The Daily Worker Newspaper, November 29, 1924, Page 9

' class, Solidarity is ‘the T is not with any pleasure that one must record the shame of an or- ganization whose working class his- tory is replete with instances of » Struggle consciously directed by lead- ers who understood the necessity o{ rallying the workers against the re- pressive forces of the capitalist state To Expose Capitalist Agents. But there is a duty to be done when the results of many years of syndi- calist confusion have brot to a posi tion of influence an editor on the In- dustrial Worker of Seattle, a man who is so impregnated with capitalist ideology that he puts out as menta! pabulum for general working class consuniption such abominable capital ist rot as that which is hereinafter set forth as taken from the issue: of Nov. 22. : In the beginning it must be remem- bered- that, about two weeks pre- viously, about 150 I. W. .W. strikers on a Stone and Webster construction job ‘at Concrete, Washington, had been rounded up by Sheriff C. K. Conn of Skagit county, reinforced with a large body of armed deputies and assisted by Major K. W. Thom of the United States army, and deported from Skagit county into Snohomish county. é Some of the deported men were married men whose families were left destitute. Houses were broken into, men in them beaten, furniture wrecked, and ali strikers run out at the business end of guns and told to stay out. Some who came back, and other I. W. W. who dared to go up to investigate the status of stranded families and property, were received first with searches, then—sure that none were armed, with a beating with brass. knucks. : Tolstoy Versus Brass Knucks. “When Conn was asured that none of the party had guns,” says the In- dustrial Worker, “he sneaked up be- hind Henry Gehrig and struck him with his brass knuckles behind the ear.” What is the lesson the editor of the Industrial Worker draws from this added incident of the function of the capitalist state? Is there any effort to clarify the minds of working class readers as to the necessity of remov- ing by revolutionary action of the whole class this capitalist state, this engine of class repression, which stands like a huge monster between the working class and their goal in the society of the future? . . And in Army Pants! Scandalous! ‘Not at all! Even in the news item this sponge of capitalist class ideol- ogy is squeezed and gives out these precious drops of misinterpretative statement: “Houses were broken into men beaten therein, household goods wrecked, and not a_ single — officer charged with execution of law has moved a finger!” And again: “What almost passes belief is that a military man, Major K. W. Thom, assisted in these lawless antics. This officer was among the raiders with a rifle in his hand and he personally threatened workers and citizens. Scores of wit- nesses testify to this public scandal. {t is stated that he had on pants of his uniform,” What degradation the olive drab pants must have felt! Never again to be able to show their face, so to speak, among their hon- ored fellows! That an Officer in the army, the es: sential section of the force depart- ment of the capitalist dictatorship should threaten workers, and even “citizens”—sacrosanct as they may be, with a rifle, may appear strange to the witless nincompoop who is pump- ing capitalist interpretations of capi- talist society and capitalist opposition to Communist programs for over- throwing it, into the heads of trust- ing workers who accept this bunk as truth because of the influence the fighting traditions of the I. W. W. has upon them. But that policemen, sher- iffs and officers of the army exist for just such’ function is well known by Communists, at least. This is the dic tatorship of the capitalists in action. The Other Side of Anti-Communism. But now we understand why it is that the Industrial Worker has been the receptacle for all the countér-revo lutionary vomit the anarchists could puke up against the Workers’ Repub- lic of Russia, which makes no pre-: tense of béing a “neutral force keep- ing the peace between two classes” but which glories openly that it is a dictatorship .of the proletariat, in which all the. poppycock about “hu- man rights,” “justice,” “decency” and “law” does not have the weight of a feather when the class interests of the workers necessitate the depriva- tion, repression, imprisonment or worse for one capitalist or for the whole bourgeoisie. But the cream of this pollution rises to the top in a,long and un- speakably idiotic editorial. It is proof positive that the I. W. W. of today is not the old I. W. W. of pre- war days, or else, before the issue in which this is printed had reached me, he would have been removed with none too easy hand by a box-car rebellion. The “Economic” Power of Rifles. Here are some of the choice parts of this impossible stuff: “Without bother to go to court, Sheriff Conn 4was persuaded to swear in a large band of deputies and gunmen and proceed upon a line of economic at tack. Without warning he raided the homes of the strikers and ran them out of the county.” <A strange kind of “economic” action, one will admit But this editor has discovered a new language according to which anything which really happens is always. pre- ceded by the adjective “economic” or “industrial.” When Conn got on his brass knucks he hit Henry Gehrig an “industrial blow” behind the ear, we must remember. : But we must continue. And in do ing so we see what a devastating ef. fect this bourgeois ideology, which has been penetrating the I, W. W. for years, has upon the members, when they are in conflict with ‘the capitalisf class: We aré told that’ the chair- man. of the strike committée, Fellow Worker Rainey, “Was threatened with bodily wounding by a deputy.” To Police for Protection. This deputy sheriff was a law offi- cer, @ part of the capitalist dictator ship. Did this discourage the faitt of Rainey in the neutrality of the capitalist state? Did he perceive it to be one more instance of dictator: ship and conceive of the repressive engine of governmental force as ¢ unit opposed to the workers? By no means! If the sheriff and his depu- ties were evil and “lawless” fellows he would appeal to the police depart ment, which he was sure was the haven of refuge for strikers attackea by “lawless” sheriffs. And he did. When an Arrest is in Doubt. “He appealed for police protection two days before the raid,” says the Industrial Worker, “and was thrown in jail.” This astonished Rainey, per- haps, and certainly the editor who must bray every