The Daily Worker Newspaper, March 27, 1925, Page 3

THE DAIWY WORKER Page Three SECTION OF THE TRADE UNION EDUCATIONAL LEAGUE FAGAN AND HIS LITTLE PARTNER VISIT A LOCAL ‘Attack tha. Cocaniamiiuts But Find Miners Cool By A COAL DIGGER. VESTABURG, Pa.—The officials of District 5, U. M. W. of A., travel from local to local spreading bunk and lies. They visited us at Vestaburg Local 762, both President Patrick Fagan and Secretary-Treasurer Hargest. After the local business, the local president introduced Fagan. He ex- -« Pected to be welcomed and he was sure the miners would meet him with applause, but he and his partner were surprised. No applause for these fak- ers, even tho there were a few mem- bers of’ his machine. Otis Worries Mr. Fagan. Fagan started with hig “Umm; ah, mum.” First saying that the Work- ers Party is a “dual organization,” that Foster and his men were spread- ing propaganda all over the district during election and some persons were traveling from local to local “poisoning” members. Then he said for the “loyal” machine members to “keep their eyes” on all who were having correspondence with James Otis. He talked about Nova Scotia, say- ing that the Canadian miners “took orders from Russia from Leon Trot- sky. We don’t want any Communism in America,” he said. Then he prais- ed himself and Lewis. He told the ridiculous Me that Foster and Ruth- enberg were once in the miners’ un- ion, and quit to fool people with their “new organization.” Fagan’s Fairy Tales. Fagan continued to tell about how Lewis had got “thousands of letters” asking him to call off the 1922 strike, and he tried to excuse himself for the treachery against the Moundsville prisoners, saying that he had “talked with the prosecutor and interviewed the governor, who pardoned some men, but who passed the buck to his successor, Governor Gore, who took office on March 4. Then he wound up, “Dig clean coal and co-operate with the coal compan. ies and don’t listen to the Reds,” That’s Fagan’s program. “Watch the Reds” Only Program. * Bill Hargest got up and said, “I am not a good speaker, because I am not a Red.” He is right. He is both yellow and a rotten speaker. All he could say was that the Crotian mem- bers “make trouble” and that the members must “watch the Reds.” This is the whole and only program of these fakers who live from the blisters on the miners’ hand. But the Progressive Miners’ Committee, ‘with their program of nationalization under anion management and a short work day, this is the hope of the miners in District 5 as elsewhere. Scab Feels Sore All Over After Strikers’ Interview on Street UTICA, N. Y—John Brykla was discharged by Judge Buckley of ,the municipal court from the assault charge preferred by Harry Macaly, a scab in the Utica Steam Cotton mill. Macaly said that when he was going home with two girls, four men jumped on him. Brykla asked him where he was working and when he told them he was working at the mills, Stan- ley Potter, along with Brykla, threw him. down on the sidewalk and the whole four men kicked him. Potter is a striker as is Brykla. When Brykla’s attorney asked where the men had kicked him, Mac- aly said: “I don't know. I feel the same soreness all over.” The strike in the Utica cotton mills ig still going strong. MELBOURNE, Australia— (FP)— A single industrial transport union *’ taking in railway, streetcar, motor. ‘bus, trucking and teaming employes is urged by the annual conference of ‘orailway labor unions held at Mel- bourne. Negotiations will be opened ‘with the other unions and meanwhile amalgamation of craft unions on the, railways is to be attempted. “WHAT'S WRONG Single Copies 10c Progressive Buil 56-Page Pamphlet Just Off the Press. CARPENTER’S UNION?” THE STORY OF ADMINISTRATION CORRUPTION and EXPULSION OF MILITANTS IN THE CARPENTERS’ UNION. Order from ding Trades Worker _ Solis ete zn deny CHINESE SEAMEN IN APPEAL FOR UNITED FRONT AGAINST BRITISH | IMPERIALISM, ASK: OUR SUPPORT By SAN CHEN GING (Secretary Chinese Seamen's Union) HONG KONG, China.—There is a growing discontent and indignation among tens of thousands of Chinese seamen at the shipowners’ non-observ- ance of the agreement concluded between the Chinese Seamen’s Union and the shipowners’ committee as a result of the seamen’s victorious -strike in 1922. The agreement, containing three clauses, was signed by R. Sutherland, chairman of the shipowners’ committee, A. Jamiesen, British consul-general at Canton, Luk King Fo, secretary to the commissioner for foreign affairs at Canton, and Chak Hon Ke, delegate of the Chinese Seamen’s Union. It was further guaranteed by Sir Robert Hotung, Be that as it may, the shipowners and the British colonial government in Hong Kong have violated every one of the three clauses, while the Chinese