The Daily Worker Newspaper, March 24, 1925, Page 2

Page Two COKE MINERS IN REVOLT AGAINST | BIG WAGE CUT, Operators Slash Pay! $2.25 per Day (Continued from Page 1). sure of work again forced restoration of the old scale. (Continued from Page 1). “Shut up, if you know what is good for you!” These camps are completely com-| pany owned. The miners live in com | pany houses and buy their necessaries | in company stores, Immediately at/ the beginning of the strike, a ten days’ | eviction notice was given to each) striker and the credit in the company | stores ceased. Whatever indebtedness | the striking miners may have to the} store will be balanced against their next pay. State Police Install Martial Law. The coal and iron police, which is a special privilege in the state of Penn- sylvania, ing owners of coal mines and s mills the right to deputize such special police, have taken posses- sion of the territory. During the 1922 general coal mine strike the 40,000 unorganized miners « of Fayette county came out and made common cause with their organized fellow workers. They were organized into the U. M..W. of A. when at the settlement of the strike Lewis and the officials of District No. 5 left them all in'the lurch and they were fimelly forced to go back to work com ¥s,: ly unorganized, chat is at least those that were not victimized by the coal barons. Lewis Wrecks and Betrays Union. Special organizers and stool pigeons dispatched by John L. Lewis have since been busy in that territory, not to organize, but to steal all the chart- ers they could get hold of the lo- cals which were organized during the strike, believing that thereby the offi- cials would be absolved from any res- ponsibility for the miserable condi-' tions of the workers. The Hillman company, whose mines have been struck some time ago, was permitted by President Fagan and the rest of the District No. 5 machine to sign an agreement covering its mines within District No. 5 but exempting those in Fayette county, altho Hines and O’Leary, two of the machine, had origihally voted against it. Want Rank and File Control. Since then they have both come out and explained that action as a per- fectly good union principle in their opinion. Naturally the miners in the struck region and throughout Fayette county are bitter at the betrayals of the officialdom of the U. M. W. of A. but at any and all times are ready to join hands with the rank and file members of the union. As fast as wage cuts notices are made, the strike is spreading and strike committees to take charge of the situation are rapidly being or- ganized, oe Shut Down In West Virginia. MORGANTOWN, West Va., March 232.—Every union mine now operating in Northern West Virginia will be closed by April ist, if the present ‘wage scale is in operation at that time, according to a statement issued by the Consolidation Coal Company, one pf the biggest coal combines in the world. ‘This mighty industrial octopus has mines in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia in addition to the pits it ope- rates in this state. It has already Suspended operations in twenty two mines in this field and the remaining six are expected to cease operations on April 1. It was stated unofficially that many Morgantown operators who have con- tracts with the union will shut down on April ist. While no statement was made officially, that the mines would open non-union after April ist, it is hinted that this will be the strategy of the coal operators not only in West Virginia but thruout the country. The coal barons believe it is easier to fight the union by shutting down the mines and letting the scab pits take care of the market until the hungry workers tome to terms. While this danger threatens the United Mine Workers of America John L. Lewis is doing nothing to prepare for the inevitable struggle with tho operators but is busy as usual fighting the radicals. Sinclair Gave No Cash to Navy for Teapot, Is Charge CHBYENNE, Wyo., March 22.—The contract which former Secretary of the Interior Albert B, Ball signed with the Sinclair Oil interests, turning Tea- pot Dome over to Sinclair, provided that crude oil royalties should not be paid the navy in cash, it was dis- closed here in the government's an- nulment suit. The contract Fall made provided that royajties would be taken by Sin- clair in exchange for tanks. This, it + is thought, is a violation of the provi- ' sions under which congress has the sole power to appopriate money for purchases made by the navy. _A DAILY WORKER sub means Collaboration Is Exposed. In Alfred Decker and Cohen pants shop, where Brothers Rudman and Savonovsky were taken off their gobs, when these workers went to get their pay, they were told that they couldn’t go inside the shop for fear they might see and talk