The Daily Worker Newspaper, April 4, 1925, Page 10

en Germany’s Communist Candidate. | BERLIN.—Comrade Ernest Thael- mann, the presidential candidate of the German Communist Party, was born on April 16, 1886, in Hamburg. At an early age he began his revolu- tionary activities, entering the social- democratic party at 16 and the Trans. port Workers’ Union, of which he is still a member, at 18. At first he worked as a docker, then as a sailor and finally as a transport worker. Even after he had entered military the union and in the party, and was denounced to the military authorities as a red by informers. After his mil- itary service was ended, Thaelmann was for a number of years a member of the Hamburg Committee of the Transport Workérs’ Union, ahd dele- gate to the Hamburg Trades Council; in the party, in addition to his. local activity, he held the position of dele gate to the national organization. Because of his knowledge of var- ious trades, and with the purpose of detaching him from the political ac- tivity in which he was very definitely felt} to be a force to be reckoned with, Thaelmann was offered the post of manager of a large Hamburg. con- cern, on condition that he would abandon his political and trade union work. He refused the “honor”—and thanks to Thaelmann’s energetic work this same enterprise became one of the leading revolutionary strongholds of Hamburg, and 100 Bee! cent organ- ized. At the outbreak of the war; Thael- mann fought bitterly against the chauvinism of the social-democratic leaders. Called to arms, he continued his revolutionary propaganda in the ranks, being finally tried by court martial for treason and thrown into prigon. After’ Nits Heteuse?’ ‘ThaéImann con- tinued the fight. Ordered by the Spartacus organization to remain and lead the left fight within the inde- pendent socialist party to which he then belonged, he carried on this work with such energy and skill that largely owing to his efforts, 95 per cent of the’ Hamburg section went over to the Communists. Later, as president of the Hamburg section of the Communist Party, for many years Thaelmann led all the political and economic struggles in which the Communists participated As leader of the Communist fraction in the Hamburg town council, and later, of the Communist fraction in the jreiehstag. Thaelmann kept up a constant’ fight on behdlf of the Ger- man pfoletdriat, and ever since the Hamburg insurrection of 1923, efforts were made to have his parliamentary immunity as reichstag deputy set aside. : Thaelmann has aided tremendously in the development of the German Communist Party, and was one of the first to war on the ideology of Brand- ler, the leader of the right wing in the party. The magnificent organiza- tion of the “Fighters of the Red Front” is also greatly due to his ef- forts. In choosing Comrade Thaelmann as red candidate in the presidential elec. tions,-the German Communist Party has done this in the knowledge that his revolutionary life, tireless effort, the love that he bears the proleta- riat, his unshakable’ faith in revolu- tionary force are the living expression of the force; the ideological clarity and the tenacious revolutionary will of the German Communist Party. The Halle Massacre. The full facts of the Halle massa- cre, in which seven unarmed workers were killed and 40 wounded are now reaching this side. Over 10,000 Communist workers gathered in the People’s Park Hall to hear Thaelmann, the .Communist presidential candidate and president of the “Fighters of the Red Front,” which is strongly organized in that city. A French and an Ejiglish INTERN service he kept up his work both in}- speaker were ajso on the program, and the social-democratic chief of po- lice, Runge, objected to their speak- ing. Three hundred armed police sur- rounded the hall, and as soon as the transiation of the English comrade’s speech began, the police lieutenant, Pietzker, leaped on the platform, flourishing his’ revolver, and forbade the translation to proceed. The trans- lator continued, and Pietzker declared the meeting dissolved. A storm of protest arose. Suddenly the police opened fire, All exits save one were closely guarded, and terrible scenes ensued. This latest move in the campaign to terrorize the German workers, and at all costs to keep them from, follow- ing Communist léadership in the strikes that are bréaking out in indus- try after industry, and from support- ing the Communists in the elections. has thoroly infuriated the masses. In all the industrial centers great pro- test demonstrations have: been held, at one of which, in Berlin, the police again fired on the crowd, killing one and wounding several Workers. On the day of the funeral of the