The Daily Worker Newspaper, January 2, 1925, Page 6

j _ policy, with its vacillation and weakness, will have THE DAILY WORKER Friday, January 2, 1925 MILLIONAIRE BOOTLEG KILLER THE DAILY WORKER. They Cut Melons [WALES MINERS BIG STORE IN ‘Published by the DAILY WORKER PUBLISHING “CO. 1118 W. Washington Bivd., Chicago, DL (Phone: Munroe 4712) SUBSCRIPTION RATES By mail: $3.50....6 months $2.00...8 months By mail (in Chicago only): $4.50....8 months $2.50....8 months $6.00 per year $800 per year Address all mail and make out checks to THE DAILY WORKER 1113 W. Washington Bivd. 4. LOUIS ENGDAHL WILLIAM F. DUNNE f* oo HILO MORITZ J. LOEB. wwe Business Manager Chicago, llinele Entered as second-class mail Sept. 21, 1923, at the Post- Office at Chicago, Ill, under the act of March 3, 1879. <> 290 Advertising rates op application Distress Among the Miners The prospects confronting the American working class during the coming year are decidedly bright, according to a statement made by William Green, secretary-treasurer of the United Mine Workers of America and successor to Sam Gompers as president of the American Federation of Labor. Green’s statement appeared in the capitalist press. He did not utter a word on the burning question of unemployment which is raising so much havoc in the ranks of his own organization. i While the faker Green was spouting his optimism and verbally bolstering up the capitalist system, Arley Staples, of Christopher, Illinois, candidate for vice-president of the United Mine Workers of America in the recent elections against Philip Murray, was busy organizing unemployment coun- cils in southern Illinois. Staples is a Communist. On last Sunday a big mass meeting of miners was held in Christopher, at which it was decided to begin the formation of unemployment councils. The first one will be organized at Sessor, where the mines have been closed down for one year. There are two thousand miners idle in Franklin county alone. The unemployed miners of southern Illinois have until now managed ‘to live on their savings and on the credit extended to them By shopkeepers. But they are-at the end of their resources and only collective action can prevent the most terrible suf- fering during the cold season. The reactionary officials at the head of the Illinois Miners’ Union have ignored the unemployment problem. Only the radicals under the leadership of the Workers » (Communist) Party take the ‘initiative in organ- izing the miners for action, One of the resolutions adopted by the Chris- topher conference demanded work or compensation, and pointed out that the government ordered them -to work or fight during the war. The miners are now determined to fight for themselves. Join the Workers Party and subscribe to the DAILY WORKER. Explaining the Donkey Disaster The other day the senate witnessed a clash be- tween Senators Bruce, of Maryland, and Pat Har- rison, of Mississippi; over the causes of the over- whelming defeat suffered by the democratic party in the recent elections. The two stalwart democrats were at odds as to who was deserving of most of the blame for the disaster that befell the donkey party. There is a very instructive side to this contro- versy. Pat Harrison, who served as the democratic spellbinder in the New York convention, denounced Bruce for lining up with the republicans on sundry senate questions. The Maryland senator retorted rather sharply that the democratic party as now organized and managed had “discarded its ancient American ideals.” In a measure both senators were right iu their explanation of the democratic disaster. Undoubt- edly acts of the type performed by Bruce helped bring about the republican victory. Likewise the confused policy of the democratic solons dominat- ing the party went a long way towards insuring its defeat in November. Bruce was, of course, cor- rect when he stated that it is the Negro, exploited and oppressed by the southern aristocracy, that keeps the south solid for the democratic party. It is the tyranny of the southern capitalists and Jand owners over the great Negro masses that is the source of the democratic party strength in the southern tier of states. But neither senator really touched on the vital cause responsible for the democratic smashup. The fact of the matter is that the democratic party to- day no longer represents homogeneity, organic unity of class interests. In the democratic fold there are still found certain sections of the petty bourgeoisie who at times challenge, most often uselessly of course, the upper crust of the capitalist class. Besides even in the ranks of the upper crust of capital in the democratic party there is a con- fliet of sectional interests which is economic in foundation. , Facing this strife-torn party was the. unified, _ strongly centralized, splendidly financed repub- lican party. Lt is true both parties loyally represent the interests of big capital, but in the democratic party the handling of small capital interests now and then represents itself as a serious