with others. However, they visited the other workers anyway and when they ex- plained to other workers of-the new orders given by the union thru the bosses, all exclaimed: “Now we see} that close co-operation is really exist- ing between the union officers and the bosses!” The machine is using. every trick possible. In the Alfred Decker and | Cohen shop they are raising race pre- judice. They say: “Why should Ital- ians fight for Jews?” When this fail- ed, they tried something new. Efforts to Check Attendance. This new trick is a stall to cool down the anger of the workers and is | put out as a rumor to prevent the big protest meeting tonight. The word is being passed around that the vic- tims who were taken off their jobs are going to be returned to the job. Then they say: “It is no use to go to protest meetings!” But the work- ers. see thru this scheme of the ma-| chine to spoil tonight’s meeting at | Temple Hall. Everywhere the cry is: “Out to the protest meeting! We must show the Hillman-Levin machine that they dare not tamper with the bread and butter of the workers! We reserve the right to ourselves to criticize the officers of our union! The right to protest against their, arbitrary action of expelling locals, as in New York, or individual members, as in Chi- cago!” The case of Brother Lieberman, who was taken off the job from Hart, Schaffner and Marx factory “M,” proves that the Hillman-Levin ma- chine is not interested altogether in| distribution of leaflets, but also to drive out of the shops the members who are militant left wing workers. Lieberman was called to Levin’s of- vee, and when he was asked if he dis- tributed leaflets, he replied that he did not. , Witnesses Don’t Matter. Levin then said, “Bring witnesses AUSTRIAN GOVERNMENT FEARS RED SPEECH ON THE PARIS COMMUNE VIENNA, March 22.—Eric Muehsam, prominent Bavarian Communist, who was en route to Vienna to give a lecture to celebrate the memorial of the Paris Commune, was prevented from crossing the frontier by the Austrian government, whichvs largely in the hands of “socialists.” Liptzin Here in ‘Amalgamated’ Fight | deny it, but only to prove you didn’t!” But when ) THE DAILY WORKER Brother Lieberman brought four workers of his shop to testify that they did not see him distribute any leaflets, he was told: “It is no use for you to bring witnesses. You can bring the whole shop to testify for you and it wouldn’t help you any. Whatever Kagan, the shop chairman, says, will go with me!” Because Kagan is a part of Levin’s machine, Levin will not take the word, even of all the workers in the shop, but of one member—his tool— against all. When Brother Lieber- man said to Kagan, “If you state that I have distributed leaflets, you will be telling a lie!” Kagan could not said, “So you will nd even if I did distribute leafi said Lieberman, “which I did not, I would have a per- fect right to do so,” The meeting tonight, at which the members of all Amalgamated locals are invited, will be addressed by Sam Liptzin of New York, Local 5, who will tell of the fight against the Hill- man machine. call me a liar?” | Calgary Unemployed March to Edmonton to Demend Relief CALGARY, Alberta, March 22.—One |hundred and twenty-three men left here on a march to Edmonton, the capital of Alberta, 250 miles from here, to demand relief from" unemployment. The men announced they would camp by the parliament building until their demands were satisfied. Greek Printers Strike to Aid Rail Workers ATHENS, March 22.—No daily newspapers appeared in Greece today owing to the walkout of printers, who quit work in sympathy with railway HELP! HELP!! We need volunteer help in mail- ing out 10,000 invitations for the March celebration and anti-Abra- movich demonstration, if you can spare an hour or a day come and help ! LABOR DEFENSE COUNCIL 19 S. Lincoln St. APPEAL FOR AID FOR WORKING CLASS VICTIMS OF THE STORM (Continued from page 1.) and takes advantage of helplessness to make profit. A tent, a loaf of bread and limited medical care is all the workers can expect from bourgeois relief organiza- tions. These miners who were al- ready starving without a sign of pity from capitalist relief agencies, will not be given more than scant care now.’ Before the disaster the miners had been hard hit by unemployment. They were very close to destitution even then. There was no thought of giving them “aid” then. There was thought only about the possibility of wrecking the miners’ union thru long continued hard times. But now the whole region is affect- ed—mines have been wrecked, busi- ness establishments have been demol- ished, aside from the miners’ dwell- ings. In a word, a whole district has been literally taken off the map, a section of capitalism has been made useless. That is why chambers of commerce and boards of trustees are so responsive to the “needs of the stricken community.” Capitalism, the coal operators, and their agent in the miners’ union, John L. Lewis, have both declared that there were 200,000 miners too many! What sort of care, then, can these victims of the storm expect from these vampires who would work them for profits—then ask them to. starve to death quietly and peacefully when they are not wanted—when they are surplus? All the care these vultures give will be little and hypocritical, Such relief can only mean a continu- ation of their present destitution. And that in turn will mean what? It will mean that the miners will not be strong enough to fight back at- tempts that will surely be made to break down their morale and take away their union and what it means to them. The workers must protect their brothers in the mines and their in- dustries against such unfair and base attacks, The workers must let the miners and workers of southern Illi- nols know that they don't have to rely solely upon the employing class- es and their agents, They must let the miners know there are those will- ing to help them protect the organ- ization that means so much not only to the miners, but to the whole work- ing class. The workers of the whole country must come immediately to the .aid of their fellow workers in distress. The workers must see that relief work is carried on without distinction and without discrimination. They must dig down in their own pockets to provide relief for workers and their families. The International Workers’ Aid calls upon all workers to contribute funds immediately. The I. W. A. has undertaken to bring relief to the workers and their families in the storm district. The I, W. A. seeks not only to pro- vide for immediate physical wants, and medical attention, but aims also to provide for the destitute workers’ families a measure of economic se- curity, enabling them to protect their organizations and combat the attacks of the employers in their present weakened condition. International Workers’ Aid, George Maurer, Sec'y. Rush funds to International Workers’ Aid, 19 $. Lincoln St., Chicago, Ill, AS WE SEE IT By T. J. O'FLAHERTY. (Continued from Page 1) before the machine guns of the bour- geoisie, directed by the hands of the socialists of the Second International. ee 1 tend big, problem confronting the working class all over the world to- day is not so much the abolition of jails, but the question of who should occupy the jails. The robbers and their agents or the robbed? In Russia the robbers and their agents go to jail. It looks like a very mild punish- ment for such colossal burglars and murderers, Here and in all other cap- italist countries the robbed and their leaders, particularly the leaders, go to the penitentiary. Communists can- not too often repeat that jails lik. war are inevitable under class, rule. Both are undesirable. Nobody wants war except a capitalist admiral or gen- eral, @ moron or the salvation army, But in order to elminiate the causes of war, a war must be waged against capitalism, Get a sub—make another Com- munist! LEVEN UNION MINERS FRAMED UP FOR MURDER West Va Coal Barons Use State Police (Continued from page 1) Mine Workers of America, on the charge of murder. The’ union men were landed in jail by the coal haron’s police, charged | with the murder of Ray Tobin. on the |night of January 15. The men are James Ryan, John Hogan, Ted Sum. mers, Joe Burk, Irvin Schafer, Ed Rhodes, Julius Kolkrai, Cecil Harris, Nick Serdich, Milton Haught, and Jim Burk. The: warrant was sworn out by Tobin’s widow. Scabs Kill Union Miner, On the night of January 15, the min- ers say John Kello, a union miner, was walking down the road in Grant |Town, near the Union Boarding | House and the Union Hall. A band of ; non-union miners, having just left | Anderson’s pool room, were coming jthe other way. They stopped Kellc and Tobin fired on him, the miners say. Kello fell dying, and the miners rushed out of the Union Boarding House to defend him. In the volley of shots that ensued, Toba was killed. lt is noticeable that no one has been arrested for the murder of Kel- lo, altho it is known who was inthe party which attacked him. Counsel for the defendants har asked for a change of venue. on the ground that, Justice Tom Ashcraft, who issued the warrants is also an employe of the New England Fuel and Transportation company owning the mines in Grant Town where the scabs were employed. Held Without Bail. The union leaders are being held without bail, pending the convening of the May grand jury. The West Virginia kept press is printing long articles against the un- ion miners, hinting that the men have confessed, and spreading the report that the miners shot. Tobin before Kello was killed. The miners deny this. State police cossacks made the ar- rests. Tobin was a company detective of the ‘worst type, having been employed previously as a mine guard at the Dakota mine. He was out to stir up trouble among the union miners. The followers of Tobin “were all scabs employed by the New England Fuel. company, who had been import- ed to displace the union miners. The New @, Fuel company re- cently discharged union men and re- opened the mine, employing mine guards to protect the scabs, FRANCE COLD. TO PACT FOR ARMS LIMIT Demands Guarantee of Her Frontiers (Special to The Daily Worker.) WASHINGTON, March 22.