The Daily Worker Newspaper, December 22, 1924, Page 3

Monday, December 22, 1924 BRITAIN NERVOUS AS BALKAN POT BEGINS TO BOIL Chamberlain’s Trip Fails to Bring Stability (Special to The Dally Worker) LONDON, Dec, 21—The tenseness of the Balkan situation is indicated by the announcement here of the arrival of British warships at the Albanian Ports of Durazzo and Aviona, They were dispatched from Malta. Great Britain’s foreign affairs are in a more délicate condition than at any time sinte the outbreak of the world war due to the sudden erup tions in Morocco, Egypt and the Bal- kans. Austen Chamberlain minister , of foreign affairs, faces the break- down of diplomacy which the Mac Donald government halted tempo- rarily. Italy and Jugo-Slavia, both with ambitions in the Adriatic, furnish the material for ‘international complica- tions that, If view of the extreme in- stability. in eastern Europe, may precipitate another conflict. The Moroccan situation, with the Spanish forces withdrawing from a larger sector hitherto held by them, leaves France with an excuse to ex- tend her sphere of influence and: be- comes ever more serious for Great Britain, whose Mohammedan subjects are in sympathy with their co-relig- tonists—the Rifflan tribes. The Balkan crisis has_ arisen and the Morcccan affair has become more serious since the recent: Buropean tour of Austen Chamberlain, which was designed to cement relations between the great powers, but which, it fs evi- dent now, was not brilliantly success- ful. In Egypt a new crisis is loked for next month when elections take place to parliament and the British-owned Ziwar government will have to go to the masses for support of its policy cf betrayal. Coincident also with the arrival of Foreign Minister Ninchitch in Paris with a proposal for the formation of an anti-Soviet Russian Balkan bloc for which allied approval is sought, is the return of the British trade union delegation to: London from Russia with an enthusiastic description of the conditions of the workers there. Government circles are uneasy over the interviews given out by the dele- gation which are taken as a counter- move by labor against the anti-Soviet maneuyers of Austen Chamberlain. Senate Takes Up Debate on Pay of Postal Employes (Special to The Daily Worker) WASHINGTON, D. C., Dec, 21, — The senate unanimously agreed to be- gin consideration of the bill increasing the pay of postal employes, which was vetoed by President Coolidge at the session of congress, an January 6. Debate will be limited to an hour the first day and ten minutes for each senator on succeeding days during the discussion of the bill. Senator Ster- ling, chairman of the postoffice com- mittee, has declared his intention of moving that the bill be recommitted to his committee. Coolidge has gone to extreme lengths to defeat the pay increase for the postal employes. He has spread the rumor that an employe of the senate has accepted a bribe from one of the postal workers’ unions to work for the bill among his friends in the senate. That this rumor has been faked to serve Coolidge’s purposes was pointed out in the announcement from the White House that senate investigation committee will not be asked, but that the matter will be turned over to Coolidge’s department of justice. Charge Prisoners Murdered at U. S. Atlanta, Ga., “Pen” (Special to The Daily Worker) _ WASHINGTON, D. C., Dec, 21,— Prisoners confined to Atlanta prison have been murdered by prison authori- ties, ex-convicts who have served orgy in Atlanta charge, Those pris- onerswho can supply the authorities with mdpey, can buy their way out of jail, accoriing to Dr. EB. B. Dudding, president of the Prisoners’ Relief So- ciety. It is proposed to have an in- vestigation of the government pardon and parole it being charged \ that forged from federal judges and United eys are being used by p offi ‘of the prisons. It is @ case of pay to get in, pay to get out and pay while you are in.” aronx Attention! EASTERN KENTUCKY COAL MINERS LIVE IN FILTH LIKE SLAVES UNDER COAL KING’S IRON HEEL The coal camps of eastern Kentucky, where 40,000 unorganized coal miners are working and living in conditions of oppression and slavery, belong to the blackest pages of American imperialism. ‘The eastern Kentucky coal fields, comprising the Kentucky River valley and the Big Sandy valley, in