seamen in the person of the Chinese Seamen’s Union have kept strictly to the agreement ever since its solemn conclusion. In order to substantiate this state- ment, the agreement is reproduced here in full, followed by iron proofs of the flagrant violations deliberately committed by the shipowners in coal- ition with the British colonial gov- ernment: Agreement. “It is hereby agreed between the undersigned parties that the following are the terms of settlement of the matters in dispute between them. “I, The scale of wages paid at Hongkong and in force on the 12th day of January, 1922 shall be increas- ed as follows; and shall apply as from the first of January, 1922. “1. Chinese river steamers 30 per cent increase. “2, Other Chinese steamers up to 1,000 tons deadweight 30 per cent in- crease. “3, Hongkong Canton & Macao Steamboats Co., Ltd. 20 per cent in- crease. “4. Other British companies’ steam- ers taking the scale of the Canton Macao Steamboats Co., Ltd. as a basis 20 per cent increase. “5, Coasting steamers 20 per cent increase. 5 “6, Java lines 15 per cent increase. “7, Pacific Lines 15 per cent in- crease. “g, Buropean Lines 15 per cent ‘te: crease. “9, Australian Lines 15 per cent increase. “2. A date will be fixed for the general return to work.—From the time of leaving until such date, men will receive half pay according to the new scale. Men may be reinstated on any of their own company’s vessels, or such other vessels as may be mu- tually agreed upon. If positions are not available for men ready to return to work as above, it is agreed that half pay shall continue for such period as the men are not employed, but not exceeding five anda half (5%) months from the date of the general return to work. This half pay will be ad- ministered from a fund under the con- trol of a duly appointed commission. 3. The owners agree to assist in inaugurating a system of engaging crews which will minimize as far as possible any irregularities which may exist in connection with the pay of seamen. “Signed at Hongkong, this fifth day of March, 1922. “R, Sutherland, chairman, Shipown- ers’ committee. “A. Jamiesen, H. B. M. Consul-Gen eral at Canton. “Luk King Fo, Seamen’s Union.” In gross violation of clause 1, the Blue Funnel Line of the Butterfield & Squires Co. in April, 1923, decreased the wages of the men in its ships tc the former scale. The British colon- ial government, a signatory to the agreement in the person of the N. B. M. consul-general, ignored the protest lodged by the Chinese Seamen’s Un- fon. Moreover, in violation of clause 8, stipulating a minimizing as far as possible of irregularities connected with the engaging of crews, the colon- lal government abetted the labor con- tractors of the “B House Union,” thus enabling the replacement of the original crews of the Blue Funnel Line by strike-breakers from this scab organization. Again, abusing its mili- tary authority and extending its iron rule to the water surface the colonia! government authorized the strike- breakers in the ships to carry arms. The colonial government does not even refrain from openly supporting the labor exploiters by allowing them the extraordinary privilege of carry- Delegate, Chinese IN THE 100 Copies $7.00 ing arms in the colony. Further proof of the violation of clause 3 will be superfluous. Lest it should seem that the first and second clauses are much too lib- eral on the part of the shipowners, it must be explained here that, firstly, the said pay for a period not exceed- ing five and a half months is no more than a beggarly compensation for hundreds of the victorious strik- ers whose positions had been taken by the Philippine and other strike- breakers, called to Hongkong by the shipowners. Understand Capitalist Society. Be it understood, that the Chinese seamen have no grudge against the strike-breakers, for they know that unemployment is an inevitable char- acteristic of the capitalist society and unemployment is the mother of strike- breakers. Secondly, these clauses were won by the seamen as a result of a vic- torious life and death struggle for fifty-six odd days. Settlement was delayed just because of the shipown ers’ reluctance to accede to these very clauses, thereby prolonging the un- heard of hardships and -damages suf- fered by the seamen and the common masses of Hongkong. However, up till now, not a cent has been paid by the shipowners, in spite of the agreement in black and white. Where is “fairness” in the hands of the capitalists? Where is the “sacredness” of agreement with the capitalists? And where is the “law” in a colony? British Colonial Government Ignores Seamen. The Chinese Seamen’s Union in 1923 referred the matter to the British colonial government in Hong Kong, but the latter washed its hands of the