The Daily Worker Newspaper, March 13, 1925, Page 3

GENERAL STRIKE IN WEST VA, SET FOR APRIL FIRST Injunction Judges Get Their Pens Busy FAIRMONT, West Va., March 10.— The United Mine Workers of America is planning to call a general strike of all coal miners in the northern dis- trict of West Virginia beginning April 1, according to a statement issued by Van Bitter, representative of John L. Lewis in the West Virginia territory. The statement reads: “The United Mine Workers of Am- erica will issue a general strike call requesting every man working in the non-union mines of Northern West Virginia to join the United Mine Workers,of America and strike on April. 1. ‘ “The miners’ organization has care- fully prepared plans to make this strike effective and’ it is the launch. ing of the real offensive to organize every coal mine in Northern West Virginia... There can be no doubt that the men in the non-union mines will respond to the call.” Open Shoppers Boast. George S. Brackett, executive vice- president of the Northern West Vir- ginia Coal Operators’ Association, de- clared that the open shoppers were not afraid of a strike. This coal baron’s statement confirms stories al- ready published in the DAILY WORKER that the so-called union or- ganized recently in West Virginia was formed with the connivance and sup- port of the operators. Brackett said: “It is the general understanding of those who are famil- jar with the situation that the United Mine Workers of America is attempt- ing to anticipate the movement among the miners in this field for an inde pendent union, the purpose of which would be an organization of West Vir- ginia miners, working for the benefit of this state and governed by West Virginian conditions alone.” Other open shop operators also boast’ that the profits from the dig- ging of toal have increased consider- ably ‘since’ the union miners were locked out and the pits run on a non ‘union’ basis. “f eee Injunction Issued 3 PHILIPPI; West Va., March 10.— Circuit Judge Warren B. Kittle has granted a temporary restraining injunction to the Bar-Jay Coal com- pany of this place against the United Ming Workers of America and several specific locals in this district. In substance the injunction re- strains those mentioned in the bill of compaint as follows: From interferring in any unlawful way with the Bar-Jay Coal company, or its officers, agents or employes. From making threats or sugestion of danger or from creating the appear- ance of danger by suggestion of other- wise or by show of force or assembly. From gathering in crowds, groups, single file formation or accord in or about the mine and property of the plaintiff. From marching in crowds and from making demonstrations in numbers 01 or about the mine. From the use of vile and approbri- ous names of insulting words, especi- ally the word “scab.” ‘Threats Forbidden, From promulgating, represénting or circulating any propaganda to the ef- fect that plaintiff will be forced to re- sume the operation of its mine by the employment of members of the United Mine Workers of America, against their will and that then such persons are now working for plaintiff will lose their jobs and thereafter be compelled to take anything except just what the union sees fit to give them, or any similar propaganda. From {interfering in any way with the plaintiff in carrying any contract with its employes. From blocking impeding or ob- structing, either singly or in combina tion, persons approaching the mines of the pldintiff for the purpose of em- ployment. From ali threats and the circula- tion of threats of destruction of prop erty belonging to the plaintiff or to the employes of the plaintiff. For making any threats toward the plaintiff or its officers, agents or em- ployes for the purpose of preventing the operation of its mines or hinder- ing or delaying the operation thereof, Trespassing Banned. From’ trespassing or entering upon the lands owned or controlled by plaintiff for the purpose of intimidat- ing or doing anything calculated to or that may by its effect intimidate or cause fear in any of the agents or employes of the plaintiff. From following or dogging any of the plaintiffs, agents or employes on their way to and from work either singly or in groups. 5 From doing any act or acts what- in the furtherance of any con- piracy or combination or in further oe of any unlawful acts to prevent iffs from operating its mine as « SECTION OF P d WONT YouFORCET P CANT YOUFORGIVE 9 THE Back to an Old Love / TH E DAILY WORKER - AFL. orFiciIAL DOM” pecHerey “WE ARE NOT THE SLAVES OF FORMER DAYS,” OF COMPANY SAY WORKERS TOWN, “WE FIGHT!” Near one of the great cities of the eastern United States, there is a| smaller town, typical of the age of industrial feudalism. It is owned by a great corporation, Everything, churches, schools, stores, movies, and even the postoffice, belongs to the corporation. Mail of those suspected of union or radical tendencies is opened and read in flagrant violation of the supposed laws of this great “democracy.” Spies are everywhere, factories and even in church circles. It is a regular 100 per cent company town. But the message of Communism American capitalist oppression, and from this town there has come a let- ter, accompanied by ‘three lists of the Labor Defense