the words of a coal miner from Hazazrd, Ken- tucky, combine to make “one of the tt detestable labor hells in the ee world.” G. O. P. Politician ‘This miner, Alonzo Walters, declar-|Fails to Win Office; es, “The wages that are being paid, would, in all probability, cause a Chinamen to turn away in disgust. The mines are death traps in every sense of the word; the camps are so unspeakably filthy and unsanitary that typhoid is quite commonly a rag- ing epidemic thruout the entire sec- tion. The employes are subjected at all. times to the most slavish and humiliating conditions.” The niece of a coal miner writes the DAILY WORKER the following from the Blue Grass Coal camp, in this territory, “Three weeks ago I came here to keep house for my uncle. The miners here live in make-believe hous- es. Hovels is the better word to de- scribe them. Behind the houses, only ten feet away, runs a filthy little stream of water which is a breeding place for all manner of disease germs. The wells where the workers from the entire camp get their drinking water, is in a swampy hog wallow, Here one gets the stench and germs from all the outbuildings, enough to kill a whole city full of people. “The miners here are treated brutal- ly by the coal company officials. The other day a pale faced little woman went to the coal company and asked for a two-dollar script to come out of her husband’s pay. They gave her a one-dollar script. “But I must have two dollars,’ she pleaded. ‘I must have bread and potatoes for my fam- ily.’ But they refused her the script point blank. D “My uncle has worked for this com- pany twelve years. This year his wife was taken seriously ill. The doc- tor told her she must undergo an oper- ation if her life was to be saved. Wa had no money, Finally my uncle went to the company and asked for two hundred dollars. The coal company officials flatly refused and told my uncle to get out of the office.” Albert Walters, brother of Alonzo Walters, writes from Russel, Ky., “I am now working here in the C. & 0. railroad shops. I hadn’t drawn a pay- day for two months at the Lothair mine, owned by the Algoma Block Coal Co. I couldn’t make enough to live on. Nobody can live working in the mines but the suckers and the scabs. The company fs now trying to seare the men into another wage cut by shutting down for a few days. When I quit I had thirty cents coming to me. Winchester, the general mine foreman asked, ‘Why are you quit- ting?’ I said, ‘Well, you see, I have a wife and baby to work for, and I must work for them instead of the coal company.’” Speaking of the conditions in the Algoma Coal company’s camp at Lo- thair, Walters said, “The files of the Hazard, Ky., Herald show a shock- ing number of fatalities that are con stantly occurring as a result of mine accidents which are easily avoidable. The outhouses have been built so near the dwelling houses of the miners, and are allowed to remain in such filthy condition, that in hot weather the odor coming from them is stifling to the entire camp. The wells which furnish water to the miners’ families are located in the midst of all that filth.” In the entire eastern Kentucky coal fields these unsanitary conditions pre- vail. The miners get their drinking and cooking water from wells dug in various parts of the camps, there be- ing usually two or three such wells in the entire camp. Often these wells are located in close proximity with all the filth which abounds so profusely around them. One such well, at Al- lais, Kentucky, was dug within thir- ty feet of a barn where the company roules and horses are kept. Each camp is supplied with a coal company physician, who receives a regular salary from the company. This salary, however, is extracted from the miners, each of whom is forced to pay a percentage of his pay to the support of the physician. In addition, ‘the doctor charges extra for child-birth cases and diseases. The doctors do not dare to complain about the unsani- tary conditions, as they would imme- diately lose their jobs. In the next article, we will show how the coal operators control every phase of the lives of the workers, in- cluding their political activity, and their living conditions as well as their wages. When a miner gives the least trouble, he is shot down by an “offl- cer of the law,” who works hand in glove with the coal operators, Another Blow at Manuel, Eats Money, Goes Nutty 8T. JOSEPH, Mich. Dec. 21.