The Daily Worker Newspaper, November 12, 1924, Page 4

¥ p § : 5 tee sare. Page Four WORKERS COLLEGE HEARS KRUSE AND HERSTEIN DEBATE Four-cornered Speech is Turned into Debate (Special to the Daily Worker) WAUKEGAN, IIL, Nov. 11.—Failure of republican and democratic repre- Sentatives to show up transformed What was to have been a four-cor- mered speech making.contest into de- bate on “Communism vs. Progressiv- ism,” with William F. Kruse repre- senting the Workers Party and Lillian Herstein defending LaFollettism. The debate was held under the auspices of the Workers’ College of Waukegan (M.), and the president of the Lake | County Central Labor Union, Mr. 0. L. Stanley, made an, excellent chair- Man. Mr. Stanley is also Lake County Organizer of the A. F..of L. and local leader of the LaFollette forces. Kruse Speaks First. After several excellent musical num bers and introductionary remarks con- cerning the college and its plans, Kruse was introduced as the first Speaker. He stated that there would be miany things concerning the evils of the present capitalist order on which the other speaker would be in complete agrement—altho tiis did not hold true of all of the 157 varities of LaFolletteites that might have been sent to defend the progressive position Each of the old parties based their appeal for support on the glories of the past—Coolidge upon “incoin, Davis upon Jefferson and Jackson and now Lafollette upon “1776.” Jn so doing they really cited epochs of class struggle in which class power at the time did pass from one domin- agt group to another. The Commun- ists looked to the past only for its lessons, their epoch was in the pre- sent, their proposed class power by the workers was a program not for 19¥6 but for 1924 and 5 and-6 and as long as was necessary until the strug- gle would be won. Bob for “Interest” and Profit Oonditions under which workers live under capitalism were cited—un- employment, child labor, bankrupted farmers, oppressed subject peoples, war, and imperialism. These things were inherent in capitalism, which Coolidge and Davis openly and admit- tedly supported. He then read from LaFollette’s speeches and campaign material showing the Wisconsin sen- ator to favor both “interest” and a “good round profit” and therefore in fayor of the system that produced them and their attendant evils. LaFollette’s remedy against these abuses was the busting of the trusts, @ Program as impossible as it was} undesirable, and one which Harding | and Daugherty had used more than) the progressives who advocated it. In| By M. A. SKROMNY, 'HE newspapers just received from Russia brought the sad news: Com- rade Vasily Lichachev died at Kis- lovodsk. Who was Comrade Lichachev? To the old timers in the Russian colony in the United States he was well-known, altho he stayed in this country only a few years. Escapes Exile In Siberia, Way back in 1910 after spending years in the different jails of the czar’s government, Comrade “Vlas” as he was known in the revolutionary move- ment in Russia, was exiled to Siberia. He did not stay there very long. To- gether with another comrade he es- |caped, walking many miles to the Chi- |nese border. Making their way thru Japan they finally arrived in this coun- try in 1912. But the guardians at the gates suspected them being ‘anar- chists” and they were held up by the immigration officials. The Russian colony took up the matter and after a stiff fight they were finally admitted. Comrade Vlas at once became active in the revolutionary movement. He was broke, without a cent, but he made his way, mostly on _ foot, from Seattle to Chicago. It took him about a year to.reach Chicago, speak- ing at every point he’ touched. Here he worked as a window washer on Milwaukee Ave., as a janitor on Divi- sion St., etc. He joined the Russian federation of the socialist party and went around the country delivering lectures, organizing new branches, etc. Later on he became a member of the editorial board of the Russian daily, Novy Mir. Returns to Russia With Trotsky. He did not stay on this job very long, for as soon as the revolution COMRADE LICHACHEV IS DEAD COMRADE VASILY: LICHACHEV broke out in Russia he left this coun- try together with Comrade Trotsky, who was then editor of the Novy Mir. In Russia he joined the fight against the Kerensky government and actively participated in the October revolution which brought about the creation of the Soviet government. Since then he held different responsible positions in the government and in the party. Delegations from many unions, trom the Moscow Soviet, the government institutions, etc., met the body when it arrived in Moscow from Kislovodsk. The funeral was held on October 26 in Moscow. His memory was honored by the workers of Russia and will be honored by the Russian ‘workers in this country. through courts and militia, were ac- tually worse in “progressive” Wiscon- sin than in reactionary