striking the blow. A principal charge against Hibben, the one that reveals the animus behind the perseeution, is that he helped to raise funds for the relief of famine victims in Russia some years ago, and that he has and still does advocate the recognition of the Soviet Government. Such a common sense attitude is taken as prima facie evidence of unfitness for service in the U. 8. army. But: because Hibben seems to be a fighter, and will not submit to the frame-up against his without a scrap, it does not follow that, the hoped-for disclosures in the army life will really come about. What is now more likely, is that the case will be hushed up. Get a member for the Workers Party and a new subscription or the DAILY WORKER. OURGEOIS penal law in Germany has never been troubled with hu- manitarian scruples whenever it has been a question of wreaking ven- geance for any attacks by its class enemies against the sacred institution of the capitalist state. Already in the time of the Kaiser brutal sentences, imposed upon honest workers, have often aroused the horror and indig- nation of the whole civilized world. Everything that happened under the, Hohenzollern regime,* however, ap- pears as a mere trifle compared with the shameful vindictive admiristra- tion of justice which we are witness- ing in Germany today. j It must be noted that this is occur- ring in so-called republican-democrat- ic Germany, at the head of which stands the social democrat Ebert and in the government of which a num- ber of social democrats have for years held high and responsible, positions. The influence of the Experts’ Re- port upon the administration of Ger- many’s class justice is quite unmis- takable. Never before in the Ger- man Republic, not even in the time of the greatest revolutionary tension of the last few years, and especially of last autumn when the misery of the masses in consequence of the inflation reached the highest point, has Ger- man bourgeois justice so openly and \nakedly exposed its vengeful charac- |ter against the revolutionary work- ers as it has since the decision of the great bourgeoisie to carry out this pact of robbery and ,enslavement on the part of international big capital at the cost of the broad working mass- es in Germany. Even the special court set up after the October armed rising in Hamburg showed—after the first death sen- tences intended to terrify the masses, which by the way have been com- muted into relatively short terms of fortress imprisonment by president Ebert as a result of the pressure of the working masses—a far-reaching understanding for the desperate social and political conditions which were the lot of every honest worker at that time. The court to some extent pass- ed milder sentences on the accused revolutionary workers because they had acted from absolutely honest mo- tives. All this however, was changed as soon as the Dawes plan appeared on the scene and its acceptance by the German bourgeoisie appeared more and more probable. It was clearly to be seen beforehand that only a com- pletely physically and spiritually en- slaved working class would put up with the terrible political, social eco- nomic and cultural congequences of the realization of the Experts’ plan without offering the most bitter re- sistence. For this reason it was necessary be- fore all to defame and to trample un- By JOSEPH MANLEY. (Campaign Manager, Workers Party) 'HE present unemployment of the Illinois miners is but a part of the general unemployment thruout the country, which in its turn is a mani- festation of world unemployment. | You men who dig the coal in Southern | Illinois, must realize that your unem- | ployment is caused by the logical de- velopment of American capitalism, This problem of unemployment can only be met by a viewpoint which recognizes the class struggle as the basis of your trade union organiza- tion. This recognition will create a mental outlook which will allow of the organization adapting itself to the changing conditions of industry. It will foster a militant spirit that wili organize the unorganized. It will substitute for the present corrupt capitalist polities carried on by the representatives of your union, an in- terest in and desire for working class political issues and working class political struggles. Capitalist Minded Leaders. © An instance of the capitalist politi- cal corruption attitude and viewpoint of “labor leaders” addressed by Calvin President John L. Lewis, can be cited in the fact that Lewis recently sent greetings and regrets, for his non-ap- pearance at the Labor Day gathering of labor leaders” addressed by Calvin Coolidge in Washington, The same Coolidge who broke the Boston police strike, Your own District President, Frank Farrington, clearly indicates his capi- talist viewpoint when he endorses Len