matter, despite the fact that his maj- esty’s consul-general was a signatory to the agreement. Chinese seamen demand the British colonial government, signatory to the agreement, besides protecting the shipowners, to heed the seamen’s de- mands. They demand his excellency, Robert Hotung, a British knight who has prolclaimed a so-called peace con- ference professedly in the interests of the Chinese people, to fulfill his duty as guarantor ere he speaks again. They demand the coming British prince investigate into the scandalous deeds of the colonial government and the shipowners and to mete out due punishment, lest he should reveal a princely imperialism. Several thousand Chinese seamen are entitled to five and a half months’ pay, the total sum exceeding $200,000. They are clamoring for their right- ful compensation. The Chinese Sea- men’s Union, representing their in- terests, will never neglect its duty and will realize at any cost the con- ditions won by the victorious strug- gle and heroic sacrifices. These can- ditions were by no means gifts from the shipowners. The Great Battle With Imperialism. Those who will recall the fifty-six odd days of a life and death struggle in 1922 of more than sixty thousand sea- men and eight combatant unions, the sacrifices of the workers and. the panic caused by the blockade of Hong Kong as a result of the interrup- tion of communication, will agree that whatever was acquired was ac- quired by the united gigantic power of the workers themselves. There is no need to recall already the machine- gun patrols of the colonial govern- ment ready to massacre the workers at the time. For a United Front. The whole body of Chinese seamen, 100,000 strong, are prepared! They appeal to their brother workers in China and in all countries, particu. larly the seamen, and their organ- izations to help their Chinese booth- ers in their present just demands! Hand in hand in a glorious united front, they have every reason to ex- pect the day in the immediate future when the British colonial government and the shipowners must redeem what they have hitherto atroctously violated, PITTSBURGH, PA, To those who work hard for their money, | will save 50 per cent on all their dental work, DR. RASNICK DENTIST ; 646 Smithfield Street. Left Wing of Local 140 A.C. W. Defeats Reactionary Officers PHILADELPHIA, March 25.—“The red flag flies over Local 140, A. C. W.” With this attempt at irony, the manager of the Philadelphia joint board of the Amagamated Clothing Workers annoqnced the victory of the left wing administration of the local. The fight is.of,long standing. Many attempts had -been made by the yel- lows to undermine the influence of the left wing,and to unseat the pro- gressive left wing administration. The membership refused to budge and con- tinued its support of the left wing. The struggle culminated in a deci- sion of the joint board (by a major- ity of one) to call a new election by secret ballot. The membership of the local accepted the challenge since it gave them another opportunity to voice their “nconditional confidence and trust inatheir left wing admini- stration. 4 The election was held, and with a huge majority the left wing chairman, secretary and’ treasurer were elected. Six out of seveh members of the lo- cal executive board and six out of seven delegates to the joint board are left wingers, Thus ends one of the crudest at- tempts of the local politicians in the Amalgamated to override the will and desires of the membership of Local No. 140, DETROIT DISTRICT COUNCIL ALMOST PEACEFUL AGAIN Rank aiid’ File Step on Disturbers ‘DETROIT, Mich., March 22.— (By Mail)—Injunction Sharrock ruled for about 20 minutes as president of the Carpenters’ istrict Council here Thursday, lar. 19, and was then placed by the horny hand of a husky carpenter just as the hand of fate is inexorably pushing him aside as a fac- tor in the Carpenters’ Union. When Sharrock tried: his old trick of refus- ing a motion,»*he found that he had gone “just alittle bit too far.” The meeting was presided over by Vice- President Reynolds from that time on, and the accunitlated business of some six weeks, during which the officials have been on their injunction jag, was taken care of. Remove Administration Tool. It was reported to the council that a rat by name.of Albert Pollack, who has been spying on the Workers’ Party and Local Union 1191 for “Fos- sil” Botterill, has been employed by the latter as an “assistant” general or- ganizer. The constitution provides for no such office, but what’s that among highbinders? The council re- pudiated this fink, and ordered his re- moval from the local field. A motion was made to hold a referendum within thirty days to recall the present. offi- cers. The delegates seem about fed up with Sharrock’s wise-guy stuff and show very little sympathy for the pa- thetic figure he cuts nowadays. When removed from the chair, he whined, “You're expelled” at his remover, and the crowd laughed uproariously. Ex- pulsions by Hutcheson and his “little tyrants of the field” are a huge joke since recent proceeding put the ex in expulsions. Delegate Pat Coil, one of Sharrock’s supporters from Local Union 1805, who hadn't quite sobered up from St. Pat’s day, was noisy with Dutch cour- age and Irish bull, but aside from this the meeting was orderly. Decatur Isa Nice Town for Mr. Mueller and Scab Plumbing fenene DECATOR, Hl, March *24.