— William Riley, who ran on the repub- lican ticket for sheriff of Berrien County at the November elections, today was committed to the Kalama- 200, Mich., hospital for the insane. He was found in a demented condition at his home last night after he had swallowed $250 worth of paper money. Riley’s condition is attributed to moonshine. TECHNICAL AID SOCIETY PRESENTS RUSSIAN PLAY SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27 One of the it plays ever pre- sented In Chica: in the Russian language promises to be “Coal Miner Kort,” to be presented at the Soviet School, 1902 W. Division St., this Saturday, Deo. 27, at 8 p. m. The story of the play di with the struggle of the Russian coal miners before and during the revo- lution. It is given under the direc. tion of the well-known Russian actor Anatoly Pokatilov and with the participation of Aza Namgova, actress of the Moscow Meyerchold theatre. The beautiful scenery for the mine scenes Is painted by Lydia Gibson, All comrades who under- stand Russian are urged to attend. Subscribe for the DAILY WORKER. "THE DAILY WORKER Page Three PROVIDENCE YOUNG WORKERS LEAGUE ACTIVE IN TEXTILE STRIKE, MIDDLEBORO, MASS. MIDDLEBORO, Mass., Dec. 21.—Some two hundred and fifty textile workers of the Nemasket Worsted Mill are on strike here. The weavers took the initiative when they rebelled against the running of two kinds of filling on two looms, At a mass meeting of the rest of the help, held a few days later, they voted to srtike with the weavers. .This made a whole mill strike and all textile workers were asked to keep away from Middleboro until the strike was settled, This strike is one of a series which have oc- cured in this state in order to stop the extension of the two loom system. In the spring of this year a cut of 14 per cent in the wages of the Nemasket workers took place. But when Kinney, owner of the Nemasket mill, wanted one loom work done on two looms, which is equivalent to a 50 per cent cut in wages, the weav- ers refused to work. The strike fol- lowed and was later joined by all of the mill employes, The Amalgamated Textile Councils of America with national-headquarters in Providence, R, I. at 1755 Westmins- ter street, immediately took hold of | the strike thru one of its representa- tives, Comrade Jim Reid. The A. T. FOR CHICAGO ONLY! On all matters pertaining to the DAILY WORKER, and all party literature- address all communica- tions or see THURBER LEWIS, Dally Worker City Agent, denied hi today. A f Gotare Dee ast aah fae Vrs seten was ‘pereatont in Made Death of Raisuli Denied. MADRID.—The death of Raisuli Morocco’s most picturesqué outlaw, yesterday. The Art of the Old World at Auction Today, Tomorrow and Wednesday We shall sell all lots passed for want of competi- tive bidding, for everything must be sold. Many rare and beautiful things remain to be sold. The Interior Furnishings of the Castle at Kiel Prince Henry Hohenzollern of Prussia And Valuable Heirlooms from Other European Nobility THEY DOWN - WE UP! The above advertisement, with its appropriate black border, appeared in the press of our lords of finance the other day. You see, Prince Henry of Prussia had played the game and lost. And now he has to send all his nice rocking chairs, beds, rare old credenzas, antique borgenias, Italian faience, copes and what ag oa Neng the kitchen table, frying pan and his underwear, to America. Here, in America, the land of lots of gold, there are plenty of nice people who love nice things, especially if they come from a nice bankrupt Prince. So the auction is on. And soon, in the home of a best family, as others of the best are being shown around, the hostess will pick up a diminutive, exquisitely en- raved, jewel-studded silver scalpel and say: “Ever hear of rince Hen of Prusha? Well, he used to clean his ears with this.” Capitalism is on the decline. A great elimination contest is on between the imperialist lords to see which set of lords will decline first. The last world war gave Germany a very rude shove down the splintery plank. Now a few feudalistic left-overs like Prince Henry must sell their shirts while Morgan sits pretty. But we are in on this elimination contest. In it with both feet, both hands and head. While the imperialist’"are at each others throats