Council, signed with seventy names for $103. This letter breathes that profound spirit of class feeling which will some day be the moving force of the proletarian revo- lution. Here is the letter: “Dear Comrades: We want to ex- press our deep feeling of sympathy for these comrades and the cause which they now are to defend in the ex- ploiter’s courts. The funds are not big, but you can be assured that our sympathy is honest and much greater than we might express in words or in money. ‘ “We have no ofganization here. It is not allowed, as this is one man’s town. But if we should accomplish such in the future, we shall see that the Third International, shall be our guide. “We also wish to tell you that among the deep masses there is a feel- ing here and there in our favor among those who understand among the the others who are not enlightened, there is a feeling of unrest. They feel the want of something, that something we will give them. We need more teachers who can ° systematically handle the people in the way of en- lightment that shall lead us to a human and a new social order, “Comrades! We know you cannot give up the struggle against the tyrants who uphold the system. We are determined to carry on the strug- gle together with our leaders and if necessary without them. “We know that America in the near future must recognize Soviet Russia, but before they do so they are trying desperately to crush the Communist movement in this country, They shall not succeed! “We are not the workers and slaves of former days. We have learned from their experiences, Altho only a little over four years old, the capitalists fear and respect us more than any other party. We are getting our nourishment out of their system, They cannot stop us from growing stronger day by day. We are fighting for a new society and we must fight to free our leaders. “Workers thruout the land, in the factories, mines and the fields! We need these men among us and plenty more like them. This the capitalists understand, therefore they try to take them away from us. “Let us save them! Money will help to do it. Sympathy without money will not keep our comrades out of jail. ‘They are speaking and fighting for us, for a new society. “Now they are in trouble for this, It is our duty to help them. In doing this we are helping ourselves toward a better social life.” Why Not Amalgamate? The local jurisdictional strike on the Hotel Sherman annex, in which 500 workers of crafts affiliated to the Chicago Building Trades Council have been on strike for more than a week because 15 carpenters, under the di- rection of Jensen of the Carpenters’ District Council, are setting metal trim, again illustrates the necessity of amalgamation of all buifling crafts into, one industrial union, as advo- vated by the progressives and left wing workers in these trades who dhere to the program of the Trade Jnion Educational League, penetrates to the darkest recesses of BUILDING TRADE WORKERS DEMAND WAGE INCREASE WashingtonBuilders and Unions at War WASHINGTON, D. C., March 10.— Four of the leading building trade unions here have demanded an in- crease in wages, and the 34 leading building concerns of the District of Columbia have organized to fight against any wage increase. The operative builders’ association, as the new employers’ association has named itself, passed a resolution pledging that no member would grant an increase in wages. The builders have further refused to give work to any sub-contractor who meets the union demands, and have enlisted the financial interests, who have promised to make no loans to any contractor who raises wages. ; Painters and paperhangers have asked for a raise from $9 to $10 per day, and haye set the date of April 15 for this scale to go into effect. Plumb- ers ask a raise from $10 to $11 per day, to take effect May 7. Rough stone masons are asking. the same raise as the plumbers, to take effect April 1. The builders and contractors threat- en a general look out in an attempt to starve the building workers into submission. Tramway Workers of Mexico City Strike Against Toronto Boss MEXICO CITY, March 11, — The Mexican Federation of Labor held a big parade Monday in behalf of the striking tramway employes. Ten thou- sand marchers from all the unions connected with the federation passed i@: orderly procession through the main streets carrying red and black ban- ners. A thousand striking street car employes led the parade. Several large banners in the parade referred to the heads of the tramway company, and one declared the Govern- ment would not permit “magnates” of Toronto to dominate Mexican work- men. It is reported that the company is determined not to yield and will turn over its keys to the property to Bri- tish Consul King unless the strike is called off. & The strike entered upon its second week last night with the situation un- changed, The company has reiterated its intention to refuse to recognize the labor union. The Alliance of Tramway Workers, having failed in its efforts to make the government take over the company, now is seeking to have the govern- ment annul the tramwav concession, RED REVEL of the FOSTER JUNIOR GROUP of Brooklyn, N. Y.