strongholds. He analyzed the function of the state and pointed out that anyone who ‘be- iloved in capitalism was certain to use all powers of the capitalist state in defense of the present system. The case of sugar strikers on the Hawaiian plantations of Rudolph Spreckies, an ardent LaFollette backer, was cited— an you imagine Bob being so un- grateful to his friend and financial backer as to remove the troops sent by Coolidge to break that ¢6trike? ever! Bob is above all things loyal fio his friends—and to his class.” LaFollette’s Service to Master Class. Conditions were ripe for this year. for the formation of a labor party. Heavy unemployment,a farm crisis,and an exceptionally rotten ‘oil-graft scan- dal that hit both old parties. In- stead of helping organize this party, LaFollette had been theone manto d the will of the master class in prey- enting the organization of a class par- ty. He had done more, wherever actaal practice LaFolletteism sought to “pegulate” the trusts—and watched | them get fat on the treatment. The} @ommunists recognized in the trust a} organized finance machine, the | there were such parties in @xistence he tried to put them out of business, and even labor leader representation on his oxecutive committee, two out of eleven (to say nothing of rank and med-ate fight—this gamut that runs from Vanderlip to Gompers to Hill- quit could not lay the basis for & class party {f they would and would not if they could. The Communist call to the workers to organize for class power, expressed in a Workers’ Re- public, the only slogan of interest to the workers in this campaign. Lill Tells Some Good Ones Miss Herstein opened her speech by saying that as long as “poor old Bob” had been blamed for everything that ever happened in Wisconsin, he should haye been charged with respon- sibility for the flu epidemic as well. She sought to brush away the facts and figures cited on living conditions there by a pair of funny stories on percentages and averages. “Suppose there are mistakes in Bob’s record,” she said, “the only reason why there are none in Foster's is be- cause he has no record. It’s easy for @ political infant to have a clean slate.” Hillquit Gets His The Communists’ aims were all right but their technique was all wrong. They didn’t understand Amer- ican psychology. Their tactics were all right for Russia but not here. thing in the world for those who | file representation), was. no greater | American workers were militant, to be @wned it—the remedy lay not in| smashing the machine but in achiev-| tug working class ownership thereof. | Progressivism in Practise | Kruse then went into the actual) @ehievements of progressivism during | twenty years of power in Wisconsin} showing by statistics and friendly ad- mission that most of the capitalist | evils; low wages, long hours, child! Yabor, smashing unions, and the use| @f state force against the workers! THE MARK OF This bronze, art medallion b than either Coolidge or Davis could boast of. He was all things to all people, republican in Illinois, demo- crat in Montana, socialist in Calif- ornia—and pro-capitalist-system every- where. Those elements that looked to the wierd conglomeration of his support to crystallize into a class labor party after the election were chasing rain- hows. Parties are organized on the basis of class interests and for an im- utton of Nicolai Lenin—one inch in size—and of beautiful design—you will want for yourself and as a gift for your friends, If you don’t already own one of hese life-lasting medal- lion buttons—by all means BUY IT FROM THE DAILY WORKER AGENT IN YOUR CITY! ’ 50 Cents Each ’ Add 5 cents for postage if you wish to have it by mail THE DAIL 1113 W. Washington Bivd. Enclosed find $ Name: Street: Y WORKER Chicago, IIlinois Lenin Buttons. State: . sure, but they were not radical. They would just as soon shoot one another in a Klan outrage as in a_ battle against scabs. They re-elect Gom- pers year after year, if they do that what chance is there for a revolu- tion? Or revolutionary spirit? We must take more cognizance of “nation- al psychology”—a worker comes over from Europe, works a while, belongs to the union, then becomes a boss and one of the bitterest fighters against the workers. She took a crack at Morris Hillquit, an ardent LaFollette fan, by using him as a horrible ex- ample of rotten “psychology,” no working class ‘instincts, he charges a labor union 45,000 for a single case! She wanted a labor party, tried to get it with socialists, but they wer good for nothing ,except baiting “reds.” Tried to get it with Commun- ists—that broke up, blame was 50-50, Now trying to get it with LaFollette. Try anything once, for Roosevelt in 1912, Wilson 1916, Christensen 1920, now for Bob. Cannot organize a labor THE DAILY: WORKER brave enough to. defend Dunne. Any- way, don’t vote for Coolidge or Davis. Kruse In Rebuttal. Kruse in rebuttal evened the score on funny stories by telling one that ex- plained the function of the funny story as an answer to fact and figure. The posed to show the failure of ‘“‘pro- gressivism” in practise, not to con- demn a man. LaFollette voted against war with Germany, but for every ap- propriation bill that made the .war possible. Furthermore in 1898 he was a rabid imperialist favoring the seiz- ure of the Phillipines as.