problem, It is for this reason that sooner rather than later the democratic party with its present confused to turn oyer a new leaf or make its exit from Amer- Party and a new disgraceful manner. A genuine holiday spirit has pervaded the ranks of the biggest industrial and financial interests. Fabulous dividends are being declared. This i the season for joy amongst the exploiters who are now cashing in on the most profitable industry in the United States—coupon clipping. An outstanding example of gigantic melon cut- tings is at hand in the annuoncement by the Gen- eral Electric company that its Christmas melons for the bosses will be around $100,000,000. No wonder the biggest exploiters of the country as well as those who do not understand the .me- chanism of American capitalism are talking about the high tide of prosperity. While the wealthy stockholders are corraling huge profits, the workers in industry after industry are experiencing pain- ful wage slashes. Every melon cut by the capital- ists in the Christmas season translates itself into a New Year wage cut for the workers. It is no accident that the General“Electric com- pany should be the one to cut so big a melon. The General Electrie company is an international cor- poration typifying in the worst sense the growth and character of American imperialism. In France, in Germany, in Italy, in Japan, in the Near East, in the African jungles we find huge investments of the General Electric company or one of its camouflaged subsidiaries. The chairman of this gigantic Yankee imperialist monster is Owen D. Young, the real father of. the vicious Dawes scheme. The General Electric cor- poration is notorious for its hostility to organized labor. The profits. of the General Electric com- pany are monuments to the snuffed out lives of the thousands of exploited workers at some time or other on the payroll of this company. 4 The working masses of this country had better ponder seriously before rejoicing in these holidays. The huge melons cut by their bosses are nothing but ill omens of what lies before them immediately. Already there is considerable noise about the need for “readjustments” in industry. The only read- justments the employing class knows is the slash- ing of wages to the marrow. The General Electri¢ company melon should prove a factor signalizing the dangers that the working class‘of this country is face. to face with on ‘the threshold of the new year. Send in that new “sub” today! The $25,000 Peace Maker Viscount Cecil is the British “gentleman” who was rewarded $25,000 for his services in behalf of peace. This same “gentleman” has just delivered an address at a dinner commemorating the sixty- eighth anniversary of the day on which Woodrow Wilson was born. The theme of Cecil’s address was ‘ laudation of the leauge of nations as a force for international peace. The speechmaker, the speech, the occasion for the address and the atmosphere pervading the whole situation indicate very clearly the character of capitalist peacemakers. The league of nations is a travesty and mockery on its very name. It has been serving only as an agency of powerful imperialist interests to crush the weaker, the economically underdeveloped countries. The last peacemaking effort of the league of nations was brought to light in all its brutal ugliness by the Egyptian incident. Nor was it out of place for such a high capitalist peacemaker to show his wares at such an occasion. The commemoration of the birthday of Wood- row Wilson, one of the dynamic forces of the great imperialist war, in which so many millions lost their lives, is certainly a fitting time for bringing into the public eye those capitalist lackeys posing as angels of peace. ~ Cecil is as much a peacemaker as Woodrow Wilson was. Cecil thinks of world peace in the terms of British imperialist supremacy. Woodrow Wilson thought of world peace in the terms of American imperialist supremacy. They both held the view that world peace was very desirable when enforced by the power of their respective national capitalist cliques. These are the capitalist peacemakers. Every employing class peacemaker’is only an imperialist agent masking behind meaningless abstractions. Every day get a “sub” for the DAILY WORKER and a member for thg Workers Party. Another Myth Fades The myth, widely spread by the 100 per cent American societies, that the foreign-born popula- tion is responsible for most of the crime is badly shattered by the report of the warden of the Cook county jail for 1924. county jail during the year, 9,553 were native-born. Of the balance, 1,658 had been in this country over five years and can therefore be classified as Amer- icanized. Only 257 of the total number had been in America less than five years. * It is thus seen that Americans are in fact su- perior to the foreign-born even in the field of crime. We submit the above data to the Ku Klux Klan and Secretary of Labor Davis with the com- mént that Chicago and Cook county has as large a percentage of foreign-born