—March 28, 8 P. M. gt COLUMBIA HALL Stone & Blake Aves, Brooklyn, N. Y. TRADE UNION ILLINOIS. MINE LOCAL DEMANDS WORLD UNITY Voices Sharp Attack on Amsterdamers | By ALEX REID. | CHRISTOPHER, Ill—At the last regular meeting vf Local Union 2376, U. M. W. of A.,‘of this city, the fol- lowing resolution was adopted: “WHEREAS, the Amsterdam Inter- national in session early in the year }1925, has once again portrayed to the world its traitorous attitude to the class conscious workers bY its refusal to accept the British workers’ resolu. tion calling for an unconditonal con- ference between the Amsterdam and Russian unions, and its acceptance of the contemptible substitute resolu- tion; and, “WHEREAS, Ondegeest and Jou- haux attempted to betray the toilers of the world by shelving the proposals and plans for world unity, and with Grassman and the bourgeois represen- tatives, misrepresented the Russian labor unions’ position; and Mertens and Sassenbach, arch-traitors, even | lied about the proceodings of the con- vcntion itself ty stating that tre Brit- ish delegates, Purcell and Bramley, had repudiated the idea of a world congress, which was proven to be a lie out of whole cloth and worthy of the men who gave it utterance; and, “WHEREAS, the rank and file of American workmen demand world unity of the workers to meet and pro-| tect ourselves against the world unity | of international bankers; therefore, | we hereby RESOLVE, to uphold the British delegates’ position for unconditional conferences with the Russian labor un- ions; and do further “RESOLVE, that the actions of the opposition makes it necessary that the workers of the world unconditionally affiliate with the R. I. L. U. in behalf of world unity, and invite the Amster- dam International to affiliate, provid- ing they declare their desire to do so; and, be it further “RESOLVED, that we hereby felici- tate the manly, position and honor- able stand for international brother- hood by our British comrades, and likewise extend to Comrade Herbert Smith, Pres., A. C. Cook, Sec., of the Miners’. ‘ation of. Great Britain, our congratulations for their noble stand and pledge ourselves to support them in every way in our power on behalf of world unity; and be it further “RESOLVED, that we send a copy of this resolution to the DAILY Page Three EDUCATIONAL LEAGUE Ammunition for the Workers’ Arsenal By MANUEL GOMEZ. Women in American Trade Unions. IVE times as many women as in 1910 were members of trade un- ions in 1920. Women in industry ave not such docile slaves as many have supposed. They have shown a stubborn and cour- ageous loyalty to the working class as a whole which the history of the Am- erican trade union movement amply testifies: They have been the back- bone of great strikes, notably in the clothing industry and the textile in- dustry. Women are getting into the trade unions in greater and greater numbers. If the union officials would devote more attention to the question of organizing women than they do at present it can be predicted with cer- tainty that extraordinary results would be obtained. Women Being Drawn Into Industry. Some interesting facts for Women’s Day are revealed by taking some trade union figures recently issued by the national bureau of economic re- search and comparing them with the latest census of women in industry compiled by the U. S. department of commerce, Both in 1910 and in 1920 women constituted about one-fifth of the total] number of “gainfully employed” per- sons. From 1880 on the increase of women “gainfully employed” has pro- ceeded at a much more rapid rate than the increase of the total working population—which means that women are being drawn directly into the class only the women employed in manufac ture we find that they are nearly one- fifth organized—despite the fact that women are not engaged in mining o: in the building trafes or in other im portant industries from which a con siderable proportion of the male trade union membership comes. All organizations but two had a larger female membership in 1920 than in 1910, and as stated in the op- ening paragraph the total increase for all organizations was 500 per cent In both 1910 and 1920 the clothing |* unions were the dominating item. By 1920, however, the shoe, textile, rail way clerks and electrical workers had added a very large number of women trade unionists: There has been a large drop in un- ion membership since 1920, in the case of both men and women. Between 1920 and 1923, some 100,000 women unionists dropped out of the files. This was due té the big unemployment cri. sis, the post-war “readjustment” and the unprecedented “open shop” of- fensive of the bosses. It was also due to the spineless and treacherous atti- tude of the bureaucratic labor fakers —and there are labor fakers among the women as well as among the mer —who refused to conduct a militant struggle when the unions were at- tacked. Study the Table. Following is the table of the na tional bureau of economic research struggle as reflected in industry, com. | showing the per cent of organization merce and trade. It should be understood that the term “gainfully employed,” as used by the department of commerce, is far from being the same as usefully em ployed; it is not limited to workers but includes wage-earners and bosses alike. Nevertheless, 70 per cent of the 8,549,511 women listed as “gain- fully employed” are