@ wedge to the Asiatic market. Would LaFollette oppose a war with Japan over the Chinese market? Wheeler stood by “my friend, Bil! Dunne,” perhaps, but he also stands by his friend, Senator Walsh, who wrote the Montana criminal syndicul- ist law. Friendship is a weak reed when opposed to clase interest. ‘The Com- munists would have accepted LaFol- lete as the candidate of a labor par- ty, it is true, but only on a labor. plat- form, under labor control. “Ameri- can psychology” was -piffle. used by reactionaries to divide the workers, a good slogan for Coolidge and the Klan. To talk to American “Jaabor” you must speak a hundred different languages and “Communism” sounds ‘the. same in all. As to trying anything once, Miss. Herstein had. not taken just one sample of political “dope” she had taken the whole catalog and was in the market for more. Now it.was La- Folletteism, admittedly not a labor par- ty, but “for just this once something just as good.” Rebuttal was wound up with another story that carried a sharp sting and left the audience rocking with Jaughter. Miss Herstein Becomes Serious. Tn her final rebuttal, Miss Herstein used no more stoflos. Communists theorize too much, they know banks but she knew the workers and they weren't Communists. Foster was a good economic organizer, brt the stigisa of hsing a Communist kept him out of the work’ he was best fit- ted to do. Maybe Lalollette wes an imperialist in 1898, that was long ago. Where was Foster then? Maybe not even born yet. There was a big dit- ference in national psychology, even in members of one tace. Take Ger- man Jews and Russian Jews; the former, thanks to their education, soon hecame rich while the latter be- came sweatshop slaves. Communists were right when they tried to ham- nier away at the need for class con- sciousness, class action, class party— but workers were too well satisfied. Anyway no worker should vote for Coolidge or Davis. S. P. and I. W. W. at Red 7th Meet.in Mo. Ask Many Questions (Special to the Daily Worker) KANSAS CITY, Mo., Noy. 11.—Our Red Seventh of November was a suc- cess. The crowd followed the speaker closely and greatly enjoyed the comic relief given by the questioners. An old socialist derelict—who reso- lutely refused to buy any. literature— wildly asked who dares say the S. P. and the Second International are not r-r-revolutionary? A man who has trumpeted the I.W. W. slogans for many years—and gone to jail for them too—rose to say: “The bosses know their stuff.. When they fight LaFollette, does that not prove that he is for a better society for the poor?” < This fellow worker has been circu- lating “liberal” petitions at a penny a signature and it seems his political views went with the sale. Court Upholds Anti-Kian Law. BUFFALO, N. Y., Noy. 11.—The Walker law, aimed at the Ku Klux Klan by the state legislature, is con- stitutional, according to a decision handed down today by Justice Charles A. Pooley in supreme court. The law requires filing of membership of secret societies with state officials. Must Prepare for Next War. NEW YORK, Nov. 11.—Officials of the New York stock exchange sald to- party under Communist influence hbe- cause workers are too well satisfied. Have not suffered enough. LaFollette was against war and Wheeler was 1. The British Elections... 2. The Red Soldiers’ Manual—First 5. Keeping Them Young and Red... 6. Anatole France, the Comrade. VERSE 1113 W. Washington Blvd. IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE The DAILY WORKER Magazine Section SATURDAY, NOV. 15 Associate Editor of “Workers! Weekly” 3. Sound the Alarm—An Analysis of the Election Resull 4 American Intervention in Europe. Secretary Russian Communist Party 7. Problems Facing the American Federation of L: ‘And Other Interesting Articles PICTURES ORDER NOW! THE DAILY WORKER — day that the exchange would not close Armistice Day, Tuesday; November 11, unless Governor Smith proclaimed it @ legal holiday. .By T. H. Wintingham Installment. .By Leon Trotaky By Alexander Bittelman wy 1, Stalin By Max Shachtman ly Charles Ri , abor Convention ILLU: Wisconsin conditions were 6x-| MINERS SUFFER WHILE LEADERS LIVE AT EASE Illinois Coal Digkers in Dire Necessity By TOM PARRY. The miners of this vicinity are to- day living in a dark and dismal world. In the days of chattel slavery the white slave owner used to hire a white taskmaster to drive the black slave to his task. With .ne advent of capitalism this becomes unnecessary. Under the system whereby a few men own the tools of production, that