The Daily Worker Newspaper, January 28, 1925, Page 3

Net wey Linares ee ee vad i THE DAILY WORKER Page Three ADE UNION EDUCATIONAL LEAGUE WEEKLY SECTION EASTERN NOBODY KEEPS AGREEMENT BUT COAL DIGGERS Operators Turn Scab, Lewis Fights Dist. 1 Oklahoma coal operators are slowly but surely breaking the grip of the United Mine Work- ers of America in that state, In the last year producers re- presenting 84 per cent of the production in the state have broken away from the union and are now mining coal under the 1917 wage scale. The miners are paid approximately $5 a day as.the basic wage as com pared to $7.50 provided for under the Jacksonville agreement with the un- ion. The Henryetta field is the only one left to operate under the war-time wage scale of $7.50 a day. The Wilburton and McAlester fields are the strongholds of the open shop The U. M. W. of A. under the admin istration’ of John L. Lewis, makes no effort to sustain the union, letting th« operators have their own sweet way Own Your Home and Get Your Wage Cut. Many, mines were idle during the summer in the fight for lower produc. tion costs. Hundreds of the employer owned their own homes and after sev eral months of idleness accepted the 1917 scale offered by the operators, There. was some disorder in the change. National guardsmen had to be called to the Wilburton district in July, September and October. Mar- tial Jaw existed for a time but mines continued to work. Production in the Wilburton and McAlester fields now is averaging be- tween 5,000 and 6,000 tonsaday. Ver- bal contracts exist between the com- pany and miners on the question of the 1917 wage scale. A fake “arbit- ration” scheme is provided by the kindness of the company,; to give “fair and impartial” decision on dis- How Come = Withdraw'trom “Agreé- #3 ment? The day wage scale under which the mines now are operationg is on a bas- is of $5." Under the 1924 union con- tract it would be $7.50. The. pick scale is on a basis of $1.01 a ton. Un- der the 1924 contract it would be $1.25. There is a 14-cent differential between the pick scale and the elec- tric chain machine scale for those mines using machines, allowing a loading price of 72 cents a ton, and a runner’s and helper’s rate of, 15 cents a ton. There are approximately 25 mines working under the 1917 scale. The number increases as the market for coal improves. There are about 60 shipping mines in the affected fields. All of those operating under the 1917 wage have withdrawn from the oper- ator’s association which signed the Jacksonville agreement. The miners, however, are “outlawed” by Lewis if they try to “withdraw from the agree- ment,” Amalgamated Votes For Mich. Defense and Seidel Protest Chicago Local 39, A. W. C., ot its | last meeting voted to support the La- | bor Defense Council in the defense of | C. E. Ruthenberg and the other Michi- gan cases, At the same meeting they also passed @ resolution against thc deportation of J. Seidel, or rather, the re-deportation of, Seidel. Three Star Reporters Not Three Star Casey For Detroit League ’ The Detroit T. U. E. L, likes the Weekly Section. They have selectee three comrades who will be responsi- ble for sending in reports each week for the section, covering the Build- ing Trades, Metal Trades and Auto Workers. What about your league doing likewise? Subscribe for “Your Daily," the DAILY WORKER. league. Comrade Johnsto: ne reported the CENTRAL C. N. W. Machinists Defeat B. & O. Plan The machinists of the Chicago and Northwestern shops, Lodge 478, by ar almost unanimous vote defeated Wm. L, Johnston's “B, & O” class collabor ation scheme. The T. U. B. L. is mak ing this a major issue in the nomina- tions that are taking place thruout the Machinists’ Union for the coming gen- eral election. Johnston is up agains! the fight of his life. Two machinist lodges of Chicago, 390 and 337, adopted resolutions pro- tecting against the “criminal syndical ist” laws and conviction of Comrade JACK JOHNSTONE WI A. F. OF L. CONVENT MEETING OF CHICAGO BRANCH T.U.E.L. Jack Johnstone, assistant secretary of the Trade Union Educational League, will report on the El Paso convention of the American Federation of Labor at the next regular monthly meeting of the Chicago branch of the The meeting will be held on the last Wednesday in January at 8 p. m. in North West Hall, corner of Western and North avenues, Ruthenberg. Both resolutions have been sent ‘to the machinist distric council for adoption. In addition to this action, Local 387 donated $10.0¢ to the defense. Chicago Painters 275 Ring the Bell for the Michigan Defense Painters’ Union 275, Chicago, passed a resolution condemning the criminal syndicalist laws, supporting the Mich- igan cases. The local affiliated with the Labor Defense Council electing two delegates and donated $100.00 for the defense of C. HB. Ruthenberg. Kansas City T. U. E. L. Resurrects Itself and The Labor Defense The Kansas City league has been re-organized and reports that regular monthly meetings will be held, indus- trial groups will be created in the near future. A local Labor Defense Council has been formed and an en- tertainment and dance arranged for the defense of the Michigan cases. Duluth Machinists Keep the Gravy Warm For “B. & O.” William DULUTH.