—France is still proving to be the stumbling block in the efforts of President Coolidge and the Baldwin ministry of Britain toward the holding of a second arms conference in Washington next fall or winter, it was admitted today by administration officials. Some days have elapsed since Presi- dent Coolidge publicly proclaimed American willingness to invite the powers to Washington for another arms reducing parley, and in that time the reactions of the world capitals have been carefully noted. France has been cold, to the proposition, The Parisian press, which is taken here to reflect the attitude of the French government, has been downright and bitterly hostile, Two Main Objections, French objections to again coming to Washington are based primarily on two grounds, 1, A belief that @ second arms con+ ference would inevitably result in limitations being placed on aircraft and submarines, two arms in which France is now energetically engaged in strengthening herself to offset Bri- tish, American and Japanese suprem- acy, and, 2. Unwillingness to submit to further armament or restriction of any kind without an accompanying pact by which the other world powers, including the United States, guarantee her security and present borders, This security pact was a part of the French-promoted plan by which the league of nations was going to hold a disarmament conference. It was now collapsed thru Britain's un- wilingness to commit herself definite- ly and irrevocaby, to a French alli- ance, 4 There Is Another Big Storm on the Horizon,- the Social Revolution By J. LOUIS ENGDAHL Toay: Southern Illinois, and strips thru Missouri, In- diana, Kentucky and Tennessee, are struggling to mend the havoc wrought by last week’s storm. Lock at the Illinois mine fields. The coal diggers have ceased to. burrow for coal. They are digging graves. While the fresh earth is being heaped upon the coffins of their dead the wrecked cities of the living are reared anew. There are cities and villages in southern Illinois be- cause there is-fuel in the ground. But it is the miners who bring up the coal. It is the building tradesmen who erect the dwellings of rich and poor alike, cause store and factory buildings to rise bringing a municipality into existence; all on the broad, bent back of the coal miner underground, Conditions for these workers will not change with the rebuilding now that the storm has passed. They will re- main pretty much the same. It is just the same-as saying pies conditions do not change for the workers under cap- italism. . Capita’ charity born of hypocrites’ tears will get a crust of bread for some of the homeless. But that will soon be a thing of the past. The hard facts of life must then be faced anew. The coal miner, penniless and perhaps jobless, will somehow get another shack for his iwife and babies, if they BRITISH AND-U, S. BAGMEN QUARREL OVER MARKETS South, Amecics ..Maix Theatre of War Brfitish and American capitalista are at loggerheads n almost every part of the world. In some places a gentleman’s agreement exists, but these agreements are destined to be of short duration. In China for. in- stance, tho British and . American capital had different games to play they united against Japan, and te some extent against France. In South America, however, the struggle between British and Ameri- can capital is out in the open. . Brit- ish gapital, practically dominated the Argentine and Chile and until. quite recently Mexico. The revolutions in those countries can be principally traced to the intrigues of those riva) interests, Flew to Wall Street’s Bosom. When President Alessandri of Chile was forced to flee for his life by the Altamariano forces last September, he took refuge in the American embassy. The British supported his enemy. Britain has the money invested in South American railways, owns most of the banks, but the United States is purchasing the politicians, and cap- turing the markets. No laws can be passed by. any South Wreckage of Workers’ Homes Caught in Storm All that was left of ern Illinois coal mining town. a Ni Se cD a eS still live. The new home like the old one will hardly keep out the rain and the snow, let alone stand against