—The H. Mueller company, makers of plumbing goods, have started a series of meet- ings to scare the workers, The main speaker was Adolph Mueller himself. He sald: “Men, I am'glad to see so many familiar faces again. (Some of these faces have been with Mueller for 35 .years because they could never save mdney enough to go elsewhere.) Then he went on: * “Men, I willnot allow any untons in this factory. Tf you begin to organ- ize, beware, I will shut the plant down, But I know you won't give me any trouble and so I won’t shut the place.” I believe he is right, as any man who would try to organize there would not last long, for every other worker there is a stool pigeon and a hand- shaker, However,.a few DAILY WORKERS get passed around. Mueller has about 2,000 employes, mostly boys and girls, some boys un- der sixteen, The average pay in the production Pein is 35 cents an hour, Give your shopmate this copy of the Sar fpmate. he be sure to wee the next day to get his O’FALLON MINE CLOSES AS OPEN SHOPPERS PLOT Union Officials Side with Operators By A. W. YOUNG. The conditions in O'Fallon, IIl., which were bad to begin with, are gradually getting worse and worse. Another mine closed down here on March 11, throwing 225 more miners out of work and adding 225 more miners to make up the total of John L. Lewis’ 200,000 which must be “eliminated” from the industry. This means not only- miners but their | wives and children left to starve. All this ‘comes as a result of the Jacksonville agreement, perpetrated by the Sub-Scale Committees and our treacherous leaders. The mine men- tioned above is the one where the men were willing to share work with 248 men that had been idle for 11 months on account of their mine clos- ing down, However, we failed to get a decision handed down according to contract. The operator said he wouldn’t let the men share the work, and our executive board helped the operator in making his word good. A Contrast of Action and Inaction. Local Union 705 had to wait 11 months to get a decision on the di- vision of work. But when we appeal- ed to the rank and file to force Far- rington and his executive board to hand down a decision as per contract, it only took this same board two weeks to hand down a decision that it was dual and illegal to organize the unemployed. And they circularized this district and advised the members of the U. M. W. of A. to stay away from the unemployed meetings be- cause it was illegal. Fellow workers! How long are we going to stand for officials at the head of our organization who hand down decisions whereby we are branded as dual and illegal if we congregate to- gether to devise ways and means to find relief for our unemployed and their starving wives ‘and children? The time has come when we should defy the enemies of our class, the tools of the operators. Class Difference in the Union. There is something most damnably wrong, when the officials of our or- ganization eat at banquets and live in the best hotels, ride in Pullman cars, and hob-nob with the operators, while the rank and file have to ride in box cars on the road and sleep out in the cold while looking for a master to give them’ a job—and their little children at home with hot a bite of bread in their rented shacks, John. L. Lewis didn’t say half what could have been said, when he men- tioned that Brother Frank Farrington had received a round sum of money from W. J. Lester for a permit to re- move dirt off his strip mine. And Frank Farrington made a very mild assertion when he said that his Broth- er, John L. Lewis, had descended to the level of a louse. They both con- tended they were telling the truth, and we havegood reasons to believe them both when they get to telling of each other’s misdoings. Open Shop Drive Starting. The Pary Coal company and the Business Men’s association, on Feb. 23, held a meeting in the city hall. They said the purpose of the meeting was for the coal company to get the business men of O'Fallon to donate $3,000 to the Pary Coal company to fight the high freight rates that pre- vailed within 20 miles of St. Louis. But the coal miners in O'Fallon know that the “open