as any city outside of New York and is therefore as good a location as could have been picked to demonstrate the innate moral superiority of the native-born American. This type has, however, failed his boosters in a ‘Long may the flag of 100 per cent “] ARE REBELLIOUS AGAINST BOSSES Young Worker Predicts Class Civil War By A. L. CONRAD. (Federated Press Staff Correspondent.) CARDIFF, Wales, January 1—The coal districts of Great Britain have no more important center than this Welsh district surrounding Cardiff, which employs more than 260,000 min. ers. The country is composed of great hills and small narrow valleys, and a century ago must have been picturesque and beautiful, with its streams and woodlands. Today it is a black waste, without a vestige of green anywhere. The little valleys are, many of them, almost closed up with waste, from the mines, but there is always room left for a railroad track along which constantly roll trains loaded with coal for the export trade. i 22 War Millionaires. During the world war Cardiff pro- duced 22 brand new millionaires. The houses of the miners perch unsteadily on the black hillsides, the smoke from the great chimneys below pouring over them and im at their narrow windows. . In «the Rhonda valley there are 45,000 men at work and 12,000 unem- ployed. Most of those still working are on part time. In spite of the efforts of the British conservative party to convince the workers of this Welsh district that it is their appointed place in life to cre- ate wealth for others, there is a strong rebellious feeling among the miners. It cannot be called revolu- tionary. Very few of these men have any plans for altering the system that has debased them, but they are wak- ing up to the fact that clubhouses and restaurants and reading rooms and churches do not compensate them sufficiently for the hours they spend underground nor for the miserable homes they occupy. Good Position for Defense. Many of them refer to the strike of 1921, with Lloyd George’s threat to starve the workers out by preventing food from coming in. A number of the secret passages which enabled the miners to obtain their fuel during that strike are still guarded by the workers and have not yet been dis- covered by the authorities and bosses. One young man pointed to an easily defended hill with the comment—‘“a good place to occupy in the civil war that’s coming.” ~ The Welsh miners in the Cardiff district are not satisfied with the con- ditions under which they are working. The next strike may take more than police to’ suppress. Continuous Rains Frighten Londoners. LONDON, Jan. 1.—Riverside inhabti- tants continued their flight before the rising waters of the Thames and other rivers of England today. A week of almost continuous rains has resulted in recdrd high water stages. When you buy, an “Ad” for the DAILY Wolken, SAVES NECK BY INJECTING RACE PREJUDICE AND ABUSING NEGROES (Special to the Daily Worker) ST. LOUIS, Mo., Jan. 1—Negroes here are angered at the methods used by southern lawyers which led to the acquital of Lem Motlow, million- aire Tennessee bootleg king, because him. Race prejudice saved Motlow's neck. a Negro and a Jew testified against Motlow murdered Clarence Pullis, Pullman car conductor, but was found not guilty by the southern jury after he explained that he “aimed at¢———___________. Wallace the Negro porter and hit Pul-| lis by mistake.” Evidently the southern courts con, sider it no crime to kill a Negro, for Motlow ‘has not been punished for attempting to kill the Negro porter. Wallace has sued Motlow for $50,000 in an effort to establish race equality but the law of “white supremacy” which dictates that a Negro has no rights has so far prevailed in Mot- low’s case. Attorneys for Motlow played on the southern prejudices of the jury, sing- ling out the one Negro witness, and heaping abuses upon him. Wallace was called an, “impertinent nigger, the bad kind who have ambitions for race equality, who would intermarry with the whites and who resent being shown their place. The south loves the Negroes\who know their place,” said Motlow’s lawyer. The defense called Wallace a “liar,” and secured his acquittal, the only evidence in Motlow’s favor being that a Negro testified against him, and that he is a millionaire. The testi- mony of another witness, Joseph Broida, who saw the murder, was as- sailed by Motlow’s lawyers “because Brodia is a Russian Jew.” The Negro press is denouncing the dragging of race prejudice into the millionaire’: trial. DAVIS EXPECTED TO RESIGN FROM JOB NEXT MARCH John L. Lewis Wants the Job Very Badly (Special to The Daily Worker) WASHINGTON, Jan. 1-— The question of whether Secretary of La- bor James J. Davis will retire from the cabinet next March, as has been expected, was raised here today fol- lowing the secretary’s return from a 52-day tour of' South America. Davis declined to confirm or deny that he would relinquish his post, and indicated he would: talk the matter over with President Coolidge before deciding. The