Halle victims, as on the day after the shoot- ing, tens of thousands struck work in the big shops of the city. An im. mense crowd, bearing hundreds of red banners, accompanied the red-draped coffins to the cemetery. At the head marched the “Fighters of the Red Front” of Halle, and the Young Com- munists. ‘ The Halle Federation of Shop Com- mittees met to discuss the situation passing resolutions censuring the Halle social-democratic paper for com ing out in defense of the police chief Runge, and demanding his immediate recall, the arrest of Pietzkner, an in- vestigation participated in by repre- sentatives of the shop committees and, finally, that in future the police should keep away from all workers’ meetings, The Communist. fractions in the reichstag and the Prussian landtag demanded that measures be taken against all officials connected with the massacre; and that the state pay compensation to the families of the victims, and the~ funeral expenses. The dismissal of the social-democratic chief of police, Runge, has already been forced thru. * *# | Dissolve Youth Union. BERLIN~—The bureaucracy of the A. D. G. B. (All German Federation of Trade Unions) has at last carried thru its scheme to liquidate the mili- tant trade union of the youth of Breslau, because it dared to pass resolutions calling for struggle for, the realization of the demands of the young workers. Itis a second Gotha. It will be re. called that the A. D. G. B. arbitrarily dissolved the local union of Gotha, which laid down the demands which became the basic program of the revo- lutionary trade unionists of Germany. The only. difference consists in the fact that this time the great majority of the union of the youth of Breslau are not Communists, but belong to the opposition in the social-democrati party. Polish Bureaucrats Sabotage Unity. " WARSAW—The Polish Trade Un- ion Confederation has refused the in- vitation of the Central Federation of Trade Unions’ of the U. S. SR. to send a delegation to Russia to study the economic situation of the Russian workers, on the pretext that, under existing political conditions, it “does not believe that liberty of action will be assured the delegation in the U.S. 8. R.” In the course of their answer the U. 8S. S. R. Confederation writes as follows: “The refusal signifies that the Pol- ish Trade Union Confederation has refused rapproachment with the Rus sian workers and trade unions, This refusal cannot take from us the right to address ourselves directly to the Polish workers, who, just as the Rus- sian workers, desire a united front of trade unions and the friendship of the proletariat of these neighbor states. Our invitation still holds good.” se 8 [session of U. S. S. R. Executive | TIFLIS—In accordance with the new plan for holding the sesisons of the central executive committee of th U. S. S. R. in the various constitu- ent Soviet Republics in turn, the~re- cent (March) session, was held in Tiflis, oM. f. Kalinin's Speech. M. I. Kalinin, im his opening speech jointed out-that the Soviet Union was founded){on the equality and mutual confidence of. all the. nationalities in- cluded’ in it. To realize this equality it was necessary that not only the central authorities, but that all the lo cal authorities and people should un- derstand clearly the aims, activities and the methods of work of the So- viet government. Turning to the question of the peasantry, Kalinin pointed out that in the early days o/ the revolution, there was no specia) peasant problem, as both peasant and worker had been mainly concerned with assuring the triumph of the No- vember revolution. Now, however conditions had become more settled. but they had also become more com- plex, The government was meeting this problem among the peasants by an endeavor to improve the machin. ery of local Soviet government, by increasing -expenditure on education, and now that the improved economic position of the country warranted it, by a reduction in taxation. A particularly interesting report on Transcaucasia was given by M. Orak- helashvili, president of. the Transcau- ‘casian -council of people’s commis- saries, in the course of which the re- porter painted a remarkable picture of progress during the last few years. The snecess achiéved in the restora- tion of the oil industry of Transcau- casia is well known. This progress is being maintained, and the Azneft is about to construct a new oil pipe line betv.cen Baku and Batum ind to erect a new oil refinery. The Zange- zur copper mines have also been set into operation, and already 1,500 workers are employed in them. Pow- erful electric stations are being built, and the leather and textile in- dustries are being rapidly restored. It is