the next tornado’s blast. The miners’ homes, just like the homes of other work- ers, are most often to be found on the lowlands, “on the flat” or “in the hollow,)’ where the spring’ floods get them, if the wind passes by. It is the workers’ homes that are built of wood, food for flames. It is different with the mine owners’ residence, or the abodes of the owners of any ,industry. These are built strong and comfortable of stone or granite. They stand against the storm. All the wreckage of last week’s storm showed the broken remains of the homes of the working poor, not of the idle rich. The capitalist has his castle on the hill; just like the robber baron of old. Go into any American city and the rich live on “the heights,” where the rising floods in the springtime never reach. All this is true, not only of American workers, but of those who toil in all capitalist nations. When the last great earthquake shook Japan, it was the workers’ districts in the great cities that suffered most. They were destroyed. The abodes of the plutocracy were as quake proof as it was possible to make them, While the death-dealing cyclone last week swept the middle west of the United States, a devastating fire brought destruction to Tokio, Japan. But it was again the work class district of Tokio, with 10,000 workers made homeless, and the class government of the owners trying to keep the facts of the disaster secret. The truth might stir the think: ing workers of Japan to action. The latest issue of the New York Times arrives.. This is the organ of the plutocracy. It gives headlines equal in size to the butning of two gorgeous hotels in the millionaires’ colony at Palm Beach, Fla., and to the midwest disaster. The fact that a few parasitic millionaires have had. their winter holidays interfered with is of equal importance to the misery and sufferings visited upon the workers of one of the busiest coal mining sections of the nation, in which hundreds died, thousands were injured, and tens of thous- ands made homeless. The names of “the guests” incon~ enced at Palm Beach are of greater importance than jead in Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana. Hence they must be given the first page display. They got it. In Soviet Russia the workers and peasants took over the homes of the parasite rich. It is time that the workers and poor farmers of the United States followed in their glorious footsteps; pending the time when suitable homes can be built for ay proper shelter for human beings against the elements, Such shelter will never be secured under oop. italism, It will be achieved under Communism, Let workers and poor farmers of America think it over, + the d hen: will be the | ng. part of working class district after storm hit West Frankfort, south- American republic without the sanc- tion of either the British or American capitalists. This fact is no longer hidden beneath flowery verbiage. It is openly admitted. It will be re- membered that General John J. Persh- ing has just returned from a trip thru South America. He was temporarily clothed with semi-ambassadorial pow- ers. He dined with politicians, kissed Argentine children and danced the Spanish tango with the charming daughters of Argentine senors, “The Prince of Wales is to follow Pershing’s trail. He may beat the general on the polished floor and per- haps will win more favor with the dark-eyed daughters of the South, but as a “heavy sugar daddy” he will not be able to hold his own with “Black Jack.” The male gold diggers of the southern republics will send in their bills to Wall Street, tho they might admit the prince can swing a wicked heel and tote an eldstic el- bow. The Prince to the Rescue. The situation in the Argentine stands roughly as follows: The Brit- ish bagmen are still in the lead as far as investments are concerned. They own most of the railroads and the biggest and best banks, They have considerable social standing there. Two billions of British capital is invested in the Argentine against $200,000,000 of American capital, , But the superior ability of the Am- erican factory to produce cheap goods that compare in quality with the Brit- ish products and the comparative nearness of the Argentine market t the United States is shoving J. Bullfs business men out of the commercfal picture. Soviets Adopt Metric System. MOSCOW—(Rosta)—The work, ot putting all weights and measures in the Union of Soviet Republics on a metric system basis is progressing rapidly. M. Y. de Couverville and a mission from France charged with the job of carrying out this work re. cently arrived here and has. already set to work. M, de Couverville is well known in scientific circles in both France and Russia which he had often visited for cor purposes before the revolu- the DAILY Get a sub for from