we follow an elimination program all our own. We struggle to eliminate the imperialists while they struggle’ to eliminate each other. They must go down. We must up! This is the task before us. You'll find the DAILY WORKER on the firing line. To KEEP IT THERE and strengthen every fiber in its make-u is now our duty. To us, the workers of the world, the DAILY. WORKER is of major importance. If you can picture the lords of finance without their press, then you can picture our ved without its daily. But you can't. And if you want the DAIL WORKER, then help it today so that it may help you more effec- tively tomorrow. SIGN AND SEND : I WANT TO Dnbune The Satty torker fo: 1925 Send me an INSURANCE POLICY in the denomination checked below $10 | $5 | G1 INSURANCE POLICY for which | enclose remittance herewith, POUND sdrasdacrovnsssceccotienecorsveteqninen steessenenenerenseeeeeesereones, 5 Oi call a wen Mate Room 307, 166 W. Washington Bivd. Next Sunday Night and Every Sun- day Night, the Open Forum, C. of A. was organized on September in 1922 at the conclusion of the big textile strike. One of the men who helped in its organization was Jim Reid, former national president of the. National Union Textile Workers of America which was affiliated with the American Federation of Labor The declaration of this union as as follows: “The Amalgamated Textile Councils do not desire to compete with other textile unions; rather it seeks to co-operate with them in and make a united fight against the bosses. As 2 proof of our sincerity in this declara tion we will recognize the cards of other unions and allow their members to talk and vote in our council meet- ings in the mill where they are em- ployed. The Amalgamated Textile Councils will do all in its power to facilitate the amalgamation of all tex- tile unions of the Industry.” Out of the two hundred strikers, only five returned to work. The Ne- masket Mill is running twenty-five per cent normal and the prospect of vic- tory for the strikers is very good. Many of the workers on strike now did not even know or appreciate the full meaning of a scab. It is need- less to say that from their present ex- perience, their outlook is one hundred per cent trade unionist, Comrade Jim Reid of the Workers’ Party in Providence spoke to the men and women on Thursday. He cau- tioned the mill workers to be on their alert against the approaches from the company’s stool pigeons and to pay no attention to any rumors they may hear on the streets, but to hold their discussions at the strike meetings Comrade Reid, after finishing his speech introduced Comrade Barney Mass, national industrial organizer of the Young Workers’ League of Am- erica. He also lauded highly the work of this organization as being worthy of the support of all. Comrade Mass showed the strikers the necessity of organization and pointed out the powerful organization existing in the ranks of the mill own- ers. He said, “This is not an isolated incident, but a series of strikes which are occurring more frequently and will become more frequent as the open shop campaign gets under way with the aid of the Coolidge adminis- tration.” Comrades Nellie Prabulos and Ralph Kominsky of the Young Workers League in Providence have been help ing the strikers’in their fight. After Comrade Mass appealed for members to the league many remained and a meeting has ben called for the pnur- pose of organizing a league nucleus. After the meeting was adjorned over 100 went down on the picket line, in cluding Reid, Mass, Komisky and Prabulos. As some of the scabs came pouring out of the gate the strikers jeered and laughed at them. The captain of police ordered the pickets to quit making noise. This was ignored. One of the scabs, whose name is Flutey, is a professisonal strikebreaker and gunman. It is also alleged that he recently shot a man in Lawrence and is at present under a@ bond. He endeavored to provoke a fight with some of the pickets. But when his bluff was called he hastily retreated. Appeals for money are now being made in all textile mills for the needy strikers. Over two thousand dollars have already been raised and much more will be raised in order to guar antee the victorious fight of the mill workers. The Young Workers League in Providence and neighboring towns are becoming active in the relief work. With the organization of a league, the morale of the strikers has been increased. Youth Demands Will Be Put Forward The active participation of the Workers Party and Young Workers League in the many spontaneous strikes which occur in the textile in dustries, will make both organization: become the real vanguard of the work | ers in this territory, DUNCAN, FEELING SLIGHTED, QUITS A. F. OF L. COUNGIL Old Faker Gets Sore at “Mattie” Woll (Special to The.Daily Worker) NEW YORK. CITY, Dec. 21.