wage-earners. A Big Job Ahead. Relatively and positively—any way you look at it—the number of work- ing women who are also members of trade unions is small. There is a big job ahead. Only one-fifteenth of the working women are organized. This is a much smaller proportion than is the case with men—taking the Amer- ican working class as a whole, it is about one-fifth organized. But with regard to the apparently poor showing of the women, there’s a reason. The reason is that large numbers of wo- men are employed as clerks, domestic servants, etc., occupations which have never been really organized, neither among women wage earners in manu- facturing industries for the years 1920 and 1910. Note particularty the huge increases in the case of the clothing, textile, leather, printing and tobacco industries. DIVISION OF INDUSTRY Organized 1920 1910 All Manufacturing . 18.3 Chemical and Allied .. Clay, Glass and Stone. Clothing .... Food ... fron and Steel . Leather .. Liquor and Beverage Lumber ....... z Metal (except iron & steel) —— Paper and Pulp Printing and Pu Textile . A Cigars and Tobacco . 13.5 8.0 Of recent years considerable prog- 8.5 46.0 tess has been made in the organiza- tion of women “professional workers,” such as teachers, musicians, actors, by women nor by men. If we consideretc. WORKER of Chicago, the London Daily Herald of London, and the For- ward of Glasgow, Scotland. Will the Detroit Carpenters Invite Victor to Lecture? CHICAGO.—At the recent biennial session of the Illinois Women’s Joint Legislative Forum, Victor A. Olander, labor faker secretary of the Illinois State Federation of Labor, spoke against the use of injunctions. He said, in part: “There has not been a case in Iili- nois in 35 years that injunctions have been used for working people. They have always been used against them. In every case labor has been the defendant and the complainant's place has been reserved for the em- ployer. “It is a system so vicious, so un- American, so foreign to our institu- tions that many employers will not resort to it.” These ancient homilies are called to the attention of the Detroit -arpen. ters, in order that they may be relay- ed thru the proper channels, to Olan- der’s fellow faker, Bill Hutcheson. 4,609 Crippled Children Here In a canvass of the city by the visit- ing nurses association, 4,609 cripples less than 21 years old have been fqund. a Dividends of the R. A. I. C. Donated to Soviet Industry Comrades who have been informed that dividends given to those who hold stock in the Russian-American Industrial corporation are being col- lected by the needle trades T. U. EB. L. group in Chicago in order to pur- chase small parts for machinery of clothing factories in Soviet Russia are already beginning to send in their checks. The following have responded thus far: George Fiakus, Boston, Mass., 80 cents; H. Epstein, Chivago, Ill, $1.00; Aubrey C. Bailey, NeW York City, 50 cents; W. J. Patterson, Zanesville, O. $2.50. ie Others who wish to’help are asked to send their dividends and any ad. ditional contributions they want to make towards the purwhase of mach. inery, to the Needles!Trades Com. mittee, T, U, B. L., 19 South Lincoln street, Ohicago, Ill, EASTERN DISTRICT TYPE SLINGERS ON N. Y. DAILIES SHOW GOOD TASTE Every Day They’re a Little Wiser By M. O’B. NEW YORK CITY—The DAILY WORKER is eagerly read by many members of the printing trades. In the World composing room alone, over thirty members are readers, many of them being regular subscribers. So it is in all the great dailies; and articles from the WORKER are posted on the various bulletin boards of the chapels (shop committees of comps.) for the members to read; they are educational and excite favor- able comment. The left wingers in “Big Six” are growing rapidly. Failure of the So.Calls. The so-called Progressive Party of the International Typographical Union lost the last international election by a small margin. The Progressives (who were really progressive until they captured the International offices) began to “freeze out” the radicals from their party af- ter they took control; as the left wing- ers were their most militant members, the Progressive Party lost much on account of the freezing out of the Reds. Tweediedum and Tweedledee. Becoming “as reactionary as the old Lynch crowd, they were defeated 4 little over a year ago. Out of a membership of 70,000 in the I. T, U. there are over 8,000 “real progressives.” They were the bal- ance of power. In one New York chapel alone there was over fifty blanks for the head o! the ticket; these were radical votes who saw no reason to vote for either reactionary candidate. Other radicals voted for the “Wah" (old reactionary) candidates on the basis of punishing fake progres- sives for their treachery to the left wing. Need Some Team Work. ually graduating from the “talking stage,” ,and when they have a little more team work will have their own ticket; as the last two elections have taught them that they can expect nothing from the “Wah” or “Prog” parties, but must put before the mem- bership a clear-cut Communist plat- form with militant candidates, When it Gets Too Bad for the Fakers, it Surely is Rotten NEW YORK—Acting in compliance with the American Federation of La- bor’s executive council decision, Or. ganizer Hugh Frayne is reorganizing the Cloth Examiners and Shrinkers Union, Federal Local No. 11680. The| A. F. of L. revoked the charter of the local because of large assessments levied on members to pay union offi- cers’ special rewards contrary to the laws of the American Federation. During the last six years members of the union have been forced to pay five to six weeks’ wages, $250 to $350 per man, for the benefit of President Joseph Mezzacapo and other officials. ‘A salary of $200 a week was paid the president gifts. In the reorganization of the union steps are being taken to exclude Present officers from executive posi- tions. There are about 300 members of the union, earning an average of $50 weekly. in addition to the extra Union Fights Sweat Shop Work. NEW YORK, N. Y., March 11.