proposed to lease the Chiatura manganese area as a concession on the usual principle of the Soviet con. cession policy. Fifty-five per cent of the Georgian budget is spent on edu- cation. The number of children at- tending school is more by 150 per ‘cent as compared with czarist days and by 79 per cent as compared with the menshevist period, The number of teachers is now 12,000 as compared with 5,000 under the mensheviks. Similar results have been attained ‘in Armenia and Azerbaidjan, ; Electrification of U. S. S. R. This year should conclude the first five years’ program of work on elec. trification laid down by the commis- sion on the electrification of Russia, set-up in’ 1920. This program pro vided for the construction of the fol- lowing regional stations: the Volk- hovstroi, Kashira, Nizhni-Novorod, Shterov, and Kiezelov, and the com. pletion of the Utkin-Zavod (now known as Krassny-Oktiabr) station near Leningrad. It will be remember- ed that it was one of Lenin’s most earnest desires that the electrification of Soviet Russia should proceed as rapidly as possible, because. only by the application of electricity to indus- try and agriculture could he visualize}. the real liberatfon of the bun ° > « pea AE Ma TRO th a | British Miners’ Unity. | IONAL NOTES| industries is now well under way. rh} a recent address before the Fife min- ers, A, J. Cook, militant secretary of the Miners’ Federation, and an ener- getic fighter for unity, said that the results of the meetings of the miners’ executive with those of the National Union of Railroad Workers, the Transport Workers‘ Union, and the Engineering Unions would be fully re- ported to the coming miners’ confer- ence. Further meetings would take Place, he said, and he was confident that, with the aid of the rank and file in every union, the movement would, in 1925, arrive at an agreement which would give to the general coun- cil of the Trades Union Congress the right and power to co-ordinate activi- ties so that all the unions would act together. Speaking of the: effort on ‘the part of the bosses: to offset the fighting:,.; propaganda of the .minority,. (left), movement in the unions, and, with the aid of the yellow union teaders, get the men to submit meekly to ‘wage’ cuts and longer hours, Cook said: “T notice that the prime minister is opening a revival campaign for peace and tranquility. Let Mr. Baldwin come to earth and face the present situation.” Indication of Class Struggle. That campaign was, at any rate, an indication that there was a@ class struggle. It was no use for the premier to pretend that peace was possible under present conditions. Peace was possible only with economic security. The conservative party was fortu- nate, Mr. Cook declared, in having a leader who could make such a speech when there was every appearance of strife and turmoil, but the true test must be by results. Just as the league of nations was breaking down because, thru its lack of realism, it could be nothing more than a league of nations, so the’prime ** minister’s plea’ for peace would not be realized because conditions gov- erned men’s actions and hungry men were angry men. Mr. Baldwin had suggested that the miners should purchase and run a col- liery. That, at any rate, was an admis- sion of the failure of the class to which the prime minister belonged to run the mines of the country. It was the intention of the miners to have the whole of the mines, under public control, and they would not start with one pit at a _time on the instalment system. The miners could not forget Tony- pandy and 1921. While the workers had only the weapof nature had given them to use in their’ defence, Mr: Baldwin’s party and his class had used. the army, navy and police to support the masters in every strug: gle against them. Overthrow Capitalist Syetem. The miners would go on preparing’ {"* their organization “so ‘that’ it’ Wwoula’® be ready to act, first; to séeure’ Wages sufficient to live, ahd écéndly, to” take control of the industries of the country; to. overthrow the capitalist system and usher in a co-operative commonwealth. “IT am glad to notice,” remarked Mr. Coak, “that the prime minister does know something about Marx, but I am afraid he has not studied Das Kapital, or he would have to admit that the present situation was prophesied there, and that the Marx- ian law of value had been proved ab- solutely correct in practice.” Get a sub—make another Com- mupist! Telephone Monroe 2284 Genova Restaurant ~ FTALIAN-AMERICAN 1238 Madison Street ' N, &, Cor, Elizabeth St, Spaghetti and Ravioli Our Specialty LONDON —The movement towards | Special Arrangements for Parties on an alliance of workers in England's key Shott Notice a2 ~