—When William Green was elected to the presidency of the American Federa- tion of Labor, the “greatest expecta- ons” of old Jimmie.Duncan, the first vice-president of the federation, fell in collapse. Then he resigned, his wounded dignity being unable to en- dure the affront without this gesture, In resigning, Duncan stated to hig fellow fakers that this forty years ot being Seam Gompers’ companion and his position as first vice-president, en- tilled him to Sam’s place and that Green was an intruder and an upstart, While Duncan appeared to be in his usual good spirits, he evinced consid- erable bitterness at Mattie Woll, who had seconded the nomination of Green for what Duncan declared were personal reasons. Woll had been Gompers’ valet ail his life, according to Duncan, and now knowing that the U. M. W. of A. ma- chine is coming into power in the federation and is to grab the job of secretary of labor, Woll is quite dis- gracefully changing his love to an- other more masterful character than himself. The story being circulated by some that Duncan was turned down be- cause of alleged ill health made the old Scot furious. He was deeply angry at the published report that many of those who voted against him. said that they would have favored him if it were a question of his hold- ing office for three or four months, but that as it will be ten months until the next convention, they could not elect Duncan because he might not live that long. GOMPERS’ WILL LEAVES LITTLE T0 HIS SECOND WIFE Flag-Making Industry Is Due for Spurt (Special to The Dally Worker) ‘WASHINGTON, Dec. 21.—Mrs. Ger- trude Gompers, widow of Samuel Gompers, late president of the Ameri- can Federation of Lebor, will receive only the “minimum amount” provided by law from Gompers’ estate, accord- ing to the will made public here yes- terday. Two wills were filed, the first, dater Sept. 21, 1921, which left the bulk of the estate to the widow, had written across its face, in Gompers’ handwrit- ing, “I cancel and revoke this will.” The second will, dated Nov, 8, 1924, directed that, after the payment of debts, Gompers’ grandddaughter and his three sons, Samuel, Henry and Alexander, should receive the rest of the estate. Money for Flags. Gompers left $100 each to the Am- erican Federation of Labor which he headed for forty years; to the Cigar- makers’ International Union; Cigar- makers’ Local Union No. 144, New York City; Dawson Lodge No. 16, A. F. and A. M., Washington, and B. P. O. E. Lodge No. 1, New York, direct- ing that the money be spent in each case for an American flag, “and these specific sums are to be devoted by these organizations to no other pur- pose.” iat. Lasure He Dest rahe fs hts Remember These Dates. HE entire New York organiza- tion Is expected to co-operate in the following affairs. All affiliat- ed and sympathetic organizations are requested not to arrange con- flicting dates. - Jan. 11, Sunday afternoon and evening, DAILY WORKER Jubilee, New Star Casino. Feb. 1, Sunday afternoon, Lenin Memorial, Madison Square Garden. Feb. 11-14, Defense Bazaar, The Lyceum, 65th street, March 15, Sunday afternoon and evening, Press Pageant and Paris Commune Celebration, Madison Square Garden. | 100,000 UNEMPLOYED IN AUSTRALIA | SYDNEY, Australia, Deo. 21—There are approximately about 100,000 workers unemployed thruout Austraila at the present time, Unemploy- ment Is most pronounced among the metal miners, land and sea transport workers, general laborers, professional and shop workers. and manufactur- Ing industries. The brick and clay, clothing trades, Iron trades. dental, Jewelry and food supply unlons show the largest rate of unemployment, Painters, stone workers, plumbers, plasterers and most of the building trade workers report plenty of work, while the printing trades also report improvement. There is an increase of men employed in the steel plants Oe le 4 a