Small for Governor, Farring- ton’s brain dominated by this capital- ist attitude of mind conceives a solu- tion for your unemployment, The solution put forth by Frank Farrington—the introduction of giant power, generated at the mouth of the mine—is a fake and a misleadi: scheme. Under capitalism and w! the methods proposed it will simply enrich a few individuals, It will not benefit the miners at all, but will add further to their misery by fastening The Terrorist Justice in Germany How the German Government is Preparing for Carrying Out Experts’ Report derfoot the only genuine revolution- ary party of the German working tlass, the C. P. of Germany, in or- der to break their resistance. A monstrous reign of terror was in- stituted against it, accompanied by an unexampled campaign of calumny and instigation, which did not shrink from the stupidest as well as from the most blood-thirsty accusations, and which was participated in by all parties from the German Nationalists to the Social Democrats. Of course, under these circum- stances, German class justice could not show itself’ to be behindhand. It let loose a flood of trials for high treason, and glutted its revenge against the revolutionary workers, who in October, 1923, had made pre- parations for the fight to capture poli- tical power. Altho ‘the latter, contrary to the Hamburg workers who actually be- gan an armed struggle, had restricted themselves to making preparations for the fight, they were sentenced to ever more brutal terms of prison and penal servitude. These sentences expose even to the most undiscerning the true aims and intentions of this undisguised class justice: to create and spread terror among the broad working masses, so that they would shrink from any fur- ther resistance against their strangu- lation by international big capital un- der the terms of the Dawes plan. And the choicest and the most char- acteristi¢ feature of all this white ter- rorist justice is precisely the fact that it originafes from and is supported by the famous state court of justice for the protection of the Republic; which was set up immediately after the Ra- thenau murder in order to corgi the right radical (Fascist) murder bands. This famous court of justice, which includes a great number of social de- mocrats, among others the former mi- ister Wolfgang Heine, the president of the metal workers’ federation Brandes, the district chief constable | Lange, etc., has, in those few cases where it has been compelled to deal with white guardist assassins, shown a very Striking mildness and sym- pathy, while at the same time where Communists have got into its clutches it has given unbridled vent to its class hate. We will cite a few examples to il- lustrate the so-called administration of justice of this model court of jus- @, against the decisions of which there is no appeal: On February 7, 1924, Albert Barthel, a worker of Schwedt on Oder, receiv- ed one year’s fortress imprisonment and a fine of 50 goldmarks, because he distributed among the Reichswehr soldiers “leaflets of a seditious charac- ter” which advocate a change in the constitution by means of violence. On April 15th, 1924, there were sen- methods of capitalist exploitation. The rank and file of the United Miners Workers Union, are beginning to clearly understand the roots of their present predicament. Which is that, modern American finance capital is out to destroy, root and branch the Miners Union. Finance capital—a combination of the giant banks—tried to destroy with a frontal attack, the union in the great coal strike of 1921. Its method was its injunctions is- sued by the Government against the striking miners. Tho this frontal at- tack did not succeed, it caused the giant banks now behind the coal in- dustry, to develop new strategy. An indirect smash upon the union. Consolidation of Industry. Finance capital has at last agreed upon the consolidation and complete mechanization of the bituminous coal industry. In carrying out this plan it has bought up and consolidated the yarious competing mines, especially in the non-union fields of West Vir- ginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, New Mexico and Colorado. The consolidation of these compet- ing mines and their mechanization, in its turn tends to render unnecessary the skill of the individual miner. It has increased and cheapened the pro- duction of bituminous coal to an un- believable degree. The coal from these highly mech- anized mines in the non-union terri- tory can undersell and compete with the old time mines of Illinois, ope- rated as many of them have been, with methods not so up to date as now being used in the modern mine. This underselling is especially ‘successful when old party politicians represent- ing the capitalist system, control the various boards and commissions sup- posed to maintain state competition. . Smash on Illinois Miners. The same finance capital which has carried on this policy of encircling the union fields, now comes into Illi- nois and other union fields. It is rap- idly buying up and consolidating the various competing mines. Great num- bers of these mines it shuts down completely, in order to freeze out the union miners who have depended upon them one of the most up-to-date upon them for their living. Others tenced: 1. Max Birke, a miner, to one year’s fortress imprisonment and 50 marks fine because in the previous November he distributed seditious Communist leaflets. 