—Zenith Lodge No. 274 of the International Association of Ma- chinists, at its regular meeting Jan, 19,, endorsed* unanimously the com- plete.slate.of the left wing headed-by J. Emme for the election of Interna- tional officers. Revolutionary union ists and the real progressives of thc T. U. E. L. all over the country keep up the good fight, stick until we win ~—because if we stick we will win. Chicago Amalgamated Left Wing Elections In spite of the regular Chicago labor faker tactics of the Hillman-Levin machine, the slugging of members of the T. U. B. L., and not allowing the left Wing candidates to have watch- ers, the ticket supported by the T. D. EB. L. received 25 per cent of the votes cast, The candidates of the left wing and the votes cast for them are as follows: For General Manager, Aronberg, 8,374. For Assistant Manager, Epstein, 2,500. For Assistant Manager. Savanov- sky, 2,600. For Business Agent, Chappas, 2,707. This is encouraging when you con- sider that about 4,000 members were unemployed, a majority of whom were left wingers and many could not vote because they could not pay their dues. Joliet Left Wing Outside the Pen But Inside Unions The left wing in Joliet waged a suc- cessful fight in the election of officers for the Central Trades and Labor Council of Will county. President, vice-president, treasurer, recording and financial secretary were elected by the left wing. Arrangements are being made to hold a mass meeting to discuss the child labor amendment. Six hundred Commonwealth Edison Company construction electricians have been on strike more than a month, No attempt has been made to break it as at this season little new work is undertaken, SPEAK ON AT THE NEXT El Paso cx DISTRICT Endorse Left Wing And United Front By C. SKOGLUND. Local 91 International Asseciation of Machinists meeting here tonight unanimously endorsed the left wing slate for international officers now being nominated. Local No. 459 of St. Paul had en, dorsed the slate at their meeting last Friday and had sent out a letter to all jocals in Minnesota urging them to do likewise. It was on this request that action was taken by lodge No. 91. The slate was headed by J. F. Emme for international president, Tim Buck for secretary-treasurer and Over- gaard, editor of the Journal and a full slate for candidates for vice-presi- dents. e At the same meeting the resolution supporting the Labor Defense Coun- cil and demanding the release of C. E. Ruthenberg, was passed. They elected two delegates to the local Labor Defense Council and instructed them to work for the repeal of the Minnesota criminal syndicalism law and for the release of the Communists arrested in the Michigan raid. Frank Miner, Jack Bradon and C. A. Hathaway were elected as dele- gates to the Hennepin county com- mittee of the farmerlabor federa- tion amd instructed to fight against the policies now being inaugurated by the officialdom of that organization and fight for class political action. Omaha League Digs In Deeply With the Child Labor Issue Omaha T. U. E. L. reports that there is a very strong fight being made against the child labor amendment. The opposition to the amendment is working amongst the farmers telling them that if the amendment is passed the government will then haye the power to regulate the education and the raising of their children. Of course, the farmers are not supposed to know that the government already has a strangle hold on education, and that the price allowed them for their crops in an indirect way determines How theif childfen will bé brought up All that the so-called “leaders” have done was to send a questionaire’ to th« members of the legislature asking their promise to support the measure. Under the leadership of the T. U. E. L. the resolution passed by stone cutters. reported last week in this section, | bundle order? has been sent to all the locals in the city, with a letter from the T. U.E.L asking them to appoint a special com- mittee. Quite a few organizations have responded and the first anti-child 1la- bor'conference was held in the Labor Temple, Thursday, January 