—The U. S. Raincoat company of New York, 4a company operating under agreement with the Raincoat Workers’ Union, was charged by the union with send- ing work to open shop contractors. The company withdrew tne work from the swegt shop contractors and the men returned to work. Embroidery Workers Win Strike. NEW YORK, N. Y., March 11-—-The Bonnaz Embroidery Workers won a victory after a short strike here. Agreements covering wages and work- ing conditions have been made be- tween the union and thirty-seven members of the manufacturers’ associ- The I. 7. U, lett wingers are grad-\ation and 180 different firma, ‘ — Per Cent: THE FUNCTION OF THE LEFT WING PAPERS. A Revolt Against Of- ficial Censorship By J. W. JOHNSTONE. In the struggles of the workers against exploitation, the role played by the labor press and especially that of the trade unions, cannot be over estimated. However, there are twe types of trade union press, the officia) organs and those papers that repre ont the Communists and the left wing minorities within the trade un ion movement. The official trade union journals, almost without exception, have beer diverted from fighting the battles of the workers on the basis of the class struggle, to that of advocating concil- jation, arbitration, and class collab- oration. It is this corrupting of the official trade union journals that gave birth to the left-wing papers within the trade union movement. The Censored Official Press. If the official organs were open t free discussion upon all the problems | that confront the workers, there would be no need for paralleling these jour- nals with those that express the hopes and aspirations of the ever-growing progressive minorities. The Trade Union Educatiokal | League was organized because the la bor bureaucrats have long since ceased to express the will of the rank and file, and the natural sequence was the launching of a left-wing press to advocate their program as againsi that of the reactionary officialdom. Do You Get TMese Papers? The Metal Trades Amalgamatior Bulletin, the Printing Trades’ Amal- gamationist, the Progressive Bullding Trades Worker, and the Railroad Amalgamation Advocate are the left- wing expressions within their particn- lar industry, and show the great ad- vancement made since the organizing of the Trade Union Educational League in 1920, in crystallizing the militants in these industries upon a national scale. The work done by this militant left wing press to counteract the demoral- izing effect upon the movement of the advocates of class collaboration, is shown by the vicious attacks made by the reactionaries upon the Commun- ists, adherents of the T. U. E. L., and those who follow their lead. This young and ever-growing, pow: erful enemy of reaction should have the fullest support of all workers who call themselves militants. Not Mere Belief—But Action Needed To understand the revolutionary struggle is not sufficient. Action is what is needed. And a good way to begin, if you work in any of these in- dustries, is to subscribe for and order a bundle of these papers and distrib ute them among the workers in the shops and factories of their respec tive industries. K. K. K. POSTS LOW WAGES AND NO STRIKE SIGN Night Shirts Enforce Class Terror JACKSONVILLE, Fra., March 11,.— The methods of the ku klux klan and its plainly anti-labor character is well illustrated by these chamber of com- }merce guys in night shirts, in their terrorization of all labor, white and black, in the tobacco packing towns of the south. There can be no ques- tion as to which class the kluxers are fighting for, when one sees which class they fight against. Here in Florida, the kluxers, in full” regalia, ride thru the tobacco towns in parades, ostentatiously putting up warning: notices to workers on tele- Phone poles. These read as follows: “Notice—! Contractors’ Prices: “Packers, Nailers and Cutters $3.00 per day. “Strippers $1.50 per day. “Sorters $1.75 per day. / “Packers $.09 per crate. “Contractors not to bother one an other’s crew. “No loafing or strikes will be tol- erated. “Ku klux klan.* The low wages paid, are to be kept low, by the “No Strikes Tolerated” threat, over the name of the klan. A DAILY WORKER sub means another Communist. | NOTICE | The T. U. E, L. is short on copies of the following Labor Herald: March, April, May, and October, 1923, Wo ask the readers of this page to send in these copies so as to complete our files. Mail to the Trade Union Educational League, 1118 Wi Blvd. Chicago, ‘Thanky