2, Emil Hagberg, a worker from Altona, to 15 months’ fortress imprisonment and 50 marks fine, because he posted up a C. P. G. poster, which called for the setting up of the dictatorship of the proletari- at. 3. Lechleitner, editor of the organ of the C. P. G. in Mdnnheim, to 13 months’ fortress imprisonment and 50 marks fine, because he published an article in November, 1923, which propagated the dictatorship of the proletariat. On June 4th, 1924, there were sen- tenced: 1. Hotopp, a clerk in Berlin, to 4 years’ imprisonment and 5,000 marks fine on account of preparation of high treason and having knowl- edge of a store of weapons; 2. W. Schmidt, a mechanic and Bannert, Priss and Kroll, workers, each to two years and six months’ imprisonment and 3,000 marks fine on a_ similar charge as above. On June 18th, 1924, Alfred Oelssner, party secretary in Breslau, received three years’ imprisonment and 1,000 marks fine on account of instigating and preparing high treason. On July 10th, 1924, there were sen- tenced: Lambert, a tailor of -Stutt- gart to eight years’ penal servitude, Brecht, a brewery worker, Rall, a turner, each to six years’ penal servi- tude; Haussler, a turner, to three years’ penal servitude and Glaser, an iron moulder, to one year penal servi- tude for possessing hand grenades and preparing high treason. The ac- cused replied to the announcement of the bloody sentences with cheers for the world revolutions and for Moscow. It should be noted that these brutal sentences were based upon the evi- dence of a paid agent provocateur. who had been instructed by the au- thorities to enter the C. P. of Ger- many and there to arrange the “Tche- ka” frame-up. On June 19, 1924, there were sen- tenced in’ Koenigsberg: Delvendahl, a worker to seven years’ penal servi- tude and 1,000 marks fine, Kalcher to six years’ penal servitude and 600 marks’ fine, Seipold to five years’ penal servitude and 500 marks fine, Baumann. to four years’ penal servi- tude and 400 marks fine, Nautsch to four and a half years’ imprisonment and 300 marks fine, Marwel to two and a half years’ imprisonment and Wednesday, September 10, 1924 By EMIL HOLLEIN, Communist Member of the German Reichstag 200 marks fine, Lorenz, Mecklenburg, Lollies and Hoffman, each to 18 months’ imprisonment and 200 marks fine on account of seizing a store of arms upon the estate of a junker in order to defend themselves from a threatened putsch and on account of alleged preparation of high treason. The president of the court, Niedner, revealed himself in this trial as an open Communist hater. He called the Communist flag “a Russian rag” and declared that every single member of the C. P. of Germany must from Sep- tember last year, reckon upon being liable to punishment under paragraph 7 of the law for the defense of the republic. i The vindictive class justice of the German democratic republic is not only exhibited in the brutal sentences pronounced by the courts, but also by the treatment of the prisoners under- going sentences, which is becoming harsher and more brutal. Not only are our comrades deprived of all Com- munist literature and not allowed to write to their friends; as a further means of punishment they are not al- lowed any change of underclothing, many of them are put into chains and beaten and brutally mishandled. The situation of the prisoners has be- come so desperate that they have been forced to adopt their only means of protest; the hunger strike. For instance, in Gleiwitz in Silesia, 70 of our comrades have entered on a hun- ger strike. The prison authorities. re- Plied to this action by entirely de- priving them of water, thereby adding to their torture. It is admitted that the present ad- mihistration of justice aims at cow- ing and terrifying the masses. The German bourgeoisie however, are making a great mistake if they be- lieve they will be able, by means of such bloody sentences, to intimidate the working masses and cause. them to shrink from ruthlessly defending their vital interests, which at the same time are the vital interests of the German nation. The terrorist sen- tences pronounced by class justice will not break the revolutionary