22. A program to reach all the locals in the city has been drawn up, and a mass meeting will be held in the near fu: ture. A series of street meetings have been arranged. Another Detroit Carpenter Local Supports Reynolds Detroit local union 1102 of the tin. penters’ Brotherhood at its meeting Jan, 21, voted unanimously to de- mand a fair trial for brother William Reynolds of local 2140 who has been arbitrarily expelled by the G, E. B. As local union 1102 is the smallest carpenters union in the city they are taking real chances of incurring the wrath of Czar Hutcheson, who as the saying goes is “a big man in a small way” and usually picks an easy vic- tim. He sometimes makes a mistake, Local 1102 supported Hutcheson un- animously in the election less than two months ago. They now join in the protection of those whom Hutche- son would exile from the organization. Hutcheson is playing a losing game. Why Not a Little “Unusual Effort” By the Left Wing? In the recent ‘earpenters election, the conservative locals in Cleveland showed an unexpected strength for BIG FIGHT IN MINNEAPOLIS SHAKES UNIONS Stevens and Mauseth Trial Statement The following is a statement of Dan W. Stevens and William Mauseth, made to the hand-picked “investiga- tion” committee of the Minneapolis Trades and Labor Assembly which re- ported adversely upon their right to be seated as delegates from their local unions. The committee’s recom- mendation was defeated and the dele- gates were seated, but unseated at a later meeting: “At the meeting of the Trades and Labor Assembly held on Wednesday, January 7th, we Dan, W. Stevens and Wm. Mauseth, had our credentials protested on the grounds that we were members of the: Workers Party and; therefore, owed first allegiance to that organization. The protest implied that because of the fact of the al- leged membership in the Workers Party, it would be impossible for us to function in the interest of the Amer- ican Federation of Labor. In order that there may be no m{sunderstand- ing to our position, we wish to make the following statement: First, we are members of the Work- ers (Communist) Party and believe in the principles of that party. We seriously disagree with those who feel that it is impossible for a Communist to function for the best interest of the trade union movement. ‘We con- tend that our activities in the trade union moyement in which we have carried out the things in which we believe, prove that the principles of the party are ini the interest and not to the detriment of the trade union movement. “The Workers Party is interested in the overthrow of the capitalist system. It realizes, however, thnt”be- fore this can be accomplished there must be a strong trade union move- ment with power to control the in- dustries of the country. We, there- fore, have fought in the past and will continue to fight in the future to build the American Federation of La- bor and make it an effective instru- ment in the struggle against the em- ploy: which had for their purpose a ten- dency to create in the minds of the workers a feeling that their interests were the same as the bosses. We have tried to show the workers that the bosses were organized ‘against them as evidinced by the citizen’s alliance in Minneapolis. We have trie@ to con- vince them that they must carry on a continuous struggle against the em- ployers, if they were to improve their conditions. “We have fought to get the trade union movement to constantly carry on a militant struggle for imerease in wages and against any reductions in wages or lengthening of hours. We have fought against injunctions when- ever the capitalist state has used its power to compel the workers to go back to work im industrial disputes. This is evidenced in the case of Stevens in the Wonderland Theater case. “All of our activities in the past have met with the unanimous ap- proval of the Workers Party and if we are seated in the Assembly we will continue to fight along the same lines as we have in the past. “In the Assembly at the present time you have delegates who, in addi- tion to representing a local union, supporters of or hold membership the republican party, the democratic party, the farmerlabor party, the LaFollette movement, the socialist party. If the policy of excluding del- egates because of their political be- liefs or affiliatigns is followed, it means the disruption of the entire labor movement. “A labor movement is organized to carry on the everyday struggle against the employers for better wages, shor- ter hours, and better working condi- tions. The sole requisite for mem- bership is that one be a worker in some particular craft. If you attempt