The Daily Worker Newspaper, January 10, 1925, Page 9

ee A Reply to Yanofsky, Editor of Justice. By A RANK AND FILER. According to Mr. Yanofsky’s state- ment in Justice of Dec. 19, Gompers “derived his strength from the work- ing mass, reflecting in his policies their ideas, aspirations and state of mind.” Before going any further 1 asked myself, “What is the policy of the A. F. of L.” I tried to analyze its “contribution” to the welfare of humanity and the workers in particu- lar.. My conclusions are that the A. F. of L. with the great labor leader, Samuel Gompers, in whom, according to Yanofsky’s opinion, “The workers have lost a real example of a labor leader,” was nothing but a hindrance to the emancipation of the workers. As to the question, what the policy of the A. F. of L. is? one can answer at once, “The obtaining of increas- ing wages and reduction in the hours of labor.” But this is more of an abstract phrase than a practical aim and even if it were a praetical policy, has it any real value? No! On the contrary. It is a disadvantage to those who produce all the wealth we have, that is, “they” have, they who control the tools of production and in return give the workers just enough to keep “soul and body” together in the form known as wages. It was Gompers with the rest of his clique who was throwing sand into the eyes of the workers, to prevent them from seeing whither they were led. Gom- pers, the great “philosophic anar- chist,” thruout his entire career was lulling the workers to peaceful sleep and content with the famous song, “A fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work.” In my opinion Gompers and the rest of the officials of the A. F. of L., the highest as well as the lowest, were traitors to the workers and were a menace to society aS a whole. Yanofsky says, among other things, “With his life-work Gompers has im- mortalized his name in the history of our struggle.” Yes, Mr. Yanofsky, you are right, but let me tell you how he has “immortalized his” great “name.” Gompers was a_ faithful servant to the capitalist class but not to the workers. It is partly due to him that the latter are today enslav- ed and chained. It was Gompers who knew how to tighten that chain around the neck of labor. Was your “philosophic anarchist” a labor leader, Mr. Yanofsky? Yes, but only insofar as to “lead” labor into such channels as would be of greatest benefit and profit to the employing class. Gompers’ function was always to keep labor at the lowest possible point of economic and political con- sciousness. His death means a great loss to the master class he served. As sick as he was he went to Mexico, his nurse accompanying him, But you know, Mr. Yanofsky, as I do, that it was not for the benefit of labor that he went there. It was for the class who recently lost in him a valuable ally. The capitalist class of the United States ordered him to ac- complish a task which was very diffi- cult for him to accomplish and “thé “Gompers, A Philosophic Anarchist” great labor pt ” whom in the col- umns of Justice you have so highly praised, helped with all in his power to carry the victorious banner of Wall Street into Mexico. The American ruling class is mourn- ing the loss of their lackey who to the very last minute maneuvered in the ranks of labor to please his masters. The sand, Mr. Yanofsky, you try to throw into the eyes of the workers by means of your pen is scattered by the wind. You are dealing today with a new type of a reader of Justice, one who rebels at empty phrases and searches for concrete facts, for these facts stare him in the face. Can an HONEST labor leader in his lifetime accumulate $30,000 and after his death be buried in a Sleepy Hollow cemetery. between Rockefeller and Carnegie? it is clear even to a child and to workers especially that Gom- pers, your’ “philosophic anarchist,” who, according to your statement, was such “a passionate lover of liberty,” lived and died for capitalism, for, were it otherwise, he would not have had the honor of being buried among those who. forged gold out of the flesh and blood of the working class. You confess that years ago you con- demned Gompers as a reactionary, as one who was holding back the forces of social revolution in America. But this, Mr. Yanofsky, was at the time when you were the editor of the Freie Ar- beiter Stimme, when you occupied a little room in a basement of an East Broadway tenement where is was cold, dark and dreary. But today as the editor of Justice, sitting in a swivel chair in the building of the I. L. G. Ww. U. where it is quite comfortable for officials who are nothing else but tools and screws for the capitalist machine—today, you are singing a different song. Today you see Gom- pears as “the idol, the lover of liberty, a person of sterling honesty and as a philosophic anarchist.” Mr. Yanof- sky, your work is in vain. Labor all over the world is awakening and soon will say to you and your associates of Gompersism: “Gentlemen, I defy you! For my power is growing stronger daily. In vain you are trying to curb my will, From now on you will no longer succeed.” I am sure that deep in your heart, Mr. Yanofsky, you know it very well that all labor fakers and corrupt union officials will have to make room for the rank and file who are capable to control industry and manage their own affairs. In your. eulogy of Gompers you go so far as to say that, “we in the labor movement shall feel orphaned because of his departure." Some of the auto- cratic officials may feel that way but surely none of the rank and file mem- bers share this sentiment. I as one of them feel that my estimation is correct and take the liberty of telling it to you. With wrath and indignation will the tombstone and say, “Here lies one who betrayed our ancestors, it was partly due to him’ that they were plundered, outraged and disinherited.” Their cry of protest will shake the world, a protest which will raise the battle cry, “Down with all sorts of Prostitution.” All sorts, including pen prostitutes. Views of Our Readers on Many Subjects The DAILY WORKER and the Negro Workers, To the DAILY WORKER:—It is im- perative that Negroes read, subscribe to and support our Communist daily newspaper, the DAILY WORKBR. By so doing they will be helping them- selves and also aiding our paper. Ne- ero workers suffer from discrimina- tions, petty police interferences, mob violences, which white workers do not suffer. from. Therefore, Negro work. ers have extra difficulties to face on the account of the color of their skins. The Negro newspapers in general, some more boldly than others, con- stantly and doggedly fight against lynchings, burnings, segregation, Jim Crowism, unwarranted