The Daily Worker Newspaper, January 10, 1925, Page 2

Page Two DEMAND RELEASE! OF RUTHENBERG IN COURT BRIEF Imprisoned Solely for Opinions A brief was submitted to the Michigan supreme court yester- day, calling for the release of C. E. Ruthenberg, national executive secretary of theWork- ers (Communist) Party now, in Jackson penitentiary, and de- manding that Ruthenberg be given a new trial. The brief submitted by Isaac Ferguson, attorney for Ruthen- berg, requests that the previous judgment of the supreme court of Michigan be reversed, on the grounds that Ruthenberg com- mitted no crime by expressing his opinions. The hazy, indefinite and unconstitu- tional character of the criminal syn- dicalism law, under which Comrade Ruthenberg was sentenced to a prison “term of from three to ten years and @ fine of $5,000, is brought out in the brief, which was submitted to the court by Isaac Ferguson, attorney for Comrade Ruthenberg. “The judgment entered against re. Spondent (Ruthenberg) deprives him ef his liberty and property without due process of law, and denies to him the equal protection of the laws, con- trary to the provisions of section 1, article XIV of amendments to the con- Btitution of the United States,” the brief for Comrade Ruthenberg says in part. “The judgment entered in the circuit court against respondent ought to be reversed and set aside by this court, especially because it is not within the due process of law to pen- alize respondent for the act of assemb- ling with a group of persons who es. Pouse certain doctrines when there ‘Was not intent or attempt, in connec- tion with said act of assembling, to achieve, incite or promote an overt act of physical injury to any persons @r property or to any governmental establishment or operation.” Violated No Law. “It contrary to due process of law and a denial of the equal protection of the laws, as provided by the four. teenth amendment, to proscribe the l assembly of any group of "persons because of their belief in cer- tain doctrines. The brief than declares that the Michigan criminal syndicalism law is not limited by its terms to the mere act of assembling with other persons, but violation of the law must show in- tent to promote acts of criminal in- jury. This Comrade Ruthenberg did not do, and is not charged with doing, the brief points out. Law Unconstitutional. “The judgment ought to be reversed because the provisions of the criminal syndicalism statute upon which it is based, establish a prior restrain upon expression of opinion, in violation of the fourteenth amendment,” the brief continues. “The mere expression of opinions, no matter how reprehensi- ble, cannot constitutionally be pun. fished as crime.” “The judgment ought to be set aside because the provisions of the criminal synlicalism statute upon which {t is based are too vague and indefinite to provide an ascertainable standard of guilt of crime.” Right to Assemble, “Syndicalists, Communists, or oth- ers who favor doctrines proscribed by the criminal syndicalism statute, are @s much entitled as any other persons to the protection of the law in peace fully meeting together, unless there 4s involved immediate intent or at- tempt of overt criminal injury.” Marx Can't Form Cabinet. BERLIN, Jan. 9.—Chancellor Marx today relinquished his mandate to form a cabinet and informed President Bbert he had exhausted all possibil- ities of the construction of a ministry without finding a workable solution. “Polikushka” is coming to Gertner’s Independent Theater, Jan. 15. Sunday, Jan. ASHLAND AUDITORIUM and Van Tlekets good for any ROBERT MINOR Internationally Known Cartoonist, Lecturer and Author will speak on THE STAGNANT SOUTH—A PROBLEM IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION at the WORKERS PARTY OPEN FORUM Lodge Room), Ashland Avenue uren Streets Take Metropolitan “L” to Marshfield Sta., or surface lines on Van Buren QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION Single admission 260 | Get Busy With the Petitions! The ajdermanic elections in this elty are near. In, order to wage an effective Communist campaign during the election period the Workers Party must have candidates in the field. In order to get. our candidates on the ballot, certain legal formalities must be complied with, the most important of whioh is collecting signatures. This job must be done at once. The petitions can be secured at the office of Local Chicago of the Workers Party. Next Sunday—TOMORROW— Is