is, the hoisting engines, the rails, the pit cars, etc, which we miners have to use before we can earn our daily bread, all thase tool owners haye to d is‘to blow a whistle that he is will- ing to allow us to use his tools. ir re- turn for profits, and we freemen (?) would run to the mines. But alas, of late this has changed. The writer lives in the midst of a yast coal field. Two years ago I conid arise from my bed at 5:30 in the morning and hear the whistles of nine different mines calling the min- ers to work; to wit: West mine in Virden, North mine in Virden, Lefton mine In Auburn, Old mine in Auburn, Thayer mine, Panther Creek imine, Sonth mine in Auburn, Divernon mine and Pawnee mine. Six of Nine Whistles Silent. Today only three of the whistles blow, whieh are North mine in ¥ den, South mine in Auburn. and Poa- ther Creek mine. The other six stand motionless. . But what of the thousands of miners who answered the whistles of. these six motionless mines two years ago? Are they mo- tionless? No, for that would mean tisath. They are leaving the mining camps in the early hours of the morning looking for jovs., Some get odd jobs, Others get jobs building hard roads. The going wage is 38c per hour. The Vain Search for Work. The majority of them tramp back to the camps footsore and heartbrok- en, back to their wives and families who are laden with debt, back to the same families who two years ago lis- tened to these whistles calling their sons and husbands to work and re- garded it is music to their ears. To- day they sit in despair, listening for their husbands and sons coming up the walk, hoping to hear them say, “At last I have a job.” How It Happens. Why all this misery for the working class? Things were not always this way nor always will be. We live in a world of change and a great change has come to the mining industry and this is the way it came about. In 1916 previous to America entering the world war, there were less than six thousand coal mines in America. In so doing there were practically six thousand extra mines opened up in America, for statistics show that when the armistice was signed, we had eleven thousand coal mines in America. The moment the armistice was signed, the British coal operators were successful in reducing the Brit- ish coal miners back to pre-war wages after a bitter struggle. ‘Naturally British coal operators took back the, foreign market from the American coal operators, which left the American coal industry fifty per cent over developed, based upon eight-hour hoist. The Convention Fight. I was one of a very few of the dele- gates at the last miners’ International Convention, who worked and voted against t.c present miners’ coutract: At cvery opportunity in that Conven- tion, Hindmarsh, Watt, Thompson, Tumulty and myself, all of whom voiced our sentiment against this pesent agreement, which means a three year contract with only work for half our membership, also pointing out that if we demanded a six-hour lay and had to throw all of our mem- barship inte the fight for’ a few} months, it would be much better than putting one-half of our membership out of the industry for al! time to come. Officials Knife Demands. In the last miners’ convention the membership expressed themselves in no uncertain terms as to what our or- ganization’s future policy should be when they sent hundreds of resolu- tions demanding a shorter work day. But was that the policy adopted? Oh, no! A policy just the reverse was slopted when the scale committee, composed absolutely of officers and not one miner, recommended that we do not even ask for a shorter work day but that we ask for the same old contract for three years, in spite of the fact that not one resolution, not one man from the pits ever asked for the sam@ old contract including the eight-hour day, Surely this program of misleader- ship in the minérs’ orgavization has brought upon us a time that tries workers’ souls. Also a time has just passed by that should have triéd our brain, Tho time is here again when wo must think for ourselves. If we Go not we will be completely lost. We, the men in the mines, must con- trol our own organization and not a few autocrats who call themselves officers, Py Baremrey Sth Soe ONY aed ARE Party Activities Of Local Chicago Wednesday, Nov. 12. Enlarged Executive Council, 8 p. m., 166 W. Washington St. Cz.-Slov. Cicero, 57th Ave. and 22nd Pl, Cicero, Ill. Czecho-Slovak No. 3, Vojt Napras- tek School, 2550 South Homan Ave. Cz.-Slov. No, 1, Spravedinost, 1825 S. Loomis St., Thureday, Nov. 15. Mid City English, Emmet Memorial Hall, Ogden\and Taylor Ave. William F. Dunne speaking on “Executive Committee C. I. Report.” Lithuanian No. 3, 1900 8. Union avenue. by Cz.