first intimation that Davis would retire came from the White House itself. In reply to a question some time ago concerning possible cabinet vacancies, it was announced that Secretary Davis had indicated a desire to retire on March 4. John L. Lewis, president of the United Mine Workers, has been men- tioned, as Davis’ successor. It was with this appointment in mind that Lewis’ friends attribute his non-eleva- tion to the presidency of the A. F. of L. MUSIC -:- By Alfred V. Frankenstein S soon as the curtain went up on the opera “Tannhaueser” at the Chicago Auditorium last Sunday after- noon one. could tell that an uncom: monly fine production was forthcom- ing. For the ballet, in some previous performances so disappointing, was not the disorganized mob it has been. Given a‘difficult scene to do, the sup- posedly obscene revels of the follow- ers of Venus, Mr. Oukrainsky develop- ed an artistic and worthwhile scene. “Tannhaueser,” Richard Wagner's third completed opera, is significant among the German master’s works as marking the end of his early period of imitation and the beginning of his individual style. The two preceding operas, “Rienzi” and “The Flying Dutchman” are conceived along the traditional German lines developed by Weber. “Tannhaueser,” tho it has many of the set melodic scenes of the older style, shows the beginning of the use of declamation instead of arias that is typical of the fully de- veloped Wagnerian style. A The plot of the opera is interestinr as showing the fusion of the pagan Germanic religion with christianity. Near Hisenach is a mountain knowr as the Hoérselberg. Legend has it Out of 11,484 persons incarcerated in the Cook\|that Horsa, the pagan goddess of spring, retired to a subterranean cave in this mountain when the christian faith dislodged her. She was later confused with the Greek Venus. In the first act of the opera the knight, Heinrich » one of the followers of Venus, sickens of her realm and goes back to the outside world. He returns the castle of the Wartburg and enters in a singing contest, the reward of which is Hliza beth, daughter ed to the success of Tannhaueser’s pilgrim- age. Tannhaueser returns, and tells Wolfram that the pope refused his re- quest. The representative of the god of love on earth declares it is no more possible for Tannhaueser to be for- given than it is for his staff to put forth leaves. A funeral view. Elizabeth is dead. Tannhaue- ser kneels at her coffin and dies. Then comes a band of pilgrims with the news that the pope’s staff has flow- ered, and Tanunhaueser is forgiven. Except for the overture and the march of the second act, it is the last act which contains the musical hits, In it occur the world famous “Ode to the Evening Star,” the prayer of Eliza- beth and the pilgrim’s chorus. The whole score is brilliant and alive. There is not a superfivous note. There are none~ ofthe extended, actionless scenes that occur thruout Wagner's later work, that are so tedious to the {nitiated. It is for this reason that “Tannhaueser” vies with “Lohengrin” as Wagner's most popular work. And the very fact that the Chicago Civic Opera company put it on at all proves its popularity. ig The opera was adequately cast, and well staged. Probably the most effec- tive work of the afternoon was done by Joseph Schwartz, who played Wolfram. He has a rich, full baritone voice, and he can act, To sing the evening star song-in an original way is a feat. He accomplished it, Forrest Lamont seems to be the company's only Wagnerian tenor, His voice lacks some of the heavy qual- ity of the ideal Wagnerian tenor, but his acting makes up for frat lack. He was especially good in the song con- test scene, Olga Forrai played and sang Bliza- beth, who is a sort of emaciated saint, with considerably more of lite than the ordinary. In fact, the only inadequate perform- uite was that of Cyrena Van Gordon is Venus. She made the lady a virag< And that was procession comes into | Pe Views of Our Readers Set for Six Months. To the DAILY WORKER: Enclosed find $2.00 for a three months sub- scription to the DAILY WORKER. Here's how I got the money. My neighbor's cow died and he gave me the calf as I had a fresh cow. I fed the calf for six weeks, using about $5.00 worth of milk and finally selling the calf to a stock buyer for $7.00. I have been selling apples, fine ones too, for $1.00 a bushel. The store- keepers retail them for $2.00. The producers certainly get it in the neck, both industrial and agrarian. We are up against an unbeatable game as log as the capitalist system lasts. The capitalists sure know how to train us, so that we think every- thing is O. K. The DAILY WORKER is fine for me. I don’t know what I would do without it. I’m stuck here among a lot of ignoramuses who don’t know anything about history, geography, economics or the solar system. I am sitting pretty for three months now. I'll know what’s going on with the workers and capitalists outside of Lexington.