police interfer- ence and other discriminations. As Communists we recognize the fact that the capitalist newspapers and other agencies are the ones be- hind the ‘scenes constantly fomenting and stirring up anti-Negro prejudices. The capitalist legislative bodies pass and put into effect discriminatory Measures against Negroes. We are convinced that the only way to com- pletely eliminate the evil conditions under which Negroes suffer, is to de- stroy the capitalist system bag and baggage. The stupid and ignorant white work- ers, imbued with their unfounded prejudices against all Negroes, as @ result of this anti-Negro propaganda, composed the mobs who attack Ne- groes, and believe the vicious lies dis- siminated by the capitalist agencies against Negroes to be true. Many white workers even join the anti-Ne- gro organization, the Ku Klux Klan. These white workers are badly in need of enlightment on the Negro. Our Communist paper, the DAILY WORKER, in order to enlighten these white workers and at the same time obtain Negro subscribers and readers, must constantly contain.editorials and news articles on the Negro. In this way the anti-Negro propaganda of the capitalist newspapers will be counter: acted. Already the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Daily News have ceased front paging dnd head lining crimes ‘committed or alleged to have been committed by Negroes, as a re- sult of the merciless expose of their policy thru the columns of the DAILY WORKER and several Negro news- ——————— Papers, ‘by one of our Negro party members. We know of a_ white girl, who said that she was afraid to come intc the Negro district. No doubt that she had read these stories in the capitalis' hewspapers, of how Negro men kid- napped white girls, took them to some house in the “black belt” and there as saulted them and had other Negroes tc do likewise, and believe the lies to be true. This shows to what extent thc capitalist papers will go in Negro baiting, We hope that the DAILY WORKER in the future will realize the signifi- cance of constantly publishing editor- ials and articles on the Negro, and will answer thru its columns the at- tacks made on the Negro by the cap- italist newspapers and other agencies. By so doing, Negroes will come to learn that our Communist paper is truly a champion ‘of the Negro work- ers as well as the white workers. Yours Fraternally, Edward L. Doty, Robert J. Bowman, Norval H. Allen, ‘Members of the South Side branch of the Workers (Communist) Party. Gunmen in Demand. Morgantown, W. Va. Editor of the DAILY WORKER:— Yes, Gompersism must be kiled as dead as Gompers is. The rank and file in and out of the unions have no con- fidence in Gompersism. The old dy. nasty must be dethroned. Keep up your drive at the A. F of L. leadership as having proved their unworthiness on many fronts. Judas was a gentle. man compared to them. Their finish is near at hand. unless they are en- dowed by an Eastman a Duke, or a Rockefeller, which would be properly in line with their methods of crush- ing the workers, Tho boom is on here in full blast Machine guns are in heavy demand by the open shoppers. There is not so much unemployment as one would suppose after seeing the starving min- ers around here, In fact, anyone who is willing to shoulder a gun and shoot down workers on demand is sure of getting a job. Such wonderful pros. perity must be beautiful to behold by the stock market crowd and our money kings. And so it goes from Maine to California, But Arthur Brisbane, the self-ap- pointed schoolmaster of the world in his flights of imagination bids u: be calm as things will be better in < few million years. It must be nice tc be intelligent and civilized like Arthur Brisbane and his scientific frieids— the blind slaves of capitalism. But ? fondly hope they will soon relieve the most of us of our stomachs as we have little use for them in these times of high prices, low wages and unem ployment. (Signed) Henry Dondery, Morgan- town, W. Va. To the DAILY WORKER:—I have been employed by an owner of seyeral greenhouses here, and everything went as well as might be expécted when employed by a miser of a small capitalist, until this most reactionary employer of mine found out by open- ing my mail that I subscribe to the DAILY WORKER. Since then I have been humiliated in the most treacherous manner con- ceivable: my room searched while I was gone; all sorts of petty “jokes” (as I heard the boss call them), from setting carpet tacks into my. bed clothes to setting an alarm ringing at my door while I was asleep after hav- ing fired five boilers all night. Orders were given me as if I were on board a convict ship, the last of which was a command to work days in the green- house after a sixteen- hour night firing shift. It was impossible to drop off to sleep for a minute on this job be- cause the boss insisted that the tem- perature be kept fluctuating within two degrees, almost an impossibility with his small boilers and in bad condition This last command I positively Te. fused to obey and asked for my wages. He refused to pay until he had found a man in my place This is nothing new. Neither is the fact that the rest of the workers work- ing here are not class conscious and think that by sticking with the boss they will be better off. It only means that we must work harder to reach them, Wishing you the very best results in your Insurance Drive. Fraternally yours, LOUIS BOMAN, Baldwinville. Mass. Letter to a Editor, Pravda, Moscow, Union of Soviet Republics. Dear Sir:— Russia is to be CONGRATULATED in suppressing Christianity and ALL religions, They are ALL bad. Last Christmas the christians had a BIG celebration and stole -my chickens and other things. Then when I complained to the au- thorities threatened me with $5,000.00 fine and five years imprisonment, for asking that I be protected in accord- . ance with the laws of this so-called ~- republic. Emma Goldman—may think it harder in Russia than in America, but I assure the people of the Union of Soviet Republics that such is not the case, Were I master of the great Russian language, and young and healthy, I would at once throw in my lot with the people of the Union of the Soviet Republics, for in Russia alone is liberty. It is only a myth in America, and no one ever got any justice in any court here. Today. the bleeding laborers are looking to Moscow, and not to Wash- ington, for their salvation. We are looking to Communism, and NOT christianity for our relief, and we are looking BECAUSE christianity has failed, and been proved as the foulest system of graft the world has ever known. f Yours for the Third International, B. 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