fight- ing spirit of the working class. On the contrary, they arouse in the heart and brain the most powerful spiritual and moral forces, which will one day not only sweep away the terrorist jus- tice and its upholders, but also the rotten state and social order, which provides the soil from which this ter- rorist jystice must .inevitably ‘spring. ON AMALGAMATION ‘SQPOONER or later, the unions in all industries and in every country find themselves at the point where they are based upon indus- trial rather than craft lines. In arriving at this stage of development they ordinarily pass thru a more o} marked by three distinct phases, r less lengthy evolutionary process, which | shall call: (1) ‘solation, (2) federation, (3) amalgamation.”—William Z. Foster. they continue to opefate as part of their plan to mechanize them and destroy the union. It is this desire to thoroly mechanize and standardize every operation down to the last re- tail, so that the individual skill and responsibility of the miner has no basis in reality. This is the explanation of the de- mand by the Illinois operators, for the abolishing of the contract system. Only a human ostrich cannot see this inevitable economic development. The same course of development was followed in the steel industry, in the metal industry and in the anthracite. The“ same finance capital which has gained control of the bituminous non- union fields, is now reducing the IIli- nois union miners to unemployment, misery and process of attrition destroy your union, unless you begin to consciously recognize that you dare an integral part of that working class which struggles against the capitalist class. You must displace your present re- publican and democratic union repre- sentatives—who stand four square for the capitalists and capitalism—with militant representatives who stand and fight, on the issue of the class struggle against capitalism. Your or- ganization, in order to survive, must be infused with a revolutionary spirit, It must organizé the unor- ganized in the non-union field. It must fight for the socialization, thru a workers’ and farmers’ government, of the coal industry that is now being nationally consolidated by capitalist pirates, Your organization must fight to the end: that the cost of the present unemployment be borne by the industry itself and by the Govern- ment, so that unemployed shall receive union wages. Industrial Relief Thru Political Struggle. In face of this crisis in your history, your apparent purely industrial prob- lems have in reality become political problems. No real relief for unem- ployment can be hoped for except thru a great political struggle. No real nationalization of your industry can come about except thru a great political struggle, suffering. It will by a Unemployment and the Presidential Candidates Three Lawyer Candidatés. | At this moment when millions of workers in America are unemployed a great political struggle is being waged. Coolidge, Davis and LaFollette are all running for the office of President of the United States. Two Republican lawyers and one Democratic lawyer. All of them standing for, and sup- porting the capitalist system of ex- ploitation that is responsible for your unemployment and misery. You mili- tant miners can have no_ political hopes .from such candidates. You big coal operator whom Coolidge and Davis represent, and by the little coal operator—now being crushed—whom LaFollette represents, The Workers Candidate. You coal diggers have a real politi- cal representative in the present elec- tion campaign. He too 8 for, President of the United States—Wil- liam Z, Foster, Foster is the candi- date of the miners and of the working class. William.Z. Foster, as the presiden- tial candidate of the Workers Party stands upgn its platform, which con- tains a real program for the relief of unemployment. This program will compel industry and the government to pay union wages to the unem- ployed. It contains a demand for: The nationalization of all large scale - industries, such as mines, railroads, giant power plants and means of com- munication and transportation, and the organization of the workers in these industries for participation in the management and direction of the industries nationalized. These are but a few of the points in the Workers Party platform on which Foster stands, The Illinois miners must tackle this unemployment problem from a class conscious viewpoint. You must real- ize that it is the inevitable product of capitalism. You must force your present officers to stop their collabora. tion with capitalist politicians and. capitalists, which simply perpetuates the present misery, | Illinois miners vote for Foster the Communist candidate and the abol- tion of capitalism! have been equally exploited by the, i j i j | | q } | oe ——s ———