—(Signed) Charles Mills, Lexington, Mo. What Sam Gompers Left. To ¢he DAILY WORKER: Samuel Gompers left over $30,000 worth of property. He was supposed to represent the POOR man. He was supposed to see that we got a SQUARE deal. Many times his decisions were alleged to be unjust. It may be possible that he acquired some of his wealth by selling the workers out. Anyway, he as a representative of the workers many times has double crossed them, and today, we see the only hope for humanity in the c.uion of the Soviet Republics, and in the great Third International of Mos- cow. Today, we see people lacking bread, and others gouging themselves, yet we can do nothing. This is America, and the motto of our masters, is “to hell with the laws.” Until the workers wake up and unite; and stop chasing shadows, they will have the same things happen as with Gompers, they will see their labor bosses laying up big stacks of kale, and the laborers going hungry, and they will see the capitalists bribing them, as that is the way things are put over in this won- derful land.—B. Yorkstone Hogg. Patronize our advertisers. War! .We mean capitalist wars. : How do capitalist wars hap- n In the first place a capitalist society lives by robbing work- ers. Capitalists put workers to work and give them only a small share of what they earn. So workers can buy back only -hat small share. But they pro- duce very much more. The capitalists must find some way of using up all these surplus goods that remain un- sold. Otherwise they would not be worth. anything. So they look around for new cus- tomers. about a war. How do they government; ey everything about it. Th say we m mind must defend Beautiful clothes to their lies! In a schools, OMAHA GIVES UP ‘THE GHOST’ Over 600 Workers Swell Ranks of Unemployed OMAHA, Nebr., Jan. 1—Burgese Nash company, one of Omaha’s larges- department stores, closed its doors Saturday night for the last time. Over 600 employes have joined the ratiks of the unemployed Monday morning. The manager, T. P. Redmond, goes to. the Brandeis Stores as superintendent, the Brandeis Stores having bought the stock and fixtures of the defunct com- pany. “Where Do We Go From Here?” After the farewell speech by the manager the reporter heard the varied comments of the employes. -Many, especially among the older women, were visibly affected. Others took the closing: in a matter-of-fact way. “Where do we go from here?” hummed several girl clerks. “Oh hell!” sighed another so loudly that all within ten feet of her could hear. The Burgess-Nash store was the second largest department store in Omaha, the Brandeis Stores being the largest.~This store had been doing an paparently flourishing business for eleven years. Twenty Years and No Pension. Over 100 of the discharged em- ployes had been with the company since it was organized. Many others had service ranging from twelve to twenty-three years in the store, hav- in worked for previous owners of the store. Many of those are beyond the age limit and will fail to find employ ment at that which they have spent all of their useful life. Just Off the Press! The January issue of The Workers Monthly Edited by Earl R. Browder Containing 10 ARTICLES On many phases of Labor’s problems. 10 PHOTOGRAHPHS From all over the world. 10 CARTOONS By Labor’s very best artists, The capitalists go after ter- ritory where capitalism has not yet developed. Usually capital- ists of other countries desire that same territory for purposes of exploitation. That brings get a war started? The schools fall in line because ree own the ie new! fall in line; the priests fail in line because they own the churches. All these agencies start at once Lew cons, hs gpees the enemy country. Say | money for capitalists but a in freedom as “decent” “fair | Working chew the pe ” people save the le of that country. Aner cay we lemocracy.”” dress up alist country the 5 POEMS Of real value and beauty:../ A SHORT STORY You will give others to read. INTERNATIONAL NOTES A world Labor review in brief. EDITORIALS 48 pages with a cover repro- duction of the most famous revo- lutionary painting in Russia. Communism. They are blinded to the truth by the lies with which their heads have been filled; by the schools when they were children; by the churches all the time and by the news- papers when they grow up. But its our job as Communists to use every method we can to show up these lies. We Juniors of course’ under- stand the capitalists’ game. So we Juniors will pave the way for understanding for all work- ers. 4 We Juniors are against war but we know as long as capital- ism exists there will be wars whether we like them or not. We know that since there are and those who rob, we must wipe out the robber class, _ We know that then there will om re wars, ‘ at is why the Communist revolution is entirely different from capitalist w: “ S:. In the Communist revolution one worker will not another worker, his all pent will gest enemy, the capitalists, It will not be a var to working class, th farmers ‘orkers, mit Fok two classes, those who work- fight thele bigs + Jo