a very good day to collect signatures. the Job tomorrow helping to put our aldermanie elections. Get your petitions today and be on candidates on the ballot In the city LENIN MEMORIAL MEETINGS It is important that every city in which there is a party organization hold a Lenin Memorial meeting. Many such meetings have already been arranged and speakers assigned. Every party unit which has not already done so should immediately ar- range to hold a Lenin Memorial meeting and send in to the National Office the date of the meeting, name and location of the hall, time, name of the person in charge, and state whether local speakers are available or wheth- er assignment of speakers should be thru the national office. Following is a list of meetings which have been arranged: Wednesday, Jan. 21. Chicago, II, at 8 p. m., at Ashland Auditorium, Ashland and Van Buren Sts. Speakers: Browder, Dunne, Eng- dahl, and Swabeck. ~ Kansas City» Mo,, hall to be an- nounced. Speaker, J. EB. Snyder. Friday, Jan. 23, Niagara Falls, N, Y., at 7:30 p. m., Hippodrome Hall, corner Pine and 19th Sts. Speaker to be announced. Saturday, Jan. 25. Philadelphia, Pa. at 8 p. m., at the Lulu Temple, corner Broad and Spring Garden Sts. Speaker to be announced. South Bend, Ind. at 8 p. m,, at Workers’ Home, 1216 W. Colfax Ave. Speaker, Manuel Gomez. Milwaukee, Wis., at 8 p. m., at the Auditorium. Speakers: Foster and Bedacht. Sunday, Jan. 26. St. Paul, Minn. Hall to be announe- ed. Speaker, Earl Browder. Minneapolis, Minn. Hall to be an- nounced. Speaker, Harl Browder. Grand Rapids, Mich., at 2:30 p. m. Workmen’s Circle Temple, 347 Mt. Vernon Ave, Speaker to be an- nounced, Hartford, Conn. Hall to be an- nounced, Speaker, Joseph Manley. Detroit, Mich. at 2 p. m., House of the Masses, 2101 Gratiot Ave. Speak- er, Robert Minor. Boston, Mass,, at 3 p. m., Scenic Auditorium, 12 Berkeley St. Speaker, John J. Ballam. Cleveland, Ohio. Hall to be announc- ed later. Speaker, Benjamin Gitlow. Los Angeles, Cal., at 2 p. m., Blanch- ard Hall, 233 8S. Broadway. Speaker to be announced. Easton, Pa., at 2 p. m, Lithuanian (Bakers) Hall, N. 7th St., near North- ampton St. Speaker to be announced. Dowell, Ill. at 2 p. m., "Rex Theater, Union Ave. Speaker to be announced. Bridgeport, Conn., at 8 p. m., Work- men’s Circle Hall, 310 State St. Speak- er to be announced. Akron, Ohlo, at 2 p. m., Zeigler Hall, corner Voris and Miami Sts. Supertor, Wis., Workers’ Hall, cor ner Tower and 6th. Speaker to be announced. Sunday, Feb. 1, New York, N. Y., at 2 p. m., Madi- son Square Garden. Speakers: Foster and Ruthenberg. New Haven, Conn. Hall to be an- nounced. Speaker, Joseph Manley. Buffalo, N. Y., at 8 p. m., Labor Ly- ceum, 376 William St. Speaker to be announced. ‘ The spirit in which the first anni- versary of Lenin’s death is to be com- memorated is not one of mourning, but a living proof of the fact that while Lenin is dead, Leninism lives and grows toward the realization of our common goal, the Communist state. In the United States we must make these meetings a real demonstration of party strength, of Leninist follow- ing and devotion to our greatest lead- er and teacher. “in Memoriam—Lenin” to be shown Jan. 15 at Gartner’s Theater. Fire at 20 Below, WINNIPEG, Man., Jan. 9.—Fanned by a strong north wind, whipping thru a temperature of nearly 20 de- grees below zero, fire early today was sweeping thru the Northern Shirt company’s building. The loss probab. ly will run as high as $250,000, 11th, 8 P. M. three admissions, 50c NAD ARMAMENT RACE SOON WITH GREAT BRITAN Coolidge Plans a New “Arms Conference” (Special to The Dally Worker) WASHINGTON, Jan. 9,— Only the fact that the United States is trying to get the most powerful governments of the world into another “arms con- ference” temporarily halts a mad naval armament race with Great Britain, it is stated in official circles. Coolidge and members of his cabinet, Secretary Hughes in particular, are manuevering for the United States to play the leading role in another “arms conference.” This conference, the Coolidge ad- ministration plans, will discuss means of combatting the increasing strength of Communism thruout the world, the foreign debts owed the United States, enforcement of the “Dawes plan” of enslavement of weak nations, and the extending of American markets, Coolidge has declared it would be “inadvisable for this government to begin spending large sums on naval armament at a time when another arms conference is