to bar people because of religious or political views, you finally get it down to the point where only that portion of the wage workers who accept the Political or religious views of the rul- Rosen, the progressive candidate, but|128 &toup may become members of a vote which was to be be expected, trade union. That can never succeed. “We are not attempting to cam- due to the unusual efforts made in| Mage our beliefs or affiliations be- these locals to overcome the pro-|fore this committee. We want you gressive sentiment, and to count out the progressive votes, The Workers Monthly Editor E. R. Browder. The Workers Monthly is the official organ of the Trade Union Educational League. If you are interested in the left wing movement you will want the important articles it contains, as well as the interesting stories, great labor cartoons and many other features in each issue. Is your group taking a Is every member a to understand frankly that we are members of the Workers Party; that "td Yoga tea scheme NEW YORK LEAGUE BATTLING UNIGN REACTION DAILY Needle Trades Workers Never Quit Scrap The New York league is carrying on @ very active campaing in the In- ternational Ladies Garment Workers against the reactionary policies of the Sigman and the Forward machines, These two groups, now fighting one another, were one against the T. U. ®. L., resulting in over 100 members heing expelled, 56 suspended, and many members of the league ruthless+ ly removed fnom office thruout the enr tire industry. They also formed a un- ited front against the membership led by the left-wing, in the last New York cloak makers’ strike, turning a victory into a defeat. An Offensive Defensive For some time the T. U. E. L. in the I. L. G. W. has been foreed to a wage a defensive fight. This is a tac- tic never adopted by the league un- DISTRICT T.U. EL, BUILT UNION FROM 500 70 5,000 BY WORK DURING STRIKE PATERSON, N. J.—The T. U. E. L has:gained much prestige among \the textile workers during the silk work- ers’ strike. This was accomplished because the T. U. E. L. understands the struggles of the workers, plus hard work, devotion to the cause of labor and ability to lead in the strug- gle. The struggle was a bitter one, meetings of the strikers were sup- pressed, Communists and T. U. E. L. speakers were denounced daily by the press. The T. U. E. L. and the Workers Party raised a fund of ap- proximately $10,000 which was turn- ed over to the strikers for relief work, Over 10,000 workers were involved in the strike which lasted over three months, As a result of the activi- ties of the T. U. E. L., the Associat- ed Silk Workers, an independent un- ion, increased its membership from a few hundred to nearly 5,000. less it is unavoidable. In this in- stance the attack was so bitter and vicious’ being carried out simultan- eously thruout the entire country, that the league was literally forced to wage a defensive fight. It can be said, how- ever, that it was a very offensive de- fensive. Now the league is again on the of- fensive, pushing its program before the members, sinking its roots deeper than ever into the ranks of the L L. G. W. U. The confidence that the rank and file have in the T. U. BE. L. is shown in the demand made upon the general executive board against an arbitrary increase in dues, and signed by 10,000 members of the un- ion. Increase In Dues The opposition against an increase in dues is due to the lack of confidence in the leaders. The membership know that the extra income will be used to continue the fight against the mil- itants instead of against the bosses. J order to show -a Jogical reason. for increasing the dues, the G. E. B. has announced a nationwide organiza- tonal drive. At the same time, they oppose strikes, advocate class col- laboration and still adhere to the policy of expelling, suspending, and removing from office and the ballot those who do not accept their pro- gram. Against this policy, the National Committee of the Needle Trades Sec- tion of the T. U. E. L., has launched a campaign based upon a fighting pro- @ram,—the class struggle as against class collaboration; reimstatement of the expelled with a repudiation of the expulsion policy; a militant campaign to organize the industry 100 per cent. When a real fighting program has been adopted, the rank and file will gladly assess themselves to carry out an organization campaign. ‘The New York Carpenters The New York League has just com- pleted an election campaign in the Carpenters’ union with splendid re sults. The reports sent in show that in seven local unions Morris Rosen, left wing candidate, received 1922 votes, while the combined vote of Hutcheson and Brown