shop” drive is on and it is a good time for the coal op- erators and the business men to get together and help John L, Lewis and his gang of blood suckers to destroy the U. M. W. of A. The coal companies are calling on the chambers of commedce. in all cit ies within 20 miles of St. Louis to raise large sums of money to fight the high freight rates—so they say. In 1922 the chambers of commerce raised $50,000 for the prosecution of the Herrin coal miners because they had the guts to defend themselves against thugs and a bunch of scab herders. At that time also a number of union coal miners fell in the battle at Herrin, Ill. Must Prepare for Struggle. With or without our officials we must. prepare to fight against wage cuts. The Connelville miners are striking against wage cuts. They are unorganized and were basely betrayed by Lewis during the last strike. It is a crime that they are not members of our union. Nova Scotia is striking against wage cuts, their enemy, the British Empire Steel corporation, one of thé most powerful corporations in Amer- iea. Everywhere we see the coal operat- ons closing in on us, yet our officials tell us that nothing can be done, ex- cept to produce more and cheaper coal. The rank and file must act. Come to the support of the miners on strike. by demanding that the strike front be broadened to cover the en- tire industry, tiated Building Trades Firms © in National Ca pital Begin Open Shop War WASHINGTON.—Speculative build- contractors in Washington are com- | pleting a new organization to fight | the wage increases demanded by the; building trades unions and to impose a secondary boycott, through the banks and building loan concerns, on all builders who refuse to obey their dictation. Already the discharge of | union bricklayers, plasterers, etc., | and their replacement by nonunion | men is well advanced. There are 40,000 building mechan- | ies and building laborers in the local | field. A large majority are employed on housing construction, which ig con- trolled by the new organization of builders, If these builders refuse to pay $11 a day to plumbers and paint- ers and others who have asked for that rate, and if they enforce discip- line on the smaller contractors by shutting off their bank credit, the situation will become similar to San Francisco for nearly four years after the spring of 1920. In San Francisco, the secondary boycott was worked through the build- ing material concerns, but it had also its banking features. Yet the. build- ing trades unions were not destroyed, and the anti-union contractors lost a vast sum of money during the strug- gle. BOSSES PROFIT — BY SPEEDING UP TEXTILE WORKERS Automatic Looms Make Weavers Jobless MANCHESTER, N. H.—Amoskeag Manufacturing company, largest cot- ton and worsted mills in the country, is installing the latest automatic looms to profit from the reduction in the staff of workers. The facts came out in Superintendent Arthur P. Rob- erts’ speech before the legislative la- bor committes)in Concord. Roberts argued. against we bill relating to fines for imperfect weaving. Workers in textile mills are always complaining of the methods employ- ers use in fining them for imperfec- tions in weaving. The company’s in- spector too often deducts many more yards of the material than the imper- fections justify in order to make the pay to workers that much less. Roberts explained that at Amos- keag with automatic looms the deduc- tions for fines have amounted to only one-tenth of one per cent of the $9,300 average wages for a two-month period. Under the old system of one worker to 12 looms the wages totalled $14,000 for the two-month period and deductions for fines amounted to three-tenths of one per cent, he claimed. Under the new weaving system Am- oskeag saves about $5,000 jn wages every two months. Weavers now man. age 24 looms apiece. Meanwhile the excess textile workers wonder when business will boom enough to give them jobs again and few of them real- ize that the machines have perma- nently crowded them out of their old jobs. Turncoat Wills Has His Say, But Members Remind Him of Past At the meeting of the Distriet Coun- cil of Machinists, Charley Wills, under |” “good and welfare,” attacked the Com- munists, saying that, “Since the Com- munists made a united front with the Anderson slate—it meant sure defeat to that slate. “The super-radicals,” he said, “are a detriment to our organization,” and he cited the left wing fights against the labor fakers’ schemes of class col. laboration in the miners,’ carpenters’ and clothing workers’ unions. Wills evidently thinks that the “organiza tion” means the traitorous officials. To this palavar, the members made vigorous remonstrance, one speaker saying, “You, Brother Wills, were one of those ‘super-radicals’ a couple of years ago in order to get along with the Chicago Federation of Labor. But since the Chicago Federation changed its policy and went back to the camp of Gompers you have seen the butter- ed side of your bread and have be- trayed your principles, the principles | you claimed previously were funda- mental to labor organization. You did it to hold your job in the federation.” At this sally the delegates and vist- tors applauded uproariously. Wills tried in vain to answer, but the dele- gates would not listen. The Johnston machine has poor apologists. Contest for a $400 Radio ee GRAND BAZAAR given by the Czecho-Slovak Section of the Workers Party for the benefit of “DELNIK”, BOHEMIAN-AMERICAN HALL, 1488 W. 18th Street MARCH 26, 27 & 28, 1925 Admission on, Thureday and Friday 160 Good Musio—Doors Open at 7:30 P. M. Saturday Afternoon Children's Day ‘NO DUAL UNION’, TUE. L. WARNS CARPENTERS Tells Detroit Members to Stick by Union A great fight to restore and protect the constitutional rights of members, which have been trampled underfoot by the reactionary officials has been made and is being carried on in De- troit. During this fight which arose out of the illegal and autocratic expul- sion of a member, the fakers acting as your spokesmen and representa- tives have resorted to the usewf thugs, police, injunctions, *threats, bribery and fraud in their efforts to maintain themselves as parasites feeding on the organization, This fight hag been signally succese- ful. Every foul blow struck by Hutcheson and his flunkeys has strengthened the rank and file and ex- posed the treachery of those would-be czars. Beware of Dual Unionism. Now that the rank end file are unit and the fakers stand exposed and defeated, your enemies and some mis- led friends are hoping that you will |be so stupid as to fall for the dual union trap which has been laid for you and abandon your fight against Hutcheson and his clique when you are on the very brink of victory. Hutcheson has made the lying charge of dual unionism against many staunch unions. Of the dual union organized by the building trades de- partment of the A. F. of L. he has been silent. The reasons for this sil- ence are several, First he is so cor- rupt and his corruption and autocracy is so well-known that many thought- less members would join a dual union to escape his domination and he would lose per capita. Secondly his stand against dual unionism is a fraud, it is a sham fight to rid himself of all elements opposed to him. Most im- portant of all he wishes all those in- telligent and militant members and groups who oppose him within the Brotherhood to join dual unions or form little unions of their own, Then he and his corrupt gang can rule un- challenged over the Brotherhood. It should be readily seen that this building trades dual union is a club used by the building trades to drive the Carpenters’ Union to accept the jurisdictional award on metal trim. These officials are exactly like Hutcheson. They are warring now and they wish to use the rank and file to fight their battles. Once peace is declared with Hutcheson they will turn on the rank and file, and those who have been their dupes will be- come their victims. You should and must co-operate with the building trades but not to knife your own or- ganization. Stand by Your Supporters. We point out that hundreds of lo- cal unions thruout the country are backing the Detroit carpenters in this fight. They too have grievances to settle with Hutcheson and his gang. To turn aside from the struggle now or to abandon the fundamental consti- tutional basis of our fight on which basis we have enlisted their support would be open treachery to them. De- troit’s carpenters are fighters. They have the courage to stay in a fight even when the strategy of battle ne- cessitates some painful patience. The forces of corruption against which you struggle have been gathering and entrenching themselves for years, they will not be dislodged with a skirmish. A bunch of robbers have taken pos- session of your organization. It is the part of weakness to say “Let them have it, we will build another.” We call upon the carpenters to rally to the defense of their organization against all enemfes both without and within. By their actions the carpenters of De- troit must brand as a lie the charge of Hutcheson, that those whose con- stitutional rights he violates are dual unionists. Carpenters! stand staunch for your Brotherhood! Keep up the fight within your un- jont Patience, courage and intelligence will right every wrong! Make your union worthy of your best efforts and most sacred devotion! TRADE UNION EDUCATIONAL LEAGUE, Detroit, Mich. 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 8, Lincoln St. at the Saturday Went ta