just around the corner”; especially as it would force the United States to enter the arm: conference laboring under a disad- vantage. Another reason for the temporary lull in the armament race is the’ all- iance between British and American capital. As Coolidge said, “We are not going to war with Great Britain,” meaning that there is at least # temp- orary understanding between British and American exploiters. Representatives Fred Britten, re- publican of Illinois is doing his utmost to force an extreme militaristic policy on the government. Britten announced that he will press bis demands for a larger navy at the next session of con- gress, Britten recently tried to stamp- ede the congress into a militaristic program by setting up the cry of the “Yellow Peril.” Admiral H, W. Eberle, chief of naval operations, testifying before the senate appropriations committee, said that the United States navy could be made equal to Britain’s by the conversion of four coal burning ships to ofl burn- ers. He said that this country leads Britain in the number of destroyers and submarines, but is behind in the number of light cruisers and Hght air- craft carriers. $1,535,788,299.00 has been spent o: the navy in the last 20 years, testim ny of Secretary of the Navy Wilbur disclosed, Yes, Thomas, and the Democrats Are Backing the Campaign WASHINGTON, Jan. 9.—A well-or- ganized and liberally financed cam- paign of misrepresentation has been waged thruout the country to defeat the child labor amendemtn to the con stitution, recently submitted by con- gress to the states for ratification, Sen- Thomas J. Walsh, democrat of Montana, charged in the senate yes- terday, Marine Workers Faoe Deportation. SAN FRANCISCO.— Four marine transport workers, Oga Jensen, Gus Johanson, Pat O'Hara and Kar) Zetter- quist, arrested in a raid on the union’s hall, face deportation, The men have been transferred from the San Fran- cisco city prison to Angel Island, the immigrant station, and will be held there until orders come from Wasb- ington. Fox Hunt Stops Opium Probe. GENEVA, Jan. 9.—England has re- quested a postponement of the inter- national opium conference set for Jan 12, it was announced today, because of the injury suffered by the Marquis of Salisbury, in a fox hunt. The mar- quis had just been appointed chair man of the British delegation to the conference, }| Build the DAILY WORKERI DOWER OF RED FLAG GROWS IN ITALY DAILY CommunistsLead Work- ers Against Fascism (Special to The Daily Worker) ROME, Jan. 9.—Hundreds of Communists are now confined by fascisti‘in Italian prisons, but Communist demonstrations are daily increasing. That the fascisti violence is striking not at the ‘Aventine opposition,” pledged to passive resistance, but at the Commun- ists, whose influence is daily growing,is shown in the numer- ous acts of violence against the Communists, At Cinisela a huge crowd gathered on the streets and sang “The Red lag,” @ clash with fascist bands en- suing, several fascist! and one Com- munist being wounded by revolver shots, At Brescia the workers attacked the police whe had arrested a Communist joader, Three Communist and several fascisti were shot, At Malnate a crowd of workers stormed the police head- quartiers to free a Communist who had been ‘arrested. A street battle occured when fascisti fired into the crowd, and many were wounded. At Castelnuovo, near Reggio-Emilia, the head of the local fascisti, attacked a Communist, who defended himself with a knife, fatally wounding the fa- seist bandit, A manifesto issued by the opposition declares that Premier Mussolini has not yet free himself of grave charges, and that an election now would insult the fntelligence of the nation, and would be but another attempt of Mus- solini to rule by force, The opposition calls for Mussolini's resignation, declaring that “The go- yernment is trampling the fundament- al laws of the state, stopping the free voice of the press, surpressing the right to meet, and persecuting indivi- duals and parties while it tolerates the leaving unpunished of deyastations and erimes which damage its advers- artes. A criminal association, which is the instrument of violence and death, {s housed high up close to the govern- ment.” ‘THE STAGNANT SOUTH,” SUNDAY’S TOPIC OF MINOR The Significance of the Negro Problem The southland is nearly an undis- covered country to the revolutionary labor movement. While # few of the northern states show a certain politi- cal backwardness, the