in the same locals only totalled 2598. In one of ‘these locals No. 2717, where Hutche- ‘som received 520 votes out of a total ‘of 584, it is known that no more than 300 votes were cast. 25,000 copies of the left wing pro- gram were distributed by the New York League, and 5,000 of the Special Carpenters’ Election Edition of the Progressive Building Trades Worker, were sold. Patronize our advertisers. STRIKE STORMS SHAKE TEXTILE MILLS OF EAST The sporadic strikes going on in the whole textile industry especially in New England, against the wages cuts, grow out of the resistance of the rank and file of the divided and demoralized unions which embrace only a small part of the workers, to the wage outs being carried out by the closely organized textile barons. we belive in the program of the Work- ers Party but we that as workers we are entitled to member- ship in the trade union movement and that any effort to bar us is an ef- fort on the part of those in control of the local labor movement to disrupt and destroy the trade union moye- ment. , “Fraternally submitted, The T. U. E. L. is in these fights, fighting to force the unions to resist the wage cuts by strikes, urging the unions to unite on this one issue, pointing out that only moot Wao of the eqisting unions into one indus- trial union, then an organization of committee control of the unions and a militant fight to increase wages Instead of accepting lower wages, “Dan W. Stevents, Del, Painters! can solve the textile workers’ prob- Local No. 186. “Wm. Maseuth, Del. Machinists’ Subscriber? If not, why not? Bundie| Local No. 91. orders, 50 18 91.25 for six cents, subscription rates) _ Jems. The strikes are so numerous and varied from day to day, that we ad- vise the reader to follow them in the an “Ad” — columns of the DAILY WORK. es -|Council show a similar situation. The Bulfale Lengue Not Buffaloed By Pat O’Brien Getting the support of the militants by proclaiming to be “progressive” is beginning to be a thing of the past.! ‘The T. U. E. L. is spoiling the game| of these election progressives whose game is to get elected by making} slowing eléction promises. All over the country we see in union elections where the T. U. E. L. is active three slates, two reactionary groups calling themselves progressive and the slate supported by the T. U. E. L. The Buffalo league reports on the coming election in the Central Labor “outs” supported by Patrick O’Brien of the Seamen’s Union, a renegade socialist, are opposing the “ins” led by the present secretary, Owen Ka- vanaugh. Both claim to be pro- gressive. The T. U. E. L., however, is sup- portine the left wing slate whose elec tion impaign is based upon the pro- gram of the T. U. B. L. which includes. amalgamation, the organizing of the unorganized, child labor, unity of the labor movement, repeal of the crim- inal syndiealism law, etc. Candidates of the left wing are as follows: Por President, Roy Raymond; Vice- President, Fred Shulman; Secretary, Joseph Siminoff; Treasurer, Joseph Sogvio; Cedential Committee, Sogvio, Raymond and Bohm; Organization Committee, Raymond, Shulman, Sim- inoff, Sogvio, Berry, Bohn and Ryer- see. Get an “Ad” for the Daily Worker. Philly A. C. W. Says “No” to R. Abramovich PHILADELPHIA.—At last Thurs- day’s meeting of the Joint Board of LENIN AND THE AGRICULTURAL WORKERS’ UNIONS “Of Exceptional Import- ance,”’ He Says On the Necessity of Organizing « Trade Union of the Agricultural Laborers of Russia. By N. Lenin, in Pravda, June 24, 1917, There is one question of exceptional importance that must be. brougth be- fore the All-Russia Trade Union Con- gress now in session in Petrograd. This is the question of the foundation of an ‘All-Russia Union of Agricultural Laborers, All classes in Russia are organizing. The most exploited class of all, living in the greatest poverty, the most scat- tered and the most down-trodden, the hired agricultural laborers of Russia, seems to have been forgotten, In some of the non-Russian border states, in Latvia, for instance, organizations of hired agricultural laborers exist. But im the greatest part of the Centra] Russian and Ukrainian provinces there are no class organizations of the agricultural proletariat. The greatest and most urgent duty of the vanguard of the Russian pro- letariat, the trade unions of industrial workers, ts to come to the aid of their brothers, the agricultural workers, The difficulties involved in organizing the agricultural workers are immense— this is evident, and is confirmed by ex: perience in all capitalist countries. So much the more imperative is if then to begin work immediately and energetically for the realization of pol- itical