time he speaks, is hard put to it for an explanation. He ventures, thus: “This might be called an arrest, altho no warrant was ever issued. But this man was locked up and restrained of his liberty.” Per- haps the police merely wished to. in- troduce him to the bedbugs in the jail, who received him as a guest, not as a prisoner. Sociology, certainly has no other explanation for the editor. Then, when deportation was effect- ed, our editor rises on a Point of parliamentary procedure and says— perhaps citing Roberts’ rules of orders—‘‘Was this a properly organ ized posse? If so, why were the pris- oners dumped into another county?” This is no way for a capitalist gov- ernment to act, at all, according to his conception. And his mystification in- ‘|creases when he states: “The sheriff of Snohomish county has made no move to vindicate the dignity of his shrivalty.. He accepts the insult and invasion.” By HARRISON GEORGE A Shrivalty Insulted! Awful! This is unbelievable to our long- eared editor. If the sheriff of Sno- homish can bear with this indignity, he cannot! He will call attention to this depraved sheriff who has no re- gard for his “shrivalty.” A “shrival- ty” is something to be loved and cher- ished until strikes do us part! He, the editor of an Il. W. W. paper, will protest this outrageous “insult” to the county government of Snohomish, incidentally using an ancient word which is approximately as obsolete as his ideas. Such things are unprecedented in the class struggle, according to this emissary of capitalism in the editorial office of an I..W. W. paper. He says, “Mankind will be startled by . .. such unusual -methods—and that the ‘capi- talist world accepts the fruits of this raid; unconscious that every guaran- j tee of civic liberty has been violated.” The Bisbee'deportation, he says, ‘‘ov- curred in-time of war ‘when passions ran high, but even then the president protested against ‘that outbreak ‘of class hatred. Governor Hart has had more than a week to consider his posi- tion and has done nothing to remedy this break of.public decency.” After Twenty Years’ Experience. But what can be learned from this “unexmapled” phenomenon of every of- ficial of the capitalist dictatorship from police to governor assuming such an- “indecent” posture toward the relations of the working class ta the capitalist class? “This indecency,” Says our editorial interpreter of the class struggle,” is only the herald of other and worse exhibitions of capi- talist incompetence. Law is proving its inefficiency to restrain the power of the lords of industry,” And this from an I. W. W. editor after twenty years! The Remedy? “Down with Politicians!” But he is hard put to find a solu- tion. He can only hang to the old tattered. shreds and screech against “politicians.” “Zealots,” he remarks, “will propose polical nostrums.” And he turns away with the hopeful pro- posal which has come echoing down the winds of futility for twenty years, “but with all its difficulties industrial organization is the only road to free- dom,” Then he has the unblushing gall to end up with, “No formula of words fits the present.situation.” Not until all wordy formulas have been laid aside and the nature of the capitalist state and the necessity of the political struggle, (the struggle for power) against it, to overthrow it and establish..a-dictatorship of the prole- tariat, is, accepted. by the I. W. W., so long ‘will the LW. W. be.in the control of the capitalist cluss, regard- less of the proletarian composition of its membership. j The Red Soldier’s Manual - - Bt tmaty Solidarity and Mutual Aid. 22. The high fighting qualities of the Red Army can be kept up only. thru its intimate, close contact with the toiling masses of the union and of the entire. world...The . moral strength of the Red Army is founded upon the best qualities of the working rst among those qualities. anes 23. ‘The essence of solidarity con- sists in an understanding of the com- munity of interésts of all workers and in willingness to fight in ‘closed ranks by practicing mutual aid ‘and mutual support. : 24. Since the army is a part of the proletariat, especially organized and | armed for battle, it: follows that in| ' iteoranks . solidarity’ ‘must’ be of highesthand purest quality. All Red: lief in each individual case. Never leave your comrade in distress, es- pecially on the battlefield. Remember that during the battle your life and safety depends upon the loyalty and support of your comrades, Remem- ber that their lives depend upon your. support. And above all, remember that success and yictory can be won only thru mutual aid and support by, oa ne All for one, and one for all ‘ ‘ Revolutionary Discipline. 26. Without discipline there can be no organization, no industry, no gov- ernment, no co-ordinated action, no victory. In military affairs discipline is even more important, more neces- may occur new situations, new en- submission, but upon the necessity for an adequate division of labor, ade- quate leadership and responsibility. 28. Revolutionary discipline falls like a heavy burden only upon those who do not understand its purpose and meaning. Therefore, try‘to penetrate’ into the meaning and spirit of the mili- tary rules and of the orders which are’ given to you, and your discipline will assume meaning and will ceasé to be a burden to you. © : Initiative. ute books, military codes and military orders. Time and place change. There Standard Oil individual initiative, individual activ- ty, who is able to stimulate the ecre- ative abilities of his soldiers and. to develop their confidence in themselyes and in their. power. It is not: advis- able to. look after the subordinate too much, to watch over his soul, to an- noy, him with. unimportant . matters. Those.in the higher ranks must. show confidence in those under. them; al, low them freedom. of action, helping Bnd; advising; them in difficult situa- : Mi ‘| tions. Let there be less of the offi- _ 29, Military initiative means inde” pendence of thot and action and ddap- tion to military situations. It is im- ‘possible to foresee everything in stat! cial spirit, less of blind formality and red; tape. . First of all there must be a live interest in the living soldier, in his achievements and deficiencies! (Fourth installment next Saturday.) Fight Against Poison Gasoline. NEW YORK.-—Responses to. the workers’ health bureau plea for. la- bor bodies to act against the danger- ous tetraethyl lead gasoline are com- ing into the New York New Jersey state federation appealed to the state health department and is