south is a solid block of fudealism. This is @ potential enemy of work. ing class revolution—and Robert Minor, famous lecturer, cartoonist and journalist has made a special study of the signifleance of the south, and will give Chicago workers a chance to hear his analysis of the problem and how to solve it, in his lecture on “The Stagnant South—A Problem of the American Revolution” which will be given at the Open Forum, in the Ashland Auditorium lodge room, 8 p. m, this Sunday eve ning, Jan. 11. The speaker will eapably expose the srnggle which divides the most op- pressed class, the poorest workers, tenant and share farmers, from the exploiting classes, . This struggle is obscured by the real, yet less funda- mental, racial problems between the whites and the Negroes, {t may come as a new idea to some. that particularly in the south is a class of real peasantry, in the Eu ropean sense of the word. Here the tenant and share farmers, in great ma- jority Negro, have no idea as have the poor farmers of the north, of ever be- coming land owners, They accept their status of an exploited class, but are by general backwardness and the obviousness of other racial oppres- sion, more conscious of race than of class, ‘The stagnent sonth, from this and all other angles, constitutes a menace to any struggle the revolutionary pro- letariat may engage in, It is a reser. voir of potential counter-revolution, which, however, can be purified, and only the Communists fm their analy. sis and tactics know what the problem ie and how to solve it. It is a gigantic problem, and every worker who wants to hear the method of its solution as set forth by Robert Minor, will come to the Ashland Au | segrce lodge room, at 8 p. m., Sun- ay. All workers are invited, but Negro workers are particularly urged to at. tend. TOKYO, Jan, 9-—-No demage re- sulted from three earthquakes felt hore during tho past 12 hours, accord: Ing to reports this afternoon. were the first of the new 4 sata: ' 4 “| THE DAILY WOR KER Imperialism Clings to Opium as a Faithful Ally of Its Profit Rule By J. LOUIS ENGDAHL. TOvAy. suave statesmen of the stripe extant in London, Paris, Rome, Tokio and the seats of lesser capitalist gov- ernments, are working overtime pulling wires for the control of the Second Opium Conference opening at Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday. Their job is not a difficult one. Huge profits roll in from the sale of this dope used to sodden the minds of the hundreds of millions of subject orienta! peoples, especially in India and China. But the great world imperialisms, of Great Britain, France and Japan, with Holland, Portugal and smaller coun- tries, see greater stakes than the profit in opium alone. “Opium” is the drug that aids in keeping whole peoples enslaved to foreign imperialists, It is a powerful weapon in aid of the armies of occupation. | * The Opium Conference is only a child of the League of Nations, capitalism's black international, Its purpose is not to war on opium; but to use opium as a weapon of imperial- ist interests, This truth looms big as one considers the fact that Soviet Russia had no representatives at Geneva, This might. give the Communists an opportunity to expose this nest of capitalist thieves. It will be remembered that the much-heralded Washing- ton Disarmament Conference declared against the sending of arms and other munitions of war to China, But the various upstart “generals” of the different imperialist nations have always been well suppliéd with the weapons of slaughter, to battle for their respective masters. ° * * ° Great Britain and Japan are most concerned in the Geneva dope conference. They control the market and are the real traffickers in the drug raised in China, Cochin- China, and the Dutch and Portuguese possessions, Political expediency demands that the British Empire supports: and promotes the opium habit in India. Drugged India thru this diabolical means is rendered more helpless in her struggle against British rule. Opium, the drug, is a faithful ally of that other opium, religion, in keeping the Indian natives in submission. Therefore the British states- men are eager champions of the opium traffic, Great Britain with Japan are in China with opium as one of their most loyal field marshals. But the Chinese, more loyal than ever to their revolution, are also combatting the opium phase of the imperialist menace. * * * The extent of the opium trade can be seen from the