freedom in Russia, for the found- ation of an Ali-Ruseia Union of Agri- cultural Workers. It is precisely the Trade Union Congress that can and must undertake this task. It is just the more experienced, more developed, more class conseious representatives of the proletariat gathered now in con- ference, who ean and must send out a call to the agricultural laborers, sum- moning them to the ranks of the in- dependently organized proletariat, tc the ranks of their trade unions. It is just the factory wage workers who must take the initiative, making us« of the nuclei, groups and branches of trade unions scattered thruout Rus- sia, in order to arouse the agricultural workers to independent life, to an ac- tive part in the struggle for the im- provement of their own conditions, tc the defense of their own class inter- ests. It probably appears to many, and this is perhaps the prevatfling opinion that just at this moment, when the peasantry is organizing thruout Rus- sia, demanding the abolition of the private ownership of land, the “equali- zation” of its use, the formation of @ trade union of agricultural workers is inopportune. Just the contrary. Precisely at such a time it is particularly opportune and urgently necessary. For those who hold a class, proletarian viewpoint, there can be no doubt as to the cor- rectness of the thesis adopted at the Stockholm session of the Russian So- cial Democratic Workers Party in 1906 (now Communist Party), on the initiative of the Bolsheviki, and which the Amalgamated Clothing Workers, @ committee from the socialist party, headed by Organizer Regensberg, ap- peared. After telling all the great things about the menshevik Abramo- vich, he asked for a committee from the joint board to welcome this agent of counter-revolution. Brother Neinstein at once moved te table. Rudow, manager of the union, insisted on giving long explanations, has ever since been included im the program of the R. S. D. W. P. The thesis states: “The party at all times and under all circumstances of democratic agrar- ian reform, puts as its aim to advance undeviatingly toward the independent class organigation of the agricultural proletariat, to explain to them the tr- reconecilable opposition between their interests and the. interests of the bourgeois farmers, to warn them and asked for a committee. Then the revolutionary members of the board tore the mask from Abramovich and showed him up for what he is, a rene gade and counter-revolutionist, sent to America to get material and moral support for the counter-revolutionary groups inside and outside of Russia ‘who are still trying to overthrow the Soviet government and still conspide with imperialist reaction against it. The vote of fourteen to ten decided to deny Abramovich any support of such a committee. Let this decision be a shining example to all class con. scious workers in America. Local 20 L L. G. W. U. affiliated with A. F, of L, 180 Bast 25th St., New York, Jan. 14, 1925. Labor Defense Council, 208 EK. 12th St,, New York City. Dear Friends:— We beg to inform you that we have complied with your request in against the allurements of an agricult- ural system that under ‘the capitalist system of production can never de- Stroy the misery of the masses, and finally, to point out to them the neces- sity of a complete socialistic overturn, as the only means for the destruction of all misery and all exploitation.” There is not a single class conscious worker, not a single trade union mem- ber, who will not acknowledge the truth of this thesis. To put this the- sis into effect, insofar as it is a matter concerning the independent class or- ganization of the agricultural prole- tariat—4s particularly the task of the trade unions. ‘We hope that just at a revolutionary juncture, when there is manifesting it- self among the toiling mass in general, among the workers in particular, a liv- ing tendency towards breaking their own trail, towards not permitting the building of lite anew without the in- dependent decision of the workers themselves on all questions concern: ing labor—that just at such a time the trade unions will not lock them- selves up in narrow craft interests, that they will not forget their weaker brothers, but with all their energy will sending a copy of the resolution in come to their aid in founding a waion behalf of the imprisoned workers |°! the agricultural workers of Russia. in general and Chas. B. Ruthenberg’s case in particular, to the governor of Michigan, We also have sent copies of same to the press. Fraternally yours, Waterproof Garment Workers Union, A. Weingart, Secretary, (Copy), ih AA —_—____. Baik, lrortene Srsenance, (er 0 45 -% ‘