-Slovak No, Berwyn, Sokol Oak Park, Roosevelt and Union Ave. llth Ward Italian, 2439 8, Oakley Boulevard. , Scandinavian Lake View, 3206 N. Wilton Ave, Scandinavian! West Side, cor. Cicero and Superior St. Scandinavian Hirsch Blvd. Friday, Nov. 14. Scandinavian South Chicago, 641 E. 61st St. : Lettish Branch, 4359 Thomas St. oe YOUNG WORKERS LEAGUE, LOCAL CHICAGO. Friday, Nov. 13. General membership meeting, 722 Blue Island Ave. Review of factory campaigns, etc. Oliver Carlson, speaker. Karl Marx, 2783 ‘|Danish Army and Navy to be Used Against Workers COPENHAGEN, Nov. 11.—The an- nouncement that Denmark intends te disarm and cease building war vessels which has caused much comment in she capitalist press recently, is de clared by Communists to be a typical league of nations bluff. Neither the army nor the navy of this small country has ever been much of a menace of world peace, and the fact that both the army and the navy are now to be used for “police” purposes means merely that they have been taken over by the Danish cap- italists. to be used against the Danish workers. Meanwhile the government dock yards are seeking everywhere to obtain orders to build submarines and war vessels for other. countries. Cleveland Comrades Who Like to Dance Better Take Notice CLEVELAND, Ohio, Nov. 11—Big coming dance to be held by the Jew- preparations are under way for the ish branch of the Workers Party and the Young Workers League Saturday evening December 20, at the Knights of Phythias Temple at 706 E. 105th street, near St. Clair. All sympathetic organizations in Cleveland are asked to keep that date open. Watch for further announcements! On the News “Ne Subscription: $2.00 a Year 1113 W. Washington Blvd, NAME csssssssssssossssesnsnnsoes The November First issue of the great, new Labor journal The Workers Monthly Combining the Liberator, Labor Herald and Soviet Russia Pictorial Edited by Earl R. Bowder, This new leader in the field of American Labor magazines begins in this issue the first installment of a classic of Communist literature “The History of the Russian Communist Party” By Gregory Zinoviev Other noted contributors Including William Z. Foster, C. E. Ruthen- berg, Moissaye Olgin, William F. Dunne, James P. Cannon, Alexander Bittelman and others. International Events--Photographs--Cartoons Single Copy 25 Cents Official Organ of the Workers Party and the Trade Union Educational League USE THIS BLANK THE WORKERS MONTHLY For the 001080 Ginminnimuminn 80nd me THE WORKERS MONTHLY fof esnnnnnnonnnennt Mths, pf P| TONNE ROS it RU OR OER EEA MORRO MONON Wednesday, November 12, 1924 BRITISH BOSSES STEAL INVENTOR’S SAFETY SYSTEM Plans Kept One Week Then Thrown Out (Special to the Daily Worker) GLACE BAY, Nova Scotia, Nov, 11.— An inventor, John Pogorly of Mon- treal is apparently the victim of the us- ual corporation methods used against men of mechanical genius. The British Empire Steel Corp., exploiter of labor in coal mines and steel mills, invited him to come from Montreal to demon- strate his mine safety system and other devices. He was guaranteed all his expenses and compensation for any information. Pogorly arrived at the offices of the corporation and immediately con- sulted the various heads. The officials brought all persuasive powers to bear on the inventor to get him to leave his plans with them for a week. He refused. However after much ado he consented to leave them for a few hours. Being a foreigner he was not accustomed to the strategy of the company officials, and after many trips to the company office he was not given his plans until two days later. Pogorly alleges that the company had ample time to copy his plans. The company declares that the safety sys- tem cannot be applied to Nova Scotia mines, and they will have nothing more to do with the inventer. They will not even pay his expenses as guaranteed him. Pogorly has been advised from Ot- tawa that if his safey system is proved of value to human life then government pressure can be brought to bear on mining companies refusing to instal such systems. YOU CAN’T KID ME. You may kid others You may even kid yourself But YOU CAN’T KID ME. 1f you don’t go to STUDY CLASS You are lacking as a Communist. Why are you against Capitalism? By going to STUDY CLASS you ean learn How the workers are exploited. A Party STUDY CLASS Is held every Wednesday, At 2613 Hirsch Boulevard Subject—“Elementary Marxian Econ- omics.” Teacher—Earl R. Browder, C. E. C. of the Workers And Editor of the Workers’ It’s not too late to join now. Come tonight, Wednesday. YOU CAN'T KID ME.—(The etudious kid.) Member Party Monthly. Jury Probes Poison Gasoline ELIZABETH, N. JA grand jury is investigating the deaths of five workers employed by the tetraethy] lead plant of the Standard Oil Co. at Bayway. Supreme court justice Ka- lisch said if the company had not warned the workers of the dangers of lead poisioning in the work, ‘then the company failed in the discharge of its duties.” Thirty other workers are still ill from the effects of poisning. Stands Now! cA $1.25 Six Months, Aq Chicago, Illinois seesanennneenennsennseseenvanissnsannsesseseenessonae |