fact that it puts $3,000,000, annually into the pockets of the opium profiteers; 200 vessels are engaged in the opium traffic; $0,000 opium dens are to be found in Asiatic cities; 9,000,000 are doomed to die, victims of this curse, within the next two years. One authority charges that a larger number of Orientals die every year from the effects of opium than there were. soldiers slain in the world war, "There is no denyi only solution for the opium curse upon Eastern peoples. The Workers’ Republic, with its Communist program, comes to the peoples rg the East with the double drive: (1) take the profit out of the opium traffic, and (2) liberate the sub- ject nations of Asia from the imperialist yoke. Capitalist imperialism, for its own preservation, must combat both of these solutions of the opium problem. Cap- italism never has and never will take up arms against private profit. Capitalist nations will make no move that will handicap their dictatorships over colonies or subject peoples. The opium curse will remain until capitalism is overthrown, End capitalism, and the opium plague goes with it to its doom. This threat of a Communist solution of the opium traffic will be a nightmare, not a hope, at the opium conference in Geneva. The gathering in Switzerland is just another tea party apologizing for capitalism but proposing no cures for the evils growing out of it. Those cures are only proposed by the aroused working masses driving toward the world’s social revolution. MINNEAPOLIS HAS} Quotas TAKEN REAL STEP). FOR LABOR UNITY By C. Skoglund, in “Sub” Driv (Continued from page 1) centage of its quota? lows: that Soviet Russia holds out the” branches based on the membership. Let us have real competition. Which branch will make the highest per The quotas per branch are as fol. MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.—In our last He atone ae An 3c T. U. EB. L, meeting were represented Bulgarian sss. wecccerne BE jome of the best working class ele- Czecho-Slovak, Hanson PK. secs 20 ents in Minneapolis. Individuals of Czecho-Slovak Town of Lake........ 30 the local I. W. W. were invited and Czecho-Slovak No. 1 ccc. Be a they responded enthusiastically. A/C recho.Slovak, Berwyn .. 3 committee of four was selected to Douglas Park Emghish oredr 15C visit next Thursday's meeting of the South Side Emghish —cccsscseseennee 10C local I, W, W. tor the purpose of hay- Cicero English ..... eervernsereeere BC tng them elect tour members to effect! ving park English at some plan of unity between all left wing elements in the local labor move- ment. If the same spirit be contin- ued, it is no doubt but we are going to effect unity of our forces. A program for the labor assembly Englewood Emglist ......ccccssssssesece North West EMmgtighn ~...ccccsossereesssses Finnish North Side English sssesersssssevseee SOC Mid City EMglish ....crsscsserrsrenseseeeeeeene 200 76 175 480 election was presented by the indus) oreek Tr eerie isd ie trial committee of the T, U. B. L. and ik ia te ay 76 approved, Steps were also taken that tale ‘Terra Cotta Menireeeieelenaiaet, 30 a committee will visit all Workers West Side No.'4 Ie 3 ae Pon Party branches outlining our indus- Eleventh Ward thatians tc trial program, and also having every Thi Ward Ital seremeceneeenesenone, ta member of the party join their re- irty-first Wat ORE Ta, spective unions. ClOOTO DRAMA nicvcrssoinesmmccenrrciceninnnte 00 Jewish, Douglas Park » 120 The organized labor movement in Minneapolis is in a very weak con- dition, and a he tated to arouse en- thusiasm in the labok, movement is necessary. No campaign to organize pio we . the unorganized since the citizens’ al- | +!thuanian No. 6 ... Hance launched their fagous open | Lithamlan No. 44 onsen shop drive, has taken place and ag aj Lithuanian Nos 74 serrssisemn consequence, the organized labor | Lithuanian NO. 77 sss movement has lost its militancy that| Polish North S10 sss it formally had, Polish South Side A campaign to organize the unor-| Rumanian .... ganized is absolutely necessary and | Russian .... ve such @ campaign must be started in| South SlAV NO. 4 rssssnsrcenpsessnsnemnens the spring, and on such a broad basis | Spanish sossesocesnnnsseseonsnnensee that every worker will hear the call | Sands, Lake ViOW scssssseesnnereee to action, Every y member must become members of ‘unions and give | ENGleWOOd ........cvvsesssssesverrersnmensersenes Lette ceecserseeceee Lithuanian No, 2 their assistance in the struggles of tho | Ukrainian No. 4 ccssssssscsssssenie 126 PU ReaLIA NO. 8 ennnmnnncemsagmnn sen By pete ah * ion ahr nneld rl 6c 30 30 60 26 75 100 15¢ 10 100 Jewish North West sicsssromssssennnn 260 Karl Marx csssssseccsssnnnstesorssssssseseeensne 100 oC at ehh mann Wing garter pater seyenitrmn sat = Saturday, January 10, 1925 WRECKS OF WAR DEMAND BREAD FROM CONGRESS Disabled Without Money for Food or Medicine (Special to The Daily Worker) .WASHINGTON, Jan, 9 One thousand and sixteen dis- abled world war veterans today hammered on the doors of con- gress for belated justice. This battalion of cripples, with their hundreds of war decora- tions from all the allied gov- ernments, but little money for food or medicine, sent a delega- tion to plead for a enactment of the Bursum bill granting regular retirement pay to dis- abled emergency army officers, All other officers who served in the world war have long since received this compensation as a reward for their wounds. The handful who vol- unteered, received emergency com- mission, served thru the war and then were dropped from the rolls alone are excepted. As a result of the plea, Senator Bursum, republican of New Mexico, announced he would demand consid- eration of the relief bill in the senate at the “first opportunity.” Of the thousand and sixteen veter- ans benefitted by the measure, all served in France and all fell from wounds or disease “contracted in the line of duty.” Since the bill first came before congress in 1920, their lines have been decimated by death. Two hundred of the eligibles died while congress delayed and 18 died since congress reconvened in Decem. ber, The total cost of the bill, Bursum said, would be about $600,000 a year, with the amount annually decreasing thru deaths, Communists and Left Wingers Give Labor Fakers Real Fight (Continued from page 1) local unions to proceed at once with the organization of their membership on a shop committee basis as a pre- (2) Unemployment: The immedi- ate organization of a council of the unemployed workers under the aus. Pices of the assembly and to include all working class organizations. This council to raise the slogan of work or full trade union wages for the unem- ployed. (3) Wages and hours: The assemb- ly to lead an aggressive fight for in- creases in wages and against any lengthening of the hours of labor or reductions of wages. (4) Child Labor: A militant fight to force the ratification of the child labor amendment by the Minnesota state legislature—a fight against the employment of children in Minneapo. lis industries—and a demand that the government give full support to chil- dren of wage earners and farmers so that child labor laws may be made ef- fective. For a Fighting Organ. (5) Labor Review, To be made in- to a fighting organ for the trade union movement by adopting the following Program: (In order that this pro- gram may be carried out we propose a campaign to get the local unions to subseribe for the paper in block so that it may be made independent of its advertisers); (a) It should recog- nize and advocate the class struggle in accord with the preamble of the A. F of L. (b) It shall severely criticise all schemes aiming to bring about class collaboration. (¢) It shall give the news of the international work- -ng class movement. (d) It shall fight vor the unity of the international ‘rade union movement—organization- al unity between the American Fed- eration of Labor, the International Federation of Trade Unions, and the _ Rea International of Labor Unions, (6) Delegates, No persecutions or expulsion of delegates because of their political beliefs or affiliations or because of their support for any work- Ing class ‘am, (7) Political. The assembly must carry on a fight for a class program and against the influence of the repub- Mean, democratic, LaFollette, and all other capitalist or middle class politi- clans in the farmer-labor federation, (8) Criminal Syndicalism Laws. A militant fight to force the repeal of the Minnesota criminal syndicalism law and all other laws interfering with the workers in their struggle for | improved working conditions, Sun Port of all campaigns for relief of class war prisoners. (9) United Fronts. The assembly shall enter into united fronts with all other working class organizations that will fight for the issues enunciat- big ee program, ‘OTH FOR THE LEFT CANDIDATES IS A VOTE von Tan ABOVE PROGRAM. Lotene Be ate orks py ag ral 2 ERR REET RE ’ reas ie